Brian Farmer

Invariably when I have friends over for a few drinks we engage in witty banter, trade pithy quips but before long we end up hovering, hunched like old watch makers, around a screen, vying for the keyboard so we can enter the search terms for our latest youtube “Gold”. We pan for those nuggets trying to separate the alluvial content amid the vast stream that is youtube.

Earlier this year I attended, what I would describe as, the biggest YouTube Party ever. As part of the Sydney Festival Adam Buxton presented a show at the Seymour Center called BUG The Evolution of the Music Video. During which he shared some of his favorite music video clips, as well as keeping us entertained with his own brand of observational comedy revolving around some dubious viewer comments. Being the keen viewer that I am I had come across a number of the clips before but found the evening immense fun.

My top 3 for the evening:

#3 Witiness the Fitness by Roots Manuva: For his comic concept.

# 2 It’s Tropical by The Geeks: Although controversial, this is a fantastic clip in my view.

#1 Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math: An exceptionally powerful music video

Here is a clip I found recently that I really enjoyed due to the obvious homage to one of my favorite films, The Royal Tenembaums by Wes Anderson.

Simple Song by The Shins

Youtube is a great tool for creatives and audiences alike. It is the perfect platform for up and coming performers to demonstrate their talents. It has lowered the barrier of entry to distribution and access to a ready and willing audience. That said with multiple hours of footage being uploaded every second from around the world it can be difficult to ensure that a clip is distributed effectively. That is where Search Engine Optimisation or SEO becomes particularly important. Perhaps the up and coming can take a leaf out of Adam Buxtons book by visiting his channel.