My cousin laughed at me for following that guy who edits videos with no cuts

So my cousin, who works in advertising, saw me watching this creator who does these super long single-take skits where he switches characters by moving behind a couch or whatever. She said, 'You know those take like 40 tries and they're not even funny most of the time, right?' And at first I got defensive, like hey it's impressive planning. But then I really watched the next one she pointed out and yeah, half the joke is just waiting for the camera to pan back to a new person. It hit different because I realized I was hyping up the effort more than the actual content. Now I can't unsee how many of these trend videos are just people holding a phone and walking around their apartment. Has anyone else had a friend pop a trend bubble for you like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

stella_scott9613d ago

Hear me out but effort IS part of the entertainment for me, it's like watching someone pull off a magic trick even if the punchline is weak. Those long takes take serious timing and memory, way more than some quick cut edit where you can fix mistakes in post. So yeah maybe the payoff isn't always huge, but the craft alone makes it worth watching for me.

the_claire13d ago

Honestly reminds me of this time my buddy tried to film a one-take video for his band's music video. They spent like 6 hours trying to get the timing right and someone messed up the lighting at the last second. It was hilarious to watch honestly, way more entertaining than if they had just edited it together. The whole thing ended up being kinda cringe but you could tell they put in actual effort and that made it worth watching. Sometimes the messing up part is the best part of the whole thing.

beth_hernandez13d ago

I guess I see it a little differently though. For me, if the joke or the punchline doesn't land, all the effort in the world doesn't really save it, it's like watching someone practice a magic trick for an hour and then fail the trick itself. The timing and memory are impressive for sure, but at the end of the day I'm still watching a video that didn't really go anywhere.