Less is More? More or less...

One of the things I have noticed about my desperate attempts to make myself a relevant presence on the world of the internet and more specifically, Youtube, is the constant pitching I have developed over a period of time. Almost daily, without fail, I will vomit upon the likes of Facebook, Twitter and various other websites my latest videos, why you should watch my latest videos, questions about what people want from my videos, and more links to things related to my videos.

And, after a near nuclear breakdown the other day... my girlfriend (yes I have one, and she's real... stop sniggering) suggested that why don't I just stop promoting the Filmic Type Place?

"Stop promoting?" I cried, mouth frothing with rage from this bizarre suggestion (and the 4 hours uploading time of my latest vid) "Then how would people know? How would word spread? Are you completely mad!?"

After assurances that she was not mad, and that possibly I should cut down on the caffeine, she explained that the constant pitching, promoting and linking would appear, to some, to be desperate, clingy pleas that instead of getting people to watch would actually turn them off...

Of course after that I ate my phone and smeared BBQ sauce over myself while raging to the Gods (the Volcano thing in Iceland btw was totally not me...), but on reflection, she may be right. Now of course this is actually limited to Facebook in Filmic Type overkill, but the constant stream of pressurized viewing may not actually lead to views.

The ironic thing is, it doesn't work. It's actually a vicious cycle of: Promote-few views-promote more, repeat ad nausem. And trust me it is nauseating.

So what's the solution in this scenario? I want my videos to get seen but don't want to keep blowing my own trumpet (I'd never leave the house if I could, fnar fnar). Well, maybe try a bit if restraint and see how it goes. Maybe carry on and hope that the twigs catch fire. Or maybe just go completely mad...

The yoghurt talking to me says the third way is the one, therefore.

Wibble.

Views, blues and the true meaning of creativity

Success, they say, can be measured in many different ways. Capitalist say it is measured in money, some people say it is in the number of friends you have, some agree but mean this in a Facebook way which really doesn't count...

For me, success is measured in one thing: Views.

The way I look at it, if there are a lot of views, people are watching. And if those views go up, that means those people who first watched are telling others and word of mouth is spreading. On the internet, this could mean that the video is being shared across websites and webbing from there. In other words, views = success.

But what do you do when you get no views? After all, there are thousands of people on the interweb, all with a voice screaming for attention. And when thousands of people scream at once, you get white noise... So, if like me, you descend into this mindset that you have failed, that your videos aren't that good and that you will never make it as a film-maker!

But then... you have, because you're making films. Good, average or bad, you're putting the effort in to producing a work. And that's what I finally realized today.

My efforts, unless I REALLY need to/want to, are ultra-ultra low budget affairs, with it barely hitting double figures. I have an idea, think of a cheap way of putting it together, and do it. All because I like creating something.

Take T to the Who? The TubbZ Story for example. I came up with the idea of doing a mockumentary simply because I knew all it involved was setting up a camera and interviewing people. Obviously since the use of inserts and such have meant a tiny bit of spending, add to this travel expenses, but in the end it isn't a lifes work type deal. It's a fun, enjoyable flick I am making that hopefully will add to an ever growing portfolio of stuff!

So... while it does sting that I don't get as many views as I'd like, I'm still doing it. I'm still putting it out there and most of all, I'm still enjoying it. And hopefully one day, you will to.

Just gonna end on a cheap plug to go to Oli J's Filmic Type Place and also the Youtube page to keep abreast of all videos and news! Now lets see if that gets the views up ;)

PLDM