How Video Essays Took Over YouTube w/ Neil from The Leftist Cooks
Jul 25, 2023
auto_awesome
Neil Farrell from The Leftist Cooks joins the podcast to discuss the rise and evolution of video essays on YouTube. They explore the impact of algorithms on content creation, the influence of medium, and the role of popular video essay creators. They also delve into the importance of a creative workspace, the effects of the Google algorithm, and the impact of media consumption on reality and authenticity.
Video essays on YouTube have expanded beyond film analysis to include documentaries, commentary videos, opinion pieces, and more, offering a wide variety of content.
Video essays provide a platform for artistic expression and unique perspectives, allowing creators to comment on various topics and share insightful content.
The length of video essays has increased, enabling creators to present content comprehensively and without compromise, while also exploring new territories and evolving the genre.
Deep dives
The Evolution and Diversity of Video Essays
Video essays have become increasingly popular on YouTube, encompassing a vast range of topics and styles. Initially associated with film analysis, the genre has expanded to include documentaries, commentary videos, opinion pieces, educational explainers, and more. The creators discuss the broad nature of the genre and the variety of content it now encompasses. They explore how video essays have become a platform for art commenting on art, with creators offering unique perspectives and insights. The conversation highlights the importance of accessibility and the ability of video essays to make complex ideas more easily understandable for a wide audience.
The Intersection of Art and Commentary
The speakers discuss the connection between video essays and artistic expression. They emphasize how video essays provide a platform to comment on various topics and offer unique perspectives. The discussion focuses on the blend of creativity, research, and presentation skills that make video essays a distinctive form of entertainment and education. The speakers also touch on the potential for video essays to act as a tool for communication, allowing people to share insightful content with others to start conversations or bridge gaps in understanding.
The Trend Towards Longer Video Essays
The conversation acknowledges the trend of video essays becoming longer in duration. While there may be various reasons for this, such as the influence of algorithms and the desire to cover subjects more comprehensively, the speakers see the length as a way to present content properly without compromising on the important details. The permission and support from the audience, coupled with the ongoing development of the genre, have fostered an environment where creators feel free to experiment with longer videos. They also address the balance between efficiency and inclusiveness in video essays, celebrating the potential of the medium to evolve and explore new territories.
The Influence of YouTube Algorithms on Content Creation
The podcast explores how YouTube's algorithm shapes the content that creators produce. It highlights how the algorithm favors videos connected to popular topics or trending events, leading to an increase in reactionary and surface-level content. This emphasis on reaction and controversy can hinder the exploration of complex subjects like identity politics and internal biases. The podcast also discusses the tension between creating content for the algorithm and creating meaningful, educational content for the audience.
The Evolution of Video Essays on YouTube
The podcast delves into the expansion of the video essay genre on YouTube and its influence on content creation. It suggests that the video essay genre has absorbed and blurred the lines between adjacent genres such as commentary, drama, and documentary. This evolution has led to a wide range of video essays that explore various topics and approaches. The podcast hosts discuss the benefits of ongoing interactions with the audience, the potential for collaborative knowledge production, and the importance of authenticity in the creation and reception of content.
Over the past half decade or so, video essays have taken over YouTube. As things stand, a significant portion of the site's largest creators and most popular videos are at least video essay adjacent.
In this fortnight's episode of Induction, Tom takes stock of where the genre has come from, where it is now and where it might be going next with a little help from Neil Farrell from The Leftist Cooks.
