JedFonner.com

Ok so maybe this is a little old, but I just discovered the Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (see video below). First of all, it’s not only hilarious but extremely well done. It’s a three-part, comedic, superhero musical starring everyone’s favorite Neil Patrick Harris and assorted other less-well known TV stars (including Nathan Fillion from Firefly).

The amazing thing is that this wasn’t done for television. It was made specifically for the web by Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy and Firefly). So unlike SNL’s “Digital Shorts” which are made as much for the Saturday night’s show as for the web, this was made to be aired on Hulu.com for free. Joss seems to totally have bought into the new internet business plan: build up a loyal following by giving away your content for free, then make money by providing fans with added value (merchandising, higher-quality downloads, DVD sales, exclusives, etc). As TechDirt would say, the content is advertising for the things that really provide revenue.

I don’t know if this represents the beginning of a new effort by actors and writers to expand aggressively into online video, or if this was just a one-time project dreamed up and implemented during the writers’ strike. I hope it’s the former. What better way for an actor to build their “brand” while also having much more creative license with their work. Plus, if you’re trying to go viral, online video, not TV, is where it all starts.

Either way, I love it:

To get more control over the size of the video or to get the embed code yourself, head over to the Dr. Horrible page on Hulu.

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