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SXSW Panel: Too Soon? Timing Topic Web Videos
Time/Date: 5 p.m., Monday (hashtag: #chtoosoon)
Panelists: Jeff Rubin, CollegeHumor.com; Patrick Cassels, CollegeHumor.com; Streeter Seidell, CollegeHumor.com; Michael Gregory, The Gregory Brothers / Auto-Tune The News; Sarah Gregory.
The gist: The panel, which included comedy writers, performers and video producers talked about the taboos of web video and what lines should and shouldn’t be crossed. Inevitably, talk about the recent disasters in Japan became a topic, with panelists concluding that Twitter might be the place now where would-be comedians with no taste might spout bad jokes about disasters. (For their part, The Gregory Brothers are often asked to Auto-Tune Hitler; they haven’t.) They pondered whether the topical comedy videos they make (say, recent videos about Charlie Sheen) will stand the test of time and the challenge in balancing taking a few days to make a video versus putting something up immediately. (The popular Auto-Tune the News “Bedroom Intruder” took two days because the producers were very inspired and worked fast.) Incidentally, the Gregory Bros. hinted that viral star Antoine Dodson will appear at their Wednesday show, 6 p.m. at Buffalo Billiards.
Quotes: “It was actually about a RESCUE.” - Sarah Gregory disputing that the “Bedroom Intruder” video was about attempted rape. “I don’t think there’s ever a way to make a tasteful pun.” - Rubin.
Takeaways: Not everything that’s high-quality in terms of comedy gets popular and not everything that’s popular will be your best work. But sometimes doing topical stuff you’re not too inspired by can pay for more ambitious web video projects. There’s no doubt, though, that on the web, faster is better. Panelists Sarah Gregory said that too soon is probably just about right when it comes to jumping on memes.
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