I had wanted to be a movie critic at one point in my life but I had two main problems. 1- I discovered that I enjoy almost any movie for one reason or another. 2- I was incapable of giving a movie a terrible review If I had to. Then I hit another snag when the internet really kicked into gear. It allowed reviews to be as common as ... well lets face it reviews are very common in every aspect. Reviews on Amazon, reviews on IMDB, reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, reviews on Ebay, reviews on cnet. I'm hard headed and I'm sure that you have noticed reviews on this very site under the name "commentary". I feel it necessary to offer my own twist to the "review" pool that I believe will become more and more apparent as time goes on. But above all I always wanted to make films, plan films, and make people laugh, scratch their head or just walk away with some good dinner conversation. Which brings me to Youtube.

After years of avoiding Youtube  I finally decided to utilize an account  I had made when I was exploring it years ago. I had always questioned why someone (the higher production amateur videos out there) would spend so much time, put in their blood sweat and tears, others peoples blood sweat and tears- and an obviously more than significant amount of money in something that they would just throw out there for free.

Youtube and services similar, are more than meets the eye. After just a couple of short months I've learned much. I find the statistical tools invaluable in getting barometer readings on a "public" non target specific demographic. It was like getting a focus group across the entire world. Also it seemed to open access to read info from other enthusiasts,not to mention trade information and techniques. This can be likened to being a musician and playing with many other different musicians with different styles and influences. It somehow keeps you from getting stagnant and single minded.

Services like this could be, if properly used viral marketers dream. Many many lessons to be learned if you are open enough. Admittedly I had to open my self up a little. I learned avant garde is the minority (that's me in many instances) and "kittens in hats" can accrue millions of viewers in a day. Now if I could just figure out a way to make an avant garde feature film about "kittens in hats" and release the trailer - the results could be a career builder.

So I started uploading fun bits, some extras, and head scratchers to this strangely absurd yet powerful service. "Did Youtube kill the independent filmmaker?" In a word, no. No more than the printing press kept people from creating things to read. But I'm sure that the monks that spent hours on illuminated manuscript may have felt the way I did before thinking hard about the media revolution and the value of its technological contribution. Now we can get cell phone videos of actual events rather than those diluted by network T.V. pushing their own agenda (cough .."ratings") Even more than unfiltered raw footage is a way to share,communicate, market, and find films or media that would otherwise go unnoticed for artists that choose not to live in New York or California. Now they have an outlet available to them that helps peak interest in what they are doing no matter where they are.

So in the course of making media you need direct human input as well in addition to the worldwide input (for better or for worse) that Youtube gives you. Direct input can be a good tool even when it seems disappointing at first. To quote Bill Cosby in "Fat Albert", - "If your not careful you may learn something before it's done." Case in point (a recent conversation dramatically reproduced for your pleasure):

                    FILMMAKER
What?!!! You don't see the edit. Man, that's a good transition.. I'm telling you.

                     FRIEND
I dunno. I guess..

                     FILMMAKER
Did you see it when I.. [ insert proud moment of editing prowess here]

                     FRIEND
No.

                    FILMMAKER

Really?

                    FRIEND
Nah.

                   FILMMAKER
Serious? (saddening)

                   FRIEND
Yes. I mean I'll take a look again.

                   FILMMAKER
Hmmmm.

Now, at first glance this may be the conversation of  a disappointing experience. At second glance too for that matter, as the despondent filmmaker hangs his head and recalls the hours he spent on that scene alone with its many cuts, effects and sound mixes. The hundreds of times he listened to the same sound track over and over. The fading eyesight he may experience in years to come with the tedious mind numbing frame by frame cuts and measures. But, you have to read between the lines. As many professionals tell their protoge's : "If you've done a good job , they won't notice the cut at all". This may seem anticlimactic after all the work that is involved, but sometimes this can be the highest compliment in disguise.

Below is TJPARSONS.com's channel if you are interested. I have decided to upload some stange-ness from the cutting room floor with  bits , bytes, clips  and snips. And if you want to subscribe... sure why not right? Go for it. Thanks in advance. I'll try to keep it fun and unusual.

Advise for this month: "Don't let the wires cross in your brain and say William S. Burroughs when you really mean Edgar Rice Burroughs, it probably going to mess up the conversation pretty bad."