As I mentioned before, the five short films that made up The Uncanny Valley were amongst the best work Channel Awesome had done. Each had a theme about the drawbacks of living and dealing in an online world.
One of them, produced and co created by Phelan Porteous, was a humorous look at cats overtaking the web and most political governments as, I believe, a form of blowback from exploitation of their foibles and tricks in viral videos.
Brad Jones had done what would turn out to be a pilot for a series of his that resembled the actions of Michel Gondry's underrated gem Be Kind Rewind. I rather liked it, Jones' warped humor being of interest.
Mike Jeavons of Shameful Sequels, Informercialism and That Sock, had a very funny and yet awkward video regarding what can go wrong with online dating. In this case, Jeavons has a blind date set for him. It turns out to be Mathew Buck, of all people. Hilarity ensues.
Doug Walker, along with Rob Walker and Brian Heinz, managed to create Dragonbored, This might be Doug's most original and best work outside of the Nostalgia Critic. What would happen if your video game avatar came to life and was a better person than you, the gamer? This question is answered quite conclusively in Dragonbored. I think it is best summed up with a line given that sounds chhesy, but really is not.
Man losing everything due to playing games: You ruined my life!
Doug Walker's character: No. I lived it!
Each one of the four was quite funny. It was the fifth and final part of The Uncanny Valley that may have caused some more problems with the brass at the website.
The last one on internet etiquette involved Mat Williams and Holly Christine Brown bringing forth a serious dissertation on the issues of dealing with fans, trolls, and other travelers on the world wide web. Allison Pregler, Lewis Lovhaug, and others were interviewed where they spoke important truths that would usually not be permissible on the website. In the end, Welshy and Holly more or less told viewers to consider the fact that web reviewers, indeed, have lives and other ideas for living a securely financial life.
While there was no objection to any of the short films; the leadership at Channel Awesome might not have been too pleased with the Williams/Brown collaboration that, for me, should be required viewing for any person willing to put themselves online. As a result, more departures came forth.
Welshy pretty much decided to retire from doing web reviewing. He did however finish with one last collaboration with Julian Diaz (Sad Panda), who himself decided to focus on his YouTube account and his native French Language videos. Yet while the Sad Panda Q&A guys managed to leave somewhat on their own terms; the same could not be said for Holly. Days after having undergone a successful surgical procedure for a long standing medical condition, Holly Christine Brown was summarily terminated from the website by primarily Mike Michaud and Rob Walker. This did not and does not sit well with the long term fan base.
And yet, that was only a prelude of what was to come. The point of demarcation was January 23, 2014. It was on that day Channel Awesome changed permanently. Justin Carmical, nearly 43 and in financial difficulty, locked himself in his bathroom. Though his wife and others begged for him to come out, Carmical took out a gun he owned and killed himself. I became aware of this some two days later, while reading Brad Jones' Twitter feed. Subsequently, within moments many Channel Awesome people past and present went to pay respects to him, his wife Jennifer, the Carmical extended family, and others.
This ended a lot of things Channel Awesome had been doing up to that point. It ended the anniversary specials, many of the interlocking storylines, You Can Play This, along with far too much to even mention. I think it also became the onus for the Walker brothers and Michaud to practically remake the website to fit their ideas.
In the last year alone, those who either left or were dismissed from Channel Awesome in the post JewWario era have included:
Mike "Birdman" Dodd, Hope Chapman (jesu otaku), Andrew Dickman, Lupa/Allison Pregler, Phelous/Phelan Porteous, Kyle Kallgren, Lindsay Ellis, just about anyone affiliated with Phelous' website, and pretty much anyone affiliated with Chez Apocalypse; Lindsay Ellis' own web hosting platform. That latter section also includes Paw (Paul Schuler), Nella and Elisa, and Todd In The Shadows. Fortunately, the recent Chez Apocalypse departures were made on their own terms., with the exception of Kallgren. In that case, Kyle, along with Dickman, Lupa and Phelous were summarily dismissed last month in a terse statement. That has since revealed through Tumblr accounts and other posts the lack of communication and transparency in finances that have gone on through Channel Awesome.
It does not help that the site is starting to become more comedy sketch oriented as opposed to telling a good story and bring forth a fair analysis of a movie or series and such. Many that still are part of the website like Linkara, Bennett the Sage, and Brad Jones have not been affected in this change of attitude. However, you do see that in other reviewers like Rap Critic, Eddie Rodriguez, Some Jerk With A Camera (the guy that reviews theme parks), and others; comedy is the name of the game. Whether this is a direct reflection of the Walkers' original works, including even Doug's commentary on movies that unintentionally could border on humor, remains to be seen.
Oh, yes; one other big change. That Guy With The Glasses no longer exists. Both the website and the character. Here is how it ended. Admittedly, it is rather clever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-nac6uFUD0
So, it is now Channel Awesome. Starring Doug Walker, and created by Doug Walker. Produced by Doug Walker. Edited by Doug Walker. Written by Doug Walker and Rob Walker. Did I mention this is Doug Walker's site? Well, Doug and Rob Walker host this Doug Walker site. There are others, but you are just here for Doug Walker, right?
Hopefully, the talent searches and pilots will pay off and be shown to all. For myself, any producer could be found on YouTube, Disney/Maker/Blip, or their own websites and blogs. I pretty much check out Channel Awesome to see the new Leon Thomas piece, and if the Walkers have anything interesting in mind. Apart from that; it just has become in a way what Cinemassacre has been for a long time; a website devoted to one web producer mostly.
What will happen next to the website and the Walkers and Michaud's relationship with other producers is entirely and only in their hands. In short, I think individuality has taken hold with web series and reviewers. Obviously, this was learned the most difficult way with Justin Carmical's death. The aftermath is not one we had sought; yet here it is.
Well, that finishes my look at Channel Awesome. Perhaps in another time I will make a video on another like minded web series analysis. Thank you all again for viewing these posts.
By the way, the title refers to a catch phrase and motto the Vlog Brothers use at the end of their videos and collaborations. That would be Hank Green and John Green, both writers of considerable acclaim; John having written The Fault In Our Stars. The motto is "don't forget to be awesome." Channel Awesome has seemingly lost that credo, even if they never adopted it.
Talk to you all again soon,
Robert
PS. Creedence Clearwater Revival were Never nominated for a Grammy. That is how much relevance in awards the Grammys are. The performances are good, though.
No comments:
Post a Comment