Seriously, is this just some elaborate practical joke? Are Davis Aurini and Jordan Owen deliberately trying to convince the world that they’re such bumbling nincompoops that they shouldn’t be trusted with $15 much less $15000 a month to make a documentary? Or are they really this incompetent?
I’m leaning towards the latter interpretation.
Watch the video and you’ll see what I mean. It’s their latest official update video for their backers on Patreon, to let the people who collectively sent them $9000 last month and another $7000 this month know what’s the SarkeesianEffect duo have managed to accomplish with their money so far.
And it’s filmed on a cheap webcam with bad lighting. Apparently these guys can’t be bothered to spend ten minutes to set up the equipment that their donors have so generously provided for them in order to make a video that looks even vaguely professional.
Even more hilariously, they filmed the whole thing using a directional microphone that 1) makes Jordan Owen sound like he’s fallen down a well and 2) RENDERS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO HEAR WHAT DAVIS AURINI IS SAYING ALTOGETHER.
You don’t have to watch the whole thing to see what I mean — skip ahead to about 1:15 in the video and wait until Aurini starts talking. He manages to get in a couple of words before moving out of the microphone’s range, and from then on nothing he says is audible (unless you want to blast your speakers out every time Owen talks).
In other words, not only can these two not be trusted to make a professional quality documentary, they can’t even manage to make a crappy webcam video properly.
Had their bete noire Anita Sarkeesian put out a similarly shitty video in order to tell her supporters what she was doing with their money, she would have been run out of town on a rail. Possibly literally.
In the comments on YouTube, Owen tells his disappointed backers that he can’t upload another video to replace this obviously fucked up one because that would trigger something on Patreon and cause all their backers to get charged again.
Uh, dude, you can’t upload an improved video with a different title, or on Aurini’s channel?
Huh. Maybe you should have, you know, watched your own video once to make sure everything was ok with it before putting it up in the first place?
I swear, these guys must have thought that Tim Burton’s movie about Ed Wood was a how-to, not a comedy.
On second thought, I should probably get some sleep…
Other observations:
1. “We shot some great footage at a state park…” What’s this thing where they think going to the state park makes it look like a movie? There is no scene in “The Thin Blue Line” where Errol Morris is suddenly wandering around a park in Texas. But if you absolutely insist on going into the woods to film, at least change out of the Mystery suit and into hiking jorts or something.
2. If you want to maintain the thin fiction that this isn’t just sustained harassment of the woman in the title of your project, probably don’t spend the last third of your update ranting about her. And definitely don’t end all your videos with an audio tag calling her crazy (a sound file so incompetently spliced together it could only be this duo’s work).
3. Needs more plastic skulls.
“at least change out of the Mystery suit and into hiking jorts or something.”
And have the shit roll out and fall down his leg? Misandry! (I like it!)
I’m going to bed. Someone wake me when Pierre is selling pants. Or even adult diapers.
“We’re making a movie” may just be their “I’m in a band”, you know, ie. something they can use to get women to talk to them.
Needs more skulls????
I know that this is supposed to be a joke, but could you not with the gross stereotypes that target Roma people?
Yeah, the “curse” thing is widely used and seen as no big deal. But in some parts of the world Roma women and even girls can (and do) get attacked for “putting a evil eye” / “cursing” somebody.
Maybe I’m too sensitive because I live in one such corner of the world, but I really think it’s not okay.
As for this video: I think that my “favorite” part is when they say that they have been to a “Asian restaurant” and presenting it as some kind of a gotcha.
Maybe they think it shows they can’t be racist.
If they do, I can’t wait to see all other arguments they’ll shows us.
Nah, not just you, that joke was awful. The commenter in question seems to be a former 4chan person so presumably has no idea how to behave in spaces where being as offensive as possible isn’t seen as super cool and awesome.
Also, more cowbell!
This thread is the best brain bleach; especially after that last post.
I think the reference was to that really crappy King story “Thinner”.
At least Beavis and Butthead are entertaining in their stupidity. At this point, I’d donate to their Patreon even though I’m pretty broke if they would just recreate Cornholio sketches instead of talking about Anita Sarkeesian, gamergate, or feminism/social justice.
I guess if you’re a misogynist man, journalistic integrity need not apply.
No, you see, “journalistic integrity” means giving only positive reviews, and if you think something is crap you just shouldn’t review it. They already covered this.
In other news, Roger Ebert had no journalistic integrity.
I think it’s also telling that they hold their backers in such contempt, they can’t even arse themselves to put up an audible video. I’m not a huge fan of south park, but it does remind me of the “Go fund yourselves” thing.
I’m reading the Disaster Artist. A book about the making of The Room. Comparing that with The Sarkeesian Effect, Tommy Wiseau actually looks like a competent filmmaker. So sad.
I just checked out their Patreon page out of sheer morbid curiosity.
I learned that if I give them $35 a month for an unspecified period of time. I can receive a signed copy of the DVD and the soundtrack composed by none other than Jordan Owen himself. That made me laugh more than it had any right to.
Heads up David: http://i.imgur.com/syfdzss.png
Ahahahaha
Lurker:
And all the references to Anita and #cancelcolbert were her discussing the harassment Suey received, rather than any support of the hashtag.
I feel rather bad for the MRA guys that throws money on these guys that makes videos like this to keep the money coming (and not been blamed to be con artists 🙂 ).
Then again I remember what the MRA is about and just say go for it! Please support these guys so we SJW can point at their “docymentery” as an fine example of what their movement is up to 🙂
Also, poor bald guy. He must really have gotten hurt by the critic of the audio/teaser trailer. He has made the bad audio as his “thing”, like the guy that ate nasty things in the school yard.
I dunno, maybe the incompetence is deliberate. Take the highly incoherent “Gamergate in 60 Seconds” video that GGers like to pass around to “prove” their case. It’s a minute of rapid-fire nothing containing no evidence of any wrongdoing by anyone. It’s obvious that whoever produced it knew that they didn’t have a substantive argument. But it’s *something*, and isn’t that all that matters? He said, she said.
Shaenon:
No, I believe they do not understand this and – aside from their abysmal lack of production skills – may in fact be the crux of the problem.
You know what would be a super-smart interview to get? An actual Feminist Frequency backer who now feels that they were cheated out of their money. I mean, one of their main contentions is that Sarkeesian is a LIAR and a CON ARTIST, but this doesn’t real hold much water when the majority of backers are happy with the project’s progress. If they could get even one of $100+ backers to say “Yes, I feel like I’ve been scammed”, that would be huge.
If they could get even one person to say “Yes, I don’t feel like my $25 has been well-spent”, it would at least give the con artist accusations some semblance of credibility.
You can have that idea for free, lads! On the house!
Anybody with a trumpet with a mute want to try dubbing in some “Peanuts” style dialogue for Aurini? Imagine what an improvrment it would be for that video to have “Mwa-waaa-MWAAHP!” sounds filling in the silences that occur when Aurini is talking.
I never ever come across youtube comments worth reading. This is the exception.
“you’re two most pitiable goblins”
“Did Aurini go as Tobias Funke for Halloween?”
“HAHAHAHAHAHA”
You’re talking about a guy who apologises to neo-Nazis for not being racist enough and nobody else. If he was any more wrapped in the bubble we’d putting aside our Amazon purchases to pop him for cheap amusement. =P
I know that it’s been pointed out already, but racism seriously doesn’t fly here. No, I don’t care if Romani are one of the last groups it’s still considered “Okay” to be racist against; that makes it worse, not better.
I grew up in an area where there are many settled traveller families. At school I was beaten up and threatened and had no end of ‘gypsy curses’ put on me. As a kid I would have said I didn’t like ‘gypsies’ due to all the hassle I received at school. As an adult I see that kids can be dicks regardless of their background and am no longer a fucking racist about it.
Just thought I’d throw that out there. Less racism plz kfanks
Is it just me who finds it strange how different skull-fiend-5000 looks when he isn’t trying to be creepy? (assuming that’s what he’s going for) he almost looks like a regular guy. Whereas ‘chubby Brendan Fraser’ just always looks tired and disheveled and exactly the same?