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Digital Shorts: The Future of Funny |
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Dr. Samuel Says -
Arts & Science
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Written by Dr. Samuel Centralia, Ph.D., D.D.S., Esq.
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Thursday, 21 February 2008 |
When it comes to comedy, I'm an old-school sort of fellow. I remember many a Saturday morning watching Abbot and Costello movies as a kid. Even then, my instincts ran to science and technology. Dissatisfied with my parents' cabinet-style cathode ray television, I did a little tinkering and accidentally invented digital HDTV several decades too soon. Unfortunately, I spilled chocolate milk all over my notes, got distracted with other things, and history had to wait.
Now, in our brave new world of the 21st century, I still enjoy Abbot
and Costello but have broadened my horizons as well. Monty Python. SNL.
Kids in the Hall. Caddyshack. The Office. Newhart. Chappelle's Show. Seinfeld. The Simpsons. Fletch. The entire career output of
Steve Martin. Tracy Ullman. Tracy Jordan. 30 Rock. I could go on and
on, but here's a riddle: What do all of these comedy classics have in
common?
Answer: I experienced them all through the two primary mass
entertainment vectors of the 21st century: TV and movies. But that's
all changing. Digital short is the emerging term for all those viral
videos that have been making their way around the Internet since the
introduction of broadband and multimedia. You know what I mean, stuff
like the brilliant Lazy Sunday from SNL, or Sarah Silverman's recent
contribution -- short-form comedy bits designed principally for
distribution on the Internet.
While many of these may be initially broadcast on television, they
really live out their lives online. The vast majority of the intended
audience will view the short on their computer monitor, or their iPod,
or whatever other multimedia gadget is handy. Check out the ambitious
Funny Or Die, a side project of Will Ferrell and writer/director Adam
McKay, to see the event horizon of digital short comedy.
I haven't crunched the numbers, but I suspect that the most successful
(read: most viral) digital shorts reach an audience that would rival
the biggest Nielsen and Hollywood box office figures. Ain't it cool?
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