The Guild
“The Guild” is my baby, I’ll say it shamelessly. Sometimes I still can’t believe that I created the idea for this web show, wrote down the words, wonderful people gathered together to make it, and now strangers quote the lines back at me. It sometimes hits me as surreal. Certainly no one could have predicted that a life-long addiction to role-playing games could provide the material to sustain a show that has, to this date, garnered over 12 million hits on the internet. The mantra “write what you know” is truer than anyone gives it credit for, so if you are looking to create a web show of your own, please don’t make it about a bunch of funny and attractive white people who trade quips in an urban coffee shop. You know you have a more original story to tell. (Watch someone make a web show about just that and get 13 million hits just to spite me. Whatever.)
The thing that makes me most grateful is that so many incredibly talented people have contributed their skills and vision to make it something I never could have imagined in the beginning: My producer Kim Evey had the idea to make “The Guild” a web show, not a TV pilot; all the actors worked for free over a year, no complaints; Donors gave money through Paypal to continue season 1 because we couldn’t afford to fund shooting ourselves; A fan named Andrew Gleason donated an apartment complex to make season 2 happen because we lost Codex’s location; I drafted an artist (Matthew Brackney) who randomly made a piece of fan art of the characters, to reanimate the opening credits for season 2; Dani Figueiredo from Brazil made Portuguese and English subtitles and helped open our videos to the world….the list could be a mile longer. That’s why I love film making, it’s a truly collaborative art form. Well, web video is even MORE collaborative, which I couldn’t be happier about.
Also, the deal I made with Xbox / Microsoft to fund and distribute Season 2 of “The Guild” is also something that I’m very proud of. We held out over a year, turning down dozens of offers for the show, because I was adamant that I keep the rights to the show (definitely not the norm in Hollywood). After my experience with “Dr. Horrible” and seeing Joss stay independent and outside the system and then make it a web phenomenon, I was even more determined to stick to my guns. I got nervous a few times when I turned down a deal, I admit, and we actually started shooting Season 2 out of our pockets on the proceeds from the Season 1 DVD, but Xbox came in at exactly the right moment, with exactly the right vision and support to make the rest of Season 2 a reality. Not many corporations think outside the box like that, especially of that size. I’d say it was fate, but I’m not superstitious like that. Well, maybe a little.
If you haven’t watched “The Guild”, please check out the official website, where you can read information on the cast and crew, watch the episodes, and connect with other fans of the show on the community site.
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62 Comments »
I absolutely love The Guild. It’s so very entertaining, and an excellent timekill over my lunch break! Keep it up! <3
I absolutely love The Guild…damn, only two comments and already there is repetition…I stumbled across it while searching for the “girl in the cougar cellphone commercial”…one of the best things I have found while doing random web searches. And, of course, that led
to Dr. Horrible (NPH was great on SNL, when are you going to host?) and this website.
Great work, keep it up.
This series is wonderfully done, the awkwardness and isolation the characters portray is very well done. Felicia, brilliant work as Cyd and as Penny in Dr. Horrible.
Thoroughly glad I found this series. Keep up the great work.
I love very much The Guild…It’s…It’s…It’s almost better than drop PURPLE……
/cheer at the staff and /love /flirt at Felicia…Zaboooooooooooo /fart…Ahahahahah… <3 ALL
Hey Felicia
Really enjoying Season 2 of The Guild!
You and all the talented folk you work with are heroes in my part of the World (York, England). We’ve been really inspired by The Guild and Dr. Horrible, not to mention other online shows like Clark & Michael and Homestar Runner (seen those?), to create our own web series Zomblogalypse.
It’s fascinating building an audience and developing the website and concept, and we’re certainly taking cues from you about how to tirelessly promote the series! I reckon the future’s never looked brighter for low-budget, fiercely independent filmmakers. Keep up the good work.
Lots of love xxx
Great job capturing the whole uber-gamer lifestyle and the stuggle to break free of it!
Lovin’ The Guild. It captures gaming personas so perfectly it’s hilarious. You’re awesome on the violin. I’ve been playing since I was 4, but I’m nowhere near your level lol. It’s cool you’re from Huntsville, AL. I’m from a small town in southern AL called Brewton. Anyway, keep up the good work on The Guild. Can’t wait for the next episodes.
‘The Guild’ is addictive!! I hope there’ll be another season soon (:
I’ve been forced to fully embrace my dorkdom thanks to your show. Claiming it as my absolute favorite show and relating on some level to each character kinda booted me from the gamer geek closet. It really is fantastic!
The Guild is the best web series out there right now. Not that there aren’t many great ones including legend of Neil but you’ve just made this perfect.
Any idea when I will be able to download it on xbox again? Apparently you can’t in Canada anymore so I have to watch it on msn video.
Either way please keep up the good work and I cannot wait to see where the rest of the season goes!
The Guild is really awesome! I really enjoy watching it, is really fun to see the esasperated characteristics of this small ipothetic group of nerds
I really hope that this project would go forward for many seasons!
-hope that i didn’t make too many grammatical errors…-
Hey Miss Day,
Saw you on Captin Horrible and recognised you from numerous places.
Just started watching “The Guild” as I wasn’t expecting much from a web program, but its blown me away.
You have a fantastic sense of humour, and dry wit. I thought only people over here in the UK used Sarcasm as the highest form of wit!!
I have no watched all the episodes and will continue to follow your efforts. Thanks again for taking the time to produce it.
May I also be as rude to ask what your real hair colour is? It your hair really is that red I’m amazed, its so vibrant!! You wouldn’t think I was a straight male would you!!
With Regards
Jd
Hey
A friend of mine just got me into The Guild and its brilliant! I watched the whole of season one in a day :D. I’m now caught up with season 2 and its just getting better :).
I just wanted to say, you rock. Love watchin The Guild. Makes me geek out. Are you a gamer for real though? cause nothing better than female gamers, w00t.
The Guild is the most scary webshow ever. Too much of it seems true (and self-experienced). Love it, recommending it to friends and guildies ;o))
Thank you for making life more fun!
zug-zug, back to work. stop poking me.
LOVE The Guild. I can so connect with the bunch of geeks…uh..nerds…uhh…wildly intelligent and unique individuals..yes THAT’S it…is so very cool. And like Joss Whedon, Felicia, you have an incredible way of delivering humor that is sassy and intelligent. I can’t wait for Season 3!!!
i love the guild my whole house gathers every thursday to watch it. Keep up the good work we really appreciate your hard work.
Funny and cute show you’ve created
I’ve played WoW a bit and I’m a big fan of Joss Whedon, so this is right up my alley. P.S. I really admire you and your whole creative team for maintaining creative independence.
P.P.S. Your facial expressions are adorable, Felicia.
Not sure if this has already been asked…but I was wondering if there may be any gay characters in the future?
One of my friends showed mr the first episode of the guild and i became instantly hooked i immediately got on my xbox and downloaded all of the episodes and watched them. im not a big fan of MMORPG’s but the story behind the guild is amazing. im a huge gamer tho i mostly play shooters but i find it very entertaining to see the surrealness of the series. im glad u decided to keep the film independent 2 alot of times the Hollywood scene seems to ruin some movies and tv programs. after seeing the ending of season 2 it just makes me anticipate season 3 so much. very good work its nice to see the awesome creativity and brilliant minds working on an independent web show. thank you so much for your tremendous contribution to the gaming world.
p.s i know someone already asked but are u a gamer yourself. if so that would be awesome. i always respect female gamers
\m/(-_-)\m/ ROCK ON!!!!!
I love the guild. My friends and I are all gamers and improvisers and I am making everyone watch it.
Hey Felicia!
Just lettin ya know that you’ve got another fan! I happened to stumble on your show as I was looking around XBL and long story short, I finished both seasons at 5 in tha mo’nin!
Can’t wait for season 3!
-Paul
PS: 15 secs is my personal best =p
Just discovered your show the other day and love it! As a WoW geek I totally get guild drama so seeing a show about is hilarious!
Hey,
Just found The Guild, really awesome stuff. Great writing, acting, etc. Just wondering how you got started with everything? I want to end up in the television business, but I really feel like web shows like this are the future. Just wanted to let you know you did an awesome job.
Felicia, I just saw you in a Sears commercial! WOOO APPLIANCES!!!
Love The Guild…my wife doesn’t get it, my friend immediately recognized you from Dr Horrible, and I personally cannot wait to see more of The Knights of Good next season!
I absoutely “LOVE” this series!!!
I wish the episodes were longer and I want “MORE MORE MORE”!!!
My kids are gamers and I sorta am too.
This series is very multidementional and there is something for everyone in it.
I really hope you don’t quit making this series.
I am going to buy season one.
I am looking forward to buying season two and soem T-shirts!!!
PLEASE keep the episodes coming.
WE ALL LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!
Best Wishes,
Trudi, Bob and the Kids
I absolutely love The Guild. I found it after watching Doctor Horrible, and I watched the entire first season in one day. It is fabulous, and very dramatic. There are parts of it that literally have me on the edge of my seat. It is an ultimate show for gamers, or anyone who enjoys action, humor, and slightly… ::cough:: psychotic ::cough:: romance, and I can’t wait to see more. Kudos!
BIG GRATZ on all the nominations for
The Guild. Too kool - great show and
so well deserved for all of you in the
cast and crew.
I have watched The Guild thanks to my friend and I like The Guild cause it is really funny… So can you tell me do you play any games??
=)
your guild is very good.
You should do a real webcam blog like on the show.
I found out that a cousin of mine recently started a webshow similar to yours. She’s an actress/writer, like yourself, and has a web series called The Actor Diaries that pokes fun at her acting career. The humor’s similar. I think you’d enjoy it.
I just wanted to say that i found out about the guild a few months ago… someone was talking in vent about how people’s personalities matched their class choice, (mine doesn’t, and I dont feel that there are very many who’s do…) but i watched one episode and I must say you’ve done an excellent job with that theme. The show is hilarious, and your characters’ personalities are really strong. when is season 3 coming? i’m seriously holding my breath so hurry up!
Much love for the guild from across the pond… I’m from england (Sheffield) and me and my mates love the show. looking forwards to new episodes!
great show keep it up!
BLLAAAAAADDDDEEZZZ!!!!- Vork
My friends and I attend Loyola Marymount University. We are enjoying watching “The Guild” and support you on this project.
One evening I was looking up some things for an MMORPG game that I play, Guild Wars, and I came up to the website, The Guild. I love it, and for a while I thought I was the only one who knew that the show existed, but then again, I’m one of the few people who play GW in my area. Well I met a few guildies who know about the show and I was pretty stoked that I could talk to someone about your show. My wife and I just finished all the episodes, and we enjoy it so much due to the fact that our lives almost match the movie.
Keep doing what your doing and cant wait for season 3 to come out!
an emot for ya:
/cheers
/clap
Loving it!
Hope season 2 will be on iTunes for UK - will gladly pay for it, another revenue stream for you?
And yes, I’m a gamer
Darkmoon Faire EU FTW!
The Guild is hilarious! Felicia Day is hot, too. Keep it up! (I mean The Guild.)
so after i got back from iraq i bought this xbox 360. And my best friend wanted to borrow it for a week so i let him borrow it and got it back and there was a few shows from the guild on there. so i watched them and the first one i seen was with you playing the violin. i loev the violin and i have seen every episode to this day thank you are amazing
There’s something humorous about saying the people at xbox “think outside the box,” but I’m too tired to figure out what it implies.
I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the Guild. I have watched both seasons now, and felt gutted that there was no season 3. I heard the next day after I finished the last of season 2 that Microsoft came through and there would be a season three. I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed it. I just recently got a computer for home use, and the Guild is the only web show I have watched. Thanks, and good luck with season three.
Ahhh…the angst, tha pain, the anger, the joy…the ridicolous and still fantastic parallell life as an elf or whatever wonderfully captured.
/salute
“funny and attractive white people who trade quips in an urban coffee shop.”
Wouldn’t this concept generally suck, regardless of the color of the people? I like your work, please stay away from such low-brow commentary.
@chuck
Chip, shoulder, much?
Obviously a thinly-veiled description of ‘Friends’ and its many copyists, not racial commentary.
Love watching the Guild. While watching I noticed you look really cute with your hair up. You should do a photo shoot with a pony tail. You also have a cute butt, I just gotta say.
I just finished reading this- http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/05/felicia-day-the.html
“TV has to please everybody to make a show, the Web needs to be the opposite.”
Thanks for saying that, it just solidified something that I’ve been writing for the last 5 years. Now that I have this in mind I can finish writing it, hijack others to make it, and get it on film.
Thanks Miss Day
I’m so happy that I stumbled across The Guild on XBox Live! I love you Codex
lol yah gives a wow and guild wars junky somthing to watch during server down time lol
I blame you for this. I have said no more than once to joining twitter and facebook and anything else social networking related…but I started watching the guild last week, bought the dvds 2 days later, joined the official web site a few days after that and now…I’m actually thinking about joining twitter. so you can add that to the list:
@feliciaday makes me want to twitter.
I haven’t joined yet. I’m going to try to hold out for another year. Or until season 3 is released, whichever comes first. God.
P.S. Go you! Keep those Guild rights, woman!
“If it worked as comedy, let’s try it as action!” HollywoodThink
<blockquote>
DreamWorks, Masi Oka Give Avatars Top Billing
Avatars will play a major role in the upcoming feature film project from Heroes star Masi Oka and Hollywood production studio DreamWorks. Reportedly, the plot centers on a group of teenagers who initially link up in the metaverse via their avatars. The story, conceived of by Oka, then moves back to the real world where the teens are tested to see just how strong their online relationships are. Defenders, the working title of the project, is termed a “family adventure” by The Hollywood Reporter. D.J. Caruso is slated to direct while game journalist Gary Whitta will pen the script. Speaking with the Reporter, Oka said of the movie’s inspiration: “You can be whoever you want to be [online],” he said. “The question came to me: What if you had to live up to the person you created in the virtual world?”
>/blockquote>
And where have we seen that idea lately?
Well, I just have to say it: Not that funny and not that clever. I dunno, I guess if you’re a WoW nerd, there’s probably some humor there for you. Still, not that original, but hey, bandwagon jumpers will jump on anything.
Someone jumped me at VirtualWorldNews with the comment that this idea has played out in comic books for years. True enough but also flatworld thinking (infinite regress is not a valid argument). The trick of recycling is to find the new twist. This movie would be the old twist. What Felicia and crew managed was to find the realities of the online life in virtuality and reveal the humor in the pain. It is a bit like Buffy in that regard. The secrets are a strong ensemble and inventive comedic performance. I suspect she gets a lot from the improv skills. If one takes the same theme and keeps it action and slathers on boatloads of CGI, they get StarDreck: The Rebranding and it becomes one dimensional. The direction Felicia took was/is inventive comedically and production-wise. Like Brit-sci-fi in the early days of Doctor Who, she is relying on the writing and acting instead of post and effects.
I’m not a big Guild fan (not my gen). I have a lot of respect for what they are accomplishing outside the Hollyweird system and in terms of taking the new distribution and production models and wringing good stories out of them. It’s the early days of radio plays. Her crew will develop through many projects and become a power unto themselves. Look at Serenity and notice how the Whedon tribe evolved through Buffy et al and can now produce anything they can conceive and it will always be high quality even when not spot-on-zeitgeist (eg, Dollhouse). That is true of every art production dynasty. You see the same players, recurrent themes, etc. Odd example but illustrative, look at what John Wayne, Huston et al did from the b-westerns up to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. They developed both the team and the themes and by the time they get to Valance, they are doing it effortlessly even as they turned the whole genre on its head.
“Life’s a long song.”
What on earth are you talking about?
The idea of exploring the relationship between people’s created personas online vs who they are in the “real world” has been done plenty of times. Heck, Snow Crash predates the web. It wouldn’t be shocking for others to explore the same territory. It’s a broad topic and increasingly relevant to people’s day to day experiences.
A web comedy based on stereotypes of MMO players whose life centers around the game? That’s more original. More importantly, it’s really funny. Probably less so if you don’t get what’s being alluded to, but still amusing. It’s a niche production. Good times.
Sure, The Guild is on the edge of an emerging shift in production and distribution of content we’ll see more of in the future, but let’s not overthink it here. It’s a shortform sitcom made on the cheap and distributed via the web and marketed to its natural audience. Yay for Felicia. I hope this provides training ground for future successes. But there’s no need to go off the deep end here. That’s just the crazy talking.
In summary, Jeff Lewis is hilarious.
I have to say that The Guild can be very funny to people outside its niche audience. I have never been a gamer, moderate CP ensured truly lousy hand-eye co-ordination and motor skills. I am also not a geek, although I’ve been around enough of them to understand the world a bit. So in summary, if a 40+ male with no experience of the gaming world (excepting the old Infocon text-based games like The Hitch Hiker’s Guide on a c64) and only a tangential connexion to geekdom can still find The Guild to be one of the funniest shows out there, that speaks volumes for the quality of the writing. Felicia “wrote what she knows” and did such a good job of it that even those of us who don’t know that world as intimately as she does can still be hugely entertained by her work. Bravissima!
@EA: That she is smart, talented, funny and a tad insecure but in an environment where all of that rounds out to success. Take your head out of that jealous dark place and applaud the winner. You’ll feel better. There is no deep end in a shallow pool.
What Stuart said. I’m a lifer in the comp-sci game from before most here and I think The Guild is funny and insightful. There is a backlash to success and some of it is coming her way. I’m not a big fan because I’ve other things to do not because it isn’t good work. As an analyst I keep up with the events that change the way we use the web. As a native Huntsvillian, I also root for the home team.
Jealous of what exactly Len? The only thing I was critical of was your awkwardly written overanalysis. The artistic dynasty comments were over the top. If I’m guilty of anything, it’s not being nice and choosing to remain silent.
I think The Guild is a high quality show. I was complimentary of it. It’s the reason I’m posting on this blog.
I think the show best appeals to a niche audience that actually gets what’s being alluded to. How could it not? They’re plenty of jokes that rest of knowledge of MMORPG gameplay and players. I think it still can be funny outside of that, but it probably will be generally less so for that audience.
If this constitutes backlash, wow.
On an aside, you could watch both seasons pretty fast. Not that you aren’t captain awesome and so busy with awesome things you don’t have time to watch shows you find funny and insightful, but if your schedule clears up a little it’ll take less time to watch every episode than it would to watch a movie. I mean, you are posting on a blog about it.
Nice try. I’m snarkproof.
Art dynasties exist because people create them out of their work and social networks. They can become powerful as was the case with John Wayne. That example is given as it began in the Republic Studios but spans his entire career and included some of the most successful persons in the industry. As she notes, The Guild will come to a natural end and then her projects as an independent producer may rely as The Guild has on that network. She lists forward looking projects that indicate to me at least that she is thinking beyond sketch-based comedy and even linear art. Smart.
Success builds on success. In any success there are those who climb aboard just in time to get a little of the limelight, then there are those who can’t live with just a little and begin to crab. If one is even a little insecure, those people are to a career what water is to erosion. As someone said to me once, “It’s all about your mates.”
“The brightest moments career wise, I was the target of people around who were there because of the elusive glow that lures them with promises of warmth and better things. But at its very epicenter—where the star stands—there is nothing.” Melanie Safka
She dissed her focus on her grades. While the actual coursework may not be that valuable, she may find out that the iron discipline she acquired has a very high value later regards identity maintenance, or plain old keeping her wits. I’m a bit long in the tooth myself to be overcome by her looks, but I find her spirit, nerve and tenacity to be irresistable. I hope she hangs on to those. She will need them.
“She dissed her focus on her grades. While the actual coursework may not be that valuable, she may find out that the iron discipline she acquired” that was exactly what atruck me too. I have the ambition, drive and iron self-discipline of a comatose sloth, but Felicia’s rigorous self-motivation to do well in whatever she does is impressive, particularly because it appears untainted with the frequent corollary attitude of narcissistic arrogance.
I absolutely love this web series. I really makes me smile, and since I gave up World of Warcraft not, but a year ago I can really relate to the subject. Your main character reminds me a lot of myself in a weird sort of way.
I normally don’t post things but I felt I should. Keep up the good work.
-inane
Gday Felicia,
I re-downloaded all The Guild episodes yesterday (via LIVE) to watch em all again, beginning to end… ok, it was also partially to spite my ISP.
Anyway, thoroughly enjoyed it (again) - love the character interaction and those little ‘webcam’ starts you do really stand out as you flex your expressive/artistic muscle (OK, that sounds dirty/wrong now that I reread it).
I’m a musician but you guys look like you’re having a great time making the show - it’s convinced me I have to at least try to make a web series at some stage! Got the idea, just gotta learn how to be funny now
Of course, after the writing comes the whole filming stuff… one step at a time eh… think i’ll get the music going first.
I’m REALLY looking forward to season 3 - way to create anticipation with the fight episode =D
…PS… Thanks for remaining accessible to your fans… It’s a wonderful thing to do….
Peace & Love,
Daniel