Friday, March 26, 2010

Guysafari Interview

Guysafari has been making Poops since 2008. During his two years, he has amassed a fanbase of over 2,500 and gained significant notoriety in the Youtube Poop world. I am privileged to have him take the time to answer some questions about himself, his works, and Youtube Poop in general.




KevinTAckerman: To start, how and when did you come across Youtube Poop? How did you get into making your own? And what were your impressions on the genre?

Guysafari: Well, I'm not quite sure when I came across YTP. I believe it was late 07 (I think in November or December) The first YTP I ever saw was "Youtube Poop: When you Pinch Toast, Theres Mama Luigi" Which is still one of my all-time favorite Youtube poops. Originally, I watched them on a 2003 laptop that would usually take a half hour to load videos and after about 5 or 6 videos on youtube, it would crash and take a couple hours to reboot. It was all worth it though because then and now, Youtube poop is quite honestly my all time favorite thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px1A1za22BI

I originally started making YTP after investing 500 dollars into a computer. It was an Acer. It was an awful computer for the kind of stuff I was doing. I originally used WMM but due to its limitations, I got Sony Vegas after using WMM for about 5 months. My first Youtube Poop was uploaded on February 10, 2008. It was called "youtube poop: here is the map my bambino" It was one of my favorite youtube poops I made and even today, it still entertains me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gsPEX36dPc

I quite honestly don't know what to say about Youtube Poop other than its my favorite thing. It's what I find myself to be best at, It's one of the things that entertains me the most (Making ones and watching Other people's work) and I strive to be the best I possibly can.

KTA: Who were your inspirations when you first started out and how did their works influence you?

G: My influences when I first started were Deepercutt, KingCornholio, Tentor, Insineratehymn, MrTennek, and Boogidyboo.Deepercutt's humor and sentence mixingKingcornholio's randomness and pitch-shiftingTentor's stutters Insineratehymn's effects and his overall YTP styleMrTennek's effects and his one of a kind acid poops. Boogidyboo's extreme zoom-ins, distortions, and his way of slowing down clips. Today, I have many influences which include the following: MSTRadock, MrTennek, Tentor, Domorato, SayYesToGiygas, MasterGwonam, Boogidyboo, Deepercutt, Kingcornholio, Miss10, YTPnews, Sushieboy, Insineratehymn, Vorhias, NS2, Yewtewbpewper, KyraPixy, igiulamam, RAKninja, ffgasm, Jamesdeth, OMGTSN, PlasmaFetus, ChrisGendo, ElectrictheCheese, NazeemLaRoda, FlotsamX

KTA: What sort of sources do you like to use for your Poops? Do you have any special preferences?

G: G1 Transformers is by far my favorite source (incidentally, I'm making a Youtube Poop of it right now) I also like Nostalgia Critic, AVGN, Gameplay, Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job, and Half-Life. I basically just use what the source gives me.

KTA: By “gameplay” do you mean video games?

G: Yes. Sorry.

KTA: You mentioned Half Life being one of your sources, do you use gameplay from any other video games? Also does the material from your gameplay Poops come from other people or do you make it yourself?

G: There was one youtube poop I did of the Half-Life 2 beta. I shot the gameplay myself using Fraps. Otherwise, I just get gameplay straight from youtube. Most of the gameplay poops I've done before were from the NES. There were 2 that I did that were for the SNES. I aspire to make more gameplay poops in the future though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM82MXbXMuU

KTA: When you uploaded your first Poop to Youtube, what was running through your mind? What sort of reception did you imagine getting and what sort of reception did you receive?

G: Quite honestly, I didn't know what to expect. The video got little to no views and it took me 2 months to get my first subscriber (which was a bot) Originally, I just thought I was going to get 75 subs max. Now, I think I might actually make it past 3,000. I'm quite happy with the progress I've made.

KTA: How do you think you were able to amass such a large fanbase? Many Poopers who started out in 2008 have yet to breach 500. You on the other hand are just past 2,500.

G: I.... have no idea. I honestly don't know... If I were to guess, I would say it's because of consistency. I always make Youtube Poops, I never really been on hiatus, and the longest I've went without making a video was about a month. I never upload fillers either (unless you count the ones on my alt account, guysafariX. http://www.youtube.com/user/guysafariX

KTA: What is your opinion on your fanbase? And has your change in popularity affected the types of Poops you make?

G: I love my fanbase. I don't really believe it changed my style though.. I think my style just started to change as I experimented with Sony Vegas more.

KTA: Out of everything you’ve made, what are your favorite works? You said your first one, “here is the map my bambino”, was one of your favorites but do you have any others that you particularly enjoy?

G: I gotta say my first and most recent youtube poops are my favorites. Also my tennis rounds with Insineratehymn and "Starscream joins the SOS Brigade”.

KTA: Let’s talk about Tennis now. Your first match was against thetentor. What was running through your mind going into the match and how did you feel your performance was? Also, what made you choose thetentor as your opponent?

G: At the time, Tentor was my favorite youtube pooper. I thought I did terrible. However, My second tennis with Insineratehymn was easily my favorite tennis. That tennis has my all-time favorite youtube poop and I might upload it later.

KTA: What sets your match with Insineratehymn apart from your match with Tentor?

G: I actually did very good in it. It was around when my style started to change. When I tennised Tentor, I had no clue of what to expect. When I was against Insineratehymn, I was a lot better because I was much more used to Vegas, and I was becoming a better youtube pooper.

KTA: How do you tackle Poopers with different styles? Do you tend to respond with a round similar to their style or do you stick to your own?

G: I try to play along with their previous round but, I usually stick to my own style.

KTA: Moving away from Tennis, when was it that you found a style that really suited you?

G: June 24, 2008. That was the day when I uploaded "Starscream Joins the SOS Brigade." I absolutely loved that video. Captpan6 also had a role in my style change as well. I was experimenting with new styles and I came across Captpan6 (who at the time, only had about 200 or so subs.) we became friends (and we still are) and he just told me to keep up what I was doing. Now, My style is going to be more like the style used in my recent video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAHCCus6qME

KTA: Captpan6 did mention in his QnA video that you were one of the Poopers he’d like to play Tennis against. How did you react to that?

G: I was drinking a soda and I spat it all over my laptop. I didn't know he had it in mind. I'll accept it when he's ready though.

KTA: You garnered some attention when you joined Deepercutt in the Duo Poop “It’s Not Jacky Chen”. What’s the story behind that Poop?

G: Deepercutt and I both liked that show. One night we decided to watch episodes together. That was one of them. After it, deepercutt just flat-out said "Lets make a duo poop of this. I do bad chan, you do good chan." I just said "K”A couple of months later, it was released. I was done with my part about 2 months before deepercutt even started. I wish too do something like that with him again in the future.

KTA: I assume you are good friends with Deepercutt?

G: Yes. He's my best friend actually. Him, Captpan6 (recently started talking to him), Miss10, Imaperson, and CommanderGwonam (he's not on all that much, but he's a pretty cool guy.)

KTA: What are your first thoughts going into a Youtube Poop? What do you usually aim to do?

G: I.. usually just ask myself, "All right.... what do I do?" and then I just do what I feel is best. It's very hard to explain. Recently, I've been experimenting with more of a spastic style. I want to try and make all of my old styles co-exist. I used to be a rape pooper, I used to be slow paced, fast-paced.. There was even a time where I used sentence mixing. Now, I just wanna be everything at once. I also want to experiment with new things as well.

KTA: Are you usually pleased with your work? Have there been times where you don’t feel confident in something you’ve made?

G: I'm inconsistently proud of my work. It was only until recently that I realized that I have limitless potential. Recently, I've been really proud of my work. I do always get that lack of confidence though. It seems to happen all the time when I make these videos. It's not happening as much as it used to though.

KTA: What is the hardest part of making a Poop?

G: Not getting lazy towards the end. Everything else is easy for me though.

KTA: How much time to you usually take on your Poops?

G: Usually a week or two. I usually don't start until a week after I uploaded my most recent one.

KTA: I want to ask you about one of your latest Poops, The Diarrhea of Haruhu Suzumiya. It’s been garnering a lot of attention as of recent and you appear to be pleased with it yourself. As for its style, it's much different from what your usual videos. What made you want to deviate from your regular style like that? Also, how did did the making of this Poop compare to the making of your other Poops?

G: I made it primarily because I was enraged by the results of the recent YTP contest. I wanted to prove that I could be just as good (if not better) than the people who won. I also just wanted to see what would happen if I gave a video 110%. When I was about halfway done with that video (around the time when the contest results came in) I decided to just rip the video apart. My recent video, Youtube Poop: Toys Gone Wild, I was a little more organized. I made the video then rendered it. (I refer to it as the Beta version of the video.) Then I revised it and uploaded them both on the day I was finished with the final product. This way, I could please my fans that dislike my newer style because the beta of the video is basically my old style, mixed with my newer style. It's just not as heavily edited as the end product. However, the beta for this video was somewhat complete. I came up with this concept when the video was about 35% done. Beta: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zem8-WyLr2M Final:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWfjer8BjEI

KTA: Which contest are you referring to? The one held by Eric Striffler?

G: Yes.

KTA: You are notorious for mimicking the titles of other famous Poops, and “Toys Gone Wild” is a perfect example. Is there a reason you like to do this?

G: 1- I find it hilarious

2- makes it easier to make up titles,

3- sometimes it makes people rage and I find their reactions to be pretty funny.

4- it's my way of "Sticking it to the man"!

KTA: What is your opinion on mainstream Poopers? You have already stated that you are good friends with Deepercutt and captpan6, but what do you think of others like KroboProductions and MrRoboto113?

G: Meh. They're ok. I really don't care about them. I care about my bros and that's about it. (not literal bros but.... bros).

KTA: Do you see yourself as a popular mainstream Pooper or a potential one?

G: Yup. I see myself to be the best to be honest.

KTA: Are you a competitive person? How often do you compare yourself to other people and how do you react when someone compares you to another Pooper?

G: I'm not a competitive person, I just like to be the best YTPer I can possibly be. I never really compare myself to anyone. Whenever somebody compares me to someone else, I usually get rather offended.

KTA: A lot of Poopers have an output that fluctuates depending on their social lives (family, school, job etc). Are you one of those people? Are you able to work under great stress? How do you deal with the pressure of having a relatively large fanbase?

G: I do whatever I want. I do make sure to upload a new YTP at least once a month though. It's not all that stressful. I do this for fun and to entertain others as well as myself. YTP is my favorite thing.I also dislike people who use the "I have a life" excuse because they can't make videos. I have a social life, schoolwork, etc, but I can still do my stuff. I've never went without making a YTP for more than a month (the only thing I fear is that they might take a little bit longer since my new style consists of some different material. I started a new YTP and I'll upload the beta version of it as soon as it's done.

KTA: What styles of Poop do you generally like and dislike?

G: I love slow-paced YTP's and I'm also a fan of bad YTP's. But I also like fast-paced youtube poops. I do, however, hate most rape poops (with the exception of Mr.Tennek and some others) For the record, I don't consider myself a rape pooper anymore.

KTA: What is Youtube Poop to you? Do you see it as an art form? A hobby?

G: Both.

KTA: Are there any underrated Poops and/or Poopers you feel deserve more attention?

G: Jamesdeth, MSTRadock, sayyestogiygas. Those are the only three people I can think of at the moment

KTA: Finally, what do you think about the future of Youtube Poop? How long do you intend to keep making Poops and where do you think it will take you?

G: I see a bright future for youtube poop. Many people are being introduced to it. The community is growing quite fast. I... plan to do this for however long I want to. As of now, I can say that I am NOT going to quit any time soon. This is my favorite thing, and I do have a rather addictive nature. I think I'll be around for a good long time :)

KTA: Thank you for your time, guysafari.

G: You're welcome! Thanks for the interview!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Feb 2010: What could have been?

While constructing the Top Tens, I always end up asking myself the same question: "Why just ten?" This question popped into my head numerous times last month. Actually, more than ever.

It was nearing the end of the month. I had a pre-list all ready, and the choices were much different. There were new people on the list and some that were already on were closer to the one spot. I assumed that this would end up being the final result, but I didn't want to render the list just yet. I just wanted to be sure that this would be it.

And lo and behold it wasn't. On the last three days of the month I was presented with several new Poops that made it on, knocking a few other choices off. This didn't frustrate me, as this is just part of what happens when I make these lists. But I was rather disappointed to see two really good ones get the boot, and this article is centered around those two.

The first one comes from an old-school traditionalist named JazzDanceForChildren. His Poops rely on classic sentence mixing techniques and repetition, and I don't get the chance to showcase Poops like that too often because this style doesn't quite seem to fulfull as much as other styles. That is not to say that I do not understand it at all though. I was, I guess you could say, "raised" on it. The first Poopers I ever saw used it or something close to it, and quite honestly I miss the old days when these were common.

As I have mentioned about Jazz, I never have the chance to advertise his works. This month, however, he made one that exceeded my expectations, called Speed Establishes The Car Acrobatic Speed Racing Team. It won me over completely. The video started off slow and easy, with just scenes from old Speed Racer cartoons. But as it progressed, it became much more disoriented and unpredictable. Jazz employed some old-fashioned sentence mixing about half-way through that completely changed the atmosphere of the Poop. I found myself, for once in a long time, chuckling. Chuckling, at a Poop. That right there is a massive accomplishment.

He could've stopped right there though, but he didn't. He went above and beyond by turning a two and a quarter long Poop into a three minute Poop, all without adding filler. He also referenced some of his older videos and made some unexpected sound edits. And then at the end, to cap it all off, he added another round of old-school sentence mixing, and it was even funnier than the last verse.

The second Poop was sent to me near the end of the month. It was a Polish Poop called Bomba Bojs ejakuluje Multi Hacki do Metina and it was made by materatzowy. I don't often come across foreign Poops, but I see no reason to keep them off the Top Ten. Which is why after I saw this, I couldn't help but put it on the list.

With no disrespect to foreign Poopers, the Poops that are sent to me that are in different languages aren't really the best of the bunch, which is why I was surprised by materat's video. It uses, what I believe, sentence mixing of Polish words, and although I don't understand the language, I admired it nonetheless. That wasn't it though. He had his hands on a good editing software and was able to do what most experienced Poopers could, including a strange spinning triangle effect I had never seen before. "If this doesn't get on the list for its sentence mixing," I thought, "it should get on for its excellent use of modern techniques."

While I did feel that the overall product felt like something only Polish speakers could understand, I put it on the pre-list anyhow because I trusted the maker constructed good words and the effects and techniques were comparable to other Poopers'. It would've been an excellent way to show how far Youtube Poop has spread, and how other cultures are adapting it.

To see these two Poops knocked off the list broke my heart. But what could I do? I have to be honest with myself and always give the spots to those who deserve it. It was unfortunate that February 2010 wasn't the month to see these two make an appearance, but I'm hoping that some time in the near future there will come a chance.

If you ever have the chance, go watch these guys' videos, particulary the ones I mentioned. Even though they never made the final list, they are still winners in my book.