"The Joss Whedon Experience" Panel:
Scott Allie presents Joss and he comes out to a raging crowd!
Joss: I shouldn't be so intimidated after all these years. I'm in enormous trouble if this is not super good. Scott Allie didn't give himself enough credit. Scott, who wants to kill himself and me, will be co-writing the finale arc of S.8!
Q: You've written so many strong women characters wondering if you would do the same for gay men?
Joss: Thinking of doing an Epic Yaoi thing.
Q: Joss, do you ever think of doing a pay for web series? To crowd: Wouldn't you guys pay a couple of bucks an episode so he can do whatever he wants? (Screams)
Joss: Thank you, head of marketing. I absolutely have and all that thinking led to not doing it. All possible models of how to do things and can be built and paid for....working from the ground up with nothing. I mentioned yesterday the Warren Ellis project called "Wastelanders". We are still actively pursuing that.
The other thing I like is when you can do EVERYTHING YOU WANT. So I'll do that for a while. Network television...probably not right away.
Q: As a director, you like using long choreographed shots. What influences you to do that? Also Joss means 'God' in Filipino. Joss: Oh , and it didn't before me. Wait, I'm so vain I forgot the first question. [The long shot] It's like a drug. It should be used sparingly. I'm looking at you young Brian De Palma! I used it in Serenity for very specific reasons. It's all dreamlike, but when we got to the ship I wanted to say, "Look, this is solid ground" by showing it.
Q: Angel kills Drogyn, did you mean for it to be an evil act?
Joss: I don't make this stuff up! Eventually people get to a place where they do things we don't love for the greater good. It's a dicey thing because when we're confronted with that in real life, it's not a good thing. It's supposed to take a toll on Angel. If they didn't cancel it, he'd been all mopey for like 7 episodes. I don't think he'd have too much remorse, though, because of what's at stake. At that time [Angel Season 5] we were trying to do the Godfather family business. It's always interesting if the heroes are not too clean cut...too neat.
Joss on Writing: It goes: "Oh, I have an idea. Oh god, Oh god! I'm hungry! Oh Whedonesque! I'm hungry." Ultimately. The process is fun, hunger, porn, depression, fun.
Q: You like to kill characters we love. How do you feel about firing someone from your decision?
Joss: Sometimes Ron Glass makes me mad. No, I love him. It's Alan that makes me mad. I'd kill off Oz, but he left. Amber, and the darling Kristine Sutherland knew for 2 years that it would happen and when. It's better for the relationship, but sometimes it's just gonna be the story. You never know. One day I was like, "I have a tough job to do because I have to tell Marc Blucas that he's not going to make it the full season...but I'm lucky because Emma is becoming a regular. Mark reacted: "Yay! I'm in more episodes! That's great!" I told Emma, "We're making you a regular...and she said, 'You mean I'm not?'" (laughs)
Q: Did you always mean to make Boyd Evil?
Joss: I would love to say I did, but we could hear the war drums in the 2nd season. I love this guy so of course we thought of killing him. That's not enough! Let's take away everything.
Q: Did you ever think to create a comic as unique and as genre bending as something like "Hush"?
Joss: Uh, you didn't read that issue? You know, I haven't. Stuff like that is really dicey. I don't approach comics that way and I don't look for stunts. I look for challenges, but they have to be integral to that universe The musical did, "black and white" did not. There's no context in the lives of people in that show. With comics, I don't feel the urge, I just want it to connect emotionally. The closest could be "The Chain", Issue 5 of Buffy. I don't think anything else ever reached that level..but it isn't what I look for. A stunt is only as good as the stunt performer, but it's tricky.
Q: What inspired you for Doctor Horrible?
Joss: A lot of things... I relate to the villains. I wanted to make Dr. Horrible because I feel like Dr Horrible.
Q: I really love Dr. Horrible. When can we play the songs on Rock Band?
Joss: We'll look into it. We'll give you the first one. I'm lying.
Q: Some say you play favorites...do you have any favorite actors?
Joss: Would it be right to say? Nathan Fillion.
(Note: OMG It's Nathan Fillion!!)
Joss: Ok, They're telling me I'm finished...in this business.