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The Comedy of VR
🕑 Added 2017-03-19 21:54:16 +0000 UTC I understand the function of a facecam. These days it's mostly to get your face out there and help sell your merch/tv rights/book whatever but I'm talking here about it's original function. It's a way of showing the viewer your reaction to what's happening.(OK, so it's been diluted somewhat by seriously uncomfortable over-reacting but blah blah blah old man yells at cloud I'll get over it.)
Now I've never used them myself because I feel like they're a distraction and it's actually pretty easy to convey reactions on the screen. A shake of the mouse here, a pause and slow looking around there, little touches can really add to the immersion of the video. A separate "here's how I'm feeling now" screen doesn't work for me.
Then VR came along and OH GOD IT'S MAGICAL. You literally get inside my head with me AND I get 100% camera control AND movement of my hands. The comedic potential of this is staggering and with each video I'm getting better and better at it.
It's even better for reactions. Take the Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades video. That bit 2 min in where I fire the gun accidentally genuinely made me jump. Not only do you see me jump you also see my whole body tense up afterward with the ridgidness the gun is held with. It's comedy gold and a tiny screen in the corner wouldn't have added anything to that. It may have taken away from it.
Actually, one thing I don't get is the green-screened out background, vive wearing YouTuber in the corner. That adds nothing. We can't see your face so we get no extra information there. Your hands and head movements are already in the game and why oh fucking why do some YouTubers refuse to turn around in this mode? You're playing a 360 degree game, ignore what your brand manager is telling you and TURN THE FUCK AROUND.
It's almost like a behind the scenes video playing at the same time as the regular video. We KNOW how it's done but showing us at the same time is killing these jokes. Get your face off the screen, we can't see it anyway.
Anyway, next Saturday is a second video on Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades. In it I use a different type of locomotion that means I drag the world around with me instead of teleporting. That means it looks like I'm actually climbing around the world like a first person Tomb Raider. I don't think I've ever had as much fun recording a video.
Also I shoot myself in the dick.
- Dan
PS. BIG ASS LIVESTREAM ON THE 23RD! GUESTS! CHARITY! TIREDNESS! GET EXCITED!
Comments
James Clarke
My top two watched youtubers are Nerd3 and YouAlwaysWin and neither use facecam, so I completely understand there being no need for one. I was going to say that I like to know what the person looks like but for about a year I had no Idea what the YouAlwaysWin guys looked like. Also yes the HHAHG is your best video of 2017 easily, laughed my tits off.
Codey Miller
The only time i feel facecam is suitable is while playing a horror game because then their reaction is part of the comedy, the type of reaction that can't be shown using movements of the character
Codey Miller
I thought his birthday was on the 23rd?
Josh Harding
Happy birthday
Have you considered creating a secondary video for times where it would be interesting to see the 'behind the scenes' action the reality-cam could show us? It could work in certain situations, and the viewers could watch them side by side except this would probably mean double the work for not much interest and NEVERMIND THIS IDEA IS DUMB
Becky Scott Fairley
Some of the best YouTube people I have seen have also been puppeteers. This is what you do perfectly well in VR you use the camera like a puppet. That moment in that vr game when the clip dropped out the gun was priceless.
Liam Smith
The only time showing your face adds something to content is for stuff like the old knee-jerk series. Seeing your reactions to the news and things really made for an interesting series.
The only good thing about facecams for vr is taking your movements out of context and tweeting them at you
PixelsInSpace
Vr webcam is like me doing a vlog with u only seeing my hand fucking useless u see not a thing u want to and its eye disracting in horror games perfect for it very sad games sometimes it helps let the audiance attach to u but for vr its not needed
PixelsInSpace
Dan i use facecam for streaming to be fair i sometimes forget but i have to live by the rule cant play or watch a game i am gonna be streaming as i have a another rule of no fake or over exagerated reactions no matter what
What I don't understand is facecams in general. What is the point of them? In horror I understand why - it adds a bit of comedy value. Otherwise, I don't see the point of them. Never thought about having a facecam on a VR video. Now that is pointless.
Tvgold
cant wait for the content ^^
