Warren And Joss Go Outside the System (Again)

Warren Ellis answered a few questions this morning regarding his internet serial with Joss Whedon called WASTELANDERS.  They hatched their plot pre-AVENGERS MOVIE and plan to pick it up after the movie is in post-production.

What's interesting (to me, anyway) is the following:

A few notes. WASTELANDERS is not, as some people who can’t read have commented, the same as Antony Johnston’s WASTELAND. WASTELANDERS is Joss’ idea and Joss’ title. WASTELANDERS also has no connection to DR HORRIBLE. WASTELANDERS is where Joss’ sense that too few people followed the example of DR HORRIBLE meets my obsession with the QUATERMASS serials, which were half-hour episodes. Short-form genre serials of the kind that tv just doesn’t make anymore. What we eventually came up with was very much a fusion of British and American styles, and very much a fusion of my style and Joss’ style. And full-on science fiction.

 (highlights mine)

There's a lot to follow on this one because it represents a fundamental shift in thinking regarding media.  In the previous media era, it was rare for two people to collaborate as these guys are doing.  It happened, but it was rare.  Also, we have a situation where the plan is to not go to TV (because TV doesn't do short form serials) but go to the internet (because it DOES). Both have experience with the web - Warren writing the GI JOE animated web serial as well as the web comic FREAKANGELS, and Joss' DR. HORRIBLE.

This is the next iteration of their experience in this arena, and I'm going to say this sort of thing is going to happen more and more often.  Will it pay all of the bills?  Maybe, maybe not.  But the idea that the opportunity is there to do something different is more than enough to radically change how media thinks.

Cool.

And Who Didn't See This Coming?

From our friends at Tubefilter:

The Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog sequel rumors have been flying since days after the web musical premiered online last summer. Still, despite strong desire from fans and the cast themselves, there wasn’t any movement on the ‘Dr. H 2‘ mostly due to creator Joss Whedon’s primary commitment to his FOX series Dollhouse. But this week there’s new confirmation that the project is moving forward.

During a conference call to promote the new season of Dollhouse, Whedon somewhat officially confirmed that a sequel is going to happen:

The main question, he says, is whether he does it “on a shoe string again” or goes bigger budget and “invites other people into the process.” Either way, he promises that it won’t affect the storyline. (via TV Guide)

In terms of those “other people in the process,” we do hear that Whedon is shopping a digital studio proposal around Hollywood, including to the major studios, looking to raise investment in the $5 million range, according to sources. The unnamed Whedon studio will apparently look to produce four original web series a year, two of which will be directed by Whedon himself. One of those two will be the above mentioned Dr. Horrible sequel.

Hell - Might as well just paste it all up:

By Tubefilter Research estimates, the Streamy-winning show grossed just under $2.5 million, a number that was later reported by in a recent Forbes feature on Whedon. With a production budget just over $200,000, that’s not a bad return on investment (12x). But the question remains can he strike web gold again?

The revenue was largely driven through digital download sales at iTunes partly by accident as the initial release took down the free streaming version on the Dr. Horrible site itself. This, and the short initial window on Hulu caused thousands of fans to pay the $3.99 for the full season. Then there was the highly touted DVD release right in time for the holidays that featured the artfully crafted musical cast and crew commentary. The business model proposed for the new studio would follow that same paid-download and DVD model.

As for the title of Dr. Horrible’s new season, it’s anyone’s guess at this point. The NY Post unsuccessfully tried to sneak it out of Nathan Fillion during an interview about Castle, though Fillion did say he knew what it was.

Also to be determined is whether or not web star Felicia Day will return in some way after her character Penny was killed in the show’s surprising finale. This is Whedon we’re talking about here and who knows, it’s possible Penny could return, as one fan postulates, as Dr. Horrible’s evil clone/robot girlfriend.

A good first step.

But what's interesting are the recent opposing articles articles by the Hollywood Reporter and by Variety. HReporter taking the position that the "Long Tail" isn't working, and Variety showcasing Whedon as someone who caters to a niche.

So which is it? If the Long Tail isn't working and you can't make a profit from a niche (or rather people don't flock to niches as previously thought), then how does Whedon, who Variety characterizes as never having a "hit tv show" able to make his niche work and find financing? How is he able to make $2.5 M from a $200K investment and share that with everyone involved?

I think that what needs to happen is a lot of discussion as to the methodology of the study HR sites in their article, and a redefinition of what constitutes a "niche." I personally think that someone could make a lot of good money from creating content for specific niches - superheroes, steampunk, splatterpunk, alien invasion porn, etc... and spread that content out across many different platforms and revenue streams.

We live in interesting times.

Whedon Speaks on Dr. Horrible...

Here.

There is a lot of goodness in this interview with actual numbers and returns and "How I did it" information... but here's the heart of it:

Knowledge@Wharton: What advice would you give to someone starting out that wants to make an independent film or web content? How can they get their work seen? How can they generate enough revenue to do another one?

Whedon: The fact of the matter is, if somebody has a story to tell there is no reason at all that they should not be telling it. The quality of the material that exists — I’m talking about the physical [equipment] like the cameras — [allows you to do] things that could not be done when I was a kid for almost nothing.

People aren’t going to the Internet to look for IMAX [large screen movies]. They’re going to look for things that shock and delight and surprise and upset and all that good stuff. They’re going for the most basic story.

A lot of people sit around and go, “How can I get this made?” The only answer is: By making it. By borrowing someone’s camera. By buying a camera. They come cheap and they work well. And if you know where to point them — and the person that you point them at is saying something interesting — that’s it! That’s how it works.

I can’t stress enough that I believe the best thing in the world is for everybody who feels like they have a story to tell, to tell it.

Which dovetails into something from our good friend John Rogers over at Kung Fu Monkey:

All in-house (see above.) Welcome to the future of television. Everything under one roof. When we began working on Leverage, the Electric Entertainment offices were on a studio lot. Across the way, a giant steel and glass building was under construction - a new post house. I idly asked Mark Franco, our VFX supervisor, what they did in that building. "Everything we do on six Macs," he answered.

"So that's not the future of visual effects?" I asked.

"John, the future of visual effects is four guys in a garage with a bong."

Read about the VFX from six Macs for LEVERAGE here.

You don't Have to Believe ME, But I'm Sure You Believe The Joss...

A lot of people think I am extremely naive when I discuss the fact that all of the tools are there to become your own studio and you can produce and distribute media** on your own. Tools like Createspace, Lulu.com, TubeMogul, FiveSprockets.com, Withoutabox.com and others stare the naysayers right in the face and yet they just can't make the connection.

Perhaps its better to think that only certain, special people can make money at making media. I get it. That way, when you fail you have an excuse...

(Yes. You read that right. That's me calling you out)

Well here's something I hope changes your naysaying mind. I think Joss hopes it changes your mind too, because it's that significant.

Joss Whedon is using Createspace to distribute his DVD instead of doing a "traditional" studio deal for the DVD rights.

And I'm sure it was part of the plan all along. From the press release:

CreateSpace, a leader in Disc on Demand services, enables Whedon's creation to be released on DVD and CD in time for the holidays and reach millions of Amazon.com customers with minimal risk and without the cost of traditional distribution. Whedon chose CreateSpace in order to bring his vision to DVD and CD quickly and because of the low-risk, low-cost model. The video and soundtrack also will be available as digital downloads via Amazon Video on Demand and Amazon MP3.

"'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog' was always meant to be part of a new wave of (somewhat old-fashioned) entertainment," said Whedon. "The next step in that plan relies entirely on CreateSpace - a system that creates the exact supply for our entirely unpredictable demand. By offering it on DVD and download through Amazon, CreateSpace allows us to reach a broad audience base while maintaining our independence and furthering the Internet ethos that started this whole mess."

"The CreateSpace distribution model is a low-cost, 'fast to market' solution for independent visionaries like Joss Whedon," said Dana LoPiccolo-Giles, co-founder and managing director of CreateSpace. "The time efficiency of on-demand ensured that the title would be available in time for Christmas, and the multi-platform approach gives the end consumer choices on how to enjoy the content."

So, you don't have to believe me, but this sort of thing has to make you look twice. Whedon has his choices of deals he can make, and he chose the one with more control for him and more options for the consumer.

That's how you make your money -- not by just "making a movie," but by "going into the moviemaking business." (you'll note the difference)

**I say media here because outfits like Amazon's Createspace deal with all sorts of media - print, DVD, Audio, etc... You are no longer just a moviemaker, you're a mediamaker - moving a property from one media to another so that consumers can experience it on several levels.

There's Not Many of Them - Yet - But They are There and Doing It

As reported in The NY Times there are several folks out there making a living off of their YouTube Videos.

"One year after YouTube, the online video powerhouse, invited members to become “partners” and added advertising to their videos, the most successful users are earning six-figure incomes from the Web site. For some, like Michael Buckley, the self-taught host of a celebrity chatter show, filming funny videos is now a full-time job.

Mr. Buckley quit his day job in September after his online profits had greatly surpassed his salary as an administrative assistant for a music promotion company. His thrice-a-week online show “is silly,” he said, but it has helped him escape his credit-card debt."

And the frosting on the cake:

"In a time of media industry layoffs, the revenue source — and the prospect of a one-person media company — may be especially appealing to users. But video producers like Lisa Donovan, who posts sketch comedy onto YouTube and attracted attention in the fall for parodies of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, do not make it sound easy. “For new users, it’s a lot of work,” Ms. Donovan said. “Everybody’s fighting to be seen online; you have to strategize and market yourself.”

It's not just Joss Whedon or Kent Nichols making money on the web with video. It's hard, but it can be done. It's not "back that Brinks truck up / private army in Iraq money", but as Rogers said awhile back - "Nobody gets rich, but everybody gets paid."

What's also interesting is that the article glosses over the alternate revenue streams available. You could make a great web video that gets seen, but doesn't make you money. If I made a web video and it generated pennies to me, but I had a cool t-shirt tied to it that everyone wanted, and I sold thousands of them...? Well, friends I would take the win and go home to think of more ways to create fun video stuff so I could sell more shirts, books, action figures or other stuff.

Whedon@ TechCrunch50: “I don’t think any of them get it.”

(Dateline: San Francisco)

Hollywood was well repped at the TechCrunch50 conference in SF this week. I have pulled some quotes from current internet fave Joss Whedon regarding his work- Dr. Horrible - and the intersection between the internet and traditional "Hollywood."

But when asked point-blank which of the big Hollywood studios understand the Internet, Whedon said, “I don’t think any of them get it.”

“They’re trying to recreate the model of a successful television show — you pour in millions and you get back many more millions,” Whedon said. “It’s a huge priority, but they’re coming at it from a very ossified point of view.”

Whedon seems to have found a model worth replicating — he produced the equivalent of an hour-long drama for a cost in the “low six figures” rather than millions or ten of millions of dollars. It became a top-seller on iTunes, and is now making more money on ad-supported Internet TV site Hulu. Interestingly, Whedon also released the show for free for a week.**

“The idea was not just to get people to see it and to give something for the fans,” Whedon said. “[It was also] to make a statement about the Internet — this is a place where you can have an event.”

** and he's selling the soundtrack on itunes. This demonstrates what I've said before - you're not just selling the film (or tv show) you are selling the property, the brand.

Gatekeepers Meet Prybar...

We discussed this over at KF Monkey, but let's just be clear:

1) Joss Whedon is releasing Dr. Horrible...

2) and now Seth MacFarlane is launching a Cavalcade with Google.

Which indicates that creators are going outside of the paradigm in order to create programs. These guys are known brands who are using that leverage to diversify their particular skillset across several platforms. Both guys are working for "the man," but they are also doing creator-owned work (sounds a lot like comics doesn't it?)

The floodgates are opening - a trickle now, but as more people join in - a flood will ensue.

Beware the Unholy Fury of Doctor Horrible!

Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

(thank you, Miss Shawna!)

Website here.

What He Said...

"I write for fanboy moments. I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I’m afraid of. I write to do all the things the viewers want too. So the intensity of the fan response is enormously gratifying. It means I hit a nerve. "

--- Joss Whedon

(Tip o' the hat to Jill Golick)

Joss Kidding...

By now the whole of geekdom is reeling over the announcement that Eliza Dushku (do I really need to spell out her credits?) and Geek TV's God of Thunder Joss Whedon (ditto) are teaming up for a new show called DOLLHOUSE.

You can read details here.

This will be covered ad infinitum by the geekosphere, analyzing the most minute points in Joss's every word to the point of assigning numerical values to his speech in the hopes of unlocking the gates to some cyber rosetta stone of masturbatory material...

For those of you reading this who know Mr. Whedon or Ms. Dushku personally (and I don't mean in a "I beat off to their pics during my coffee break in my cubicle" sort of way) please pass along these words:

- You're doing new stuff. Very cool.

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- You're working together. Again, mark a 'win' in the cool column.
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- Joss, please make these 7 episodes you get from Fox a self-contained story. An American variation of the six-pack model of Television Storytelling we've enjoyed with shows like JEKYLL. Good for television, GREAT FOR DVD. This is an opportunity for you to explore the business model of television and stretch the limits. You been quoted as saying that the D2DVD model is an interesting way for an artist to get his material into the hands of his audience. Well kid, here's your chance.

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(And just to let you know people want more material from you. In whatever form they can get it. They are wondering how to make it work for you so that everybody gets what they want. How often does a creator hear that from his audience?)
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- Eliza, any day we get to see you, whether it's onscreen or at the local Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is a big win. We are really glad you're back (not that you went away or anything). Think about doing a DOLLHOUSE (web)comic.

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- NBC, read the premise of DOLLHOUSE. You could have had something just as cool with this beautiful lady here:

But instead, we have a very pedestrian show that doesn't fulfill the promise of BIONIC WOMAN. You need to fix that, pronto.

Seriously. Demos are only going to get you so far, and then it comes down to numbers (at least for television).

(Don't get me started on how I would reboot this show. I don't need the stress...or maybe I do. I don't know. That's how ambivalent I am about the show at this point)

Edit to add:

This here where Joss talks about titles and how if something has a title... well, read it. It was as if he read my mind. That Whedon, watch him. He has powers.

Hey! All You WGA Writers Out There...

Here's an article that may capture your interest, and give you something to think about while negotiations carry on...

Interestingly enough, the idea of creating a TV series for comics has been around for quite awhile now. Javier Grillo-Marxuach (LOST) created MIDDLEMAN awhile ago as a tv show, but couldn't get it off the ground. Then he created the comic book version, published some issues. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES was a simple B&W comic that sold 1200 issues in its first run.

Then the suits with their filthy monies came calling.

Now the worst thing that could happen for comics would be for writers to flood the market with TV ideas that are realized in the comic book format... terrible...horrifying...

Yeah, right.

Thing is, you could go here and set up a shingle. Talk to artists. Maybe even get some of the art department/design folk from Hollywood to work in print (or web) for a change. Stretch their creative muscles. Own a piece of the pie you both bake. Or you could set up a writer's room for a comic book TV series. Set it up the way it should be run - fairly.

The funny thing is that the original vision you had when you sat down to write, that crazy notion for a TV show or movie that no suit in a million years would ever pay to develop... ?

Well that original vision can be realized on paper or computer screen fairly quickly (quicker than TV anyway) and put out there for people to see and appreciate, share and yes, ultimately pay for... just like this (or any other way you can imagine). The old business model just isn't working anymore.

And before you think I'm completely full of it, reread the links. Your brethren are doing it already - taking control of an opportunity. See, things are changing... Best to learn and change now before you are obsolete and those opportunities pass you by.

Feel free to discuss.
Next time: we talk about D2DVD in this era of change.