The Friday ‘Stache [7.13.12]
Some of you might be savvy to what’s going on here. I used to write very frequently in a blog called 2190: Advice from an Expert Film Student. In the interest of devoting more time to SOUND, I abandoned 2190. Slowly, painfully, unjustly. But what’s done is done, and now I have the opportunity to cannibalize one of the most entertaining series I published on that blog to hopefully bring a little extra something here.
The idea behind The Friday ‘Stache is that you get a goodly number of videos from the Internet, particularly YouTube, to help augment your enjoyment of the weekend. The thing is, there are just a whole ton of wonderful, obscure things posted on YouTube every day, and the promoting of them is, I believe, a righteous work.
When I ran the ‘Stache on 2190, I focused predominantly on local (read: Utah) YouTubers, but I’m very willing to open up the arena significantly, and shift the focus to highlight a handful of obscure, but talented and worthwhile, YouTubers from all over. Because YouTube shouldn’t be geographically restricted.
However, to kick us off, I do want to highlight the work of a friend of mine, James Alexander, who I think perfectly illustrates the kind of talent that deserves to be recognized, but who is almost totally obscure at the moment.
James created a YouTube channel around a character named T. Marcham (played by James himself), who is ostensibly attempting to carve out his place in the YouTube world by offering tips on “how to find humor in the everyday.” I will end the introduction to this video with a disclaimer: this is pretty sophisticated stuff, though you might be tempted, at first, to think otherwise. Pay close attention, and I think you’ll discover something pretty special in this absurd little project.
On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, it turns out FreddieW just released the first episode of what looks like one of the coolest web series ever. I swear to you it’s worth the 10 minutes.
In the interest of honest evaluation, I will admit that it suffers from some not-so-great acting in some places, and there are moments that certainly fall flat comically but, overall, this shows enormous strength for what it is. It’s also a grand shout out to a culture that continues to increase its dominance of this type of media. This probably isn’t the place to outline FreddieW’s history, but suffice it to say he’s a fascinating model of YouTube success. And if you have any concern at all for YouTube (which, if you don’t now, you will soon), you have to know about him.
Back in 2010 (yeah, I’ve got a GREAT memory), I helped start a YouTube comedy group called Quiet Dignity. We did some really fun stuff, and since I’ve been gone, they’ve mostly kept the ball rolling. Sadly, they’ve been on a bit of a hiatus for the last couple of months, but the last thing they released delighted me immeasurably (mostly because I’m unsure of how to measure delight).
If you liked that, you should go share it and send them comments like, “Quit being crappy and release more videos!” Or something. Some tough love from a bunch of fans would be super motivating to them.
My ability to stay keyed in to the best of what YouTube has to offer is pretty limited. So if there’s some YouTuber who you think is turning out really quality material, feel free to make particular mention of them. ♦ ♦ ♦
Jordan Petersen is SOUND’s resident sensei of all things movie-related. Recently graduated from Brigham Young University, he is now working towards a Master’s degree in film at Boston University. Check out Jordan’s filmmaking blog at twentyoneninety.blogspot.com.
About the Author
Jordan Petersen is SOUND’s resident sensei of all things movie-related. Recently graduated from Brigham Young University, he is now working towards a Master’s degree in film at Boston University. Check out Jordan’s filmmaking blog at twentyoneninety.blogspot.com.
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