Sometimes looking at really old posts can give me a little spark of inspiration, and although there may be a lack of quality (especially in terms of pictures or video) I find that looking back on things can help me to re-assess what old things I can take forward or bring back in some way, and what I should leave in the past. There's quite a few old posts I love to look at from this blog because they remind me of a really good experience or idea, or just feel like really pure expressions of something, and the same can be true for my videos.
I thought it would be cool to compile some of my favourite YouTube videos from across my time making videos on this channel and detail what it is I still like about each one. Maybe this exercise will help me to make me new videos better, more creative, more genuine, or just more me. If not, consider this a simple showcase of some of my favourites for the purposes of self-indulgent reflection.
This one is a classic. I'm proud of this because I feel like it spoke to what people were talking about at the time. It was a response to
Jack Howard's video,
'YouTube Discussion Continued', in which he talked about being bored with YouTube and about a perceived lack of new talent and creativity. My response was a tongue-in-cheek comparison of YouTube to the sea where I said that basically, there are always new and exciting people making new and exciting content but that it's discoverability of those people that's the problem. I like a combination of things about this video's construction: the grainy and badly lit footage, the little bits of humour alongside this earnest narration, and the brilliant happenstance that was my internet connection briefly dying during the filming of the video - acting as a perfect visual metaphor for a disconnection between video-makers and viewers trying to find them. This video spoke to people, but it had this great blend of silliness and real discussion to it.
This video marked the start of a bit of a change in direction for my channel. I wanted to step more seriously into the kind of vlogging where I show people my day, or my activities, and maybe sit and talk a little bit directly to the camera. I'd previously enjoyed making these really rapid stop motion vlogs most of the time, which were so quick as to be fleeting and had this kind of adventurous feeling to them as they raced past. I absolutely still love that format, but at this point I really wanted to foster something of a more intimate connection, a more thorough look at my life and thoughts. This vlog to me is a great example of the kind of feel I want to create with this style of video - the right combination of bizarre and spontaneous thoughts, some artwork I feel excited to show off, and some cute and bright visuals.
This video was really fun to make, and was my first attempt at a collaboration (ft. Scott/frigginboom). Most of the time when I make videos I don't use scripts, but some of my scripted videos stand out, and I loved writing this script and getting that goofy, sarcastic tone across. I really enjoy using purposefully rudimentary effects to enhance the comedic tone of a video, and I think that worked nicely here. This is the kind of video that is constructed very simplistically but has a solid idea or concept, and it's one of the videos that I enjoy re-watching the most. I can't help but laugh, not just at my own jokes (although really, I laugh endlessly at my own jokes) but also at Scott's perfect photos.
I'm quite fond of this video partially because it's quite dark. I know good lighting is generally important for filming, but somehow the early morning darkness in this video works really well and enhances the style a bit. I wanted to lampoon the popular 'Get Ready With Me' videos I see a lot on YouTube (with love) and bring it to this insular place. I love making fun of myself and that was something I liked about this video too. Despite being effectively a parody of the conventions of YouTube videos, this video also ended up being quite explorative of my own psyche and sense of self on some level too, and I love that that can happen so much of the time when I'm trying to be silly.
I had to include one of my stop motion vlogs in this list, and this one is a really nice example of how you can express something kinda special and heartfelt and nice within 60 seconds. Also it reminds me of how much I love visiting art galleries and looking at sculptures and all of that lovely stuff.
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I'm feeling very excited about making new videos right now, and I really hope I'll make some this year that can sit on a future list of videos I like the most or am most proud of. My next video will be ten hours of me gently coughing. Please look forward to it.
