Rate Comment Subscribe: An Interview with Will Hyler
I’m not gonna lie; these posts are some of my favorite that are put up here on NK. Giving the users of YouTube a chance to allow a connection with the people that view their videos I feel is something very special. That leads us to this edition of Rate Comment Subscribe. We all know there’s an excess of content on YouTube that can cause a lot of talented individuals to get lost in the shuffle. Instead of sitting back and watching it happen, why not take a stand? That’s exactly what Will Hyler did. Hit the jump for our full interview with him.
NK: Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions Will.
Will: Not at all, I appreciate the opportunity!
NK: First off, how long ago did you get into creating videos/documentaries?
Will: I don’t think the things anyone’s genuinely interested in develops suddenly– I’ve been working hard on making videos that end up being terrible for a while now, and only recently have I felt at all capable of making something watchable.
Outside of web videos, though, I’m close to finishing my first feature documentary about a group of groundfishermen in Maine who are overcoming difficulties with regulations and market structure as well as their own historically destructive fishing habits to preserve their fishing grounds and way of life. It will premiere this summer and serve only to confuse my youtube subscribers as much as my youtube videos would confuse my documentary audience.
NK: What drew us to your account was your “Here on YouTube” video. Where did the initial idea for this come from, and how long did it take to put together?
Will: Well I put the video together off and on during a week when work was a little slow– Youtube obscurity is familiar to me, as I’m know it is to 99% of the people making videos for the site, so it wasn’t hard to tap into that.
I’ve been on Youtube since the beginning of 2006 and devoted far too much time to watching the format evolve, and in that time it seems to me to have gone from people happily flailing around in the dark to a pretty artificial corporate system. I can’t blame Youtube for being a business, but I will say I enjoyed the times before thumbnails and 17 million hit counts more.
I don’t think we really knew that playing a Nintendo song on your guitar was a surefire way of being seen for the first year or so, and there’s nothing wrong with that kind of video really, I just take issue with the kind of corporate interest it draws to Youtube. You know, with the Lonely Island guys having their online success I remember many many conversations with people about the possibility that online videos were a new way to circumvent the system– where you wouldn’t have to “sell out” to get what you wanted seen. It meant we could really care just about what we were making and if it was interesting it would work because it went straight to the audience. That was the Youtube I signed up for.
We were best when the big guys hated us and there wasn’t any money to be had.
But like I said, I don’t blame Youtube for being a business, I take my issue with the nature of business I guess, and like all entertainment it all just ends up being about money instead of love of the work. That all sounds very, I don’t know, one dimensional maybe because I know there are people throughout the system who work hard to shine the spotlight on overlooked talent, and a lot of people have found their way to opportunities that they otherwise wouldn’t have without the site, but they never stray from being profitable. Youtube is whoever is watching it, and it has a reputation of being the spot to find n00bs being pwned and kids hitting themselves in the face when it could’ve been a lot more than that.
I have a very subjective view of Youtube that lends a lot of flaws to my argument, I’m sure, but In the end I’m a guy who thought he could get around doing business with a third party and share what he’s doing, but in more ways than one that’s an impossibility, and “Here on Youtube” was my way of saying that.
Will Hyler's Youtube Page as of March 27, 2009-Video: The Last Little Dinosaur
NK : Can you tell us more about “Will Travels” video series?
Will: I was heading out to do a cross country road trip with my parents and wanted a way to keep in touch with my friends, but I got carried away. My idea was to make a clip after each day that summed up the day and was interesting to watch– I don’t think I hit the mark so much, but I stuck to the schedule and now nearly every day of the trip is in video form.
But regardless, I think I got some important mistakes out of the way while making the videos, so now I can move onto the next ones. Occasionally I get comments from other motorcyclists who are either planning a journey or checking an area out, and that’s rewarding.
NK: What would you consider inspiration while creating videos?
Will: I’m trying really hard not to suck at whatever I do– and it’s difficult. I don’t want to spend my life creating, or helping to create, things that are useless and a waste of time, and that’s essentially what the definition of web videos are so I guess we’ll see how successful I am at reconciling the two in time.
NK: What is the most time it’s taken to comprise a video?
Will: I don’t know, a few months I guess. Web videos are too often like sketches to me where I have a small thing that I want to try, but it isn’t worth polishing. Most of my videos are things I’m trying to figure out so when the time comes to do something good I’ll have an idea of where to start.
NK: Your website bio states you’ve worked on feature films, but have since decided to leave. What might we notice as some of your work in “Jumper” or “Speed Racer”?
Will: It was as a post production visual effects artist, I don’t know if I’m allowed to say what I did or not– I signed a lot of paperwork to work there. The truth, though, is if I did my job well then it’s what you won’t be able to see rather than what you will. Lets just say there’s some fat and zits and other stuff normal people deal with every day that’s normal and doesn’t make any difference to the importance or relevance of a film that won’t be disturbing your viewing pleasure thanks to my, and my coworkers’, efforts. And if you’re wondering, yes it is possible to add six pack abs, reduce body fat, and change hair color in post– we really can “fix it” in post.
NK: Out of everything currently on your account, which video is your favorite? Least favorite? If you have one.
Will: I enjoy little parts of all of them combined sometimes more than all of one video. I’m not very good at developing a consistent production style, so they’re all pretty different. At the moment I’m enjoying “Here on Youtube” the most because I’m trying to make sense of the recent success of “The Last Little Dinosaur“. My least favorite? Probably one like “Children of Stone Premiere” because it’s just a companion piece to something one of my friends did.
NK: Anything else you would like to tell your fans/subscribers?
Will: I think Fans is pushing it too far– but I’ll say hello to my new subscribers, and thank them for renewing my motivation to keep with Youtube. I want to do the best I can, and I’m still trying, so bear with me.
Like what you just read? Bookmark Will Hyler’s official site, where you can follow all his latest videos/experiences. If you also thought that song made for “Here on Youtube” was catchy, as we did, click here to download it. Think there’s an account that should be featured on RCS? Send us an email (opens up) and we’ll check it out. Also, catch our previous editions of RCS while you’re still here. Until next time, enjoy surfing the web.
Justin “The Pepsi Plunge” Verterano
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[...] recently followed in the footsteps of my man Will Hyler and was interviewed by the website Nerdiest-kids.com. Give a read [...]
[...] nerdiest kids com Rate Comment Subscribe An Interview with Will Posted by root 37 minutes ago (http://nerdiest-kids.com) That leads us to this edition of rate comment subscribe instead of sitting back and watching it happen why not take a stand this entry was posted on friday march 27th 2009 at 8 32 pm and is filed under movies tv shows music random nerdom powered by wordpr Discuss | Bury | News | nerdiest kids com Rate Comment Subscribe An Interview with Will [...]
[...] nerdiest kids com Rate Comment Subscribe An Interview with Will Posted by root 4 hours ago (http://nerdiest-kids.com) That leads us to this edition of rate comment subscribe instead of sitting back and watching it happen why not take a stand this entry was posted on friday march 27th 2009 at 8 32 pm and is filed under movies tv shows music random nerdom powered by wordpr Discuss | Bury | News | nerdiest kids com Rate Comment Subscribe An Interview with Will [...]