Greetings. We are the Millennial Generation, raised on cartoons, and consumers of fake ketchup and indie rock. Over the past couple of decades, there has been a dramatic change in the way that we create and absorb content, the most significant being the rise of the internet as an accessible form of media. In particular, YouTube has proven to be extremely successful in terms of the ease of content creation and consumption. YouTube initially started off as a platform for amateur musicians and filmmakers to showcase their content. Now, the amateurs have become professionals, and there is a slew of great content out there, including a variety of web shows. This new column is dedicated to reviewing and generally getting the word around about good YouTube shows and series. So grab a drink, take a seat and come learn about some of the best web shows currently out there.
A good introduction to the world of YouTube web shows is The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Conceived by YouTube heavyweight Hank Green, and based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, it explores the life of 20-something Lizzie through her video blog (or vlog) as she deals with a pushy mom and an uncertain future. The series began in April 2012, and progressed in a real-time fashion up until the end of March 2013. The creators have done a great job of setting the iconic 19th century novel in the present day. Lizzie is a graduate student in mass communications who starts her vlog as part of a project. In addition to the main vlogs, there are Q&A videos, as one would expect on a normal vlog channel, as well as spin-off content by Lydia, Lizzie’s sister, and a few other characters. Individual Twitter accounts were also maintained for the characters, all of which added a level of authenticity to the plot and characters. Character development is beautifully depicted in the show. Lizzie and her sisters make mistakes and learn from them, and truly grow as people over time.
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries: http://www.youtube.com/user/LizzieBennet
Another very well scripted and directed web show is Squaresville. Squaresville stars Mary Kate Wiles (who plays Lydia Bennet in The Lizzie Bennet Diaries) as Zelda, a fun-loving and rebellious teenager who is constantly trying to sort out her insecurities and beliefs in what is wrong and right. Squaresville is currently in its second season, and though plot development has taken a temporary back-seat, the show is still quite engaging, with recent episodes showing weird and wonderful everyday conversations between the characters, sort of reminiscent of Pulp Fiction (except without the blood and cussing, and between kids instead of hardened criminals – so not quite actually). More recently, the show has featured monologue videos, where individual characters break the fourth wall and talk about the intimate, private and silly thoughts that occupy their heads. Overall, Squaresville’s production quality is on par with a lot of TV shows out there, and offers a fresh and more realistic take on teenage life and the trials that accompany it.
Squaresville: http://www.youtube.com/user/squaresvilleseries
The final web show I’m going to talk about is Hipsterhood. Hipsterhood calls itself, “a web series, ironically,” and deals with the awkward yet hilarious situations that arise when two individuals, a guy and girl, encounter each other repeatedly at different settings in arguably the most hipster place in the world – Silver Lake, Los Angeles. The characters don’t actually talk for most episodes; instead, the majority of the lines are voice overs of the thoughts that go through their heads as they go about their day-to-day activities. Over time, the main characters build up an image of what each other is like; their jobs, interests, daily routines and hobbies, yet they approach each another and have a proper conversation. This culminates in a chance meeting at a party of a mutual friend. The episodes have quick back-and-forth soliloquies that pass through the characters’ heads, which works well with the encounters they have, and results in a hilarious 2-3 minutes per show.
Hipsterhood: http://www.youtube.com/user/iplish
That’s a wrap for this issue of Tube In To This. In the next issue, I’ll be covering the delightfully witty (and totally not annoying puns) that come with the adventures of Annoying Orange and friends. Stay tubed!
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