Day 8 of 'Mastering YouTube in Fifteen Days' by Jessica Kellgren-Hayes
Uploaded by MissJessicaKH on 10.05.2011
Transcript:
I received a very interesting comment on one of my videos, from ‘somename99’;
I received a very interesting comment on one of my videos, from ‘somename99’;
I received a very interesting comment on one of my videos, from ‘somename99’;
“Youtube doesn't offer viable alternatives to TV or Movies, it doesn't produce high quality drama, comedy, movies, documentaries etc.
...It is merely another option for people to spend their free time on, in the same way going out for a meal, to a club, sporting event, watching a DVD or playing a game are.”
It’s a view that, I’m sure, resonates with many people
...and is very useful in pointing out that YouTube quite simply doesn’t offer it’s viewers anything of it’s own making.
Of course there are counter-arguments to be made concerning the percentages of programmes shown on E4, for instance,
that are actually produced by the channel and not just created by an independent company…
But the most interesting point of contention I have discovered comes from David Gauntlett’s book
‘Making is Connecting: The social meaning of creativity, from DIY and knitting to YouTube and Web 2.0’,
which he calls “…more about the value of making stuff more generally. In particular it’s about making and sharing our own media culture-
...I mean, via lo-fi YouTube videos, eccentric blogs and homemade websites, rather than by having to take over the traditional media of television stations and printing presses…
... which I feel is still basically a handicraft which connects us with others through its characterful, personality-imprinted, individual nature, as well as because it’s a form of communication.”
Might we possibly say then that YouTube is a digital scrapbook more than anything else?
It’s a place where we can pull together other people’s thoughts and creations and by doing so- by picking- be ‘creating’, ourselves?
Does a trailer for a film count as it’s own unique creation?
It is made from that which already exists and yet via the process of editing it becomes an original.
It is made from that which already exists and yet via the process of editing it becomes an original.
It is made from that which already exists and yet via the process of editing it becomes an original.
Thoughts?
YouTube is said to be rife with copywrite infringement, but some of the best works on the site are made by weaving together different components to make an entirely new story;
[Cedric] Look, I... realise I never really thanked you properly... [Harry] Forget about it.
- You know the Prefects' Bathroom, on the fifth floor? ... It's not a bad place for a bath...
- Look, I don't know what happened tonight and I don't know why...
It just did. Ok?
[Exasperated Huff]
That clip curtesy of Rai2121’s ‘Harry Potter and the Brokeback Goblet’.
Fanvids- the creation of videos using footage from one or more visual source-
has been around since the 1970s- 1975!- when footage from Star Trek was synced with music from a cassette player at a fan convention.
With the rise of YouTube and easy media distribution the practice became incredibly popular.
Vidders use their work to explore their source material and present it in a new way, often focusing on a single character, supporting a romantic pairing or pointing out aspects they feel have been under-appreciated.
Occasionally, the videos work as continuations of fanfictions;
the stories written by fans using material and characters from the source but creating their own narrative.
The videos can be very skilled, especially when clips are brought in from actors’ other works and made to fit into a specific fandom.
Lighting and camera angles have to be adjusted and complex narratives created.
#t.A.T.u, 'Loves Me Not'#
In the best works the clips are manipulated within a single frame, rather than merely interlaced.
These videos can also bring to the foreground subtextual relationships which were unexplored within the main text,
especially gay relationships in television programmes where the channel or network would not have allowed such interaction.
Films, restricted as they are to such short periods
-except for Lord of the Rings… which, in my opinion, was in need of someone with a pair of scissors to save the day!-
Films have such a short period they can't explore all the aspects of their characters.
However, continuing in the ‘subtextual’ vein;
YouTube allows members of different fandoms to post snippets of film that substantiate their claims.
Frequently they point out the suggestive language used,
such as this clip from a user who supports the ‘Wincest’ pairing on the American programme ‘Supernatural’:
[Dean] What's wrong?
[Sam] Nothing...
- (indistinct, possibly 'babe'), you look like you've been sucking on a lemon, what goin' on?
The two men in the clip are brothers but a large percentage of their fanbase are interested in the possible romantic relationship between them.
An alternative way of viewing such a media product would actually be a bonus for the owners and creators of the show
An alternative way of viewing such a media product would actually be a bonus for the owners and creators of the show
as it keeps people involved and engaged, plus potentially draws in a greater audience.
#Lisa Loeb, 'Sandalwood'#
The audience draw of subtext can also be seen in the Disney TV Channel show Kim Possible,
originally intended as a product for children and based on a teenage crime fighter.
The programme was cancelled after the third season but brought back,
largely due to the protests of the young adult audience who had been drawn in...
by the possible innuendos hidden within the script.
Videos of the interactions between the two female leads and the two male leads...
had become very popular on YouTube, with ‘views’ running into the hundreds of thousands.
Possibly as a response to this the fourth and final series featured an even greater emphasis
on the subtextual relationships, including an episode where Kim Possible’s main foe-
a thief named 'Shego' who calls her pet names, comments on her behind...
and is overtly protective when other people try to hurt her-
has her personality ‘adjusted’ and becomes Kim’s best friend.
This of course, leads to a lot of hugging and close contact,...
that can later be taken by the fans and reinterpreted.
Often film trailers with a particular draw...
-such as 'Imagine Me and You’'s main, lesbian couple or 'Closer’'s partner swapping-
are reappropriated and used by different fandoms for their pairings.
Versions I found of 'Imagine Me and You' include;
Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess, Glee,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess, Glee, Law and Order: SVU,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess, Glee, Law and Order: SVU, Heroes,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess, Glee, Law and Order: SVU, Heroes, Skins,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess, Glee, Law and Order: SVU, Heroes, Skins, 90210,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess, Glee, Law and Order: SVU, Heroes, Skins, 90210, Gossip Girl and…
possibly a lot more but there are at least two thousand of them and I couldn’t search through for every fandom!
Due to the increase in popularity of series like Kim Possible and Supernatural from the interest generated by alternate pairings ...
it’s no surprise the networks are no longer asking YouTube to remove videos containing their ‘property’ as Fox once did.
Before we finish for the day; could someone please tell me how to link to the videos I’ve used?
By which I mean- is it possible to create a direct link that means clicking the clip as it plays will take you back the original?
Ah, and one final word of warning; if you go in search of videos for your favourite pairing in a fandom… be prepared to loose your entire day!
#Cat Stevens, 'The Wind'#
I received a very interesting comment on one of my videos, from ‘somename99’;
I received a very interesting comment on one of my videos, from ‘somename99’;
“Youtube doesn't offer viable alternatives to TV or Movies, it doesn't produce high quality drama, comedy, movies, documentaries etc.
...It is merely another option for people to spend their free time on, in the same way going out for a meal, to a club, sporting event, watching a DVD or playing a game are.”
It’s a view that, I’m sure, resonates with many people
...and is very useful in pointing out that YouTube quite simply doesn’t offer it’s viewers anything of it’s own making.
Of course there are counter-arguments to be made concerning the percentages of programmes shown on E4, for instance,
that are actually produced by the channel and not just created by an independent company…
But the most interesting point of contention I have discovered comes from David Gauntlett’s book
‘Making is Connecting: The social meaning of creativity, from DIY and knitting to YouTube and Web 2.0’,
which he calls “…more about the value of making stuff more generally. In particular it’s about making and sharing our own media culture-
...I mean, via lo-fi YouTube videos, eccentric blogs and homemade websites, rather than by having to take over the traditional media of television stations and printing presses…
... which I feel is still basically a handicraft which connects us with others through its characterful, personality-imprinted, individual nature, as well as because it’s a form of communication.”
Might we possibly say then that YouTube is a digital scrapbook more than anything else?
It’s a place where we can pull together other people’s thoughts and creations and by doing so- by picking- be ‘creating’, ourselves?
Does a trailer for a film count as it’s own unique creation?
It is made from that which already exists and yet via the process of editing it becomes an original.
It is made from that which already exists and yet via the process of editing it becomes an original.
It is made from that which already exists and yet via the process of editing it becomes an original.
Thoughts?
YouTube is said to be rife with copywrite infringement, but some of the best works on the site are made by weaving together different components to make an entirely new story;
[Cedric] Look, I... realise I never really thanked you properly... [Harry] Forget about it.
- You know the Prefects' Bathroom, on the fifth floor? ... It's not a bad place for a bath...
- Look, I don't know what happened tonight and I don't know why...
It just did. Ok?
[Exasperated Huff]
That clip curtesy of Rai2121’s ‘Harry Potter and the Brokeback Goblet’.
Fanvids- the creation of videos using footage from one or more visual source-
has been around since the 1970s- 1975!- when footage from Star Trek was synced with music from a cassette player at a fan convention.
With the rise of YouTube and easy media distribution the practice became incredibly popular.
Vidders use their work to explore their source material and present it in a new way, often focusing on a single character, supporting a romantic pairing or pointing out aspects they feel have been under-appreciated.
Occasionally, the videos work as continuations of fanfictions;
the stories written by fans using material and characters from the source but creating their own narrative.
The videos can be very skilled, especially when clips are brought in from actors’ other works and made to fit into a specific fandom.
Lighting and camera angles have to be adjusted and complex narratives created.
#t.A.T.u, 'Loves Me Not'#
In the best works the clips are manipulated within a single frame, rather than merely interlaced.
These videos can also bring to the foreground subtextual relationships which were unexplored within the main text,
especially gay relationships in television programmes where the channel or network would not have allowed such interaction.
Films, restricted as they are to such short periods
-except for Lord of the Rings… which, in my opinion, was in need of someone with a pair of scissors to save the day!-
Films have such a short period they can't explore all the aspects of their characters.
However, continuing in the ‘subtextual’ vein;
YouTube allows members of different fandoms to post snippets of film that substantiate their claims.
Frequently they point out the suggestive language used,
such as this clip from a user who supports the ‘Wincest’ pairing on the American programme ‘Supernatural’:
[Dean] What's wrong?
[Sam] Nothing...
- (indistinct, possibly 'babe'), you look like you've been sucking on a lemon, what goin' on?
The two men in the clip are brothers but a large percentage of their fanbase are interested in the possible romantic relationship between them.
An alternative way of viewing such a media product would actually be a bonus for the owners and creators of the show
An alternative way of viewing such a media product would actually be a bonus for the owners and creators of the show
as it keeps people involved and engaged, plus potentially draws in a greater audience.
#Lisa Loeb, 'Sandalwood'#
The audience draw of subtext can also be seen in the Disney TV Channel show Kim Possible,
originally intended as a product for children and based on a teenage crime fighter.
The programme was cancelled after the third season but brought back,
largely due to the protests of the young adult audience who had been drawn in...
by the possible innuendos hidden within the script.
Videos of the interactions between the two female leads and the two male leads...
had become very popular on YouTube, with ‘views’ running into the hundreds of thousands.
Possibly as a response to this the fourth and final series featured an even greater emphasis
on the subtextual relationships, including an episode where Kim Possible’s main foe-
a thief named 'Shego' who calls her pet names, comments on her behind...
and is overtly protective when other people try to hurt her-
has her personality ‘adjusted’ and becomes Kim’s best friend.
This of course, leads to a lot of hugging and close contact,...
that can later be taken by the fans and reinterpreted.
Often film trailers with a particular draw...
-such as 'Imagine Me and You’'s main, lesbian couple or 'Closer’'s partner swapping-
are reappropriated and used by different fandoms for their pairings.
Versions I found of 'Imagine Me and You' include;
Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess, Glee,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess, Glee, Law and Order: SVU,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess, Glee, Law and Order: SVU, Heroes,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess, Glee, Law and Order: SVU, Heroes, Skins,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess, Glee, Law and Order: SVU, Heroes, Skins, 90210,
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Xena: Warrior Princess, Glee, Law and Order: SVU, Heroes, Skins, 90210, Gossip Girl and…
possibly a lot more but there are at least two thousand of them and I couldn’t search through for every fandom!
Due to the increase in popularity of series like Kim Possible and Supernatural from the interest generated by alternate pairings ...
it’s no surprise the networks are no longer asking YouTube to remove videos containing their ‘property’ as Fox once did.
Before we finish for the day; could someone please tell me how to link to the videos I’ve used?
By which I mean- is it possible to create a direct link that means clicking the clip as it plays will take you back the original?
Ah, and one final word of warning; if you go in search of videos for your favourite pairing in a fandom… be prepared to loose your entire day!
#Cat Stevens, 'The Wind'#