My Guilty Pleasure
Posted by Hanson Hosein
Welcome to the newly redesigned Flip The Media blog. In conjunction with our new program website, expanded curriculum and growing student body, we’re hoping to present a clear, provocative voice for this Communication “Revolution” (or as we like to say, the “flipping” of the media). Thanks to the UW’s Nick Myers for his amazing coding, and to Adriana Gil Miner for managing the project.
So after my last public crash-and-burn by declaring my love for the most recent Seinfeld/Gates video — only to see Microsoft pull the campaign — I’ll put my credibility on the line again (we all have to stand for something!).
I proclaim my affection for the Fred Channel on YouTube.
I found him a few months back during a fit of procrastination, seeking out the “Most Watched” videos on the site. I loved his hyperactive, high-pitched antics. He’s compelling low-fi in a high-def world.
Thanks to Fred’s online popularity, 20th Century Fox has hired its 14-year old creator to pimp for its new film “City of Ember.” It’s amazing how this teenager has already created a lucrative career for himself through the exploitation of amateur technology, a free distribution tool — and millions of adoring fans. However I must admit to finding him a little less compelling now that he’s hit it big with these cross-promotions…
This plays in nicely with Chad Hurley predicting that online video will be the most ubiquitous form of communication in the next ten years. And although I do agree with my colleague Kathy Gill in her post about how much more “efficient’ text is (I truly can’t stand the rigid “linearity” of video players, and I’m a video producer!), it’s hard not to believe that the value of the written word will continue to recede particularly with the “digital native” generation.
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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5 Comments, Comment or Ping
Jeremy
Wow. Painfully annoying. I didn’t get past the :30 mark.
What am I missing? Am I too old and 20th CF smarter & hipper to the hotness on the Internet?
Sep 19th, 2008
hrhmedia
You’re probably not missing anything Jeremy. Might have been me and my nihilistic pleasure while slaving away on my film. But he gets 2 to 5 million views per video, so maybe there’s a nation of nihilists out there!
Sep 20th, 2008
Ray
Painfully annoying and yet compelling for this old guy. This bit is one of the most tightly produced pieces I’ve seen in quite a while. Scripted to be shot with different angles and framing for editing, and finally changing from quick cuts to the extended shot with grandma off cam. He deserves the contract.
Sep 22nd, 2008
Dan Monaghan
I find this fascinating. As a guy who’s spent 20 years trying to make great-looking film & video programs, I am really worried about how my skillset can translate into an actual profession in the online world when lo fi amateurs who give away their work can rock the online house. Myself, I didn’t get past the :10 sec mark, but I get what the guy is doing, think it’s cool, and wish him ever more success (although I hope he banks his bucks while he can). If I were his age I hope I’d be trying something like that, too. Power to the young proles!
It is very humbling to know that no matter how hard I work to create video content now & in the future, I will probably never get the viewership of stuff like this & the laughing Danish baby.
Sep 28th, 2008
Sidnee
Fred IS annoying. But I confess I made it all the way through this video, and then looked for more. What is fascinating about Fred is his typical 14-year-old geekiness. He is still unconcerned about being the geek he is, while revealing an unsettling grasp of the adults who rule his world. Sped-up video gives the sense of a hyperactive kid with a high-pitched voice; tight shots with great backgrounds (his back yard, his room). This is one smart (and appropriately annoying) kid.
It’s not surprising that after “Fred” went viral, he was ‘discovered’ by commercial media, which has been mining the Internet for amateur talent for some time. It looks like Fred (or his agent?) is capitalizing on his 15-seconds of fame.
Fred is reminiscent of nine year-old Quincy Eaton who posted a video on YouTube of himself dancing recently. He is very limber, musical and unique, and the video went viral. Quincy had soon danced his way into a McDonald’s commercial and then onto the Oprah show, where he taught Oprah the “cha cha slide” by DJ Casper.
Oct 5th, 2008
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