the Video Nova

Young Jean-Claude Van Damme

2009-01-07T18:27:00.003-05:00

This is how he became a man:

Made by Black Magic Roller Coaster.

Pretty Much Everywhere, It's Gonna be Hot

2008-12-19T16:34:00.002-05:00

I've been rabidly promoting this video in other places, so I'll bring it home the the Video Nova. It was Gawker's number one video of 2008 and has been remixed. Without further ado, here's the nirvana-inducing video:

The secret to happiness is to watch it over and over. If you don't understand, just watch it four times.

The Future of Media: YouTube Channels?

2008-12-11T10:58:00.003-05:00

A New York Times article published yesterday profiles YouTube video makers who are making a living off their videos through the partner program.

I don't anticipate this will usher in an age of many small-time media producers using sites like YouTube or Vimeo. According to the article it can take a year's worth of 40-hour weeks to gain enough of a following to make a YouTube channel turn a profit. Few independent creators have the investment capital (especially in today's economy) to sit through a year of creating and diligently promoting their work. A big media company like Viacom or News Corp. has the money to pay. In their eyes, it's cheap. They also have access to an existing, powerful network to promote their YouTube channels.

My first post

2008-12-05T14:33:00.003-05:00

This is John. I'm currently posting out of spite, but this video is still good. It's by the guys at The 3rd Floor. Enjoy.

Um . . . what's going on

2008-11-25T15:53:00.001-05:00

So I've been focusing on updating this tumblr and this very silly blog, because both take WAY less time than watching a ton of videos. I just don't have the free time I had in college to sit around and go through a bunch of crappy ones to find a one I really loved.

Soon I'm going to have my friend John, who draws Pie, start contributing to the site. He's not exactly more reliable than I am, but two heads are better than one.

How high are my knees?

2008-11-14T12:13:00.002-05:00

OK OK I AM SORRY not to post in forever. Here is a hilarious video from UCBComedy.com

I promise to get back on the wagon.

The Death of Viral Videos

2008-10-01T12:46:00.004-04:00

Short piece on Gawker today about why "viral videos" are not as popular as they were in 2006. Argument based solely on conjecture, but hey, what else are you doing right now?

The "viral" phenomenon always bugged me, but to be honest I never thought it was going away.

As a side note, the people at my office only recently saw the one with the evil-eyed baby.

Oh I'm excited for MYSTERY TEAM

2008-09-30T00:57:00.001-04:00

YES! It's coming...

The trailer for Derrick's upcoming Mystery Team.

Back to School: Space Olympics

2008-09-14T11:42:00.003-04:00

And the Video Nova is back after a long break. Between graduating, moving, and looking for a job I haven't had time to watch many videos. But I'm back in action with "Space Olympics."

I missed SNL last night and because I can't wait to watch it on DVR tonight I saw as much as I could on Hulu. Then I watched this:

I like the beginning the best, because the level of parody of both visual style and musical genre was pitch-perfect. Even if you disparage parody, "Space Olympics" achieves something great with the form.

Sequel to "Welcome to My Study"

2008-03-16T20:31:00.003-04:00

By Mitch Magee, who brought you Welcome to My Study (obviously), Sexual Intercourse: American Style, and others.

The saddest "your mom" joke

2008-02-29T12:55:00.003-05:00

Eliza Skinner, oh Eliza Skinner. Another character-driven scene about an asshole.

From the person who gave you Amy at the Club.

Do you remember Valentine's Day?

2008-02-21T02:02:00.005-05:00

It's after Valentine's Day, but who cares? Why can't we hate everyday, and not just holidays? To celebrate, here's Ben Schwartz's story of a V-Day breakup. (With the guy who wrote What If There's Bears and the guy who sings Black Bean Burger.)

Playing Catch-up: Babycakes

2008-02-15T23:35:00.003-05:00

I sincerely hope you've seen SuperDeluxe before. If you haven't, here's a good entry point: "Babycakes." If you like the first one, there are eleven more here.

At some point a review will follow. Other projects have been hitting me hard and I haven't had time to watch hours of videos a day. Also, feel free to give me your feedback on whether you like this as much as I do.

Super Bowl XLII Ads

2008-02-04T10:14:00.000-05:00

Gawker has a great post with the best ads from the Superbowl. Why would I redo all that work?

This one goes out to the dog-lovers

2008-01-31T18:24:00.000-05:00

Some girls are just all about puppies. You know who you are. I think some people might not have patience for this video, but the people who like it will really like it. It's "Puppy Love," from the Kissing Booth, a comedy showcase in New York.

Solution to Beard-Related Problems

2008-01-29T12:51:00.001-05:00

I got angry looking at the most recently posted "comedy" videos on YouTube. So instead of dealing with those emotions, I watched this. You could watch it too. It's by Waverly (who I obviously really like, else why would I constantly post their videos). It's called "Beards Only Club."

How to Seduce Women

2008-01-26T19:57:00.000-05:00

This is kind of funny, except for the ad at the end and maybe being a bit too long. Paul Rudd's first few moments on screen are great. Got it from my friend who runs this comic.

More can be found at My Damn Channel.

Everything Poops

2008-01-22T21:43:00.000-05:00

Great new one from Waverly. Maybe it's not everyone's style, but something about this really appeals to me.

Simple concept, good execution.

UCBComedy.com Lauched!

2008-01-19T11:45:00.000-05:00

No video today (sorry). But it's exciting to find out that UCB Comedy is live. Many of the videos here (What if there's bears, YouTube War, Amy at the Club, etc.) were made by performers and teachers at the UCB Theatre in New York.

Plus there's a video up (Shirts vs. Skins) with Matt Walsh and Matt Besser.

How Fox News calibrated their obituaries

2008-01-13T22:26:00.000-05:00

When a 24-hour news channel needs to align themselves relative to the world, they use a simple process. You put names on both ends of a spectrum and put everything else between them. For Fox News, the two ends are Anna Nicole Smith:

and Kurt Vonnegut:

What Swamp-Guys Really Talk About

2008-01-07T03:38:00.000-05:00

A simplistically animated video by Will Hines and Terry Jinn. I like the whole thing, but the end is my favorite. And the sipping sound. Here's "Guy Talk:"

To YouTube page.

Like Citizen Kane, but with a Flower

2008-01-04T16:55:00.000-05:00

This one's from Waverly. It was posted back in September, but you might have missed it at the time. It tells the story of a young flower in a harsh world.

What people were watching at 3:09 AM Today

2008-01-04T03:11:00.000-05:00

In case you thought everyone had the same YouTube taste as you, check out what people were watching while you were sleeping. This is a sample of what people were watching from 3:09 AM to 3:10 AM on January 4, 2008. I don't recommend any of these videos.

The Perfect YouTube Video

2008-01-03T02:02:00.000-05:00

The Internet is not a kind place, and most YouTube videos are shit. Then why speak poorly of a relatively good video? Why needlessly foster ill will (apart from this annoying reason)?

Because "YouTube Is My Life" is not perfect. But Nalts, a so-called weblebrity, had this to say about it:

"I’m on a mad campaign to get this featured by YouTube editors because it’s just perfect. Clever, well produced, fantastic cameos by some YouTube weblebrities (TheHill88, MarkDay and Sean Bedlam). It’s a totally addictive song, it’s well lit, the sound effects are fantastic, the acting is dead pan, the humor is intellectual, the camera movements are thoughtful, and the stop-animated finger puppets are just plain cute." (Emphasis added)

Perfect? Perfect this video is not. It's mildly amusing. I did not, unlike several commenters on the video, want my five minutes back. But the song is certainly not "totally addictive," the acting is not at all dead pan, and I would not recommend you watch it.

Like many communities (college campuses come to mind), YouTube has subcultures that are strongly insular. I guess "YouTube Is My Life" hits a demographic of viewers who really love talking about YouTube, but using YouTube as subject matter here only serves the purpose of self-promotion (unlike YouTube War). In fact, it seems like the purpose of Nalts's "mad campaign" is not just to get this video featured, but to have his name attached to it.

Legendary Creature Caught on Tape

2008-01-01T16:09:00.000-05:00

Here's a recent video from ThoseLilRabbits. It is shocking new footage of a long-forgotten beast.

Good performances, good use of a shitty camera, good concept. Notice how someone left a comment asking whether it was staged or not.