The Making of the South Park WoW Episode

Via GameSetWatch, an interview with South Park Producer Frank Agnone, Tech Supervisor J. J. Franzen, and Director of Animation Eric Stough. The discussion, on the Machinima.com site, goes into a lot of detail on how the South Park WoW episode was made, their rationale for doing it, and the amount of assistance they received from Blizzard. From the article: "Q: How long did it take to capture, puppeteer, and edit all the WOW footage? JJ: Uhm... A really really long time. We decided early on to treat the in-game capture sessions as regular film shoots. Our 'set' ended up being the lobby of the studio we produce South Park in. We rented 12 PCs, set up a bunch of folding tables, and were basically good to go. I decided that it would be best to capture on a Mac, since we would be able to capture directly to a quicktime file, which would make getting the captured footage onto the editing system a lot quicker. So, I hauled my shiny new MacPro out into the lobby and spent the next two weeks in a much bigger, if less private, new office. We had 5 'shoot' days, the first on the 20th of Sept. which lasted about 3-5 hours. The next was on the 26th of Sept. which also lasted about 4-5 hours., and then we shot almost every other day up to the last few days of production Monday and Tuesday were full days, with the last day going from 10am Tuesday morning to around 3am Wednesday morning the 3rd of Oct,, the day the episode aired."

Comments

Close

[Wellington Grey]

with the last day going from 10am Tuesday morning to around 3am Wednesday morning the 3rd of Oct,, the day the episode aired.

That's cutting it really close. Anyone know if that's usual for the production of an South Park Episode?

-Grey

Re:Close

[tgtanman]

FTA: "We have been producing our episodes in this fashion for years, routinely finishing within 12 hours of the episode going on the air."

Re:Close

[d3ik]

I forget where I read it, but apparently that's normal for South Park. They have a brainstorming session on Thursday (six days before air), then write and produce the entire show over the next few days and send it via satellite to Comedy Central on show day.

Re:Close

[BigDork1001]

That's cutting it really close. Anyone know if that's usual for the production of an South Park Episode?

From TFA: "We have been producing our episodes in this fashion for years, routinely finishing within 12 hours of the episode going on the air."

So yes, that is usual for a South Park episode.

Re:Close

[Monkey-Man2000]

Panic is a great motivator. . .

Re:Close

[c_forq]

I've heard the main reason they chose to do that is so they can stay extremely relevant. For example they can make fun of events within a couple days of it happening.

Re:Close

[ResidntGeek]

They were able to make fun of Florida in the 2000 election on Novermber 5, 2000.

Re:Close

[Pneuma ROCKS]

Yes, for instance the "Passion of the Jew" episode was aired very shortly after the Passion of the Christ movie was released in theaters, and its controversy as being allegedly anti-semitic and unnecessarily graphic was very, very fresh in people's minds.

Their response time allows them to be very brilliant with excellent timing.

Re:Close

[default luser]

It apparently didn't work for the season finale, which IMO sucked monkey balls. It felt unfinished, like they forgot the punchline, and was only funny in a "eh" sort of way.

What, are you so unmotivated that you can't make one intuitive leap for yourself? Are you so retarded that you cannot grasp a simple punchline without having it stuffed in your face?

-spoilers-

Stan was obviously in a movie - the twist was he was in the WRONG movie. The losing team in a sports movie is always a shallow group of assholes that get about 5 seconds of screen time off the ice. The winning team is always portrayed as a slightly less-shallow group that you feel sorry for because they're really great guys, but they all suck, and someone is dying of [insert disease here]. The roles were reversed.

You RARELY see a sports movie from the loser's perspective, because it's just too depressing.

How they did it:

[drsquare]

1. Write down a load of world of warcraft references and in jokes.
2. Add a couple of toilet jokes.
3. Profit!

Re:How they did it:

[JohnSearle]

1. Use cliched South Park joke.
2. ?
3. Mod points!

- John

Re:How they did it:

[slughead]

1. Write down a load of world of warcraft references and in jokes.
2. Add a couple of toilet jokes.
3. Profit!

I have to agree (before you get modded down as the dirty troll you are!).

I don't play WoW, but I've been a gamer since I was 10 years old (which was before you were born, whoever you are). I understood all the jokes and even knew enough about WoW to appreciate that it was right on the money.

Also, the way that they talked was hilarious--the sort of condescending borderline malaise in the vocal commands from Cartman to the other 3--that was spot on.

All in all, though... It just wasn't... that ... funny. A lot of WoW players I know thought this was an epic event and were actually giddy that Trey and Matt decided to shed light on their somewhat lame past-time. All I'm saying is, it could've used more fart jokes.

Re:How they did it:

[wizzard2k]

All I'm saying is, it could've used more fart jokes.

Mom?! Bathroom!
What hun?
Bathroom! BATHROOM!!!
*********
Oh, that's a big boy, isnt he!

That wasnt enough for you?

Re:How they did it:

[fermion]

Really, every south park episode is like this. The only issue is that some people are so sensitive that they can't stand being made fun of, and as a result run home, hide in their parents basement, and post scathing online rebuttals.

What South Park does is makes us all look at the inane things we do, and in the process, at least for those of us that are reflective, gives us the opportunity to look at these things from the perspective of others. It is high end requirement for enjoying such a low brow show, but hey, that is why South Park is not Family Guy.

As has been mentioned on numerous occasions, the show does not in particular hate anyone, except for Barbara Steisand, and has no problem with anyone, except for pompous actors, politicians, and other persons. And the one thing we have seen this season, if we can't make fun of everyone, then we shouldn't make fun of anyone.

My solemn hope is that the WOW folks, and other folks who take video games so seriously that they have become so myopic that they cannot phantom anything outside of the game, will complain so much that we have an even more scathing episode, a la Sally Struthers or Scientology. We call it '40 years old and living in your moms garage.'

Re:How they did it:

[DreadfulGrape]

"...so myopic that they cannot phantom anything outside of the game..."

Definitely a 5-point post, but I think the word you're looking for in the last paragraph is fathom. Which, in addition to being a unit of nautical measurement equal to six feet, is also a verb meaning to penetrate the truth, to comprehend, to understand.

I'm in

[SuperStretchy]

I'm in.

Me too.

Mpphhff mmmfp

Everyone equip healing potions to the hotbar if you haven't already. Uh, Kyle, go ahead and cast Arcane Brilliance to raise our intelligence.

Hang on, I'm chaining my fire spells for max range.

Nice. Stan, what enchantment does your Cloak of the Tiger have?

+15 agility

Give the cloak to Kenny: he needs the agility boost for bow attacks.

'K.

Hold on, this fight could last more than twelve hours. What if we run out of food?

Don't worry, I have that covered. [presses intercom button] Mom?

Yes hon?

More Hot Pockets!

Re:I'm in

[BoberFett]

That's just silly. Everyone knows ou can't enchant cloaks with +15 AGI, and even if you could, it'll be soulbound the first time you equip it.

I mean, haha, yeah, that's funny, haha...

Re:Obligatory quotes thread...

[Anonymous Coward]

It's just not funny to parrot the same jokes you heard on tv. Didn't you learn anything from Dave Chappelle?

Unbelievable text formatting

[Toby The Economist]

After ten years of the Net, do they really not yet know that you don't center large amounts of text people are trying to read?

Re:Obligatory quotes thread...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm Rick James, bitch.

Dude, your LSD is wearing off.

[cheekyboy]

Obviously these jokes get translated by your nurons ultra fast and you instantly know/relate each joke to a previous joke in episode 312.

Might be a good episode idea about fanbois who no longer find things funny, and act all wholey.

Why do people still listen to Rolling stones or Beatles or anything? Because OBVIOUS REPEATED stuff thats has ZERO PREDICTABILITY
often is ENJOYABLE for ever. And not just once. Its like wow, this beer does the same predictable thing it did yesterday, but
why do I still drink it.... hmmm....

Would it be so fun to watch an episode and think in your head or predict the next scene every 5 seconds, and then find out
DAMN, all my predictions are wrong, this episode is wacky. Is it me that I cannot predict any more or am I so out of touch!?!?

Seeing something pan out to your prediction can be fun and rewarding, confirming that you are on the same wavelength and joy factor.

And if you are so good, why dont you make your own southpark episode and put it on youtube.

I suppose you find sex predicatable too, since the outcome (no punn) is the same each time.

Re:Dude, your LSD is wearing off.

[dangitman]

I suppose you find sex predicatable too, since the outcome (no punn) is the same each time.

I think you're doing it wrong.

Re:Dude, your LSD is wearing off.

[Lemmy Caution]

At a certain point, it stops being humor and is just a Pavlovian response. Usually, the 3rd retelling.

Why is it geeky to repeat lines over and over? Because it reflects a desire for predictability, control, and safety. Instead of this vague "sense" of humor that seems abstract and fleeting, you have humor-as-algorithm. It is a reliance on the cliche in place of immediate experience. Two of the more interesting 20th century writers about aesthetics - Adorno and Deleuze - describe the cliche as the enemy of authentic experience.

There is no discovery when you repeat a joke. When something is found funny the first time, it is partially because it uncovers some absurdity or twist in the world.

Sex is different. Very different. And if one isn't careful, it too can become a cliche.

Family Guy did it!

[dangitman]

I wonder if South Park got an insider leak that Family Guy was doing a World of Warcraft episode, and slapped the episode together quickly to beat them to the punch? After all, the animation for Family Guy would take a lot longer - so they must have been developing that episode long before South Park got the idea.

Re:Family Guy did it!

[Malakusen]

Wasn't it American Dad that did a MMO episode? Even so, while the episode was hilarious and had a true RPG moment ("The Castle Roodpart? Who comes up with these names?"), it wasn't WoW and didn't have Blizzard's backing and support. The South Park episode did. Also, from TFA, Trey Parker got the idea last season around the time of "In the Closet".

I think SP has been going downhill for a while, not because of reliance on fanboy references (because that is EXACTLY what the target audience wants, if you don't like it, you're not gonna like Comedy Central), but because they've started to focus more on the message then the joke. Old South Park didn't try to be constantly relevant and constantly dealing with current events. They'd make a funny episode. If it had something to do with what was going on, so be it, but first and foremost it was funny. Now they're doing the message first and the joke second, and it's not nearly as funny. On the few occasions these days when they forget the message and tell the joke instead, they're pretty funny. Season ten they've put the message first nearly every time, and it's failed nearly every time. Some of the best later episodes like Ginger Kids, Die Hippie Die, Raisins, Good Times with Weapons, they haven't really had any other point to them except to be funny, and it's worked. Raisins was effing hilarious. Smug Alert, Cartoon Wars, Million Little Fibers, Manbearpig, and so on, have all failed because they're episodes where the message takes precedence over the funny.

IMO, anyway.

Re:you forgot step 011

[pslam]

You fail for not starting at 000.

American Dad did it!

[dangitman]

Wasn't it American Dad that did a MMO episode?

Ahhh, so it was. It's basically the same people making it anyway, isn't it?

Even so, while the episode was hilarious and had a true RPG moment ("The Castle Roodpart? Who comes up with these names?"),

It's "trapdoor" spelled backwaaaaaaaaaaaaa....

it wasn't WoW and didn't have Blizzard's backing and support. The South Park episode did.

I think it was a reference to WoW. After all, it is the most popular MMORPG around, and had a very similar style. As for it not being endorsed by Blizzard, I think that makes it cooler. It's pretty lame to go to the actual company. better to just parody them without permission, so you avoid pulling any punches or being seen as an advertisement.

I also prefer the effort that went into actually drawing the game in American Dad, rather than just using screen capture.

Also, from TFA, Trey Parker got the idea last season around the time of "In the Closet".

Or so he says. I can't say I'd trust those guys to tell the truth.

but because they've started to focus more on the message then the joke.

i think the problem is exactly the opposite. The old episodes used to be more socially/politically/morally relevant. These days they just seem to focus on celebrities and fads.

Some of the best later episodes like Ginger Kids, Die Hippie Die, Raisins, Good Times with Weapons, they haven't really had any other point to them except to be funny,

Wow, I pretty much disagree with all of those. They all had pretty strong social messages, as well as being funny.

Smug Alert, Cartoon Wars, Million Little Fibers, Manbearpig, and so on, have all failed because they're episodes where the message takes precedence over the funny

With the exception of Smug Alert, those focused more on celebrities and trends than any message. That those were not funny was not really because of any message - I think it's because they were muddled and heavy-handed. Probably because they weren't really clear about what message they wanted to get across. It was more like "We hate Oprah, We hate Al Gore, We hate environmentalist celebrities," without strong social/political insight. I mean, parody Al Gore, but do it in a way that reflects what he is actually like - don't just make up bullshit. Parody Oprah, but do it with more finesse.

I just think they've lost a lot of their interesting insights into society and now latch onto celebrities and political half-truths (or outright lies) instead.

indeed, though, it is interesting how we seem to have almost opposite impressions of which shows have the "message" - because I think your "fun" shows carry more of a message than your "message" shows.