Pull Yourself Together

[Graham]

Classic example of a sketch developed from a random conversation.
The effect was trickier than you might think, but turned out very well, ini my opinion.

[darkduck]

I like the idea a lot. Paul and the depression cracked me up. Also the bit about being non-corporeal was sooooo obvious, but good. I'm boring. I just wanted to post something.

[Sieg Reyu]

Depression Paul and Weird Al made this video.

[Dr Frankenjam]

Nah that wasn't that good this week.
Can't quite put my finger on it, it might of been all the dialogue or perhaps the lack of visual humour? Not entirely sure, it just didn't strike a cord with me.

Sorry

[jtaylor]

That was excellent.

Congratulations to new Alex and his speaking role.
Also, I liked the cuts.

[wildcard]

depressed Paul was hilarious! (sorry Paul!) great lines and the delivery was spot on!

another nice title reveal this week, your production is looking slicker and slicker recently.

Is James ever actually like any of those alter egos??

[emma]

I giggled so much this week! I loved it!

I liked James reading the back of the Toast CD. And Graham, your titles are getting really good! You're doing really neat things with them!

The french one was my favourite. I would have liked to see more of him. Or maybe charisma.

[Graham]

lack of visual humour?

You clearly don't find Charisma Jer or Sense-of-Humour Jer as funny as we do.

[Jer]

Is James ever actually like any of those alter egos??

Yup, James and my repressed homosexuality actually have a lot in common .

[meisbored]

Excellent video this week, in concept and in execution. I was at the Weird Al concert with my brother, and we saw Paul, Matt and Graham sitting together, so I leaned over to my brother and said "hey, I bet they're going to try to get Weird Al to plug the site!" Called it!
Other sortof references: the sound effect from the time helmet when his charisma jumps back in, and the Jer's horrible pun could be a reference to the one mentioned in the podcast. And the Toast CD, of course.

[OmegaZultan]

I lol'd hard at this, It's sucha great concept and it was beautifully executed. GG

[Sable]

I roffled deeply. Excellent effects work, and I also laughed that James was unimpressed at Toast's second album. Great work.

Joie de vivre!

[The Emperor]

The lines were great in this.

Ben talking to Charisma was my favourite.

[Dr Frankenjam]

lack of visual humour?

You clearly don't find Charisma Jer or Sense-of-Humour Jer as funny as we do.

Clearly.

On the production note, the transparency effect was cool.
I also liked the title reveal bit on the door.

Oh and actually i just remembered I did snigger at the French Joy Jer.
So maybe that's something.

[Pattmyn]

That was pretty good. Not the best, not the worst. I do agree with the fact that the transparency effect was well done though.

[wilson_x1999]

Weird Al! \m/>.<\m/

I really liked this, Depression Jer and Depressed Paul were great XD

...it doesn't work....

XD

[JesterJ.]

Depression Jer/Paul really made this video, Paul's lines in that scene were very funny, only time in it I laughed out loud.

The rest was amusing, but not quite "lolable". There just seemed to be something missing..

Also, the Gullible part at the end, obviously, was funny. It would have been great if it was in the daytime. (In reference to Toast)

[browncoat]

That was incredible.
Great script, acting and effects!
And really funny of course ^^

Considering that you have a video up every week, it's almost unbelievable how good they are.
Just wanted to say that (again).
Can't be said enough!

[Alja-Markir]

Top notch stuff lads. Very much one of your better videos to date. I honestly don't understand how you keep managing to raise the bar and then surpass it.

Although Alex did manage to set the bar rather high for Man Cooking 3, making a Man Cooking 4 seem really hard for you guys to pull off. But I'm sure you guys can come up with something...

*hint hint*

Anywho, parts I found most hilarious.

Join me and we will get a chocolate croissant!
Gullibility, because Jer looks like a complete dork in glasses. (Whose glasses were those, anyway?)
The Fonz Thing. Aaeeeee!
"He won't shut up" and "It doesn't work".

Also, who played the criminal? It wasn't Morgan this time, but I can't identify who exactly it is. It kinda looks like Graham.

~Alja-Markir~

[DontPanic]

This weeks video quality both in production and comedy was above and beyond excellent. Kudos to Jer for his several brilliant performances! And yay to seeing more Ben in videos.

[Cake]

I enjoyed it. I had more to say, but Emma sayed it.

[Kara]

That was a totally awesome video, seriously. It gave me so much rofling. Great job as all of the different versions of yourself Jer.

[The Pious Flea]

It was okay. I feel like you didn't know what to do with your hands. I've never found the gestures that you're supposed to make while giving a speech or appearing on-camera to be very convincing, personally.

[emma]

I enjoyed it. I had more to say, but Emma sayed it.

Damn straight!

Also, so many of you guys are crazy! This video was hilarious. I don't know what you're expecting from these guys!

[robothero]

Nah that wasn't that good this week.
Can't quite put my finger on it, it might of been all the dialogue or perhaps the lack of visual humour? Not entirely sure, it just didn't strike a cord with me.

Sorry :(

Something that ties into theories I apply to my own stuff. There's a certain repetition to it that makes the pacing feel slow. It pretty much follows a pattern of "Mention an aspect, then show that aspect in action." Once the pattern is established, then the next time it happens, if it conforms too closely to what the audience expects, then there is a period where they are receiving no new information.

This theory is based on a Winnipeg Gong Show, where I found that in instances where a pattern is established in the video, they would usually be gonged during or shortly after the third instance of the pattern, unless there was a strong sense of escalation in the pattern.

Of course, things like X ways to Y follow a strict repeating pattern, but I think those videos allow for more flexibility in the order in which they are shown, and some of the instances of the pattern build on preceding instances, so that there is a feeling of escalation during the course of the video, which really helps the sense of pacing.


One way to break the pattern would have been to show the aspect long before it is named, so the audience would be trying to figure out what it is. Other variations would be to have two aspects arguing with each other, or to show the difficulty in rounding some of them up. (His paranoia locks himself in a room and won't come out.) Or have an aspect behaving in a way other than the obvious. (His sense of humour spends four paragraphs studiously over-analyzing the use of patterns in comedy.)