Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog! Mdia Meditation #2

INTRODUCTION:

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog was written by a collaboration of the Whedon brothers (all of whom write, direct, and or compose, together they sing the “Bad Horse Chorus”) and Maurissa Tancharoen (a composer). They teamed up during the WGA writer’s strike as a way of showing the general public as well as the kings of television that they had an alternative to producing their media without the help of major TV corporations, and oh boy did they succeed! This epic three part story is about a aspiring super villain, his nemesis Captain Hammer, and their mutual love interest Penny. Truly a must see by Neil Patrick Harris fans (Dr. Horrible), and music lovers alike.



THE TRUINE BRAIN:

This piece of entertainment most directly affect the Limbic system, from numerous jokes executed perfectly by Neil Patrick Harris to the sadness of a lover searching for meaning losing the love of his life due to his own evil invention.

MEDIA CONVERGENCE:

The episodes first came out once every 2 days over a weeklong period through the Dr. Horrible website. Then it was released on iTunes for a nominal fee (which enabled the producers to pay the cast and crew). Now the episodes can be viewed on YouTube, and for a time it was on Hulu, although I’m not sure it’s still available through that source.

I used Google to find more information about how the project came into existence and
for information about the actors.

EIGHT SHIFTS:

Epistemological Shift: Because of a lack of cooperation between the projects team and the TV execs, the episodes were broadcast over the internet. The soundtrack is now available on iTunes as well as the full video.

Technological Shift: TV to Internet broadcast.

Economic Shift: Without the support of the economically powerful, the project was forced to find less expensive alternatives to getting out their media.



SEVEN BASIC PRINCIPLES:

Production Techniques: the director had a very limited budget to work with, but even so he was able to create an extraordinary film by using actors who didn’t require promised compensation.

Ownership: For this project a lack of ownership was very beneficial. Without the TV execs breathing over the shoulders of the production team they had more freedom of expression.

PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUES:

Humor: The piece is for entertainment purposes, it’s genre is humor.

Testimonial: Neil Patrick Harris is a famous face of television who did this project without pay, and his appearance brought many (including myself) to the view the musical tragicomedy short film.

This piece of entertainment really doesn’t have persuasive purposes, however its success may have persuaded some TV execs to be more forgiving with their writers.

THESIS: Excessive funding and advertising isn’t necessary to create a quality piece of entertainment.