If you have any inkling of interest in YouTube (let's face it, who doesn't?), you owe it to yourself to watch Please Subscribe. I've been a fan of Dan Dobi's work for a couple years now and this, dare I say, is perhaps his best work to date.
The film features some of my favorites - Mitchell Davis, Grace Helbig, and Wheezy Waiter just to name a few - and also some YouTubers I've heard of but don't know a whole lot about. Please Subscribe explores the idea of what it means to be a YouTuber, and answers that question of: yeah but, how do you make any money doing that?
In the last year especially I've become more fascinated with the world of YouTube. I can't say I'd ever host a channel myself, or could manage to make a living off it, but I also can't deny I've entertained the thought of what if. YouTube seems like the perfect job, doesn't it? You're your own boss, no one has control over what you create or release, there isn't months and months of production and post-production to finally release one piece of art. It's real time. It's real life. It's someones life. I think we as viewers take that for granted, and we forget who we see on screen is just that. It's who we see on screen. They have a life outside of that video box on your laptop. And being a YouTuber is a lot of work, and it's hard, and stressful, but I think it's also probably one of the most rewarding jobs out there. Please Subscribe does a nice job - Dan and the crew does a nice job - of capturing all aspects of the YouTube world, full of interviews and b-roll and behind-the-scenes footage; the documentary sort of breaks down that fourth wall - your computer screen - and let's you see what it's really like being a YouTuber.
Above you can watch the first ten minutes for free. If you're interested, and I do highly, highly recommend it, you can download the full version here: https://chill.com/dandobi/please-subscribe
It's only eight dollars. For the amount of work that went into creating this documentary, that's an incredibly reasonable price. Again, if you have any interest in creating your own content, or just really love YouTube - buy this film. I really admire Dan and love his work, so if you're on the fence about spending the money, blame it on me and say Izzy forced you to buy it to help support one of her favorite YouTubers/directors. It's a good cause, I promise.
I hope you guys will check it out. It's truly an inspirational documentary, on both a creative and personal level. I think there's a lot to be learned from Please Subscribe. You'll never know unless you watch it.
Also, if you do check out Please Subscribe, hop on over to Dan's channel to see more amazing work. He posts sketches and vlogs (vlogs mostly as of late due to the promotion and release of Please Subscribe): http://www.youtube.com/user/dandobi
Of Dan's videos, I would recommend:
Duncan Rocks Interview w/ Mitchell Davis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uP1IQHtGVA
"LosT Angeles" (sketch): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DmFz6xEHg4
"MySpace Fires First Half Of It's Employees" (sketch) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU486jEdSbs
