Amercian King

Chris Weagel's American King is now opened to the public!

It's a documentary of sorts posted twice a week over a period of weeks.
The true story of a young man who has a pretty interesting view on life.
Chris has told me to be as non-specific as possible so I dont taint anyone's expectations.

American King is also the first successfully funded project from HaveMoneyWillVlog.com.
In 4 days, The community raised $1000. This money gives Chris time to get a bunch of videos in the can so he can release videos in a timely fashion. It hopefully also gives Chris a show of support for his great work.

Let me tell you why I like American King:
Daily shows are becoming very popular in the Videoblogging world. I think the TV industry really gets into the idea of short, daily content. I'm personally not so interested because it reminds me of "distraction entertainment". It's the "i'm bored at work. Make me laugh."  There is certainly a place for this kind of video. Topical. Breezy. Light. Fun. It's here and then forgotten. Next thing.

Chris has made a name for himself creating the universe of Human Dog. Like an HBO series,  the story is told in parts. Each part informs the later videos. A rich, complex world is formed. The stortelling of Amercian King assumes that the viewer will follow along and learn the world. Like an HBO show, the story begins and will eventually end. Complexties and subtleties are the highlights.

In my mind, Chris is using videoblogging to create new archetypes. He's making examples of what this new generation believes. Garrett, the star of AK, is not a nice guy. He's likeable if you have a sick sense of humor...which more than a few of us do. We are not always pretty and PC. Will the future look to Dawson's Creek to see how the young kids relate? I hope not, but if we don't make our own visions...Dawson's Creek will be all they have to look at.

Chris Weagel is only 24. Like any young artist, he's just discovering his voice and refining his craft. As a community we can support people who are telling the stories we know to be true. (God knows he will have trouble getting support from traditional outlets.) And in this way, we can help record a different history for the future so they remember us for who we really are.

American King comes out every Tuesday. Subscribe with this RSS feed.

Comments

[sull]

nicely put.

it started with the DV Revolution - late nineties. anyone could get high quality video cameras. a new revitalized independent film movement began. digital video festivals and workshops and projects sprouted. that was the first move into the digital era.

then more bandwidth came along. and even cheaper, more compact DV cameras hit the shelves. and blogging was having its own revolution. naturally, DV made it to the web, but not until recent years has the quality reached a much more acceptable experience.

DV + Blogging is a no brainer and was bound to happen. The Power of Video is not in the pockets of thousands/millions of people around the world. Getting it on the web is a snap. telling your story is bearable. not as easy as writing an email, but it will be. it will be.

and what results? we find chris weagels and all the rest. and the next generation willa lso find them :)

sull