The Comedy of Failure
August 27th, 2007 by Alec McNayrPosted in Comedy, Content |From time to time, I check the “most viewed videos” page on YouTube. I’m not sure what I’m looking for. Maybe I just want to see what “the masses” think is good. Maybe I just want to be in the inner circle of cultural trends.
And I’ve seen a trend. There is a cringe factor that brings people together.
First, consider the movie SuperBad. It just delivered a second top weekend at the box office, and it is full of awkward moments that any viewer can relate to. A visceral kind of schadenfreude.
And then, consider this canon of YouTube cringe-worthy moments:
- Beyonce falling.
- Miss USA falling.
- Man choking to death on coke and mentos.
- A police chase that ends badly.
And a new one from this weekend, Miss Teen USA finalist Lauren Caitlin Upton (South Carolina):
Let this be a lesson to all of us who want to create online content and gather an audience around our ideas. People react to train wrecks and gather around to watch them. But they won’t stick around for long. There’s too many other train wrecks happening around the net.
So, regardless of what you’re writing or shooting, consider the cringe factor to bring in an audience, but remember that talent and intrigue keeps them coming back.
