But what the new technology still can’t do is provide feedback.
You still have to show it to your friends and get their reactions. But rarely, if ever, are you going to get an honest appraisal. They’re not going to insult you. They’re going to be very diplomatic. You have to learn to read between the lines.
Here’s what people say when they really hate something.
“That was really fun.”
If you hear “fun” you’re doomed.
It used to be “Well, you did it!” or “How did you do it?” or “That was something else!” but those are so old school. “That was really fun” is both a veiled compliment and right up to date.
My favorite left-handed compliment came the night of the big industry screening for VOLUNTEERS, the Tom Hanks/John Candy movie that David Isaacs and I wrote. We’re standing in the lobby receiving guests. It’s me, David, and to my right – Walter Parkes, one of the producers.
People are coming up congratulating us until one woman took our Walter's hands in hers, looked him straight into the eye with a pained expression, and said, “Oh Walter, we love you anyway.”
Ouch!
I laughed so hard I almost fell over.
We live in a time of superlatives. Awesome now means okay, perfect means acceptable, and epic means it will be remembered for four hours. So "fun" has been elevated to where it now means sucks.
Oh, for those days when people were honest and told you “I never knew you had it in ya.” So beware of false flattery.
I know what you're thinking. You want to go to the comments section and respond to this post by saying "that was fun." I'm ahead of you. You'll have to be more creative.
Note: For those new to the blog -- whenever I can't find an appropriate photo to go along with the subject matter I post a picture of Natalie Wood.
40 comments :
It was quite nice.
Kewl!!!
Ken, this post was more entertaining than your entry for last Tuesday
Penelope is a better movie than Meteor
I love the way you think there was a time when false flattery didn’t exist.
This post could have been written by Shakespeare, except in verse.
Then, there will always be the great euphemism, "interesting".
As a composer, I’ve come to recognize ‘good job’ to be a throwaway compliment, more a recognition for completing something.
My friend taught me: "Great is not the word!"
As somebody who has been a Content Creator on YouTube for 15 years (yes, 2022 is my 15th anniversary), I can tell you with absolute certainty that this was not always the case. In YouTube's earlier days, before Google tookover, there was a great sense of community and support throughout the site and for people who uploaded their original content to share. Now granted, even then, a lot of people were mostly using YouTube to search for clips from rare movies and TV shows that may not have had proper DVD releases or anything (I was guilty of such myself), but at the same time, it was easier for us to get our work noticed by others because there were no such things as partner channels, trends, or anything of the sort. Yet.
My best years on YouTube were from 2007 through roughly about 2009/2010 or so. Whenever I would upload a new video featuring my signature character, Steve D'Monster, I could easily garner up to 100 views, and close to about 20 informative comments from people within the first 24 hours of upload . . . since then, I'm lucky if I can get up to 20 views, and maybe a couple of those, "Good job," or, "Very funny" comments within the first week of uploading a new video.
The main problem is with YouTube itself, as they, like Republicans in American politics, go out of their way to do whatever they can to stunt the growth of little guys like myself in order to posture and promote these bigger, partner channels, and that's no exaggeration: I've seen for myself the passive aggressive things that YouTube has done to the little guys, because I've been a victim of much of it myself. One of the first things they did was disable tags/keywords for smaller channels . . . naturally, every YouTuber depends on the use of tags/keywords in order for their content to be detected by the search algorithms, but because these tags/keywords have been disabled for smaller channels, that makes it incredibly difficult for our content to be found. I eventually found a workaround this by adding tags/keywords to the video description instead - it worked marvels, and other smaller channels began giving it a try as well . . . then YouTube caught onto this, and made it against their rules and TOS, claiming it was a form of "spam" and "clickbait" and that doing such could be grounds for having our channels terminated . . . so, not only does YouTube stunt your growth as a small channel, they will literally punish you for trying to do something about it. (That'd be like your boss firing you for working harder or putting in for overtime because he doesn't pay you enough).
Other ways YouTube stunts the growth of smaller channels is that they've also made the subscribe button virtually useless, which is why you have to also click that bell icon to receive notifications of whenever a channel uploads new content, otherwise, you won't receive any sort of updates regarding such, and again, I know I have been affected by this, because I have had people tell me that were completely unaware that I was still uploading new content, because they never saw any of such in their subscription feeds . . . and even so, YouTube also will quietly automatically prune your subscribers if they detect that certain subscribers are no longer watching your content . . . so, again, they go out of their way to make your content as hard to find as possible, then when they think nobody watches your content anymore, will automatically unsubscribe them from your channel.
And now that they've implemented this new "Made for Kids" regulation, that's also been a big hinderance, because it's easy for their system to mistakenly flag your content as being, "Made for kids" (which means nobody can comment at all, let alone favorite or add the videos to any playlists), meanwhile, if they believe you intentionally don't mark your kid-friendly content as being made for kids, they'll remove your content and terminate your channel (and supposedly fine you). This is a handicap for me, because with my content being mostly puppetry, of course people will assume that my content is made specifically for kids, even though it never has been, and never will be; my content has never been made for kids, and it's never been made for adults either, it's been made for everybody, so that anybody who wants to watch content that captures the spirit of sitcoms from the 60s and 70s can watch without having to worry about some of the gratuitious vulgarities within modern, mainstream television today (sex, language, crude humor, etc).
What's also very frustrating too is, look at who some of the biggest YouTubers are right now . . . what do you notice they have in common? They're essentially like Pirates Who Don't Do Anything! All of their content is vlogging about their lives, or reacting to other people's content, or anything that requires hardly any work, time, or effort whatsoever, and yet they have millions and millions of views and subscribers . . . meanwhile, there's little guys like me: the puppeteers, the filmmakers, the artists, et al., people who actually put a lot of work, time, and effort into the content they create, only for it to be swept under the rug in favor of these vapid and narcissistic vloggers and reactors . . . it's almost as if there's not even any point into putting any kind of effort into creating any kind of content on YouTube anymore. This is a shame, because I have come quite a ways in improving the overall quality of my content: when I started out, I had incredibly poor tools . . . a camcorder that still shot on VHS-C tapes, no way of editing, I essentially had to shoot everything in-sequence, in-order, with as few mistakes as possible, then digitize the raw footage and upload it onto YouTube. Now, I have a pro-sumer Handycam, Adobe Premiere, I've learned a lot in the way of production and editing methods and techniques, but hardly anybody sees the progress and improvements I've made because YouTube hides it all under a bushel.
And again, much like American Republicans who trivialize the suffering of the middle/working class by calling them lazy and saying they don't work hard enough, YouTube trivializes the struggles of us little guys. "Just make more videos on a regular basis, and more people will watch your stuff." Well, that's easy for them to say when all some people do is just film themselves whining about how their girlfriend pranked them, or film themselves watching a bunch of TikTok videos. As the saying goes, "You can't rush art," and for content like mine, sometimes it can take months to make a new video because of all that goes into making it. And worse still is that we can't even speak out about our struggles, because they that just garners us accusations of shamelessly and desperately crying for attention - again, just like how in American politics, whenever middle or working class speak out about their struggles, Republicans throw the accusations of whining about not wanting to work and just wanting free stuff.
Ken I know how badly you wanted to write today's post. You got your wish!
I apologize for "spamming" the comments today - I couldn't fit all of this into one comment because of a character limit. Either way, Ken's subject for today had gotten me rather riled up because, again, as a struggling smalltime YouTuber, I experience firsthand just what a true struggle it really is to be a Content Creator. And please don't confuse any of this as me ranting, or trying to con any of you into seeking out my channel or content, as I have learned the hard way that promoting yourself does nothing but piss people off, make enemies for yourself, and even prompt people to go out their way to harass you and your content. I'm just airing my grievances, as it were, to shed some insight into what it is that Ken is discussing today.
@ Joseph...Aren't you free to create content on Youtube...or not?
"I liked it, but I didn't love it."
@Leighton You missed my point in response to what Ken had blogged about today. Yes, anybody is free to create content on YouTube, but the problem is YouTube as a platform and a company constantly bites the hand that feeds it. What was intended to be a means for the little guy to gain exposure for their work (sort of like a virtual film festival, as it were) has become something of a country club for internet elites, and for the little guys trying to gain some exposure for their work has become an uphill challenge, and for all of the, "Good job," or, "Great work" comments you receive is of little help or significance.
Now granted, I am painfully aware that my content is rather niche and doesn't not necessarily appeal to a broader audience (again, doesn't help that puppetry isn't really respected as an artform in North America like it is other parts of the world, not to mention the stigmas associated with it), but as I said previously, before Google's corporate influence took over, I really didn't have too much trouble maintaining an audience or a following on YouTube in its earlier years because of how far more community-driven it was. Somebody like James Rolfe would never be able to garner a following for Cinemassacre if he tried starting years later than he did.
You beat me to it.
M.B.
The bottom line is that some people just can't handle criticism no matter how accurate or constructive. Especially now when people, particularly younger people live for "likes," gaining followers, becoming "influencers," and/or hoping to be discovered. Besides, these days bad product is not the creator's fault. It's because the critics are ...ists or ...ites or practicing some ...ism.
You left out, "It was O.K."
M.B.
I forgot...phobe.
M.B.
I've never seen a photo of Natalie Wood where she looked so much like Audrey Hepburn.
In community theater, a telling "compliment" would focus on a detail not related to enjoyment felt or quality perceived.
"My uncle had a suit just like that one."
"They must have put a lot of work into painting that drop."
"It's good to see people getting out of the house to see a show."
"I was surprised by how professional it looked."
The ultimate Midwestern insult
For comedy, "Clever" is the kiss of death.
@ Joseph
Still really don't get what you're saying. I just watch YouTube for things that interest me, randomly. I am not a follower in there, per se. I find the site to be full of insane commenters - most truly awful, or incredibly unintelligent, people.
Plus, followers of "content providers" who seem to want nothing more than to be part of a crowd, or to be loved themselves.
Youtube is "Internet elite"??? Really?
Everyone and their cousin seems to post just about anything.
As heard on "Designing Women"...
"What a CUTE dress! Did you make it yourself??"
Natalie Woods looks good today...
"You must have really enjoyed writing that."
One of my favourite comments was from an old friend who always said when she didn't care for a film/play/book, "There's a lot to think about".
Joseph Scarborough: I know what you mean, although I wouldn't call YT stars "Internet elites". Chris Stokel-Walker's book on YouTube goes into a lot of depth about who succeeds on YT and how. (And the drawbacks.) He's gone on to write a similar book about Tik-Tok. I can recommend both for anyone who wants to understand how these platforms are shaping entertainment.
The ultimate problem is Google's business model, which at one time was more favorable to niche interests, but now favors mass engagement. The reality is that Google itself has gotten so big that it can't see anything below a certain size in its results, so it's too insignificant to matter. Warren Buffett has the same problem in trying to pick investments for Berkshire Hathaway. Hardly anything is big enough to move its needle.
wg
How is it YouTube's "fault," when your content isn't successful? I understand criticizing a studio, network, streaming service, publisher, etc. for not effectively promoting financed (or purchased) content. I have never had any problem on either YouTube or Google, finding exactly what I want. Those are tools to be utilized. And free, correct?
Yes, it takes a lot of savvy to work the "marketplace" on one's own. If you create your own content, with no financial backing or outside interest, it is your responsibility to sell it.
In regards to complimenting someone on a book, film, script, etc...I am always upfront, starting with what I really like. If they ask specifics, I am honest, but not rude. If it hurts the relationship, then so be it. Don't ask, and expect to be coddled. Film school, for instance, was ALL about criticism. But also deserved encouragement.
On another note...I was walking through a local campus this week. Apparently, it is a "thing," for upcoming college freshmen to attend "camps," in order to "prepare" themselves for, well, being in college. My jaw dropped. These 18 year-olds were being led in chants, "I CAN do IT!!!" They were involved in potato sack races, and any number of child-like games. There were all of these "encouragement" signs posted on campus. What the LIVING _____??!! Part of human development, is just forging head-on...deal with what is thrown at you. Challenges, criticism, etc. (Oh, and this is an expensive university, so the students are coming from mostly advantaged backgrounds.)
Yeah, it's a cliché, but this "awarding everyone" pisses me off. I worked my ass off to be Valedictorian of my high school, and I am still damn proud of it, 40 years later. Three of us, in particular, had that goal for four years. And we remained friends then, and now. And our high school teachers were hard as ___ on us - sparing no criticism. Evaluation creates improved results.
One of the most basic film courses at USC, involves making several short films during the semester. Both professors, and the entire class, criticize each one extensively. These critiques were written down. I still have the films, and the comments, in storage.
"We love you anyway" is one way to ensure someone will never invite you to another show of theirs.
I can't wait to use it.
Since no one else seems to have mentioned it:
A friend of Abraham Lincoln sent him a copy of something he'd written (a book, I think, but I'm not sure), in anticipation of getting a recommendation for the public.
The following was Mr. Lincoln's response:
"For people who like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing that they will like."
I used to act in a lot of semi-professional theater. A common one is, “How do you remember all those lines?”
But my all time favorite is my friend who would throw her arms open, smile wide with excitement and say, “Let me kiss the star!!”
In Fall 1973, I started graduate studies in mathematics at Stanford, and having been an undergrad at Caltech, I wanted to take some film classes that weren't available there. I took the Film Aesthetics course, and the TA was .... Walter Parkes!
@ Mike
Isn't that somewhat of a myth, or whatever?
Working in animation, when a prime time series comes out and people say "Very grown up. It's animation for people who hate cartoons."
Diana Rigg compiled bad stage reviews in a book called "No Turn Unstoned". One critic was so fed up with drawing-room comedies, he meticulously described the set, piece by piece and closed his review with, "And to all of my readers, a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year".
No mention of the cast, writers or director.
The late Thomas Disch so disliked "The Engines of the Night: Science Fiction in the Eighties" by Barry Malzberg he mentioned the writer, but NOT the name of the book!
I was in a small theater company whose mission was to bring theater to older people who couldn't travel very far, so we performed in quite a few churches. At this particular church, we told them one of the three short plays had some brief but raw language in it and we could change it. We were told, no, perform it as written.
In the plays, my two roles were a frustrated and surly husband, questioning his role in life to his wife, as well as a egotistic sportscaster who made fun of his jock co-anchor and my character got slapped for that.
Before the show, there was an announcement about what they were about to see, plus a church member had written a poem which she read before we hit the stage. I don't remember it, but it mentioned something about the "politically correct" crowd coming down on saying "Merry Christmas", or some such.
The plays, I thought, went over well and I said after I was introduced, in the presence of my Mother-in-Law and wife that I was grateful for my wife's support of my artistic endeavors.
I didn't mingle, because I had to help strike the set. My Mother-in-law, who had suffered a stroke some time ago, came over to me and kissed my hands.
A church member came over to the surly husband/butthead sportscaster (I guess) and said, "That was very nice what you said about your wife", and walked away.
An actor/director friend of ours figured out how to compliment someone he knew if he thought the performance was lacking.
He'd say, "Girl, you were IN THAT PLAY!"
Necco:
I read this anecdote many years ago, and Lord knows these stories acquire a life of their own down the line ...
All I can say is, I believed it, and you have to admit it sounds plausible ...
Say what? I have said that was fun lots of times after watching a movie, and it was because I liked it.
Granted, I've only ever once met the creator, for a test screening. Then I told the director I thought his movie was propaganda, and didn't really argue enough against apartheid and the lack of punishment.
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