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Foxen Comedy
Jul. 31st, 2014 09:24 pmWhy yes, I am over thinking this...
While there's a temptation for outside observers to assume that all Foxen video entertainment resembles something from a government funded historical drama, nothing is further from the truth. In actuality there's a fine tradition of foxen comedy shows, most descended from the tradition of travelling minstrel troupes and early wireless comedies that carried over during the sudden jump from the pre-Interstellar era to the technological leaps that occurred after First Contact.
In the pre-Interstellar troupes, the comedy was structured in a manner similar to what humans would recognize as a version of Comedia del Arte, in which actors playing stock characters take inspiration from a brief plot idea and run with it, in piece of improvisational comedy combining wordplay and physical comedy.
One major difference is the Foxen tradition of donations to the troupe. In the pre-Infoweb era the length of an evening's entertainment was dependent on the amount of money paid out in advance. In general the troupe would agree to provide a quarter-hour's entertainment for a set price, to be extended longer if the price could be met again, and again. This often resulted in a troupe's entertainment beginning to wind down, only to receive more donations from the audience to keep it going, forcing the actors to either forego the money or find a way to extend the plot.
This tradition continued in the Infoweb era, with troupes of online players soliciting donations from the public to create a web series for a set number of hours for a 'season', usually on an independent web channel but sometimes supported by matching donations from an established entertainment company. Support for troupes starting out can be hard to find, but once they've established a reputation support from a familiar audience is almost guaranteed.
Bear in mind the length of the entertainment season is hours, not episodes. Combine this with improvisational comedy and the results can vary wildly. On one end of the spectrum was the cubling comedy-entertainment series ZipFacts, which in one season had over two hundred and fifty episodes ranging from two to five minutes in length. On the other end of the spectrum is the infamous livecast Winter Solstice episode of Ship's Mess, which not only went on for a record breaking seventeen hours straight, but also featured actress Milvie Slideleft, who was pregnant at the time, giving birth in the middle of the episode, while she and the rest of the actors remained in character during the entire incident. The episode only ended after Milvie, her real life husband who was also an actor on the show, and their newborn cublings were carted off stage by real life paramedics (fortuitously ex-Naval personnel who were hastily put in costume before coming onstage to attend to Milvie), while the remaining actors (still in character) celebrated for another three hours, the show only ending when the last of them fell asleep dead drunk. [1] For the most part however, shows tend to stick to a set format of fifteen minutes, a half hour, or an hour in length.
Some notable series in recent entertainment history include:
That Goes on the Barbie: A beach-side comedy featuring the conniving employees of a barbecue lunch hut, set in the fictional resort of High Wave. Actually filmed at the real life resort of North Beach, it's notable for being one of the few comedy series recorded on location, and also featured a series of famous musical guests.
Ship's Mess. A Military caste based comedy, set in the ship's mess of the fictional FNV Ice Lick. Aside from the above mentioned Solstice episode, the inclusion of several retired Navy personel in the cast resulted in a show that senior Navy officials admitted is a frighteningly accurate portrayal of Navy life, (perhaps minus the Wes the Wazagan hiding in the pantry).
As Milady Wills. This beloved and long running series (with 25 seasons so far) features the kindly but perpetually baffled Countess Windlight, trying her best to serve her commoners with the questionable aid of her staff, especially the extremely erudite, but bastardly Mr. Hardtack. Tending to use a “ripped from the headlines” format, it's infamous for skewering the sometimes very public foibles of the Noble caste. The thinly veiled ripping apart of Countess Highglider's vendetta against her vassals the Darktails is often credited with cementing Viscountess Sallivera Darktail's successful campaign to be named Governor General of Greenholme.
[1] The episode's director Coli Brightstar admited several years later, “I don't what we were thinking at the time, aside from 'The show must go on.' Well that and if it ended the producers would also stop paying for the booze.”
While there's a temptation for outside observers to assume that all Foxen video entertainment resembles something from a government funded historical drama, nothing is further from the truth. In actuality there's a fine tradition of foxen comedy shows, most descended from the tradition of travelling minstrel troupes and early wireless comedies that carried over during the sudden jump from the pre-Interstellar era to the technological leaps that occurred after First Contact.
In the pre-Interstellar troupes, the comedy was structured in a manner similar to what humans would recognize as a version of Comedia del Arte, in which actors playing stock characters take inspiration from a brief plot idea and run with it, in piece of improvisational comedy combining wordplay and physical comedy.
One major difference is the Foxen tradition of donations to the troupe. In the pre-Infoweb era the length of an evening's entertainment was dependent on the amount of money paid out in advance. In general the troupe would agree to provide a quarter-hour's entertainment for a set price, to be extended longer if the price could be met again, and again. This often resulted in a troupe's entertainment beginning to wind down, only to receive more donations from the audience to keep it going, forcing the actors to either forego the money or find a way to extend the plot.
This tradition continued in the Infoweb era, with troupes of online players soliciting donations from the public to create a web series for a set number of hours for a 'season', usually on an independent web channel but sometimes supported by matching donations from an established entertainment company. Support for troupes starting out can be hard to find, but once they've established a reputation support from a familiar audience is almost guaranteed.
Bear in mind the length of the entertainment season is hours, not episodes. Combine this with improvisational comedy and the results can vary wildly. On one end of the spectrum was the cubling comedy-entertainment series ZipFacts, which in one season had over two hundred and fifty episodes ranging from two to five minutes in length. On the other end of the spectrum is the infamous livecast Winter Solstice episode of Ship's Mess, which not only went on for a record breaking seventeen hours straight, but also featured actress Milvie Slideleft, who was pregnant at the time, giving birth in the middle of the episode, while she and the rest of the actors remained in character during the entire incident. The episode only ended after Milvie, her real life husband who was also an actor on the show, and their newborn cublings were carted off stage by real life paramedics (fortuitously ex-Naval personnel who were hastily put in costume before coming onstage to attend to Milvie), while the remaining actors (still in character) celebrated for another three hours, the show only ending when the last of them fell asleep dead drunk. [1] For the most part however, shows tend to stick to a set format of fifteen minutes, a half hour, or an hour in length.
Some notable series in recent entertainment history include:
That Goes on the Barbie: A beach-side comedy featuring the conniving employees of a barbecue lunch hut, set in the fictional resort of High Wave. Actually filmed at the real life resort of North Beach, it's notable for being one of the few comedy series recorded on location, and also featured a series of famous musical guests.
Ship's Mess. A Military caste based comedy, set in the ship's mess of the fictional FNV Ice Lick. Aside from the above mentioned Solstice episode, the inclusion of several retired Navy personel in the cast resulted in a show that senior Navy officials admitted is a frighteningly accurate portrayal of Navy life, (perhaps minus the Wes the Wazagan hiding in the pantry).
As Milady Wills. This beloved and long running series (with 25 seasons so far) features the kindly but perpetually baffled Countess Windlight, trying her best to serve her commoners with the questionable aid of her staff, especially the extremely erudite, but bastardly Mr. Hardtack. Tending to use a “ripped from the headlines” format, it's infamous for skewering the sometimes very public foibles of the Noble caste. The thinly veiled ripping apart of Countess Highglider's vendetta against her vassals the Darktails is often credited with cementing Viscountess Sallivera Darktail's successful campaign to be named Governor General of Greenholme.
[1] The episode's director Coli Brightstar admited several years later, “I don't what we were thinking at the time, aside from 'The show must go on.' Well that and if it ended the producers would also stop paying for the booze.”
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