MrBiffo
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THE STATE OF DIGITISER TODAY
🕑 Added 2018-11-22 15:03:37 +0000 UTC Two posts in a day? Wha-wha-whaaaaa?!So, here's the thing. Two episodes into Digitiser the Show, and I'm feeling a little... I suppose "mixed" would be the word.
I'm writing this on here because it's quite clear that not all the Digi show backers liked what they got, but I want to try to write through where I'm at, so I can attempt to make sense of it.
See, I'm well aware that there's a potential version of Digi which wouldn't have the between-segment Found Footage-y bits, and Beautiful Boys, and whatnot... and it'd probably be a lot more accessible, and less off-putting to many people. It wouldn't be quite as Digitiser-y, admittedly, but it would certainly be more welcoming (indeed, I'm sure, it would be the sort of thing some backers thought they'd be getting - and why some of them are furious when it turned out different).
However, it's all of that madness which, for me, makes the show unique and special. I've had a few people suggest that if I turned some of my Digitiser2000 posts into short videos they'd be really popular, but... I could churn out that sort of thing in my sleep, and I don't just want to do the same type of content that everyone else is doing.
Making a short-ish vanilla video where I just discuss the history of the Dreamcast, or Top 5 Shooters, or Let's Plays, would no doubt be more popular in a lot of ways than Digitiser The Show, but it would bore me senseless, and I would struggle to feel it had - and I mean no disrespect to other YouTubers by saying this - worth.
I guess what I mean by that is that I'd be suppressing my natural inclinations, and everything to do with Digitiser is intended to allow free reign to those. It makes it entirely unlike anything else, because it's so personal.
The original Digi on Teletext could - and perhaps should - have been more mainstream and sensible, and like other magazines, but it wasn't... because what would have been the point? You could get that stuff from other mags. Plus we all know what happened when Teletext tried to make it that way...
I've got a career - and I do alright in it - where I have to reign in my madder side for the sake of paying the bills, but until I rediscovered Digitiser, and let Mr Biffo out again, I was becoming creatively stifled by it in a massive way. I don't want to feel creatively stifled by my "hobby" too.
I suppose what it boils down to is that I'm just feeling frustrated that Ep 2 hasn't done as well as ep 1. Admittedly, for what is - essentially - the second video uploaded to what is, to most people, a brand new channel, it has done pretty bloody well, and we've had plenty of subscriptions... but in four weeks time the series will be done, and with it the opportunity to grow the channel even further.
I'm divided over the fact that much of my Mr Biffo work is so Marmite. It's frustrating because I know that I'm entirely capable of making stuff that's very mainstream - and making that stuff well. But - from my point of view - that sort of thing wouldn't be as good or as funny or worthwhile as, say, putting a song about a Sex Frog in the middle of a show about old video games. The sheer fact some people are annoyed by that just makes it funnier to me.
And then, perversely and paradoxically, I also wish those people could see the show in a sort of holistic sense, and enjoy it as a whole. And yet, because they don't, I double down on the stuff they don't like. I mean, I've spent all day so far editing a 30-second clip about a Buzz Aldrin strip show for episode 4 - and so the cycle continues.
I dunno what I'm saying. I'm just trying to figure out what I do next really, and how - and if - I'm capable of building on Digitiser The Show. And whether there's any point even trying. I think this Sunday's ep is the best one of the series yet... but that's only in my eyes, and so it's probably going to prove even more divisive, because what I like about it is that it's completely mental.
The more Found Footage evolved to my taste the fewer people watched it.
I think there's a very strong chance that I won't crowd-fund anymore Digitiser The Show. If we do it again, it'll be done most likely through Patreon and from my own pocket - the fact we got SO close to TV quality on our budget, but not quite, has meant that people are comparing it to, say, Top Gear, rather than - as they should be - most other retro gaming YouTube videos.
I don't care if people don't like the humour or the content or the hosts, but those criticising sound, or the editing or camerawork, or any of the other technical aspects, have gotten under my skin, because I just want to grab them and shout "CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT WE'VE ACHIEVED?!? WHY CAN'T YOU SEE HOW MUCH WORK HAS GONE INTO THIS?!?"
What it boils down to is wanting to grow the audience for my work - in order to fund more of it - but not knowing if what I do will ever reach beyond the audience it already has. And knowing that I don't want to compromise it either, in order to reach a bigger audience.
It's also problematic, I think, that my audience are all of a certain age. They don't share stuff the way kids do, and so nothing I've done in the past few years has ever gone viral (despite, at least on the surface, seeming pretty meme-able). I've got a glass ceiling right above my head, and even the audience for Digitiser2000 has remained mostly the same for the past four years.
So anyway. I dunno. That ramble was intended to try and untangle my thoughts. But that is that for now.
Paul
Comments
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
I think we managed to net a lot of backers who weren't necessarily Digi fans, and who were expecting something that was slightly more hardcore game-y.
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Weeeeell... we'd love a proper budget, but with such things comes the potential for interference. I'm not sure I want to lose creative control...
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Yeah, as I've explained to Dary above, it wasn't the show that was the problem I don't think...
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Thanks, Dary. With reference to the specific stuff mentioned in my post, it wasn't the show itself that upset the person, but - and I'm slightly fishing here, because it wasn't entirely clear what exactly prompted the initial outburst - the fake feud Paul Gannon and I had on Twitter the other week, and the fact we promoted the show with an ad which said "Paul Gannon" nearly dies. Then when I told that person to take some deep breaths and a step back, apparently there was a bit of grief from other supporters (which, I confess, I didn't notice) but I've been blamed for that and unintentionally encouraging it somehow.
Scott S.
I had to back your Patreon after watching the prawn madness at the end of the last episode. I laughed so hard I was in tears. I love the show, and liked Found Footage. I agree that the non-gaming bits help make Digitiser unique, and the show wouldn't be the same without them. I hope you all do get the larger fanbase this show deserves, and for what it's worth, I probably wouldn't have backed this Patreon if the show didn't have the quirky madness it's displayed so far.
Matthew Long
I adored Found Footage, so this version of Digitiser is right up my street! The weirder stuff like the songs and cutaways makes it stand out from typical YouTube content. (Although I think my favourite part of the last show was the Barcode Battler bit with Gameplay Jenny; partly because the gentler pace and relaxed atmosphere was a nice contrast to the rest of the episode and partly because it was lovely having Mr Hairs on screen with you.) It's very odd that there have been Kickstarter backers who are unhappy with it so far, because as far as I can see you have delivered exactly what you promised. I can't really understand what their problems could be. I'm not on social media (because I find it depressing/intimidating) so I can't really help in spreading the word, but I would have thought with the large following the Barshens folk have a bigger audience is sure to find the show eventually.
I must admit I'm loving the show and its anarchic sense of humour. I wasn't able to fund the kickstarter, but I've enjoyed the show so much I joined your patreon instead. So it is reaching new audiences, well one person at least. I dont usually enjoy videos more than 10 minutes long and eagerly now look forward to each new episode as the whole thing is fun and so very different to everything else out there
Adam Humphreys
I don’t get why some Kickstarter backers aren’t happy with the final product. What did they expect? I can only speak for myself but this is pretty much exactly what I expected & wanted. I do see why it could be pretty niche though, for someone who didn’t experience it the first time round it could come as a bit of a surprise. Being selfish though, I wouldn’t want it to be any different.
Perhaps it's time for that re-brand to Digitiser3000 you've been banging on about and ejecting the middle-aged trash into space. Then score some fresh juicy scrotes with the sweet mustard honey boyz likes you've always dreamed of. I love the stuff you've made. If I may be so impertinent - what is your dream scenario? Being able to do something like Digitiser The Show on a proper TV budget?
Grahamf66
I'm not quite sure what I expected from the shows, but they're turning out to be what I really, really enjoy. And yeah, that's niche as fuck (I'm in the clapped-out age band/built-in 90's audience you highlighted above that really don't help with pushing content further out) but it's something to build on, and something an audience will (eventually) find. It does come across as exactly what you set out to make and I'd much rather this than a compromised version aiming for a broader appeal. You can't please everyone, so best just to please yourself. All over our stupid faces. On video.
A lot of people are just ignorant. They don't realise how much money (or, indeed, time) goes into even the most basic of productions. What you've achieved with the budget you have is pretty remarkable!
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Yeah, that's what I figured. I didn't much see the point!
I was in one of the top tiers as a backer and felt I’d had my monies worth from the first episode alone. Conversely I doubt I’d fund a series of whitebread videos even if they did reproduce Digi web content, the joy in the articles is in the written words not the Videohive transistion template of the week.
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
I guess there are similarities. I don't rely on Digi etc. to make a living at least. Part of me thinks that'd be nice, but also... I'd probably feel pressure to make more of that grey paste.
Unlimited Lives
Sounds like the same crossroads reached by a number of games developers. Stay true to yourself and have a niche that love you or become "accessible" and turn into a grey paste that more people will guzzle down and forget. Just remember that banknotes are going polymer now so you won't be able to use the extra cash to wipe away your tears of creative frustration.
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Don't you worry none, mister. I'm not capable of normal...
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Oh, I know that's my natural inclination. I guess it'd be nice to be different AND grow an audience!
Gareth Noyce
I'm not donating cash for "normal". We have enough people taking this hobby/industry seriously. Go forth and be mental. We've all got ya back.
Re-Enthused
I wasn't a backer, unfortunately it was quite late in the game when I discovered it and I wasn't in a position to back it. Would I back it based on what i've seen? Yes - that's why I joined your Patreon. The fact is that there are a lot of YouTubers doing cookie cutter stuff, i'm one of them, I want to see something different. YouTube is a large place and if there's no room for the mundane and the outré then what's the point? You've got a lot of content creators behind you and more that will back you to the hilt. So do something different, why bother making stuff if you're not making what you want to?
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Don't worry, Tryronne. I'm almost certain we'll do more. We had too much fun doing it, and - like you say - I'm aware that it's unique and, even if not to everyone's taste, bloody great. Funnily enough though, Gannon has been pestering me about us doing a commentary, and I'm sure it'll happen sooner rather than later. Also: thank you.
Tyronne Mann
Like I have said in my comments in the shows so far, it is a great shame I cannot like it more than once as I am really enjoying it and it has what so many things do not have and that is spirit and it feels alive. As a 45 yr old bloke it rekindles the feeling I had when I watched ```Tiswas as it has many things for many people. There are plenty of shows on youtube that do things by the numbers but there are loads and loads and loads of them - Digi stands in a field of a few and all the better for it. You`ll never make everyone happy and attempting to do so can lead to roads not worth following as that leads to the low lands of bland. You all should be proud of what you have achieved. And as for what comes next, how about you do a `directors commentary` style upload of yourself and Gannon and maybe others talk over an episode. There are plenty of people like myself who want more of this...the thought of less is an awful idea :(
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Cheers, ears.
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Yeah, for me... they work better in Digi - less is more and all that, I guess.
I'd share the hell out of this but I'm not on any social networking sites unless you count YouTube or LinkedIn. I could share on the latter for a laugh but it might have unintended consequences career-wise. :p Just keep being you. This is exactly what I expected and more!
Rich John
As someone who started watching found footage but didn't make it to the end, I can honestly say the inserts crack me up. How anyone who says they liked digitiser doesn't find the Mr T inserts funny is beyond me.
Paul Rose (Mr Biffo)
Well, yeah... that's my dilemma really. I dunno if I'm capable of making the sort of gaming videos people would subscribe for without ruining/improving them with Found Footage-y bits! I guess I'll have to try it and see what happens...
Nicola
I totally get what you mean about doing the "top 5" or "let's play" videos. The time they don't have "worth" in my eyes is when it's a bland faceless channel like WatchMojo churning them out every day with the exact same format, intro and outro... there's no SOUL. If I've learned anything from the short time I've been doing YouTubey things, it's that the subject matter is only 50% of the thing. That might get people clicking, but what keeps them there is the personality behind it. If you did a "top 5" video every week, I'd bet actual money that it would end up with sex frogs and pineapple jellyfish or whatever in them. They'd turn into mini-digiblasts. Regular small bits of content keep people interested and subscribing. We've seen it this week with our channel, we didn't do the video we wanted to do because we had some Trouble (with a capital T which rhymes with P which sounds like Pee which really means Wee which stands for Ptrouble) and our stats have been down, new subs aren't what they were the previous weeks... etc. I'd definitely subscribe if there were mini digi-blasts every couple of weeks. I'd subscribe HARD. I'm guessing that the subscriber count would continue to grow, too, especially if it's about topical content.
John Veness
Paul: One more thing, watch the Fat Sow bit in episode 2 (3m15s-ish - <a href="https://youtu.be/p4EuYuEigRE?t=195" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/p4EuYuEigRE?t=195</a> ), and watch your face. Even with the sound turned off it is totally clear that you were having the absolute time of your life. This is why we tune in, this is why we back you, this is why we love you, Mr Biffo!
Oh man. The eternal struggle between "do i make it for me and hope people like it" vs. "pandering for mass appeal"..... I really feel for you Biffs. You absolutely poured your soul into this project. I hope you can take comfort from the hundreds and hundreds of committed weirdos like me, who think that Digitiser: The Show is an absolute marvel and that we would happily throw pound notes at you to make series 2.
John Veness
Well, you're preaching to the converted here of course! I love all the Found Footage-y style adverts and so on. And I'm pretty sure most people back you for you to make the show *you* want to make, whatever makes you happy. We definitely don't want you to be constrained as you are with your day job. I don't know, but *maybe* some of the haters took rather too literally the "gaming TV like they used to make" tagline and thought it really would be pretty mainstream like Bad Influence and Games Master. Maybe it should have been billed a bit more that the show would be more like teletext Digitiser, silly adverts and all. But I don't care about that - I knew (to an extent!) what I was getting, and that was basically more Biffo on the tubes! As to how you grow your audience, I'm not sure. I certainly wouldn't want you to compromise on your vision, though, in order to do so. Mainstream Biffo wouldn't be Biffo. Lots of love.
(also: i put a small amount into the kickstarter and the show is more or less what i expected based on your description, really, so i dunno what they've been reading)
well, if it wasn't for stuff like the sex frog song and other such weirdness, i wouldn't be watching it.
