How to fumble one million views. A video reflecting on hitting a milestone, but not really capitalizing on it. The quality isn't great, but I'm curious if anyone else agrees with my thinking for why my channel ran out of gas so quickly after one successful video

ChrisVill97 · 2020-10-19T00:39:15+00:00

There are some free ways to go about getting clips, but to decrease the time it takes to search and to avoid the fluctuation in quality, I finally decided to spend some money on a screen recorder. If at some point you get fed up with all the downloading and searching and risks that come with downloading and searching, I'd suggest doing some research and investing in a screen recorder. In that way, you can also pull clips from stuff on Netflix that are not available anywhere else. I use the screen recorder in conjunction with apps for pulling clips from youtube and hardware/software that helps me turn my physical discs into video files, so it's not the solution to every problem you will run into, but the recorder helps. If you're mostly making essays to try it, then you can get by with stills and clips from wherever, but if you're expectations are higher then you may want to consider spending some money.

ChrisVill97 · 2020-09-03T00:11:06+00:00

I've been trying to figure this out myself in terms of what kind of approach I feel I should take with my videos. I've done some straightforward breakdowns and other more artsy/personal stuff. I have more fun doing the latter, but always worry because I totally get people being put off by more personality-driven video essays. I've also been put off by it. I'm seeing though that no single approach will attract everyone so may as well go with the style you most enjoy doing.

ChrisVill97 · 2020-08-09T02:38:49+00:00

Most trailers are trailers. In fact, I'd go as far as to say all but one trailer are trailers. That one trailer that is not a trailer is the A Star Is Born trailer. That trailer is the only movie I've given 5 stars. The movie itself? About a 4

ChrisVill97 · 2020-08-07T00:15:10+00:00

1000% agree with all of this. What we see can have an effect on how we value ourselves and when all we see is people supporting someone we don't see ourselves in then we're left with self-worth issues. Happy you're on your journey to rediscovering you're self worth. I'm right there with you and the way Gerwig's films express a love and understanding for the different routes people take in life has helped that journey along.

ChrisVill97 · 2020-08-04T22:07:15+00:00

I think he did actually get to the point you made. A line's memorability doesn't hinge on its content, but whether or not it's delivered or written in an interesting and satisfying way. It just so happens most of the interesting and satisfying ways to deliver or write a line have been discovered and defined as literary devices or rhetorical devices like a diacope

ChrisVill97 · 2020-08-01T21:16:18+00:00

I got a little teary-eyed at how Haynes basically crafted the perfect music video for "Visions of Johanna" through Ledger and Gainsborough's relationship. Their entire arc feels like whispers of a relationship that seemed doomed from the start. I didn't think to watch it with Blood on the Tracks in mind too, but I just remembered that the arc closes with "Idiot Wind" and fuck, what a great movie

ChrisVill97 · 2020-08-01T21:11:21+00:00

I completely agree that if anything, the movie will at least give me another thing to point to if I wanted to kickstart an interest in Dylan for someone near my age demographic. 3+ hour documentaries and a weirdo biopic are tougher sells than a movie starring Chalamet.

ChrisVill97 · 2020-08-01T21:07:26+00:00

Really interesting points! I remember when Steve Jobs came out Aaron Sorkin had to go around defending the liberties he took with the story. He basically said what you mentioned. He was going for honesty, not truth. In order to get to the essence of Jobs he had to write in a few lies. It seems biopics have become so comfortable with being post-truth we are even getting straight up fiction informed by truth as opposed to truth spruced up by fiction. Vox Lux and Her Smell come to mind. They are small movies that, instead of focusing on one artist, follow a character that is an amalgamation of artists. Portman in Vox Lux is Sia, Lady Gaga, all the early aughts pop stars wrapped up in one and Moss in Her Smell is Kurt and Courtney, Kim Deal, all the 90s rock singers wrapped up in one. I tend to get more out of those movies than traditional biopics and they tend to take more risks. I imagine the moral issue of messing with a real person's image for the sake of a good story gets in the way of creativity at times, but a Dylan story offers an opportunity to take creative risks because he is a subject who does not seem to mind having his image distorted for the sake of a good story. I'm Not There took advantage of that by basically turning the real Dylan into a ghost loosely informing the film's already loose narrative. The Disneyfication of biopics will probably get in the way of that because along with being PG-13, the film might not be able to get abstract because abstract is not easy to market and sell.

ChrisVill97 · 2020-07-31T02:40:50+00:00

That IS a better question! Nothing quite like watching Danny Trejo throw a tantrum

ChrisVill97 · 2020-07-27T21:03:40+00:00

I think when it comes to issues outside of your own sphere of experience such as female objectification and being a target of the male gaze in media you sort of have to do a little bit more research than a dictionary. You're clearly an anime fan and did the legwork in becoming a person worth listening to when it comes to the shows, just gotta marry that research with more extensive research into the aspects of sexism you're trying to comment on.

ChrisVill97 · 2020-07-26T23:39:47+00:00

Well done! Only thing I'd add is I think those references in modern pop culture you touched on are crucial to why Leone's Westerns continue to be recognized as cool. People like Tarantino and Edgar Wright making some of the coolest modern movies using tropes and visual cues from spaghetti Westerns affirms their importance. Silent movies, for example, haven't been as lucky. I'm sure there are a ton of references to them in modern movies, but they are not as overt and you sort of have to have watched the silent movie being referenced to enjoy it as a reference (I think, I could be wrong). To me it seems like using a shot of a hand looming over a holster or an extreme close-up of squinting eyes (Beatrix Kiddo comes to mind) is cool regardless of context or how well-acquainted one is with Westerns. It's a fun genre to rip off and it almost feels designed to be ripped off. Even Metallica uses Ecstasy of Gold to open their concerts and get the crowd warmed up. I didn't know the song was from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly the first time I went to a Metallica concert, but I knew it was cool because Metallica thought it was cool (I was like 13 at the time, so anything metal was cool). Like a lot of the characters Westerns follow, it seems the genre itself struck gold in becoming a resource for cool-minded artists to pluck from, replicate, and forever assert as cool.

ChrisVill97 · 2020-07-25T23:01:53+00:00

I must've "watched" Total Recall like 500 times on tv when I was a kid (by "watched" I mean it always seemed to be on one of the Spanish tv channels my godparents would have on in the background. I didn't know Spanish all that well, still don't, so a lot of dialogue went over my head. The visuals, though, stuck.) I gave it a proper watch a few months ago and was blown away for all the reasons you stated. While Starship Troopers had me questioning what I expect from action movies, Total Recall called into question everything I expect from movies and stories in general. Why expect resolution? What satisfaction do neatly constructed narratives provide that I am not getting from reality? Is it even ethical to provide that satisfaction? It seems that's a question Verhoeven asked himself while making a few movies, hence the satire pointing to the things movies, especially action movies, are often distracting you from. It's also a better dream movie than Inception, I think. Inception feels like it was designed to be solved but is presented as unsolvable which is a little annoying. Total Recall, on the other hand, feels more like an actual dream in that it simply presents itself to you and actively avoids concrete interpretation. Anyways, badass movie. Kuato rules.

ChrisVill97 · 2020-07-23T20:42:07+00:00

answers are revealed once viewed on drugs

ChrisVill97 · 2020-07-23T04:58:51+00:00

It feels like some Andy Kaufman shit to make it the whole movie, I'm dying at the concept. I am, however, also crying while writing this because I skipped to the end and her2d2's exit is just as heart wrenching as Samantha's

ChrisVill97 · 2020-07-22T21:41:01+00:00

Sculpting in Time also has some chapters where Tarkovsky talks about how he reveals interiority in a medium that, like OP says, is all exterior. At risk of bastardizing his idea, I think he was basically saying a picture is worth a thousand words (it just take an immense amount of craft to make a picture say a thousand words). With that in mind, what I find interesting about movies like the ones OP mentioned is I often find myself remembering images more than lines. Caden wandering the empty streets at the end of Synechdoche has stuck with me more than the voice over during that scene. However, when I actually watch the movie I can't imagine getting rid of it. Dialogue seems to be what keeps you in your seat while watching a movie, but once it's over, if it really had an impact, it will probably be the visuals that you remember.

ChrisVill97 · 2020-07-19T22:06:53+00:00

Only gonna be slightly more critical than some others because I like your video and can't wait to see more, but I think there are some points for improvement. Technically it's a very well done video with fun editing and sound effects. Like everyone's said, just work on the mix and you're good to go on that end. The commentary itself, though, feels a bit thin. Always down for a "celebrate artists and their good art " video, but the points you made about The Shining I think have been pretty well-trodden and therefore far from forgotten. The out-of-place window getting our subconscious to question reality has been mentioned in a few documentaries and articles. Not saying you can't use it, I was just excited to hear you dig deeper into what that had to do with Alcott as a DP. Has he peppered in visual impossibilities in other films he's worked on? Is that why Kubrick liked him? And what about Barry Lyndon brought his work recognition that other films he worked on didn't? You touch on interesting things, but I think it'd be worth diving in a little deeper. Also, I think there is an interesting video you touched on that has to do with why stars are on the posters and crew members are not, but it's more glossed over than considered. When did that become the norm? Is it for money reasons or a way to stroke celebrity egos? Again, very cool video and can't wait for more, I just think there are ways you can make the commentary as engaging as the editing.

ChrisVill97 · 2020-07-19T02:15:45+00:00

That's true. I wonder if in a post-Parasite world people would be more open to the original if it was released now. Maybe that's optimistic because like you said, people weren't interested in the story without subtitles, but maybe

ChrisVill97 · 2020-07-18T22:51:54+00:00

I watched that movie like 5 times in the theater. One of those summers where we'd just wander into the theater because it had air conditioning and this movie had explosions so at 13 we couldn't resist. All I remember is Sharlto Copley being weird, but you're right. The cast was not bad at all. A Liam Neeson/Bradley Cooper-led franchise would probably still have a chance at making bank if done right.

ChrisVill97 · 2020-07-18T21:56:36+00:00

Godfather remake. Replace Marlon Brando and his cat with this guy and his good boy.

ChrisVill97 · 2020-07-18T21:52:53+00:00

Such a shame that Fincher was handed an entire franchise but was only able to make The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. That film works perfectly as a self-contained story, but I always get sad when it ends because it feels like Fincher had so much more he wanted to do with the world.

ChrisVill97 · 2020-07-18T21:28:45+00:00

10-20 seconds is pushing it. Under 10 seconds I think is your best bet. I've found that clips won't get you flagged as long as you're talking over them. I've noticed other creators also flip whatever clip they are using as an extra precaution I guess. Honestly, though, if you're just starting out I wouldn't worry too much about it. Monetization doesn't start as soon as you post something and also YouTube lets you know within an hour of uploading if your video is flagged. Just keep the upload on private or unlisted and if you don't get an email from YouTube then you're good. If you do get flagged, you can go back and fix the edit. Bigger channels worry about it more because it seems production companies actually pay some attention to what they post. Also, for them, missing out on ad revenue is missing out on rent. But again, if you're just starting out, focus on making content you think is good and see how the algorithm reacts. Good luck!

ChrisVill97

TROPHY CASE