I was reading through the New York Times online this morning and I came across a story about comedy on the Internet. It explained the success of Will Ferrell’s latest video on FunnyorDie.com, The Landlord.
The video is a two-minute clip of Ferrell interacting with Adam McKay’s two-year-old daughter, Pearl. You may recognize McKay’s name as one of the producers of “Anchorman.” The clip has quickly become one of the most popular videos on the site with over 30 million views.
Ferrell and McKay started the video web site as a project that would incorporate the works of other famous comedians as well.
I am amazed that Ferrell and McKay, two stars who typically make millions on their blockbuster comedies, would put time and energy into a web video project. This site is a perfect example of the increasing power of the Internet as a content deliverer.
Clearly, Ferrell and McKay can see some sort of long-term benefit in working and editing a site like this. As the speed of broadband increases and the price decreases, I wonder if the Internet will become people’s primary source of entertainment. In a way, I think it already has – just look at the popularity of certain videos on YouTube, or the networking on Facebook. So, while Ferrell and McKay’s online work may not be paying off right now, I’m anxious to see what it means for the future.
2 comments:
So true... I read an article about it in Slate a couple of weeks ago. I guess that shows you how communications cycle on the Internet, commenting on comments about Internet postings about Internet movies. What a weird little world.
Thanks for drawing my attention to funnyordie.com I've spent probably 2 hours looking at videos on there today. Hilarious. And it is curious that Ferrel would put time into creating videos just for the sake of it.
I'm wondering... What happens when everyone is willing to produce web content (videos, blogs, news reports, photos, etc.) for free?
Post a Comment