What is remarkable about this year’s Emmy‘s is the creation of a new category, Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program. Even better is that this new category seems to be in response to the success of Joss Whedon’s web-musical, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog”. When asked about what he thought about this new category and his nomination, Whedon has this to say:
“…it absolutely means a great deal that the Academy went … and recognized that some of the … entertainment that they’re focused on is happening outside of conventional television. And it’s my hope that more people, … that the next time these nominations come up, there will be more than one company listed that is independent.”
“Because, ultimately, it’s still hard. And a lot of people have said, “Well, it’s easy for you to say, ‘Go and do this.’ You have a fan base. Where do we get one of those?” And the fact of the matter is, it was easier for me in some ways. However, we still had to get it done. And you’ll get somebody like Felicia Day, who really is a home brew, who is really getting it done on her own, you know? And she’s proof positive, more than the work I’m doing, that there’s not only a market out there, but it’s a market for people that aren’t necessarily already established.”
“I’m talking about The Guild, I’m talking about the way she handles the internet, the way she’s monetized The Guild, as well as written it and starred in it. … That’s a complete home brew in a way that … me and my advantages wouldn’t have made. And I’m hoping that more people will be able to pursue that. And that more people who do have the kind of advantages I have will use them for something like this. Who will take that risk.”
Whedon continues to expound in this form of media:
“I mean, ultimately, you know, the profit that this show has generated might not excite News Corp. or Time Warner, but it’s not terrible. It’s fairly impressive. And we all know that the mediums are shifting and that television is struggling to figure out how the rise of the computer is going to affect it.”
“And the Guilds are struggling, and I really feel the best way to deal with that is just to get out there … and to make stuff. And to make it in a way that is equitable with all of the [talent] guilds. We dealt with all of them, you know, very specifically. In many cases, without any kind of precedent, where we had to create it as we went along. But making sure that, you know, while creating something very small and independent and on the fly, we weren’t bucking the guilds or making things worse when we were trying to make things better”.
“And we were able to do that without incurring prohibitive costs or anything like that. It is a model. I haven’t seen a lot of people following it on their own. I’ve seen the bigger entities sort of sniffing around it, and in some cases, like The Office and Battlestar, doing great work there. But I’m looking for more people to do it. I’d be doing it more, but Fox forgot to cancel my show.”
On the nomination directly, Whedon responds:
“[It’s] definitely nice to be the only completely original piece on there that is unrelated to any other event, be it brilliant television series or football game.”
Whedon was referring to the other nominees in this new category:
BSG: Face of the Enemy
Bruce Springsteen Super Bowl Half Time Show
The Daily Show: The Daily Show Correspondents on Jon Stewart
30 Rock’s Kenneth the Web Page
I’m crossing my fingers for “Dr. Horrible” for the win. If you aren’t yet familiar with “Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog”, watch it on Hulu.
If you can’t get enough of the “Dr. Horrible” universe, check out the “Dr. Horrible” online comics from Dark Horse.
[Source] Syfy
