Your clip has been viewed 8 times
Early blog today because I sense that I won’t have a chance to write otherwise. I can imagine being at the theatre after the show at 11pm or something, trying to find a wi-fi signal, beginning to fear the worst. Ooh no, we don’t want that.
Here’s a discussion point: why do people insist on filming music and comedy gigs, bits of football matches, and other curiosities and putting them on Youtube? I mean I know everyone’s got a camera on their phone these days, and we live in a world where we’re all constantly recording everything and showing it to each other on the bus and sending each links to it and putting it on Facebook and goodness knows what else. And there’s definitely a worldwide conversation to be had about whether we should ease off doing that and, you know, actually try enjoying/experiencing reality rather than chronicling it incessantly for no good reason. I’m happy to kick this conversation off. I might get some Buddhists involved, they’re good on the whole ‘living in the moment’ thing.
But yes, a more specific question is what’s the point of Youtube? It has a lot of uses from a consumer’s point of view, if you want to look up a clip of a cat falling down a toilet or, less often, a comedian. I just don’t quite see why people can be bothered to go to the trouble of filming a poor-quality snippet of a song you can barely hear, through a crowd of other bodies, and then posting it. Do people hope it will lure users to other ‘content’ they might have on Youtube? Or do they want to show off that they were at the gig, even though they’re showing off to very few people in practice? Or do they pretty much do it without any motive at all? Thanks in anticipation for clearing this up.
Posted by squoozles on January 23, 2011
As a film/theatre/gig usher I’m convinced the only reason people film and take photos at such ever is to piss me off – I spend all night trying to get people to stop. All for minimum wage. Yay. It’s distracting to other punters and, unless permission is granted by the performer, it can also be a little bit illegal. But the only bods who remove content from YouTube seem to be Sony, so knock yourself out. Just not on my bloody shift!
Oh, and a quick tip for sneaky photos – turn your flash off, for the love of [insert chosen deity here] – it will improve your photos no end.
Posted by Weaselspoon on January 21, 2011
Weird Al Yankovic has a routine where just as you expect him to go into the big finale he instead sings a rousing stadium anthem, the lyrics to which are “we all have cell phones, so come on, let’s get real”. The song is seeded earlier in the show by showing this interview : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M-mdalCyvs and here’s a video of it in performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m97xrz2VdHI
It’s just what people do now and I’ve had to get used to my view being blocked by arms holding camera phones aloft. I’m guilty too. I tend to take audio recordings of shows for my own archives. Oddly though, this is so I can enjoy the show more. Elsewise, I find myself straining to remember what’s happening. If I know that at the end of the night I can wind the tape back and check, I stop worrying about missing something and just enjoy it.
Posted by Tibbs on January 20, 2011
I love youtube for clips of comedy, or to check out the songs of a band or artist that I’m undecided on, and I’m incredibly grateful to people who post full, decent-quality clips of gigs that I would otherwise not be able to see. But I’m with you on not understanding why people tape things that they know are going to be only a few seconds and horrible quality, and then post those few seconds for complete strangers to see. And even less do I get the “Somebody famous walking down the street!” clips that I occasionally come across. Showing off does seem to be the only explanation.
And it’s true that it takes you out of the moment; I went on a caving expedition in Korea last year, and my camera died half-way through, and I definitely got more enjoyment out of the experience once that happened. I was able to appreciate what I was seeing a lot more once I stopped trying to capture the best angle of the crazy stone formations and the weird underwater pools and started just looking at them properly. I don’t think I’ve looked at the pictures I took more than once since then, but it’s still one of the most vivid memories I have of my time over there!
But on the other hand I did take a video of Tim Key’s shouty Russian song at the Horne Section Christmas Bash last month, and I was still able to enjoy his performance about as much as I did when I saw the same show in Edinburgh. But maybe that was because I basically propped the camera on the pew in front of me at a good angle and then ignored it. And I’m still pretty sure I wouldn’t have put it up on youtube, as I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about that (and I don’t have or want a youtube account), although sadly that is currently a non-issue since the laptop that video is on doesn’t work and may never work again.
So in conclusion: I haven’t really helped to clear things up much, and I should probably learn how to not leave such long comments.
Posted by Rhian on January 20, 2011
The only thing I’ve ever looked up on YouTube was a tutorial for a complicated knitting stitch that didn’t make sense from diagrams.
As my phone doesn’t have a camera I have never filmed a gig, and never really saw the point. I think I am showing my age because I just don’t ‘get it’, but then I’d never heard of vlogging either, and I’m going to pretend I haven’t otherwise that’s potentially many more hours of my life frittered away in the ethosphere.
Posted by Misha on January 20, 2011
Finally I manage to leave a proper comment.
Personally, on the odd occasion I film something I make sure I get the whole of it, eg a whole song. I don’t tend to bother very often because i’d rather just enjoy the gig/show/etc but occasionally there is something that feels worth it. For example i’ve got clips of friends at karaoke circus mainly for them to see back. Other than that i’ve got a couple of spoofy clip videos but thats it really.
I can see why some small scale film makers or animators use youtube, I can even see why people film other people falling over things, look how popular you’ve been framed was. I don’t personally get filming gigs obsessively though, surely just enjoying it is better? Although there is often an element of showing off that you were there and getting hits on it etc. I don’t really know is the answer at the end of the day.
Posted by Lora on January 20, 2011
Personally I tend to use youtube to watch things more than upload them, but I do upload videos from gigs occasionally. The main thing about uploading such videos for me is normally I only film new material to share with other fans and I make sure the videos are of a relatively high standard because otherwise they are pretty damn pointless (and being a media student I would be annoyed with myself for it’s poor quality). Another thing I dislike about video footage from gigs is when you find some from a gig you’ve been to and manage to find yourself in the video and you look like a bit of a goon.
Posted by Katy on January 20, 2011
In my circle of friends we quite often have this debate about taking photos/videos at gigs. A lot of people say its ruins the experience and also generally gets in other peoples way.
I do take photos at gigs, but only small ones where its actually worth taking photos, and I only take a few. Ive been grateful a few times for people posting videos of gigs on You Tube. Especially the Jim Bob Guttedfest where I seemed to forget everything he played and the videos helped me remember. One of the videos also showed me just how many photos I’d taken during one song as you can see my flash going off.
Posted by Rick Procter on January 20, 2011
I agree. I went whale watching in New Zealand once, and the key moment is of course when the whale dives back down after comig up for air, and the tail sticks up out of the water for a few seconds. Everyone was taking photos. Surely they were divorced from properly experiencing the moment – that’s what tends to happen when you’re behind a camera. I remember the tour guide person prepping everyone for it and then cuing them at the instant to take the shot: “Now, now, now.”
I do think YouTube is well worth it though – despite the fact that the most popular clips are usually the ones I think are the daftest. Thing is, for example, if you fancy seeing a real TV clip, originally professionally produced, of some niche artist from the ’70s (say, Jake Thackray – he’s cool), or maybe your favourite comedy sketch by Fry & Laurie, chances are you’ll find it on there. That’s what it’s all about for me. And then of course there are the Prize iPod handover videos
We haven’t forgotten you Anna!
Posted by Alex on January 19, 2011
The point of Youtube is to keep me sane during exam periods. See also 4OD.
I think Youtube is pretty much how I got interested in stand up in the first place. One video linking to another and so on. So without Youtube I might still know nothing about you. And the world would be a darker place.
Posted by Beth (Bloomability) on January 19, 2011
Oh, and I also completely agree with Patrick. Just look at the Vlogbrothers and Charlieissocoolike!
Posted by Beth (Bloomability) on January 19, 2011
I suppose people record things at gigs in hope of capturing the moment and being able to relive it, and then they put it on Youtube just because they have a channel.
I’ve made a few crappy sound recordings at a couple of music gigs, and the only thing I can remember thinking in terms of motive is ‘Holy crap. This is all going to end soon and I might never get to see _____ live again, so I’d better record the moment so I can vaguely remember it, and hey, maybe miraculously my digital camera’s mic might have changed to a better quality one when I wasn’t looking…’. I never put any of the stuff up on Youtube though.
Posted by Ingrid on January 19, 2011
Hmm… Good question! I think the main point of filming a gig or football match ect. on your phone/camera is to prove you were there, or simply to remember it. Slightly pointless putting some of these things on Youtube, but some people just like to show off i guess?
I think Youtube is a great thing! Its one of the only places you can watch obscure programs and other things you missed, a great way of listening to music without buying it and a way of spreading brilliant moments of human nature that would have other wise gone unseen. Of course there is also a lot of shit to, but if you filter that out, its pretty damn good!
Hope that kind of answered your question…xx
Posted by Lisa D on January 19, 2011
It’s not something I do because I am one of those “just enjoy the gig while it’s happening” types and because I turn my phone off at plays, gigs, movies, concerts ect (call me old fashioned but it’s rude and a copyright violation…). Nevertheless I get why “kids today” do it. It’s a way to document one’s place at an event; this very cool thing happened and I was there and now I can share it with you. In fairness, the more grainy phone video type of clips on youtube are available for public consumption but aren’t necessarily intended for public consumption. Most of the time they’re intended as vlog posts and are the visual equivalent of a “what I did this weekend” style blog post. The fact that they might also show up when one is trying to find an illegal upload of, for example, certain episodes of Argumental is a bit annoying but certainly not the fault of the poster. We live in an age when people document things in a very public way, but ultimately I don’t think it’s any different than Ben Franklin keeping a diary of what he got up to in France and then publishing it.
Posted by Zoe on January 19, 2011
Slightly off subject but related as I’m sure many of the clips made it onto YouTube.
Around Christmas/New Years I found myself watching Katy Perry do a live performance of that Firework song. There was a large crowd in front of her none of whom appeared to be moving. There they all where, phone in hand capturing the fun and atmosphere of the gig. Only there wasn’t any because nobody moved. It’s the sort of song that before mobiles etc everyone would have been pinging up and down to and after the gig would have talked how great it was.
As Mark said (sort of) stop trying to show everyone you had fun and have fun. Life’s short. Ping up and down a bit.
Posted by MusicalLottie on January 19, 2011
I’m all for taking photos and clips of shows in order to help one remember them in the future (although as others have said, I find it removes me from the moment so I tend not to) but posting them on YouTube is another matter. Maybe originally such clips were intended to show a small circle of others, but it is frustrating to trawl through several clips of the same song before finding one that is a) decent and b) full-length.
There are however an awful lot of good-quality videos on YouTube, about various fascinating subjects. I’ve used YouTube videos to introduce various friends to Voces8 – and YT is how I got to know their work in the first place. Others have mentioned good clips of comedians, which I also enjoy.
There should be different categories for official recordings, half-decent mobile recordings, and rubbish recordings. But that’d take a whole lot more resources to enforce and would probably mean that YouTube would have to charge … and it’d just not work.
Posted by Rachael on January 19, 2011
I’ve often wondered this myself. It seems like alot of effort for nothing and I don’t think I could ever be bothered to do it but I’m glad that other people do because sometimes you just really need to watch that clip of that guy on that tv show again.
Posted by Clembear on January 19, 2011
We’re in an new period of time where everything you put online can be publically accessed forever, relatively cheaply (avoiding major catastrophes, end of computing). Democratisation of media as mentioned above. I don’t think we’ve adjusted yet to what this means.
I think we still often treat media with a degree of reverence – it used to be hard to publish things widely (publish hear means any type of media, and not neccessarily commercially) so things that were published had a reason to exist and an intended audience. Youtube’s public, searchable nature means we can stumble across footage that was made for all sorts of reasons (why do you take a photo, or try to remember something), probably intended for a small circle as a throwaway thing.
Youtube (and the internet in general) doesn’t throw anything away, so you get a huge amount of digital detritus. We attribute meaning to why its here because that’s what we’re used to doing when it was hard to publish widely. Now its easy, so you get more stuff. And anyone can find it!
Imagine if everything you said followed you in little word bubbles, clinging to your clothes, creating a trail of your voice. Google your screenname and you’ll get that.
Posted by Emily on January 19, 2011
I like having photos of events because most of the time, if I enjoy the moment and all that, whilst I enjoy it greatly at the time, and might remember that I enjoyed it the next day, I don’t remember much of the detail at all. My memory is terrible like that. The same goes for watching films, reading books, or understanding lectures. If I take pictures, though I often forget, that’s why. I like keeping tickets and things like that for the same reason. I’m quite sentimental I suppose, and would like to remember my life in the future, as I remember very little of what has happened in my life in the past.
As for YouTube, as others have said, there is so much more to it than just crap little recordings of gigs. I spend too much of my day watching YouTube videos of various types. Some are daily vlogs, which is sort of like stalking someone’s life, some are just interesting vlogs about interesting topics, and some are funny or musical. There are many great vloggers on YouTube, and for the successful, it provides a good source of income.
I like the comedy clips people put on there, for example I persuaded three friends to come to your gig by showing them YouTube videos of your comedy. I have found other comedians this way, it’s useful for giving an idea if you would like a comedian or not.
The shitty clips of music with few views, and the viral videos of cats on Roombas are the more well known, but distinctly inferior side of YouTube. (I suspect the shitty music clip side does only really exist to “show off” to friends.)
Posted by Lydia on January 19, 2011
There’s loads more than that on Youtube. The video blogging community is massive and there are a lot of people who are now able to do it as their job.
These are a couple of the best, if you’re interested:
http://www.youtube.com/charlieissocoollike
http://www.youtube.com/vlogbrothers
Youtube also has a lot of comedy on it, and I’ve found out about a lot of my favourite comedians and shows through it.
Posted by Phill on January 19, 2011
Interesting question, Mark. I’ve been thinking about this recently: when I was growing up, taking pictures was a complete pain in the arse. (I mean, waiting to actually have pictures ‘developed’! Can you imagine!) These days you can take pictures on your phone without a thought, and I think many people do.
A couple of years ago I went to a Coldplay I JUST LIKE THEM OK GET OFF MY BACK gig, and the kids in front of us (well, they weren’t kids, probably about 17 or so) were taking photos and stuff during a lot of the actual gig. My first thought was “Why not just live in the moment, enjoy the gig, and have the memories?”
But at the same time I think it’s easy for us to criticise, not having grown up with all this technology around us. I can’t see the point of uploading crappy mobile phone camera videos to YouTube, but at the same time, it has meant occasionally that I’ve been able to get clips of live shows etc when there would be none otherwise.
Posted by Tracey on January 19, 2011
I should add, to my earlier post that guy who does the filming in the Wimbledon cemetery has attempted to clean the grave up himself.x
Posted by Tracey on January 19, 2011
Hi Mark. I’ve found Youtube great when there’s a show uploaded that I can’t get on dvd, like the version of Rebecca with Anna Massey for example. When things such as that are good quality it’s great. For badly filmed one minute snatches of gigs, I don’t know why people bother. I’d just buy the comedian/ group’s dvd when it came out and watch it properly. That said, being a fan of the late actress Imogen Hassall a guy goes to her grave in Wimbledon every so often and films what he sees. I wish, as does he, that someone would tidy Imogen’s grave up a bit. If he didn’t go to the trouble of uploading those very short clips, I’d not see it. If I lived nearer, I’d do it, but I’m digressing. Youtube, is great when what’s posted is of good quality and of interest. Take care, Tracey x
Posted by h2osarah on January 19, 2011
I have found a *lot* of new comedians/comedy shows through youtube. If it weren’t for youtube, and a misspent undergraduate degree, I probably wouldn’t be typing this, or ever have heard of you (Mark). Although I tend to stay away from crappy cameraphone recordings of gigs, preferring bits that have been professionally recorded for telly or something. I am aslo someone who’d much rather watch a gig than take photos for posterity (Although I do that a little bit). I find taking photos in a gig removes me from it, and I don’t enjoy it as much.
Posted by Andrew on January 19, 2011
As a child of the pre-digital revolution age, I fear I would put the sort of submission to which you refer together with most text messages, most Facebook usage, most blogs, even most mobile phone calls. Why do people do these things? Because they can, no more, no less. All of them are now so easy to do that nobody bothers to exercise any discretion as to their worth before ploughing on. The democratisation of mass communication is not necessarily a forward step, and I can pinpoint the moment in time when I came to realise this. I was watching a snooker match on the BBC, who were scrolling along the bottom of the screen, during play, messages that people had texted in. One of these read “Paul Hunter 2 win, he is so fit”. Brilliant – my enjoyment of the match was so enhanced.
Posted by Ivan (@ivanbrett) on January 19, 2011
Youtube’s absolute best feature is the Vloggers on there. There are scores of fantastic film-makers and entertainers regularly contributing content in a new form of social media that, with it obvious lack of anonymity, encourages all sorts of collaborations and innovations. I subscribe to maybe 50 channels, all who release at least a video a week, and watch them when I’m having my breakfast.
The viral video and random illegal clip side of youtube is hopelessly boring, but I don’t think that’s the central part of the site at all. It just seems that way.
Posted by Kathryn on January 19, 2011
It is one of the incredibly annoying things about YouTube- you see an interesting sounding video title only to discover it is a poorly filmed, noisy, blurry, illegal clip of a live show. I don’t understand why people do it either. I can’t imagine they get very many views.
Early blogging is good for us studenty types who should probably be doing something more constructive mid-morning.
Posted by Patrick on January 19, 2011
Hm. Interesting. I suppose my argument would be that that’s probably the least popular way of using YouTube. For instance, vlogging (video blogging, of course) is hugely popular, with some users having hundreds of thousands of subscribers (like followers on Twitter). When it’s done right, it can be hugely entertaining and interesting.