Parrot is telling a minecraft story. Evbo_ is telling a story that is grounded and told through minecraft. Whitepine is telling a story that happens to be expressed through minecraft.
@@Tyhond parrots videos are good, I’m just not a big fan due to the fact that he tries to hide the fact that it’s scripted, and, at least in my opinion, takes away from unscripted smps like hermitcraft. Evbo on the other hand leans right into the scripted side and doesn’t hide it. At least that’s what I think, and you can think otherwise and that’s ok
It's not fair to compare Parkour Civilization with Whitepine, it's like you're comparing a theatrical performance with a movie. Whitepine utilizes elements of cinema (post-processing, lighting, camera control) while PC is a theatrical performance set within the game, treating the game just like theater treats the real world. There's nothing inherently artistically worse or "insincere" about fully accepting the confines of the game and performing within them-I see a profound beauty in how much people can tell in a relatively confined environment. Stories told wholly through the game as it is can be closer to us, because playing Minecraft is an experience we all share. Would you compare a solo piano piece with a fully produced electronic music track, arguing that the second one is better because it isn't restrained by its instruments? Why are you surprised or disappointed that stories told through Minecraft primarily use symbols, devices and established concepts from Minecraft to drive the story? Whitepine uses aforementioned cinematic elements to tell its story, but obviously most scripted content isn't going to do that, because (good) lighting, camera work or post-processing aren't devices that the game offers you. There's no reason creators should constrain themselves to established real-life vehicles of storytelling. Limitations breed creativity. I will say though, "content"ization of art is a plague, and I wish we'd get a Parkour Civilization that's art, not content, while also accepting the challenge of staying within the game's confines to tell its story.
You're drawing out this tenuous tension between our two contentions as if they're inherently incompatible- I don't think that's the case, since I actually agree with you. I said in the text of the video itself that between Whitepine and the other examples enumerated, my intention was to establish a "degree of difference," and it's exactly this. I don't think storytelling that embraces the confines of the game and actually attempts to use them in a creative way is *inherently* inferior to storytelling that uses Minecraft merely as an artistic medium. But the former is much more likely to be mere "content" than the latter, hence why for the purposes of this video I *construed* it as a subordinate iteration of the form.
my favourite scripted minecraft scene is "Minecraft, But It's Just A Burning Memory" Its 4 minutes, it doesnt have any words, but it follows a script of events. Please watch it, THAT is the minecraft scripted content i want
Oh yeah I remember watching that video when the whole dementia and the burning memory became whole meme, it's really good in the whole "show don't tell" format
I feel like a lot of The Caretaker's sonic work has been diluted in efficacy (not in isolation, but in use) within the modern memetic context on the internet, but at least here it was handled with some semblance of tact. Thanks for the recommendation and the comment!
The amount of mods that have been made that enable Minecraft as a storytelling medium is like we've never seen before. Camera utility mods, building mods, create, and so much more are just a few that have taken the game of Minecraft to the next level, and I hope we start to see that in the media that is made about Minecraft. Amazing video, great topic, keep up the good work man!
Totally agree! From what little time I've spent playing with it, Flashback is leagues ahead of other comparable mods in terms of its cinematic utility, and like I said in the video, the art of building is in the best place it's ever been too. We're only just beginning to scratch the surface of what's possible, and I hope to see more artists push against those boundaries. Glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks so much for the comment!
I think the retcon is the idea of parents being a thing. All other characters have said new players just spawn in. The idea that you can have parents does not fit that lore. It is possible that maybe Seawatt's parents merely adopted a brand new player and raised him as they were older, more experienced players, but it would be the only example of that happening in Parkour Civilization as no other family units are brought up. At the end of the day it's just a weird plot point that could have been just his friends dying in the layer instead of parents that brings up many questions about how it works.
It's like Moon Channel promising a video on Korean gacha games, but first starting with half an hour of the origins of Korea and it's earliest cultural stems
I think the issue you mentioned where everyone in an SMP wants to be the main character is alleviated in [REDACTED] SMP. No one feels like the main character but they all feel like protagonists of their own story that is taking place at the same time as everyone else's. I personally would really recommend it. It's in my opinion the best scripted smp. Also if you like Minecraft art I recommend Zeemyth his stuff goes beyond traditional Minecraft content and elevates it to a form of art in a way that most others don't.
@@dylratner Stuff like moments where his commentary is interrupted by in game moments as if he's reacting to them in real time, the logic of these being videos by a youtuber should be meaning he can control what the viewer sees via editing, the fact that in his getting lost in the mansion video he doesn't decide at one point to take a break from the computer or quit out of the world. Essentially, the narrative feels weird when juxtaposed with the fact that this is supposed to be in the same game we all play with our friends on the two week servers.
i think the idea of clownpierce as pure evil, the final boss, could be done well. lord english from homestuck, death from puss in boots, heavy from emesis blue. the essence of death and brute force behind a shell of humanity. it works if the portrayal is evocative. regardless, i think clown's role in parkour civilization undermined the depth of his character, his straightforward villainous persona undermines the fact that he and evbo are the first two characters to share a love of parkour (some read this as a metaphor for a love of art), but his love is for parkour races, a form of parkour (or art) that is done with the purpose of killing. a good comparison is the boy and the heron, but it's different because the boy and the heron does not have a neutral artist as a foil.
I really liked the analysis in this video. And so I'm also gonna tell ya about one of my favorite series which is a semi-scripted minecraft Let's Play series made by "MrLololoshka" and his team, it's a Russian channel with over 10 million subscribers, and they basically have been making a series of Let's Plays with over 500+ episodes for about 3-4 years now, it's a 1 global story that is basically made by a bunch of people for 1 person (the youtuber himself) to play and enjoy (and well, record and upload videos of it to the channel lol). MrLololoshka himself doesnt know the script so he's basically like us, the viewers but instead of watching he's the one to play and interact with the characters and environment in the story. It has english subtitles so i recommend checking it out, i have never seen anybody else make something simillar to his (their) content, so it is pretty special i would say, hah. To the people that read this comment, have a good day/night!
Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm very happy to hear that someone enjoyed this video enough to share it, and that you managed to get something out of it too!
Brilliant video! My favorite is and will probably always be the early Dream SMP, but that is largely due to nostalgia. Good job at making an almost hour long Minecraft video while always having something important to say. Like you said, those are rare to come by.
HAHAHAHAHAHA thank you! I'm glad you thought my analysis here was somewhat salient, if nothing else, and that you picked up on the self-deprecating tone of that aside!
A brilliant video, one thing holding this new wave of videos back, there are a lot more like Whitepine (Faces in the sky, 00 - The Fool, Ancient Debris, *self-plug alert*), is it being shelved as "Minecraft Roleplays" or worse Machinimas. We need a new name for this new wave of videos for it to grow on its own. My contendor for the name is "Minema" (Minecraft + Cinema). Its a very well-made video. Unlike other video essays on Minecraft content this video is such a fresh take. It gives a feeling of hope. That maybe Minecraft isnt dying at all, that maybe the golden age of Minecraft is yet to arrive.
This comment is gonna be a long one but I'd like to talk about two hugely successful Scripted Minecraft series from the past and how they nearly changed how stories were told in Minecraft. First is SamGladiator and the Yandere High School series, honestly some of the jokes in this series nowadays were definitely not for kids and at least the first season is rarely scripted. You talked about some of Unstable Universe being filler and I'd say Yandere High School has a lot of it which makes it difficult to rewatch. The enjoyment of Yandere High School largely comes from the natural funny interactions between Sam, Taurtis, Grian, and the rest of the characters. The eventual dissolution of those relationships eventually led to the series dying in later seasons though. The few story beats that did exist were actually pretty solid and made me feel emotion, at least as a kid. The biggest minecraft roleplay youtuber of all time to this day is Aphmau, I largely saw MyStreet season 1 as the footage showcase here but the way it and by extension the highschool MyStreet series evolved over time was very impressive as a viewer back then. The story took itself seriously, had character arcs, used animation, had amazing and changing settings (especially Season 2 and 4) and had long term arcs. It's not exactly my kind of genre nowadays but it feels like the highest minecraft roleplay was ever taken to its limits, at least before whitepine according to what you're saying about it. (I haven't seen it yet) Aphmau also started several other series but the issue from what I know is that they simply weren't as profitable, the stuff Aphmau was doing especially towards the end of MyStreet definitely required over a dozen people to work on things simultaneously, eventually Aphmau found success with far easier content and that's what's propelled her to her position today. I get why the change happened but as a viewer it felt like a void was left for storytelling in minecraft, which of course only intensified between 2017-2018. Because of this when Minecraft was revived the new standard for storytelling as you said was pretty much defined by the DreamSMP. I'm sure a few youtubers back then evolving in certain ways could've eventually lead to a far more thriving storytelling scene but that's in the past, at least now in the future there's a chance that Minecraft Storytelling can reach the peaks it once did, It's been nice to see people taking some aspects of Evbos Parkour Civilization serious at least. (also I'll just mention Slimecicles 100 days Zombie Apocalypse has pretty great storytelling as well) I had a ton of thoughts on this and now felt like the perfect time to get them out. Its great to see you return, some of your documentaries inspired me years ago and I'm glad they're back, I agree with this videos message and good luck to anyone who wants to make their own Minecraft stories. :)
Thanks so much for sharing such an incredibly detailed and thorough perspective on the tradition of Minecraft storytelling! I definitely agree that Yandere High and Aphmau cast a really long shadow in the genre- one of my major concerns with this video was that the lens of analogy through which I examined the history of scripted Minecraft content was that it was too reductive and not detailed/thorough enough. It means a lot to hear that even my older works were able to provide you with inspiration in some small form or fashion, and I appreciate the kind words more than you can ever know.
@@FrostbyteFreeman ok so i drafted a giant reply and it just didn't send, so tldr: I loved the visual direction of Whitepine, everything from the cinematography to the aspect ratio, but the story wasn't my cup of tea. One scene I love from Whitepine is the end of ep 1 where i think the show perfectly encapsulated what ivory was feeling in that moment and was a scene with nice buildup ur video gave me shivers at 35:25 with that line delivery And I recommend godis's video "Who Killed Minecraft Man" i think ud like it
You mentioning that everyone in an SMP wants to be the main character made me think again about Techno's place in the DreamSMP. Because while he was like, a major character, you wouldn't call him the main character. That was always Tommy. But neither Techno nor his viewers wanted him to be a protagonist, we enjoyed him as an antagonist, a villain. Which isn't a role that most people would want (hell, Dream sure as heck didn't want it in the end), but Techno placed himself as always being at odds with anyone wanting to be a main character in that SMP, he was the destroyer of governments. The only "special" thing about him was that he was the single best player on the SMP, but did not have the ambition to use that fact to make himself the most important one. Anyway I guess I should watch Whitepine sometime, I just haven't really gotten round to it.
That's another thing that made his tenure as head writer special- he was content to play a part in the broader story, even if it wasn't always the most favorable. Really excellent points being made here in this comment, and I definitely recommend Whitepine. Thanks for sharing your perspective with me!
Someone made a skyblock civilization movie, and I LOVE the fact that kids can grow up watching these incredible story videos. However, that skyblock video had some plotholes and infuriating moments which I won't get into... But as I watched and yelled at the screen, I realized, holy crap, I'm actually invested in this. They tricked me into enjoying scripted minecraft content!!!! But I guarantee there'll be more vids like that and I'm SO excited for them. I love how the future of mc yt content looks right now.
If you're talking about the one I think you're talking about then I get where you're coming from. Honestly, I think Joofy's long form vids are the definition of filler sometimes. He mostly shines in his shorter vids that mostly focus on him getting bullied and getting revenge or getting screwed over in the end. He's got so much potential that if he had Evbo_'s focus he would surpass him in no time. In the meantime, we at least always have joll and conk for peak fiction in minecraft storytelling.
Funny that I now look back at the Yogscast's Shadow of Israphel & adjacent series and recognise so clearly the dreamlike haze in which I understood what it actually was (or rather, didn't) at such a young age, and yet I can still sit here and be shocked to learn that Technoblade didn't exist carving out his own space on the periphery of the larger narrative but as an author. Because of course he was. I always felt like I was watching someone mess about while the larger thing went on but of course it was always central. Something incredibly moving about seeing that last example with its framing and consideration - I was involved as a writer for something momentarily intended to be staged in Minecraft once upon a time, and I never imagined it could look as clear or purposeful as it does there. I suppose my favourite would be another one from youth, the Jaffa Factory series, where maybe I was aware of its nature a little more but so interested in the technical side (and represented by the fact that almost all of them knew nothing either) that it didn't much matter.
Thanks so much for commenting, dude! Glad to hear that on a personal level my analysis was able to somewhat encapsulate your thoughts on the form- like I said, the tools to enable the utilization of Minecraft as a storytelling medium have become so much more sophisticated in the last few years alone, and yet the potential of the form has still remained largely untapped.
@@FrostbyteFreeman after having now gone to check out WhitePine 1, I can only now properly understand the need for a video highlighting exactly this. I spent the whole time unable to shift my eyes - how the feeling and atmosphere of any single moment has been achieved is remarkable. Great video & I'm really enjoying your return!
Dreamlike Haze is the most perfect definition I'd use to describe watching that series as a child, and in a way most of their map or lab gameplays. This is a truly fascinating outlook, honestly. God bless ya and Jesus loves ya, man, thank you for your comment
I do think there's something to working within constraints. As long as it bends to the irony plague you're probably right about gameplay-based stories, but that's true for anything. Who wants a story its own author doesn't even believe in? To be honest I assumed there were lots of stories like Whitepine and I just didn't know about them because I wasn't looking. If Whitepine is really a new and rare concept it's depressing it took 15 years to get this far.
Oh, absolutely. I think you’re definitely right- don’t know if I articulated this well enough or not, but a big part of the charm of stories like Parkour Civilization is that it takes those constraints and hard-bakes them into the world in such a way that they no longer function like hard and fast restrictions. The irony plague is definitely a problem in storytelling and culture in general, though, not just Minecraft RUclips stuff. And as for Whitepine, there’s definitely a lot more projects with a similar philosophy nowadays, and even back in the day I’m sure there were plenty of roleplay-driven stories that approached a similar level of quality. My main goal there, though, was to underscore how Ivory is pushing Minecraft to the brink as a filmmaking medium by using a lot of newly developed tools and mods that have really democratized the space and made it that much easier for stuff like Whitepine to be made in the first place. I personally think you’re right that the space hasn’t really come all that far yet in the grand scheme of things, but hey, long ways to go yet, yeah? Thanks for commenting.
In my opinion, Parrot’s unstable series was really enjoyable to watch and I don’t see a problem with it. In fact, I don’t see a problem with scripted content in general. The problem for me only comes when the videos are not clear about it being scripted and fake elements of it. But overall, scripted content is really entertaining for me.
I wish I could get into unstable. It just feels so dragged out sometimes with big fights that go on forever with no one dying and that cycle repeating several times every half hour. Ironically, for me, if the server was life steal instead of hardcore then there might have been actual stakes because people could die and face consequences without it being the end of the line for them.
This feels like it used to be better. Back in the day, proper filmmaking in video games was called machinimas. I feel like people are just looking in the wrong direction. As a child I used to watch a lot of machinima channels that did full on tv series (which I'd rather not mention here because uh... I definitely do not want to promote russian channels lol). Whitepine is by every single vibe and definition specifically a machinima.
Only thing I can see wrong with what you said about Whitepine is the difference between it being a Minecraft film, and a film WITHIN minecraft. Saying Whitepine is related to Minecraft is like saying that The Two Towers is an Arriflex 435 movie. It devalues the idea of it being just...a movie, by intrinsically tying it TO Minecraft, when its SO MUCH MORE than just that. I know that's kind of what you are saying, but the title reflects something ENTIRELY different. Whitepine is art made WITH Minecraft. Not in it. It uses the natural strengths and limitations to create genuine art.
I feel like there isn't that much of a distinction between saying "Whitepine is art made WITH Minecraft" and "Whitepine is art made IN" Minecraft- you're drawing out this very tenuous tension between our perspectives and contentions that doesn't actually exist, because I completely agree with you. An animated movie exists within the medium of animation; is it inaccurate to refer to Minecraft as a medium in a similar fashion? I don't think it is, anyways.
Sure! Here's a corrected version of your text: When I heard that Efbo was now making a PvP Civilization, I started joking about how we should make a parody called Speedrun Civilization. But then, as I actually started writing it, I realized I wanted to take it seriously. I wanted to create a story worth telling, a story worth hearing. I hope I’ll be able to make this with my friends and that it doesn’t end up becoming just another unfinished project, because I genuinely want to make something good.
The ancient Rome bit reminded me of those clips of matpat going "Ancient pyramits have the symbols representing the stars of this particular constellation, Five nights at fredd-" lol
Zeemyth is to me another amazing contender for scripted Minecraft content. Whilst he does lean into an ARG style in his videos, nonetheless, even without needing to analyse and decode any ciphers, riddles, or links, you can always still see An amazing story and amazing execution, all in Minecraft.
IMO my biggest issue is this play between script and roleplay. people can feel when stuff are pre-scripted, and it makes it just awkward. the creators need to either go past the theatre line, fully script it, make it FEEL like a story, or go full DND mode, have one person who architect the story instead of playing in it, and a small cast of players who go on the adventure, act a pre chosen role, but given full freedom to act as they think fit the character, then when the story is done, maybe re-shoot some parts for the story's sake, but keep everything really natural, make it FEEL like you're watching a real DND adventure.
I mean part of the issue could be that a majority of these scripted stuff involves having characters that are literally more of a pastiche of their real life personality.
There's kind of an interesting point with content SMP. After I started watching multiple creators perspectives I realised just how different a story could seem depending on perspective. At least some of that is definitely because of the constraints of content making and needing to act like you're the main character so you're video works well, but I think it's also (perhaps unintentionally) a pretty interesting example of how perspective shapes how we see events, which I think is well exemplified by the sentiment "in content SMP there are no heroes" which I often see in the community.
I think that's a pretty valid point! The Dream SMP was definitely the most extreme example of that protagonist-centric problem within the form, and Content SMP suffers from it to a much lesser extent, but I mentioned it (very briefly, and without much nuance mind you) simply to indicate that a new version of the same problem still exists to this day.
Interestingly the Hungarian minecraft youtube community made a few, hour long movies using the game around 6-8 years ago. They even had a brief theatrical run in some smaller cinemas in the country. (they're still up on youtube on a channel titled MineCinema)
I stopped my entire channel for a lot of the reasons you touched in this video. I felt like the videos I actually wanted to make would perform so poorly they were pointless so I would unlist them - yet idk, I guess this video inspired me a lot. Nobody should stop being creative simply because of the performance.
I'm sorry you felt compelled to abandon your creative aspirations simply because of algorithmic concerns. Even if your passion has faded and you no longer want to make videos, if nothing else, you owe it to yourself to let your work stand on its own two feet. I unlisted a lot of my old videos too, because I was embarrassed by their low quality, but when you create a thing, you let it go, and it belongs to the world. Your creations deserved a chance, and I'm sorry they didn't get one. Thank you for commenting, and I'm glad this video helped inspire you, at least a little.
a German Minecraft RUclipsr I've watched since I was a kid often made cinematic creations in Minecraft. Some were Minecraft stories he was telling, others were wholey original His name is HerrBergmann
This was an awesome video! it really inspired me to take a more critical look at this space and maybe make something of my own eventually. my favorite scripted minecraft story by far has to be the Colinlock16 continuity made by Oneshef. it started out as a satire of spooky minecraft arg's but slowly branched out into its own thing, incorporating animated segments and more complex world building as the series goes on while still calling back to its roots and showing a genuine love for arg/creepypasta like stories.
Thank you! I'm glad you appreciated my analysis, and that this video inspired you to regard the art you engage with through a more critical lens! I wish you the best of luck with your future creative endeavors.
Gosh darn it, as an artist myself (not a RUclipsr nor a content creator), this video reasoned with me a lot more than what I thought, even though I don't make Minecraft videos or anything like (although I do enjoy them a lot). Something I adore about these Minecraft content creators is their creativity when making stories, and the ways they use the medium of Minecraft to make it possible. It's just that a lot of time their potential is wasted or unexplored (Parkour Civilization 😔), perhaps because sometimes they haven't acquired the experience needed to make it, but I feel like that most of the time is just like what you said during the video, they are scared pushing further it's story because they don't want to be deemed as cringe by others due to the medium the use. Minecraft is a very powerful tool for storytelling with thousands of mods at its disposal and community people passionate about it, but I feel like the problem comes with how other people outside the community view it. Most of the time these people's only see these scripted or roleplay videos as something childish/cringe or something that only kids can enjoy it (exploiting it for that same reason and only viewing it as a tool for making money), therefore disregarding it's potential for art and filmmaking, and making the people who wants to use it that way be embarrassed for trying to make something serious out of it. But no matter how cringe a story is, as long as they put effort and passion towards it, I will alway enjoy it and support them, because as any other artistic person, we can always learn and improve our crafts. And to be honest I am very glad that there are other people who think like that as well, because Minecraft (as I stated previously) is an amazing tool for making up stories, and I'm so glad that there are people who aren't afraid to show their creations to the world through it! (Lmao sorry if something reads weird, english is not my first language and I didn't know how to explain my thoughts in a coherent way without making it sound weird xD)
I thought this comment was very articulate, and I'm glad this video resonated with you on such a deeply personal level! Thank you for your comment, and for sharing your passion for Minecraft as a storytelling medium with me, too! I appreciated the perspective.
just finished the video- unironically top 10 yap sessions posted to this site phenomenal work, you just *get it* in a way I could never put into words, man. eagerly waiting to see what else you put together. i fw this heavy
What a well crafted analysis video! I started watching, fearing that this was going to be one of those lackluster videos that didn’t offer any actual analysis, but BOY HOWDY I AM SO GLAD I'M WRONG! If I had to recommend a Minecraft scripted roleplay to get into, especially after the breath of fresh air that is Whitepine, I would highly recommend Azora by The Invisible Davis studios, in conjunction with Queen Kat Productions! It's a cinematic, original fantasy roleplay with high stakes, mysteries, and some mature themes all wrapped in its 8 episode run. Its on hiatus now, but Davis and Kat are revamping the series and may have more info on what it looks like soon!
Glad I was able to disprove your preconceived notions about my work, and that you found my analysis at least somewhat salient- that's a very kind compliment, and I appreciate it so much! I'll definitely take your recommendation into account, too, since I'm always on the lookout for more high quality storytelling within the form! Thanks again for leaving a comment, I really appreciated hearing your perspective and getting to see a little more about your tastes when it comes to Minecraft storytelling through the recommendation you gave!
That's what I find most frustrating of all. The builds, concepts, and set pieces are very well crafted on a technical level. What I don't find as compelling is the execution, and the way these set pieces are employed within the narrative.
I absolutely loved the video! Scripted minecraft stories were and still are my bread and butter. It's crazy because, as you said in the video, when I tell people that I was a Minecraft Diaries, Dream Smp, Qsmp, and civilizations fan, well... I'm basically a huge cringe nerd in their eyes. But thats never stopped me because I am fascinated by stories being told through different mediums. I feel the same way about animation and amateur animation on RUclips. The fact that someone can hone a craft to use it as a storytelling device is incredible to me. I would be remiss to say, though, that I just watch the video to go down memory lane. You always have an insight that's fascinating and well articulated. Frankly, I want to pick your brain on thousands of topics because I know I'll be captivated the whole time. With that being said, there is one point I disagree on in the video. I think that there is charm still in minecraft role-playing hinges on the mechanics of the game to create parameters of the story. For example, gravity in the game doesn't apply to a handful of things. If someone were to come up with an explanation for that, the world building (pun intended) would be inriched for it. But I understand that when you spoke on being limited to minecraft centric role-playing, the story suffers. I don't want to see manhunt content, but I do want to see people creating myths about the end or the nether. I want respawn mechanics to hurt the player and have in world consequences for the character and the story. I hope I make sense. I'm not the most well-spoken, especially when I'm sleepy. Great video! I'm glad you're here on the platform❤
I actually think this comment was incredibly well-articulated, and I totally agree! There definitely is charm to Minecraft stories that embrace the game as such, and as I speculated, that's part of what made Parkour Civilization so endearing to so many in spite of its flaws. The vision you outlined here is the direction I wish more Minecraft storytelling would take, honestly. And if a story does choose to remain within the confines of the game, I'd rather it be out of its election to do so, rather than the assumption that there isn't an alternative- because it's this dogma I find most problematic within the form. Glad you appreciated my absentminded rambling, and thanks again for commenting!
i love cinematic "scripted" minecraft and i fully intend on creating something of my own. minecraft is just such an easy way to express a story, whitepine is a great example of that. another good example is Twisted Rainbow by FavreMySabre. while the story may not make much sense to people who hadn't watched its predecessor "the steve saga", it's still a very enjoyable series to watch and is pretty interesting to see how sabre developed his cinematic skills throughout the episodes, going from first person scripted content (something similar to parkour civilisation) to something resembling an anime.
Thanks for the comment and the recommendation. I appreciated getting to see your perspective on the matter of Minecraft storytelling, and I wish you the very best with your future storytelling endeavors!
I love this video. This was where I really understood other people's perspective on their opinion about these tales. Out of all these parts, what stood out for me the most is your insight for parrot. As a person who hates cliff hangers, it felt like Parrot's stories were like something for me to watch before going to sleep. It's long in a way that it keeps me watching. I never knew if they were ever really connected; but once I realized it wasn't, there was nothing for me to hold on yet the CONTENT itself. I enjoyed the one where they were trying to find spoke, and the other one where they were stuck in proton, since it had the endings I didn't expect of. There was also another hour long story that was made by Planetlord and him. It was short yet entertaining like it should be. Parrot's stories were like "tales of the untold" from the dream smp, yet longer and dragged out. Parkour civilization really had progression, and went pretty well. As from what I know, Evbo has a new series called pvp civilization which is somehow similar to parkour civilization. Whitepine is a series of mystery, which was a new concept for me; looking at Ivory's film making and the music she composed already meant that she had what it took to be what she wanted to portray. Overall, this was a video that I truly agreed with. All of these works are amazing, having the passion to make these with a mind full of vivid ideas, and portraying these out of a blocky game.
Thank you so much for the comment and the kind words, I'm very happy to hear that you appreciated my perspective on the matter! And I totally agree with your analysis on Parrot's work, too- the quasi-episodic structure feels like narrative fence-sitting, and I just wish he'd pick a lane because a lot of the concepts and core ideas could be super compelling if he just honed his craft.
Actually, this is a really good question. I wrote it off on first glance, but Hermitcraft is in a really interesting spot. There's a few things that were obviously scripted, some that might be, and the majority that almost certainly isn't. I think the best instance of Hermitcraft scripting might be: "Is the moon big?" They all knew the event was happening, but everyone had their own authorial spin on things. Doc and Ren had a completely different ending to those who leapt into the Boatem Hole. Hermitcraft is, after all, a group of people making videos to entertain the masses and earn a living, but it's also somehow a group of friends just hanging out and playing Minecraft. Forgve me if I"m wrong, as I have little experience with any other forms of scripted Minecraft content and/or SMPs, but that feels like something special. To summarize: Huh, good question. I'm curious about Frostbyte's thoughts on HC too.
@@roguewolven there is a TON of scripted minecraft in HermitCraft. Take this season, BDubs is a Civil Court Judge that encourages server members to sue each other. They may make the decisions kind of on the fly on who is suing who, but they're scripting the story. The bad acting, thorough setups, active RP from a huge portion of the community and BDubs own way of editing the footage does transcend the game into actual entertainment/art. This season is especially good, but they've been doing this content since the LogFellows and NHO. It's the best blend of scripted and LP Minecraft on RUclips. But it's also just some people playing Minecraft on an SMP that do huge, ridiculous builds with awesome redstone and game breaking bugs. They've even broken the 4th wall about this, specifically in the civil war arc (which includes RAP BATTLES, Jesus it's so stupid and amazing) where they explained to viewers about what role play is and how it's cool among friends.
That's a very interesting question! Definitely one that I have a lot of thoughts on, and a subject too demanding to occupy much space in this already monstrously long video, so you'll have to forgive the omission on my part. The mutually agreed-upon narrative conceits of Season 8 and the beginning of Season 9 occur at a really fascinating space in the history of the genre for me- so close in proximity to the heyday of some other popular bastions of scripted Minecraft content that it's impossible to ignore that kind of coincidence. This was a server in its eighth season, after all, and as the numbers kept climbing higher, it was only natural that the Hermits would want to experiment and explore to see what Hermitcraft could be. For me, though, I find the Hermitcraft scripted stuff most interesting not within the broader context of scripted Minecraft storytelling, but rather within the context of Hermitcraft itself. Even after the Hermits started to tone down the unified, shared lore stuff, there was a greater emphasis on experimental storytelling through base building, and this season, with everyone so close together on the map, there's been a real concerted effort at keeping their theming cohesive and remaining a close-knit community. Definitely something I'd want to talk about at length to actually capture my thoughts appropriately, though, so apologies if it doesn't all come across here in this little blurb. Excellent question, and again, thanks so much for commenting!
You're absolutely right! I think Hermitcraft's approach is very special, and I totally agree that the stylistic choice to give everyone the authorial autonomy to write their own ending to the same series of events produced some very fascinating results. There's a really excellent animation- by chrisrin, I believe, off the top of my head- that really encapsulates what I find so compelling about the Season 8 conclusion (just search up Hermitcraft Let's See How Far We've Come or something to that effect if you haven't seen it already). Thanks so much for the comment and insight, I really do appreciate it!
@@OrionsVantage Honestly, yeah, great points. Most of the big events on the server seem scripted to some extent. Cub's takeover as higher management for the permit office, to pluck another example from this season. I love Hermitcraft, I really do. It's so cool. You can tell it's a group of friends hanging out and telling stories. Extra bonus points that we get all the wonderful videos of them just playing Minecraft and randomly engaging one another. The proximity voice chat was especially huge for that. Ah, but I'm rambling.
Had to sneak the boy in there somehow! Glad you caught the Frostbyte Freeman deep cut, advanced ball knowledge required to understand that one. Glad this video gave you an excuse to give Whitepine a shot, too. I really appreciate your comments as always, and getting to hear your perspective on the medium was really nice, too! Kind words like these mean more than you can ever know.
Really interesting analysis. I’m wondering what your thoughts were on quackity‘s last couple of dsmp lore streams because those felt really much closer to movies than the rest of the dsmp. Being fully pre recorded and with cinematic angles and stuff. Also the plot about Q teaching Slime how to be human in a way which revealed c!quackity’s warped world view and slimes apparently innocent questions gently poking holes in q‘s way of thinking. That shit was so good. They seem to be much closer to what the video says makes good scripted Minecraft content. Though maybe you haven’t watched them?? Which probably makes sense since by the time they came out the dsmp was definitely declining.
Yeah by around that point I was starting to become completely disconnected from Minecraft and the surrounding community entirely, as my very spotty upload history will show. That's a very interesting argument, though, and I did have some inkling of an idea that Quackity's lore streams were trending in a more cinematic direction. And while as an isolated example it's a very interesting case, within the broader context of the Dream SMP there's still the overarching problem of how it slots into everything else, I fear- stuff like that still runs the risk of getting lost in all the noise. Thanks for the comment, though, and for letting me know!
19:47 this point is actually incredibly relevant to me right now, my friends and i recently watched the green mile together and it quickly became one of my all time favorite movies, but whenever i mention that my friends go “yea but its SOO LOOONG”, but i don’t think that counts as a “critique” because it effectively uses every second of that run time, a piece of media being long isn’t inherently a bad thing, it just has to justify that length
keeping it so real, i clicked on this video expecting C-tier brainrot (mainly because most minecraft metacommentary videos are heavily drama-centric), but i'm halfway through and im blown away by how critically these stories are being analyzed. You're taking these thoughts ive had swirling as an unabashed Minecraft kid and distilling them in this academic thesis and i gotta applaud you for that. Approaching minecraft rp as an art and as legitimate storytelling is a step i really respect this video for taking. overall, this is turning out to be a sincerely well researched video essay, and it will be going into my list of recommendations. You've got some seriously good media literacy and video production skills. I like what you have to say! subscribing for brain nourishment 👍
HAHAHAHAHAHA thank you so much! In this endless sea of rot and mere consumption, being called a source of nourishment is the highest honor one can receive. I'm glad you found my analysis to be at least somewhat insightful, if nothing like this- kind words like these mean more than you can ever possibly know!
I'm currently writing a story and this video shows me that I'm possibly going in the right direction with what I have in mind, thanks for finally showing me that it can be more than just another project in the pile.
i know nothing about you or your videos but this was so well made and you care so much about the topic that i'm subscribing. you've reeled me in, damnit.
I found your channel through your this is honestly the best minecraft video essay i have ever seen i found your channel through your 'bdubs is the goat video' and your videos are actually amazing and there is more room fore content like yours. Hope you keep making videos man, you deserve to go places. Also, can't wait to see your video on white pine you truly inspired me with this video
Thank you so much! That's seriously so kind of you to say- glad you found me from this most recent run, and that you've sincerely been enjoying my stuff! Praise this weighty means the world to me :)
I think a MASSIVE part of the future of minecraft storytelling is the mod flashback, you can genuine make some INSANELY good cinema stuff by using it. It's like replay mod but designed for making cinematic stuff
Absolutely! I didn't present this as clearly as I should have in the video, but Flashback and a lot of other recent tools developed for creatives working within Minecraft have made storytelling more easily accessible than ever, and it's only a matter of time to see if those tools actually get put to use.
I got into your channel with the *AMAZING* Bdubs video and damn, you really don't keep disappointing with these excellent and complicated hour-long video essays! Sad that I didn't know of you before that. Also, about the video itself... Comparing scripted Minecraft roleplay videos to playwrighting instead of cinematography is... Strangely genius, I really haven't thought of that before, that's really true! There's barely any editing in most of them if you look at it, just different setpieces the characters act in. That's the main charm of them I'd say, and the lower tail end of editing is in my opinion definitely superior to that of the hyperactive brain-frazzing attentiongrab editing of most modern MC content, but either way it's certainly an excellent comparison that I've failed to draw.
Guys be making the most Amazing, awesome, storytelling, personal, emotional, documental, dramatic, scientific video just for it to be about a block game roleplaying
i think unstable universe has improved SO MUCH over the time that it's been made, when i watched the first video of his on unstable, i enjoyed it, though didn't enjoy it as much as his older videos before he went to scripted content, and the views the video had reflects that most people probably thought the same. his 2nd video, though not perfect, i think was a great improvement. I loved watching it, though i would still only watch it at 30-60 minutes at a time, and looking back at it, it did lack a huge part that made it a story, and not just interesting and entertaining things only trying to be a scripted minecraft video. I think his most recent video changed that. it was definitely one of the best minecraft videos i have seen, and a HUGE improvement from the rest. it's crazy to me how much they've already improved in a few months. it's definitely not the quality of some big movie, but i think it's proof that there's been a consistent improvement in the videos over time. I think one of the things i love about unstable is that they stay to the base survival-mode of the game, it's interesting to me seeing them have creative concepts, while still sticking to the boundaries of what's possible in the actual game. I also don't quite understand the criticism for it sticking to that, because you could say the same for most things. if it's a negative to stick to Minecraft survival and be creative and tell stories in that, why isn't it a negative to stick to Minecraft as a whole?
13:45 ??? that one never happend? Tommy never became friends with Dream post Exhile, there wasnt a storyline like that. (at worst there were explicitly non canon moments) DSMP spoilers below: It went Exhile -> Tommy lives at Technos (Tommy is hiding from Dream) -> Doomsday (tommy is against Dream) -> Disc fight (Tommy vs Dream) -> Prison (Tommy is against Dream and gets killed by Dream) -> Prison break (Tommy is still against Dream) -> Ending (Tommy is still against Dream, then they get blown up by nukes) (Other then that ... yeah crititisms of main character syndrome thing are very spot on)
One of my favorites, and a slightly less-known project, is the Herobrine Origins universe from Elite Productions (now rebranded as EP Films). Admittedly, the first couple episodes don't have the best production, and there is definitely a strong "homage" element in part 1, but in my opinion, the series peaks with "Herobrine Origins: The Movie" which is a more polished version of the first 3 episodes. I also really like the prequels and spinoffs such as "BRINE," "entity_303," and "Lick." Their last episode, Herobrine Origins Part IV, does lean a bit too much into the spectacle and homage qualities in my opinion, but it's still a solid ending to the story and universe. Definitely worth a watch for anyone who hasn't seen it. I'd suggest starting with Herobrine Origins: The Movie and then branching out into the prequels and spinoff films.
Sounds interesting! Always curious to see how people's personal artistic interpretations of a major part of the Minecraft mythos like Herobrine differ from one another. I'll have to give it a chance, then- thanks so much for the comment and the suggestion!
Sublime analysis! I hope to see (and perhaps create) more films like Whitepine that utilize Minecraft as its canvas, as it feels like we've barely even made our way of the cave, to use another Greek allegory.
Good analogy! I definitely agree that Minecraft as a medium has been sorely underutilized, and I'm excited to hopefully see that change! I'm glad you thought my analysis was at least somewhat salient, too- thank you for the comment!
This is why my favourite minecraft smp is the life series smp. Theres usually no clear villian or hero, the winners win almost at random (thought there might be a little buy of scripting from preventing the same hermit from winning twice) and nothing is dramatized. The suspense and emotions come naturally, and because of that it actually suprises you. The audience is allowed to make their own story.
I’ve watched Ivorys stuff since she was known as mythrodak, So seeing whitepine mentioned makes me happy, Really enjoyed the video. Keep up the great work!
I have a big dream of creating my own story through minecraft someday. Since i was a kid i would play the game and create narratives to my gameplays in head. Im commited to it but i dont really know where to start, plus i have some other issues, for example that english isnt my first language, and while actively talking i make mistakes. Im trying to figure that out, and i hope that one day ill manage to tell a story through this beloved game of mine! Besides, that was a really great video! I recently watched whitepine, and i was so so so much impressed by it so ill definitely come back for the video about it.
That's so cool! There's never been a better time to try your hand at storytelling through Minecraft, with so many new tools, mods, and creative capabilities within the game itself to accentuate your storytelling! The best way to begin is by beginning. Figure out the story you want to tell through your gameplay, and the rest can follow from there! Even if your English isn't perfect, and you can't perfectly recreate the ideas you have inside your head on the first try, who said your first try had to be perfect anyways? I wish you the best of luck with your creative endeavors, and thank you so much for sharing your dream with me!
I feel like Parrot’s videos are like Hallmark movies for Minecraft players Like I appreciate the time and effort put into them, especially the builds, but they all feel tailor made to appease the algorithm and get as much views and watch time as possible I do hope to see them improve in their storytelling and whatnot though I’d love to watch more of Parrots videos once they become more than glorified background noise ^v^ (I swear that wasn’t meant to be an insult ;-;)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh, my sides. That first line absolutely decimated me. You're so right, and you should say it- I totally agree that there's a lot of undeniable craft and artistry poured into the builds and set-pieces, but it's the way those set pieces are employed within the broader context of the narrative that leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. The problem is in the execution, and I find the execution itself to be insipid and pandering. I didn't think this was insulting, I think it was exactly accurate and I completely concur. Thanks so much for a good laugh and a really great comment! I appreciate getting insight into your own perspective on the matter, too!
Whitepine to me feels like something that would air over a course of a few weeks on the BBC years ago, and then never be heard of until a mysterious DVD release years later.
Y'know, I clicked on this video somewhat cynically, I expected a video that failed to justify its 50 minute runtime. I expected a video that failed to keep me engaged throughout its duration. I expected a video that failed to sincerely engage with its subject, I expected a video complaining about these videos being too cringe. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that every single one of those expectations was wrong. Your scriptwriting skills are phenomenal, and you manage to come across as thoughtful and sophisticated without coming across as pretentious or snooty. You sincerely and honestly engaged with these pieces on their own terms, and encouraged them to be better. To embrace the illusion of the cringe, to allow sincerity to defeat the false need of conformity. This was a great watch and well worth my time. I'm looking forward to whatever you put out next.
Thank you so much for the seriously kind words! I'm glad you found my analysis at least somewhat salient- comments like these mean more than you can ever know.
if you ever want to expand on this topic in a future video, maybe a part 2, "godispasen" actually has two videos similar to scripted minecraft content, with the majority of it actually being full fledged, cartoon-style animations using mine-a-mator. Really suggest checking some of his stuff out.
I really hate scripted minecraft content especially when its not instantly clear it is scripted very happy that atleast unstable universe puts it in the description some of the things that happen in smps seem kinda unbelivable to me its very unclear if a lot of the popular smps are secretly partially scripted
Because it's an hour long and I only uploaded it like three hours ago. Thank you so much for the comment, though, I'm sincerely happy to hear you enjoyed it!
There was a roleplay I forgot a long time ago… a zombie apocalypse one. At first it was single player and used custom NPCs. I remember the protagonist sacrificing himself in an explosion to save his friends/family. Then he came back in the next season with a chip on his shoulder. He killed an innocent man whose kids were surrounded by a horde stuck in an old McDonald’s. I also remember one quote: “Holy shit! He just dropped those kids like a sack of potatoes!” If anyone knows this rp and what happened to it, please reply and tell me, even if you only remember a little. It’d be nice to finally know how it ended after all these years.
Ive been thinking of making a video like this for so long, its something thats bothered me so much recently and seeing this was a nice breath of fresh air. I think Parkour Civilization is an especially pertinent example because it has all the makings of a decent or even good story but is held back by its adherence to the medium and painful insistence on a monotobe voiceover to deliver the plot instead of just showing us the story. There is very little direction or artistic choices made which holds it back so much from what it could be. As someone whos been watching Ivory for years Ive always seen her as a diamond in the rough even back when she was just making prison break videos she managed to show artistic skills and I really hope that the moderate success of whitepine causes a change in the minecraft content space. Minecraft isnt just a game, its an art form!!!!
Yes! I completely agree with all of this- Parkour Civilization has a startling competent and simple story that caught me by surprise, but it's in the execution of that story where the series really stumbles for my money. Glad my analysis was the breath of fresh air you needed.
Surprised to see no mention of Aphmau and her Mystreet/Minecraft Diaries series! I'd argue she set the blueprint and these SMPs deviated.. Edit: Got to your conclusion and saw some! I heavily encourage you to watch the Minecraft Diaries series and give your thoughts!
I'm more disappointed to see no one in the comments talk about her at all Because some of the things Aphmau did with Minecraft are actually incredible - they even have their own mods It makes it especially disappointing that they decided to fully animate the entire next (last?) season of MyStreet especially after not giving any updates for years Saying that as someone who really wanted to make Minecraft roleplay content *because* of MyStreet when I was younger
I very briefly mentioned her in the first chapter of the video during the course of the history lesson, and some of the MyStreet stuff makes an appearance there too! One of my biggest concerns with this script was that I didn't paint a detailed enough picture of the past to give appropriate context for Minecraft storytelling as a discipline, but I definitely agree that she and others like her were initially the ones setting the paradigm for the genre, a paradigm that eventually shifted to favor a different type of storytelling/content. Hopefully that contention still comes through in the video, though. Thanks again for the comment, and for the recommendation too!
thats why all the videos that i make are non scripted, i think it has more personality and just unpredictableness if you do things that aren't scripted 🙏
I think if we are comparing minecraft scripts to movies, Parrot's is like popcorn movies. The ones like Marvel or London has Fallen. They focus on action and spectacle with not much deeper themes. Whitepine is more like Stanley Kubrick, with a lot more craftsmanship surrounding the art form. Parrot's videos are nice to turn off to. I grab some hot chocolate, some biscuits, watch Parrot and chill.
I don't think "turning off" is an appropriate way to engage with art, and if Parrot wants to make art (which he ostensibly does), he has to reckon with that. Also, Ivory's more in the vein of PTA than she is Kubrick. Ultimately, though, I agree with the broad conceits of your analogy- thanks for the comment and your insight!
That's where the point about the gladiatorial games comes in- those definitely weren't scripted, either, but at least from an outside perspective they follow a roughly preordained structure that's close enough for the content to be analogous in a crudely referential sense (i.e. in the prison video there's the preordained structure of the prison's investors coming to visit, what the players do within this structure is unscripted and unprompted but it still exists). Don't know if I articulated that well enough, though.
Whitepine makes me think of Horror Channels Zeemyth and Garfilled, where while they take their stories more seriously, the story being set within minecraft makes it have to align with minecraft, and then ergo the fact that the medium is a video game, and then in that that it's a video the person edits unto their channel.
oh no, the silly video I wanted to put on in the background became inspirational again.. I used to watch alot of videos from a guy named NewScapePro, I remember stumbling upon his Minecraft Fallout roleplay and just sticking with it. It was funny, and just very cozy. He made much more with the rest of his group, having some overlap with SkyDoesMinecraft before he waas ousted as a terrible human being, he sadly privated or deleted most of his older content, leaving only his Minecraft SCP series up, with also his other Fortnite stuff being up (Never watched those.). I still miss the fact that I cannot rewatch Minecraft Fallout in it's entirety, I did read that he was emberressed by his older content and that's why it isn't up, but it still is something I miss being able to go back to. As much as I can act like it isn't. Those silly little Minecraft Roleplays where a huge part of growing up.
HAHAHAHAHAHA thank you! I'm very glad this video was at least a little inspirational to you in some small form or fashion, and I completely understand what you mean when you say this sort of storytelling was a formative part of your youth!
The more interesting thing i believe about WhitePine, is it has a good bit of people from other things like clown. Like you mentioned you wished people did more with clown then just "the guy you gotta beat" and ivory has, sure at the minute his just a headmaster but its still more then most of the other scripted content hes in from an acting pov. Sure its mainly cuz its a whole diffrent acting scene, but i feel like it should still be noted
Yeah! Casting doesn't happen in a vacuum, and I find the way Ivory casts creators like actors to be super compelling personally. Definitely worthy of note, thanks for the comment!
One memory i have is me watching a let's play series back in like 2016 or something, I question in the comments why they introduce it as a lets play when the series is clearly a roleplay. The RUclipsr responded saying it was a lets play series. 3 video later starts to introduce it as a roleplay.
I personally think that content smp is really good, I am not entirely sure that it is scripted even though you gave it as an example of it. Some out of character comments they have made makes it sound like the battles and duels have actual story stakes, they may be planned to happen but have actual consequences
Yeah i think they try to script as little as possible, with as few people knowing about the scripted parts as possible - for instance, when mouthpiece (funny charter ghost guy) first appeared, rat litterally had no clue arathain was doing that. the only part of that which was scripted was that arathain told rat to go to the place under bonesburrow and break the effigy, but he didnt tell him what it would do. similar happens everywhere else - lux had no idea about the anchor, winsweep didnt know about the broken lesser divinity, etc. I'm fairly sure that the only significant thing that's actually scripted is when someone is permakilled by charter, to make sure they're fine with it lol
To me, it's sort of like the gladiator analogy I gave in the video- a lot of the events are spontaneous, but because everyone is making mods in advance, certain parts of the narrative must be "preordained" out of necessity. I'd contend this preordination is analogous to a kind of script, but if you don't buy this contention, I completely understand. I definitely don't think Content SMP is bad, either, I just thought that the concept was too complicated in of itself to take up more time within this video- maybe another time, perhaps?
@@FrostbyteFreemanI think that gladiator analogy is pretty good, one time one of the players after being jumped by mentioned that they thought the event was over, this just leads me to think that they plan times for something to happen but they don’t know what yet. And work the story around the outcome of the event
ok my original comment I'm pretty sure is too long for RUclips to comment bc it keeps saying returned error, so I'll just summarize it. ill put the google doc link to my full thoughts under this. This is a genre of content ive only just gotten back into and I've watched all of the examples in this video, so im going to respond to each chapter in no more than a paragraph. DSMP - I agree with what you said, after the l'manberg arc ended, everyone wanted to be the main character, everyone wanted the spotlight and their five minutes of fame and bc of that, the story suffered. The constantly branching plotlines led to just a huge, jumbled mess that made it basically inaccessible for newcomers and even us older fans found it hard to keep up. This isn't to say that the plotlines themselves were bad, I enjoyed a few of them, but it just so overwhelming to catch up again and again. I think that if the creators just worked together to incorporate all of their ideas into one cohesive overarching story that still let them do their own things, then maybe the server's story wouldn't have had to ended so lazily. Unstable Universe - I somehow also agree with most of the issues you mentioned with Parrot's series but there was something i disagreed with. Firstly, i don't think the series being limited to the constraints of the game mechanics is a bad thing. Even if the episodes are scripted and they do use creative to pull off the mega builds, i don't mind it having the facade of being vanilla because i think it just makes the dynamics between characters more compelling. Like they're all just friends who wanted to play minecraft together so when things go wrong, it feels more impactful. But this may just be a me thing. Parkour Civilization - you somehow managed to captured my thoughts about the story really well. I watched it before it got mega viral so I'm biased when it came to first impressions but yea overall its an actual good story. Simplicity is key, and Evbo pulled it off quite well. Similar to the point you made in the UU chapter, it being within the rules and limitations of the game isnt a bad thing imo and unlike UU Parkour Civilisation kinda has to remain within the realm of the game. Its whole concept revolves specifically around minecraft parkour, trying to change the rules of the game would be changing the parkour and ultimately the end product so it being vanilla is kinda mandatory. Whitepine - since you're gonna make a seperate vid on whitepine i'll hold my thoughts on the actual series till that vid drops but i want to talk about the implications of Whitepine's existence within this genre. Whitepine is an anomaly, like you said. Unlike the previous examples, its a lot more cinematic and serious in its storytelling and its very obvious a passion project. I'm not saying that the creators behind the other series dont care about their series, but it feels like ivory actually cares about the story being told. You can tell she pays attention to everything and her love for this medium is very prevalent. When you compare it to the other series in this video, WP easily outshines them in terms of presentation and artistic vision. Conclusion/Summary - I liked this video more than i expected, i went into this expecting to fully disagree but i actually agreed with most of the video. I honestly just want all of the creators in this video to just keep doing what they do, the only way they'll ever improve is if they try whether or not they'll succeed. In the immortal words of Evbo_ "Parkour isn't about making jumps, it's about getting up and trying again" or smth like that. Goddamn i did not expect this to be so long lmao, if anyone read this entire thing umm reply with a thumbs up emoji idk. Also i would love for you to make a video on minecraft args its another genre of mcyt i fucking love and need someone to make a video on. or i could do it myself but im lazy lol.
Thanks so much for all the detailed feedback you provided on this video! I'm glad you ended up mostly agreeing with my perspective in the end, and I'm really happy you could share your own perspective with me! I did briefly mention Minecraft ARG's at the end of this video, though I'd have to save that subject for a more thorough separate analysis, I'm afraid. If it's a subject you're really passionate about yourself, though, I'd encourage you to at least try to articulate your thoughts on the matter in video form! You never know- you might take a liking to it, and at the very least, it could be a fun exercise to share your passion and feelings with others, helping you to articulate all those complicated thoughts on the genre you've kept bottled up! 👍
@@FrostbyteFreeman oh damn I didn't expect to get a reply thanks man. I've never really done anything sort of video analysis stuff before so I have no idea if I'll be any good at it. I've been wanting to try for a very long time but the idea of it just seems so daunting. Who knows maybe I will in the future. I'm glad you liked my comment it was mainly just me rambling about the genre and the creators in the video than actually much feedback I feel lmao. I wrote the comment while I was half asleep and it was very rushed so apologies if some bits didn't make sense. Anyways keep doing what you do and I can't wait for the Whitepine video!! :D
@@agorifix_1237 If you've been wanting to try your hand at video essays for a while now, the best way to begin is by beginning. I know the thought is intimidating since there's such a steep learning curve, but you owe it to yourself to at least take the chance. Even if you should fail miserably, and the thing you end up with isn't the same as the thoughts in your head, you'll at least have the satisfaction of a thing you made. What good does worrying that you won't be any good at it do you? You have to start somewhere! I'm proof positive of that... my older stuff isn't great, and my new stuff hardly better, but the struggle goes on. Grit your teeth and embrace it. If you do decide to go that route, I wish you the best of luck.
Tbh I think Parrot’s videos would be pretty ok if they were stand alone and shorter. For me, I’ve only watched the latest episode with the dangerous city. It had me completely hooked excluding a few plot points that were left unexplained. I agree too that it is held back by Minecraft’s limitations. I thought it had the potential to be better than Parkour Civilization but when it came to the end with bullshit luck and a shoddily crafted villains it all fell apart. I don’t know much about the whole series and how it connects, but it just shouldn’t. The comradery felt genuine and every person who escaped felt like a small victory. LuigiToan’s tragedy felt extremely well written and Coin’s sympathetic situation also felt real. The ending blew it all though. We were told in the beginning that Red was a greedy businessman who only cared about money, but that was thrown away like it meant nothing. Then he sided with this bullshit army that I didn’t know about. I know I’m missing context but it doesn’t fit Red’s character. Idk parrot has amazing potential but god make the vids less drawn out and make them stand alone.
Men will do anything to talk about ancient rome
I’m more interested in New Rome, actually.
@@FrostbyteFreeman Times New Roman.
@@arr8762I’m more of a Sans Seriff Guy myself
How often?
@@KnightOfDark Arial for the win for me
Parrot is telling a minecraft story. Evbo_ is telling a story that is grounded and told through minecraft. Whitepine is telling a story that happens to be expressed through minecraft.
basically yes
Evbo the goat 🐐
Ok I’m gonna be real the evbo writing is trash tier. Literally the same plot repeated 3 times over the course of an hour
I like Parrot more, especially being focused as a minecraft story. Evbo feels like reading a Manhua/Isekai story which is still cool though!
@@Tyhond parrots videos are good, I’m just not a big fan due to the fact that he tries to hide the fact that it’s scripted, and, at least in my opinion, takes away from unscripted smps like hermitcraft. Evbo on the other hand leans right into the scripted side and doesn’t hide it. At least that’s what I think, and you can think otherwise and that’s ok
It's not fair to compare Parkour Civilization with Whitepine, it's like you're comparing a theatrical performance with a movie. Whitepine utilizes elements of cinema (post-processing, lighting, camera control) while PC is a theatrical performance set within the game, treating the game just like theater treats the real world. There's nothing inherently artistically worse or "insincere" about fully accepting the confines of the game and performing within them-I see a profound beauty in how much people can tell in a relatively confined environment. Stories told wholly through the game as it is can be closer to us, because playing Minecraft is an experience we all share. Would you compare a solo piano piece with a fully produced electronic music track, arguing that the second one is better because it isn't restrained by its instruments?
Why are you surprised or disappointed that stories told through Minecraft primarily use symbols, devices and established concepts from Minecraft to drive the story? Whitepine uses aforementioned cinematic elements to tell its story, but obviously most scripted content isn't going to do that, because (good) lighting, camera work or post-processing aren't devices that the game offers you. There's no reason creators should constrain themselves to established real-life vehicles of storytelling. Limitations breed creativity.
I will say though, "content"ization of art is a plague, and I wish we'd get a Parkour Civilization that's art, not content, while also accepting the challenge of staying within the game's confines to tell its story.
You're drawing out this tenuous tension between our two contentions as if they're inherently incompatible- I don't think that's the case, since I actually agree with you. I said in the text of the video itself that between Whitepine and the other examples enumerated, my intention was to establish a "degree of difference," and it's exactly this. I don't think storytelling that embraces the confines of the game and actually attempts to use them in a creative way is *inherently* inferior to storytelling that uses Minecraft merely as an artistic medium. But the former is much more likely to be mere "content" than the latter, hence why for the purposes of this video I *construed* it as a subordinate iteration of the form.
“The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”
Clown being in all three:
how does he have so much TIME TO BE IN ALL THESE HES EVERYWHERE
Literally lol
Networking skills at it's finest lol
Behind the good, the bad, and the ugly is simply a silly little guy. Everyone's a clown deep down.
Also, according to multiple theories, clown could potentially be the antagonist for white pine LOL
my favourite scripted minecraft scene is "Minecraft, But It's Just A Burning Memory"
Its 4 minutes, it doesnt have any words, but it follows a script of events.
Please watch it, THAT is the minecraft scripted content i want
I just watched that
It hurt
In a good way
Just watched it, good 4 minute watch 👍
Oh yeah I remember watching that video when the whole dementia and the burning memory became whole meme, it's really good in the whole "show don't tell" format
I feel like a lot of The Caretaker's sonic work has been diluted in efficacy (not in isolation, but in use) within the modern memetic context on the internet, but at least here it was handled with some semblance of tact. Thanks for the recommendation and the comment!
The amount of mods that have been made that enable Minecraft as a storytelling medium is like we've never seen before. Camera utility mods, building mods, create, and so much more are just a few that have taken the game of Minecraft to the next level, and I hope we start to see that in the media that is made about Minecraft. Amazing video, great topic, keep up the good work man!
Totally agree! From what little time I've spent playing with it, Flashback is leagues ahead of other comparable mods in terms of its cinematic utility, and like I said in the video, the art of building is in the best place it's ever been too. We're only just beginning to scratch the surface of what's possible, and I hope to see more artists push against those boundaries. Glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks so much for the comment!
I've been using a cinematic Minecraft mod called Blockbuster for years, and a new edition called Blockbuster Studio is now available for 1.20.1!
@@Joziah3 "Blockbuster Studio is now available for 1.20.1"
i'm sorry wut. you can't just drop that bombshell on us with so causally!
32:51 its not really a retcon though. His origins were never revealed, and they were even foreshadowed in his vault
I think the retcon is the idea of parents being a thing. All other characters have said new players just spawn in. The idea that you can have parents does not fit that lore. It is possible that maybe Seawatt's parents merely adopted a brand new player and raised him as they were older, more experienced players, but it would be the only example of that happening in Parkour Civilization as no other family units are brought up. At the end of the day it's just a weird plot point that could have been just his friends dying in the layer instead of parents that brings up many questions about how it works.
I'm three minutes in and this dude is talking about ancient Rome, I'm hooked.
Glad the classic Frostbyte Freeman tangent strategy was able to reel you in.
It's like Moon Channel promising a video on Korean gacha games, but first starting with half an hour of the origins of Korea and it's earliest cultural stems
I think the issue you mentioned where everyone in an SMP wants to be the main character is alleviated in [REDACTED] SMP. No one feels like the main character but they all feel like protagonists of their own story that is taking place at the same time as everyone else's. I personally would really recommend it. It's in my opinion the best scripted smp. Also if you like Minecraft art I recommend Zeemyth his stuff goes beyond traditional Minecraft content and elevates it to a form of art in a way that most others don't.
I think the format and spooks of his videos are contrived
@@alphabros5226 In what way? (No hate just curious as to why you think that)
@@dylratner Stuff like moments where his commentary is interrupted by in game moments as if he's reacting to them in real time, the logic of these being videos by a youtuber should be meaning he can control what the viewer sees via editing, the fact that in his getting lost in the mansion video he doesn't decide at one point to take a break from the computer or quit out of the world. Essentially, the narrative feels weird when juxtaposed with the fact that this is supposed to be in the same game we all play with our friends on the two week servers.
i think the idea of clownpierce as pure evil, the final boss, could be done well. lord english from homestuck, death from puss in boots, heavy from emesis blue. the essence of death and brute force behind a shell of humanity. it works if the portrayal is evocative. regardless, i think clown's role in parkour civilization undermined the depth of his character, his straightforward villainous persona undermines the fact that he and evbo are the first two characters to share a love of parkour (some read this as a metaphor for a love of art), but his love is for parkour races, a form of parkour (or art) that is done with the purpose of killing. a good comparison is the boy and the heron, but it's different because the boy and the heron does not have a neutral artist as a foil.
MFW I get spoiled on emesis blue cuz I still didn't watch it 💀
This re-contextualization of Clown's role in Parkour Civ is actually quite salient- well done! Thanks for the comment.
I really liked the analysis in this video. And so I'm also gonna tell ya about one of my favorite series which is a semi-scripted minecraft Let's Play series made by "MrLololoshka" and his team, it's a Russian channel with over 10 million subscribers, and they basically have been making a series of Let's Plays with over 500+ episodes for about 3-4 years now, it's a 1 global story that is basically made by a bunch of people for 1 person (the youtuber himself) to play and enjoy (and well, record and upload videos of it to the channel lol). MrLololoshka himself doesnt know the script so he's basically like us, the viewers but instead of watching he's the one to play and interact with the characters and environment in the story. It has english subtitles so i recommend checking it out, i have never seen anybody else make something simillar to his (their) content, so it is pretty special i would say, hah.
To the people that read this comment, have a good day/night!
I see Whitepine is a chapter in this video. Can't wait to get to that part and hear your thoughts on it.
That’s one of this video’s shorter segments in terms of actual stuff said- you’ll see why. Hopefully you appreciate my analysis regardless, though!
He proceeds to never tell anything, and I wanted to hear him describe it cuz I'm listening to the video and not watching 😭🙏
Stumbled across this video after it was posted by a friend in a discord I'm in. Genuinely great, refreshing, insightful analysis about the genre :)
Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm very happy to hear that someone enjoyed this video enough to share it, and that you managed to get something out of it too!
Brilliant video! My favorite is and will probably always be the early Dream SMP, but that is largely due to nostalgia. Good job at making an almost hour long Minecraft video while always having something important to say. Like you said, those are rare to come by.
HAHAHAHAHAHA thank you! I'm glad you thought my analysis here was somewhat salient, if nothing else, and that you picked up on the self-deprecating tone of that aside!
A brilliant video, one thing holding this new wave of videos back, there are a lot more like Whitepine (Faces in the sky, 00 - The Fool, Ancient Debris, *self-plug alert*), is it being shelved as "Minecraft Roleplays" or worse Machinimas.
We need a new name for this new wave of videos for it to grow on its own. My contendor for the name is "Minema" (Minecraft + Cinema).
Its a very well-made video. Unlike other video essays on Minecraft content this video is such a fresh take. It gives a feeling of hope. That maybe Minecraft isnt dying at all, that maybe the golden age of Minecraft is yet to arrive.
This comment is gonna be a long one but I'd like to talk about two hugely successful Scripted Minecraft series from the past and how they nearly changed how stories were told in Minecraft.
First is SamGladiator and the Yandere High School series, honestly some of the jokes in this series nowadays were definitely not for kids and at least the first season is rarely scripted. You talked about some of Unstable Universe being filler and I'd say Yandere High School has a lot of it which makes it difficult to rewatch. The enjoyment of Yandere High School largely comes from the natural funny interactions between Sam, Taurtis, Grian, and the rest of the characters. The eventual dissolution of those relationships eventually led to the series dying in later seasons though. The few story beats that did exist were actually pretty solid and made me feel emotion, at least as a kid.
The biggest minecraft roleplay youtuber of all time to this day is Aphmau, I largely saw MyStreet season 1 as the footage showcase here but the way it and by extension the highschool MyStreet series evolved over time was very impressive as a viewer back then. The story took itself seriously, had character arcs, used animation, had amazing and changing settings (especially Season 2 and 4) and had long term arcs. It's not exactly my kind of genre nowadays but it feels like the highest minecraft roleplay was ever taken to its limits, at least before whitepine according to what you're saying about it. (I haven't seen it yet) Aphmau also started several other series but the issue from what I know is that they simply weren't as profitable, the stuff Aphmau was doing especially towards the end of MyStreet definitely required over a dozen people to work on things simultaneously, eventually Aphmau found success with far easier content and that's what's propelled her to her position today. I get why the change happened but as a viewer it felt like a void was left for storytelling in minecraft, which of course only intensified between 2017-2018.
Because of this when Minecraft was revived the new standard for storytelling as you said was pretty much defined by the DreamSMP. I'm sure a few youtubers back then evolving in certain ways could've eventually lead to a far more thriving storytelling scene but that's in the past, at least now in the future there's a chance that Minecraft Storytelling can reach the peaks it once did, It's been nice to see people taking some aspects of Evbos Parkour Civilization serious at least. (also I'll just mention Slimecicles 100 days Zombie Apocalypse has pretty great storytelling as well)
I had a ton of thoughts on this and now felt like the perfect time to get them out. Its great to see you return, some of your documentaries inspired me years ago and I'm glad they're back, I agree with this videos message and good luck to anyone who wants to make their own Minecraft stories. :)
My GD pookie 💞
Thanks so much for sharing such an incredibly detailed and thorough perspective on the tradition of Minecraft storytelling! I definitely agree that Yandere High and Aphmau cast a really long shadow in the genre- one of my major concerns with this video was that the lens of analogy through which I examined the history of scripted Minecraft content was that it was too reductive and not detailed/thorough enough. It means a lot to hear that even my older works were able to provide you with inspiration in some small form or fashion, and I appreciate the kind words more than you can ever know.
ok, this is a reminder for me to watch whitepine
It's so good. I seriously encourage you to give it the chance if it seems like your cup of tea.
you already watched it? if not. here a friendly reminder to do so.
@@Quinnjjgaming i did, but ty :)
I previously never knew about this. Watching now!
@@FrostbyteFreeman ok so i drafted a giant reply and it just didn't send, so tldr:
I loved the visual direction of Whitepine, everything from the cinematography to the aspect ratio, but the story wasn't my cup of tea. One scene I love from Whitepine is the end of ep 1 where i think the show perfectly encapsulated what ivory was feeling in that moment and was a scene with nice buildup
ur video gave me shivers at 35:25 with that line delivery
And I recommend godis's video "Who Killed Minecraft Man" i think ud like it
You mentioning that everyone in an SMP wants to be the main character made me think again about Techno's place in the DreamSMP. Because while he was like, a major character, you wouldn't call him the main character. That was always Tommy. But neither Techno nor his viewers wanted him to be a protagonist, we enjoyed him as an antagonist, a villain. Which isn't a role that most people would want (hell, Dream sure as heck didn't want it in the end), but Techno placed himself as always being at odds with anyone wanting to be a main character in that SMP, he was the destroyer of governments. The only "special" thing about him was that he was the single best player on the SMP, but did not have the ambition to use that fact to make himself the most important one.
Anyway I guess I should watch Whitepine sometime, I just haven't really gotten round to it.
That's another thing that made his tenure as head writer special- he was content to play a part in the broader story, even if it wasn't always the most favorable. Really excellent points being made here in this comment, and I definitely recommend Whitepine. Thanks for sharing your perspective with me!
Someone made a skyblock civilization movie, and I LOVE the fact that kids can grow up watching these incredible story videos. However, that skyblock video had some plotholes and infuriating moments which I won't get into... But as I watched and yelled at the screen, I realized, holy crap, I'm actually invested in this. They tricked me into enjoying scripted minecraft content!!!! But I guarantee there'll be more vids like that and I'm SO excited for them. I love how the future of mc yt content looks right now.
I just searched it up and laughed when I realized it was made by someone who was actually close friends with Evbo
If you're talking about the one I think you're talking about then I get where you're coming from. Honestly, I think Joofy's long form vids are the definition of filler sometimes. He mostly shines in his shorter vids that mostly focus on him getting bullied and getting revenge or getting screwed over in the end. He's got so much potential that if he had Evbo_'s focus he would surpass him in no time. In the meantime, we at least always have joll and conk for peak fiction in minecraft storytelling.
Joofylooby!!
Funny that I now look back at the Yogscast's Shadow of Israphel & adjacent series and recognise so clearly the dreamlike haze in which I understood what it actually was (or rather, didn't) at such a young age, and yet I can still sit here and be shocked to learn that Technoblade didn't exist carving out his own space on the periphery of the larger narrative but as an author. Because of course he was. I always felt like I was watching someone mess about while the larger thing went on but of course it was always central.
Something incredibly moving about seeing that last example with its framing and consideration - I was involved as a writer for something momentarily intended to be staged in Minecraft once upon a time, and I never imagined it could look as clear or purposeful as it does there.
I suppose my favourite would be another one from youth, the Jaffa Factory series, where maybe I was aware of its nature a little more but so interested in the technical side (and represented by the fact that almost all of them knew nothing either) that it didn't much matter.
Thanks so much for commenting, dude! Glad to hear that on a personal level my analysis was able to somewhat encapsulate your thoughts on the form- like I said, the tools to enable the utilization of Minecraft as a storytelling medium have become so much more sophisticated in the last few years alone, and yet the potential of the form has still remained largely untapped.
@@FrostbyteFreeman after having now gone to check out WhitePine 1, I can only now properly understand the need for a video highlighting exactly this. I spent the whole time unable to shift my eyes - how the feeling and atmosphere of any single moment has been achieved is remarkable. Great video & I'm really enjoying your return!
Dreamlike Haze is the most perfect definition I'd use to describe watching that series as a child, and in a way most of their map or lab gameplays. This is a truly fascinating outlook, honestly. God bless ya and Jesus loves ya, man, thank you for your comment
I do think there's something to working within constraints. As long as it bends to the irony plague you're probably right about gameplay-based stories, but that's true for anything. Who wants a story its own author doesn't even believe in?
To be honest I assumed there were lots of stories like Whitepine and I just didn't know about them because I wasn't looking. If Whitepine is really a new and rare concept it's depressing it took 15 years to get this far.
Oh, absolutely. I think you’re definitely right- don’t know if I articulated this well enough or not, but a big part of the charm of stories like Parkour Civilization is that it takes those constraints and hard-bakes them into the world in such a way that they no longer function like hard and fast restrictions. The irony plague is definitely a problem in storytelling and culture in general, though, not just Minecraft RUclips stuff. And as for Whitepine, there’s definitely a lot more projects with a similar philosophy nowadays, and even back in the day I’m sure there were plenty of roleplay-driven stories that approached a similar level of quality. My main goal there, though, was to underscore how Ivory is pushing Minecraft to the brink as a filmmaking medium by using a lot of newly developed tools and mods that have really democratized the space and made it that much easier for stuff like Whitepine to be made in the first place. I personally think you’re right that the space hasn’t really come all that far yet in the grand scheme of things, but hey, long ways to go yet, yeah? Thanks for commenting.
In my opinion, Parrot’s unstable series was really enjoyable to watch and I don’t see a problem with it. In fact, I don’t see a problem with scripted content in general. The problem for me only comes when the videos are not clear about it being scripted and fake elements of it. But overall, scripted content is really entertaining for me.
I wish I could get into unstable. It just feels so dragged out sometimes with big fights that go on forever with no one dying and that cycle repeating several times every half hour. Ironically, for me, if the server was life steal instead of hardcore then there might have been actual stakes because people could die and face consequences without it being the end of the line for them.
This was surprisingly eye opening. I like the message of being sincere about the art you create.
Thank you! I'm glad you found my analysis somewhat salient, at least!
This feels like it used to be better. Back in the day, proper filmmaking in video games was called machinimas. I feel like people are just looking in the wrong direction. As a child I used to watch a lot of machinima channels that did full on tv series (which I'd rather not mention here because uh... I definitely do not want to promote russian channels lol). Whitepine is by every single vibe and definition specifically a machinima.
Why not promote Russian channels? It’s not like every Russian channel is part of the government 😭
Only thing I can see wrong with what you said about Whitepine is the difference between it being a Minecraft film, and a film WITHIN minecraft.
Saying Whitepine is related to Minecraft is like saying that The Two Towers is an Arriflex 435 movie. It devalues the idea of it being just...a movie, by intrinsically tying it TO Minecraft, when its SO MUCH MORE than just that. I know that's kind of what you are saying, but the title reflects something ENTIRELY different.
Whitepine is art made WITH Minecraft. Not in it. It uses the natural strengths and limitations to create genuine art.
I feel like there isn't that much of a distinction between saying "Whitepine is art made WITH Minecraft" and "Whitepine is art made IN" Minecraft- you're drawing out this very tenuous tension between our perspectives and contentions that doesn't actually exist, because I completely agree with you. An animated movie exists within the medium of animation; is it inaccurate to refer to Minecraft as a medium in a similar fashion? I don't think it is, anyways.
Sure! Here's a corrected version of your text:
When I heard that Efbo was now making a PvP Civilization, I started joking about how we should make a parody called Speedrun Civilization. But then, as I actually started writing it, I realized I wanted to take it seriously. I wanted to create a story worth telling, a story worth hearing. I hope I’ll be able to make this with my friends and that it doesn’t end up becoming just another unfinished project, because I genuinely want to make something good.
The ancient Rome bit reminded me of those clips of matpat going "Ancient pyramits have the symbols representing the stars of this particular constellation, Five nights at fredd-" lol
That was the general vibe I was going for! Glad you appreciated it, haha.
Zeemyth is to me another amazing contender for scripted Minecraft content. Whilst he does lean into an ARG style in his videos, nonetheless, even without needing to analyse and decode any ciphers, riddles, or links, you can always still see An amazing story and amazing execution, all in Minecraft.
Freeman: Constantly says he's not trying to compare Minecraft movies to actual movies
Freeman: Constantly compares them to movies
IMO my biggest issue is this play between script and roleplay. people can feel when stuff are pre-scripted, and it makes it just awkward. the creators need to either go past the theatre line, fully script it, make it FEEL like a story, or go full DND mode, have one person who architect the story instead of playing in it, and a small cast of players who go on the adventure, act a pre chosen role, but given full freedom to act as they think fit the character, then when the story is done, maybe re-shoot some parts for the story's sake, but keep everything really natural, make it FEEL like you're watching a real DND adventure.
I mean part of the issue could be that a majority of these scripted stuff involves having characters that are literally more of a pastiche of their real life personality.
There's kind of an interesting point with content SMP. After I started watching multiple creators perspectives I realised just how different a story could seem depending on perspective. At least some of that is definitely because of the constraints of content making and needing to act like you're the main character so you're video works well, but I think it's also (perhaps unintentionally) a pretty interesting example of how perspective shapes how we see events, which I think is well exemplified by the sentiment "in content SMP there are no heroes" which I often see in the community.
I think that's a pretty valid point! The Dream SMP was definitely the most extreme example of that protagonist-centric problem within the form, and Content SMP suffers from it to a much lesser extent, but I mentioned it (very briefly, and without much nuance mind you) simply to indicate that a new version of the same problem still exists to this day.
@@FrostbyteFreeman Indeed.
Interestingly the Hungarian minecraft youtube community made a few, hour long movies using the game around 6-8 years ago. They even had a brief theatrical run in some smaller cinemas in the country. (they're still up on youtube on a channel titled MineCinema)
Interesting! Never heard of it before, but it's really cool that they actually got a limited theatrical run... thanks so much for letting me know!
I stopped my entire channel for a lot of the reasons you touched in this video. I felt like the videos I actually wanted to make would perform so poorly they were pointless so I would unlist them - yet idk, I guess this video inspired me a lot. Nobody should stop being creative simply because of the performance.
I'm sorry you felt compelled to abandon your creative aspirations simply because of algorithmic concerns. Even if your passion has faded and you no longer want to make videos, if nothing else, you owe it to yourself to let your work stand on its own two feet. I unlisted a lot of my old videos too, because I was embarrassed by their low quality, but when you create a thing, you let it go, and it belongs to the world. Your creations deserved a chance, and I'm sorry they didn't get one. Thank you for commenting, and I'm glad this video helped inspire you, at least a little.
a German Minecraft RUclipsr I've watched since I was a kid often made cinematic creations in Minecraft. Some were Minecraft stories he was telling, others were wholey original
His name is HerrBergmann
This was an awesome video! it really inspired me to take a more critical look at this space and maybe make something of my own eventually.
my favorite scripted minecraft story by far has to be the Colinlock16 continuity made by Oneshef. it started out as a satire of spooky minecraft arg's but slowly branched out into its own thing, incorporating animated segments and more complex world building as the series goes on while still calling back to its roots and showing a genuine love for arg/creepypasta like stories.
Thank you! I'm glad you appreciated my analysis, and that this video inspired you to regard the art you engage with through a more critical lens! I wish you the best of luck with your future creative endeavors.
Gosh darn it, as an artist myself (not a RUclipsr nor a content creator), this video reasoned with me a lot more than what I thought, even though I don't make Minecraft videos or anything like (although I do enjoy them a lot).
Something I adore about these Minecraft content creators is their creativity when making stories, and the ways they use the medium of Minecraft to make it possible. It's just that a lot of time their potential is wasted or unexplored (Parkour Civilization 😔), perhaps because sometimes they haven't acquired the experience needed to make it, but I feel like that most of the time is just like what you said during the video, they are scared pushing further it's story because they don't want to be deemed as cringe by others due to the medium the use.
Minecraft is a very powerful tool for storytelling with thousands of mods at its disposal and community people passionate about it, but I feel like the problem comes with how other people outside the community view it.
Most of the time these people's only see these scripted or roleplay videos as something childish/cringe or something that only kids can enjoy it (exploiting it for that same reason and only viewing it as a tool for making money), therefore disregarding it's potential for art and filmmaking, and making the people who wants to use it that way be embarrassed for trying to make something serious out of it.
But no matter how cringe a story is, as long as they put effort and passion towards it, I will alway enjoy it and support them, because as any other artistic person, we can always learn and improve our crafts. And to be honest I am very glad that there are other people who think like that as well, because Minecraft (as I stated previously) is an amazing tool for making up stories, and I'm so glad that there are people who aren't afraid to show their creations to the world through it!
(Lmao sorry if something reads weird, english is not my first language and I didn't know how to explain my thoughts in a coherent way without making it sound weird xD)
I thought this comment was very articulate, and I'm glad this video resonated with you on such a deeply personal level! Thank you for your comment, and for sharing your passion for Minecraft as a storytelling medium with me, too! I appreciated the perspective.
just finished the video- unironically top 10 yap sessions posted to this site
phenomenal work, you just *get it* in a way I could never put into words, man.
eagerly waiting to see what else you put together. i fw this heavy
Thank you once again! I do like yapping.
What a well crafted analysis video! I started watching, fearing that this was going to be one of those lackluster videos that didn’t offer any actual analysis, but BOY HOWDY I AM SO GLAD I'M WRONG!
If I had to recommend a Minecraft scripted roleplay to get into, especially after the breath of fresh air that is Whitepine, I would highly recommend Azora by The Invisible Davis studios, in conjunction with Queen Kat Productions! It's a cinematic, original fantasy roleplay with high stakes, mysteries, and some mature themes all wrapped in its 8 episode run. Its on hiatus now, but Davis and Kat are revamping the series and may have more info on what it looks like soon!
Glad I was able to disprove your preconceived notions about my work, and that you found my analysis at least somewhat salient- that's a very kind compliment, and I appreciate it so much! I'll definitely take your recommendation into account, too, since I'm always on the lookout for more high quality storytelling within the form! Thanks again for leaving a comment, I really appreciated hearing your perspective and getting to see a little more about your tastes when it comes to Minecraft storytelling through the recommendation you gave!
About the unstable universe, i think that 3-4h videos is a bit much but the videos themselves are really entertaining.
That's what I find most frustrating of all. The builds, concepts, and set pieces are very well crafted on a technical level. What I don't find as compelling is the execution, and the way these set pieces are employed within the narrative.
I absolutely loved the video! Scripted minecraft stories were and still are my bread and butter. It's crazy because, as you said in the video, when I tell people that I was a Minecraft Diaries, Dream Smp, Qsmp, and civilizations fan, well... I'm basically a huge cringe nerd in their eyes. But thats never stopped me because I am fascinated by stories being told through different mediums. I feel the same way about animation and amateur animation on RUclips. The fact that someone can hone a craft to use it as a storytelling device is incredible to me.
I would be remiss to say, though, that I just watch the video to go down memory lane. You always have an insight that's fascinating and well articulated. Frankly, I want to pick your brain on thousands of topics because I know I'll be captivated the whole time.
With that being said, there is one point I disagree on in the video. I think that there is charm still in minecraft role-playing hinges on the mechanics of the game to create parameters of the story. For example, gravity in the game doesn't apply to a handful of things. If someone were to come up with an explanation for that, the world building (pun intended) would be inriched for it. But I understand that when you spoke on being limited to minecraft centric role-playing, the story suffers. I don't want to see manhunt content, but I do want to see people creating myths about the end or the nether. I want respawn mechanics to hurt the player and have in world consequences for the character and the story.
I hope I make sense. I'm not the most well-spoken, especially when I'm sleepy. Great video! I'm glad you're here on the platform❤
I actually think this comment was incredibly well-articulated, and I totally agree! There definitely is charm to Minecraft stories that embrace the game as such, and as I speculated, that's part of what made Parkour Civilization so endearing to so many in spite of its flaws. The vision you outlined here is the direction I wish more Minecraft storytelling would take, honestly. And if a story does choose to remain within the confines of the game, I'd rather it be out of its election to do so, rather than the assumption that there isn't an alternative- because it's this dogma I find most problematic within the form. Glad you appreciated my absentminded rambling, and thanks again for commenting!
16:20 VERY bold statement, really find it hard to imagine Minecraft rp videos being the first video game YT content to create art 😅
i love cinematic "scripted" minecraft and i fully intend on creating something of my own. minecraft is just such an easy way to express a story, whitepine is a great example of that. another good example is Twisted Rainbow by FavreMySabre. while the story may not make much sense to people who hadn't watched its predecessor "the steve saga", it's still a very enjoyable series to watch and is pretty interesting to see how sabre developed his cinematic skills throughout the episodes, going from first person scripted content (something similar to parkour civilisation) to something resembling an anime.
Thanks for the comment and the recommendation. I appreciated getting to see your perspective on the matter of Minecraft storytelling, and I wish you the very best with your future storytelling endeavors!
I love this video. This was where I really understood other people's perspective on their opinion about these tales. Out of all these parts, what stood out for me the most is your insight for parrot. As a person who hates cliff hangers, it felt like Parrot's stories were like something for me to watch before going to sleep. It's long in a way that it keeps me watching. I never knew if they were ever really connected; but once I realized it wasn't, there was nothing for me to hold on yet the CONTENT itself. I enjoyed the one where they were trying to find spoke, and the other one where they were stuck in proton, since it had the endings I didn't expect of. There was also another hour long story that was made by Planetlord and him. It was short yet entertaining like it should be. Parrot's stories were like "tales of the untold" from the dream smp, yet longer and dragged out. Parkour civilization really had progression, and went pretty well. As from what I know, Evbo has a new series called pvp civilization which is somehow similar to parkour civilization. Whitepine is a series of mystery, which was a new concept for me; looking at Ivory's film making and the music she composed already meant that she had what it took to be what she wanted to portray. Overall, this was a video that I truly agreed with. All of these works are amazing, having the passion to make these with a mind full of vivid ideas, and portraying these out of a blocky game.
Thank you so much for the comment and the kind words, I'm very happy to hear that you appreciated my perspective on the matter! And I totally agree with your analysis on Parrot's work, too- the quasi-episodic structure feels like narrative fence-sitting, and I just wish he'd pick a lane because a lot of the concepts and core ideas could be super compelling if he just honed his craft.
So, how, in your opinion, does HermitCraft fit into this arc?
Actually, this is a really good question. I wrote it off on first glance, but Hermitcraft is in a really interesting spot. There's a few things that were obviously scripted, some that might be, and the majority that almost certainly isn't. I think the best instance of Hermitcraft scripting might be: "Is the moon big?" They all knew the event was happening, but everyone had their own authorial spin on things. Doc and Ren had a completely different ending to those who leapt into the Boatem Hole.
Hermitcraft is, after all, a group of people making videos to entertain the masses and earn a living, but it's also somehow a group of friends just hanging out and playing Minecraft. Forgve me if I"m wrong, as I have little experience with any other forms of scripted Minecraft content and/or SMPs, but that feels like something special.
To summarize: Huh, good question. I'm curious about Frostbyte's thoughts on HC too.
@@roguewolven there is a TON of scripted minecraft in HermitCraft. Take this season, BDubs is a Civil Court Judge that encourages server members to sue each other. They may make the decisions kind of on the fly on who is suing who, but they're scripting the story. The bad acting, thorough setups, active RP from a huge portion of the community and BDubs own way of editing the footage does transcend the game into actual entertainment/art. This season is especially good, but they've been doing this content since the LogFellows and NHO. It's the best blend of scripted and LP Minecraft on RUclips.
But it's also just some people playing Minecraft on an SMP that do huge, ridiculous builds with awesome redstone and game breaking bugs.
They've even broken the 4th wall about this, specifically in the civil war arc (which includes RAP BATTLES, Jesus it's so stupid and amazing) where they explained to viewers about what role play is and how it's cool among friends.
That's a very interesting question! Definitely one that I have a lot of thoughts on, and a subject too demanding to occupy much space in this already monstrously long video, so you'll have to forgive the omission on my part. The mutually agreed-upon narrative conceits of Season 8 and the beginning of Season 9 occur at a really fascinating space in the history of the genre for me- so close in proximity to the heyday of some other popular bastions of scripted Minecraft content that it's impossible to ignore that kind of coincidence. This was a server in its eighth season, after all, and as the numbers kept climbing higher, it was only natural that the Hermits would want to experiment and explore to see what Hermitcraft could be. For me, though, I find the Hermitcraft scripted stuff most interesting not within the broader context of scripted Minecraft storytelling, but rather within the context of Hermitcraft itself. Even after the Hermits started to tone down the unified, shared lore stuff, there was a greater emphasis on experimental storytelling through base building, and this season, with everyone so close together on the map, there's been a real concerted effort at keeping their theming cohesive and remaining a close-knit community. Definitely something I'd want to talk about at length to actually capture my thoughts appropriately, though, so apologies if it doesn't all come across here in this little blurb. Excellent question, and again, thanks so much for commenting!
You're absolutely right! I think Hermitcraft's approach is very special, and I totally agree that the stylistic choice to give everyone the authorial autonomy to write their own ending to the same series of events produced some very fascinating results. There's a really excellent animation- by chrisrin, I believe, off the top of my head- that really encapsulates what I find so compelling about the Season 8 conclusion (just search up Hermitcraft Let's See How Far We've Come or something to that effect if you haven't seen it already). Thanks so much for the comment and insight, I really do appreciate it!
@@OrionsVantage Honestly, yeah, great points. Most of the big events on the server seem scripted to some extent. Cub's takeover as higher management for the permit office, to pluck another example from this season. I love Hermitcraft, I really do. It's so cool. You can tell it's a group of friends hanging out and telling stories. Extra bonus points that we get all the wonderful videos of them just playing Minecraft and randomly engaging one another. The proximity voice chat was especially huge for that. Ah, but I'm rambling.
9:47
Had to sneak the boy in there somehow! Glad you caught the Frostbyte Freeman deep cut, advanced ball knowledge required to understand that one. Glad this video gave you an excuse to give Whitepine a shot, too. I really appreciate your comments as always, and getting to hear your perspective on the medium was really nice, too! Kind words like these mean more than you can ever know.
Really interesting analysis. I’m wondering what your thoughts were on quackity‘s last couple of dsmp lore streams because those felt really much closer to movies than the rest of the dsmp. Being fully pre recorded and with cinematic angles and stuff. Also the plot about Q teaching Slime how to be human in a way which revealed c!quackity’s warped world view and slimes apparently innocent questions gently poking holes in q‘s way of thinking. That shit was so good.
They seem to be much closer to what the video says makes good scripted Minecraft content.
Though maybe you haven’t watched them?? Which probably makes sense since by the time they came out the dsmp was definitely declining.
Yeah by around that point I was starting to become completely disconnected from Minecraft and the surrounding community entirely, as my very spotty upload history will show. That's a very interesting argument, though, and I did have some inkling of an idea that Quackity's lore streams were trending in a more cinematic direction. And while as an isolated example it's a very interesting case, within the broader context of the Dream SMP there's still the overarching problem of how it slots into everything else, I fear- stuff like that still runs the risk of getting lost in all the noise. Thanks for the comment, though, and for letting me know!
19:47 this point is actually incredibly relevant to me right now, my friends and i recently watched the green mile together and it quickly became one of my all time favorite movies, but whenever i mention that my friends go “yea but its SOO LOOONG”, but i don’t think that counts as a “critique” because it effectively uses every second of that run time, a piece of media being long isn’t inherently a bad thing, it just has to justify that length
Thank you! I'm glad you were able to appreciate that particular point within the context of your own artistic experiences, if nothing else!
keeping it so real, i clicked on this video expecting C-tier brainrot (mainly because most minecraft metacommentary videos are heavily drama-centric), but i'm halfway through and im blown away by how critically these stories are being analyzed. You're taking these thoughts ive had swirling as an unabashed Minecraft kid and distilling them in this academic thesis and i gotta applaud you for that. Approaching minecraft rp as an art and as legitimate storytelling is a step i really respect this video for taking.
overall, this is turning out to be a sincerely well researched video essay, and it will be going into my list of recommendations.
You've got some seriously good media literacy and video production skills. I like what you have to say! subscribing for brain nourishment 👍
HAHAHAHAHAHA thank you so much! In this endless sea of rot and mere consumption, being called a source of nourishment is the highest honor one can receive. I'm glad you found my analysis to be at least somewhat insightful, if nothing like this- kind words like these mean more than you can ever possibly know!
I'm currently writing a story and this video shows me that I'm possibly going in the right direction with what I have in mind, thanks for finally showing me that it can be more than just another project in the pile.
Of course! I appreciate the support, and wish you the best of luck with your own creative endeavors!
i know nothing about you or your videos but this was so well made and you care so much about the topic that i'm subscribing. you've reeled me in, damnit.
Thank you so much! I'm happy to hear this video resonated with you on such a deeply personal level!
I found your channel through your this is honestly the best minecraft video essay i have ever seen i found your channel through your 'bdubs is the goat video' and your videos are actually amazing and there is more room fore content like yours. Hope you keep making videos man, you deserve to go places.
Also, can't wait to see your video on white pine you truly inspired me with this video
Thank you so much! That's seriously so kind of you to say- glad you found me from this most recent run, and that you've sincerely been enjoying my stuff! Praise this weighty means the world to me :)
@@FrostbyteFreeman thanks man great to see a youtuber who isnt afraid to be earnest
I think a MASSIVE part of the future of minecraft storytelling is the mod flashback, you can genuine make some INSANELY good cinema stuff by using it. It's like replay mod but designed for making cinematic stuff
Absolutely! I didn't present this as clearly as I should have in the video, but Flashback and a lot of other recent tools developed for creatives working within Minecraft have made storytelling more easily accessible than ever, and it's only a matter of time to see if those tools actually get put to use.
man now I want to make stories in minecraft
Glad you found this video inspiring! That's a very high honor.
I got into your channel with the *AMAZING* Bdubs video and damn, you really don't keep disappointing with these excellent and complicated hour-long video essays! Sad that I didn't know of you before that.
Also, about the video itself... Comparing scripted Minecraft roleplay videos to playwrighting instead of cinematography is... Strangely genius, I really haven't thought of that before, that's really true! There's barely any editing in most of them if you look at it, just different setpieces the characters act in. That's the main charm of them I'd say, and the lower tail end of editing is in my opinion definitely superior to that of the hyperactive brain-frazzing attentiongrab editing of most modern MC content, but either way it's certainly an excellent comparison that I've failed to draw.
Thank you so much! Happy to hear that you've been enjoying my analysis- kind words like these mean an awful lot!
Guys be making the most Amazing, awesome, storytelling, personal, emotional, documental, dramatic, scientific video just for it to be about a block game roleplaying
Is it me? Am I "guys" here in this hypothetical? Because if so, thank you for the kind words, and thanks for the comment too!
i think unstable universe has improved SO MUCH over the time that it's been made, when i watched the first video of his on unstable, i enjoyed it, though didn't enjoy it as much as his older videos before he went to scripted content, and the views the video had reflects that most people probably thought the same. his 2nd video, though not perfect, i think was a great improvement. I loved watching it, though i would still only watch it at 30-60 minutes at a time, and looking back at it, it did lack a huge part that made it a story, and not just interesting and entertaining things only trying to be a scripted minecraft video. I think his most recent video changed that. it was definitely one of the best minecraft videos i have seen, and a HUGE improvement from the rest. it's crazy to me how much they've already improved in a few months. it's definitely not the quality of some big movie, but i think it's proof that there's been a consistent improvement in the videos over time. I think one of the things i love about unstable is that they stay to the base survival-mode of the game, it's interesting to me seeing them have creative concepts, while still sticking to the boundaries of what's possible in the actual game. I also don't quite understand the criticism for it sticking to that, because you could say the same for most things. if it's a negative to stick to Minecraft survival and be creative and tell stories in that, why isn't it a negative to stick to Minecraft as a whole?
"parrot likes his spyglass. clown is evil." 😭
Tell me when I'm telling lies.
13:45 ??? that one never happend? Tommy never became friends with Dream post Exhile, there wasnt a storyline like that. (at worst there were explicitly non canon moments)
DSMP spoilers below:
It went Exhile -> Tommy lives at Technos (Tommy is hiding from Dream) -> Doomsday (tommy is against Dream) -> Disc fight (Tommy vs Dream) -> Prison (Tommy is against Dream and gets killed by Dream) -> Prison break (Tommy is still against Dream) -> Ending (Tommy is still against Dream, then they get blown up by nukes)
(Other then that ... yeah crititisms of main character syndrome thing are very spot on)
One of my favorites, and a slightly less-known project, is the Herobrine Origins universe from Elite Productions (now rebranded as EP Films).
Admittedly, the first couple episodes don't have the best production, and there is definitely a strong "homage" element in part 1, but in my opinion, the series peaks with "Herobrine Origins: The Movie" which is a more polished version of the first 3 episodes. I also really like the prequels and spinoffs such as "BRINE," "entity_303," and "Lick."
Their last episode, Herobrine Origins Part IV, does lean a bit too much into the spectacle and homage qualities in my opinion, but it's still a solid ending to the story and universe.
Definitely worth a watch for anyone who hasn't seen it. I'd suggest starting with Herobrine Origins: The Movie and then branching out into the prequels and spinoff films.
Sounds interesting! Always curious to see how people's personal artistic interpretations of a major part of the Minecraft mythos like Herobrine differ from one another. I'll have to give it a chance, then- thanks so much for the comment and the suggestion!
Never sat up so quickly when you started talking about Ancient Rome
You really locked in huh
took the words right out of my mouth! Also the Undertale music at the end fits so well
I was SO pleased with how that came together in the edit, right down to the tempo and key modulation. Glad you appreciated it, too!
Sublime analysis! I hope to see (and perhaps create) more films like Whitepine that utilize Minecraft as its canvas, as it feels like we've barely even made our way of the cave, to use another Greek allegory.
Good analogy! I definitely agree that Minecraft as a medium has been sorely underutilized, and I'm excited to hopefully see that change! I'm glad you thought my analysis was at least somewhat salient, too- thank you for the comment!
This is why my favourite minecraft smp is the life series smp. Theres usually no clear villian or hero, the winners win almost at random (thought there might be a little buy of scripting from preventing the same hermit from winning twice) and nothing is dramatized. The suspense and emotions come naturally, and because of that it actually suprises you. The audience is allowed to make their own story.
I wish to create something as special as whitepine. As a writer, it is kind of a thing I hope to reach one day.
I know what you mean.
I’ve watched Ivorys stuff since she was known as mythrodak, So seeing whitepine mentioned makes me happy, Really enjoyed the video. Keep up the great work!
Thank you! Glad to hear you enjoyed it.
It’s telling that Minecraft as a storytelling medium has been so stagnant that Shadow of Israphel is still one of the more impressive works out there
I have a big dream of creating my own story through minecraft someday. Since i was a kid i would play the game and create narratives to my gameplays in head. Im commited to it but i dont really know where to start, plus i have some other issues, for example that english isnt my first language, and while actively talking i make mistakes. Im trying to figure that out, and i hope that one day ill manage to tell a story through this beloved game of mine!
Besides, that was a really great video! I recently watched whitepine, and i was so so so much impressed by it so ill definitely come back for the video about it.
That's so cool! There's never been a better time to try your hand at storytelling through Minecraft, with so many new tools, mods, and creative capabilities within the game itself to accentuate your storytelling! The best way to begin is by beginning. Figure out the story you want to tell through your gameplay, and the rest can follow from there! Even if your English isn't perfect, and you can't perfectly recreate the ideas you have inside your head on the first try, who said your first try had to be perfect anyways? I wish you the best of luck with your creative endeavors, and thank you so much for sharing your dream with me!
I feel like Parrot’s videos are like Hallmark movies for Minecraft players
Like I appreciate the time and effort put into them, especially the builds, but they all feel tailor made to appease the algorithm and get as much views and watch time as possible
I do hope to see them improve in their storytelling and whatnot though I’d love to watch more of Parrots videos once they become more than glorified background noise ^v^ (I swear that wasn’t meant to be an insult ;-;)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh, my sides. That first line absolutely decimated me. You're so right, and you should say it- I totally agree that there's a lot of undeniable craft and artistry poured into the builds and set-pieces, but it's the way those set pieces are employed within the broader context of the narrative that leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. The problem is in the execution, and I find the execution itself to be insipid and pandering. I didn't think this was insulting, I think it was exactly accurate and I completely concur. Thanks so much for a good laugh and a really great comment! I appreciate getting insight into your own perspective on the matter, too!
Whitepine to me feels like something that would air over a course of a few weeks on the BBC years ago, and then never be heard of until a mysterious DVD release years later.
Right? It has the same sort of feeling as a very tight single-season period drama serial. Immaculate vibes.
Y'know, I clicked on this video somewhat cynically, I expected a video that failed to justify its 50 minute runtime. I expected a video that failed to keep me engaged throughout its duration. I expected a video that failed to sincerely engage with its subject, I expected a video complaining about these videos being too cringe.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that every single one of those expectations was wrong.
Your scriptwriting skills are phenomenal, and you manage to come across as thoughtful and sophisticated without coming across as pretentious or snooty. You sincerely and honestly engaged with these pieces on their own terms, and encouraged them to be better. To embrace the illusion of the cringe, to allow sincerity to defeat the false need of conformity.
This was a great watch and well worth my time. I'm looking forward to whatever you put out next.
Thank you so much for the seriously kind words! I'm glad you found my analysis at least somewhat salient- comments like these mean more than you can ever know.
This video was an interesting analysis and though I disagree at several points I appreciated the fresh perspective.
Thank you! Glad you were able to appreciate the general gist of my contention even if you disagreed with the particulars.
if you ever want to expand on this topic in a future video, maybe a part 2,
"godispasen" actually has two videos similar to scripted minecraft content, with the majority of it actually being full fledged, cartoon-style animations using mine-a-mator. Really suggest checking some of his stuff out.
I really hate scripted minecraft content especially when its not instantly clear it is scripted very happy that atleast unstable universe puts it in the description some of the things that happen in smps seem kinda unbelivable to me its very unclear if a lot of the popular smps are secretly partially scripted
That's more or less what I meant when I said scripted Minecraft content is embarrassed to be itself!
3:40 MF out here saying Minecraft RPs started with ROMAN EMPIRE...
And now you piqued my interest and I'm looking forward to see those 50+ minutes 😅
Got your attention, didn't it? I'd call that an effective hook!
Clown would be that famous actor getting in all the movies playing the same character everytime until he perfects it lol
How does this not have more views this video is amazing
Because it's an hour long and I only uploaded it like three hours ago. Thank you so much for the comment, though, I'm sincerely happy to hear you enjoyed it!
There was a roleplay I forgot a long time ago… a zombie apocalypse one. At first it was single player and used custom NPCs. I remember the protagonist sacrificing himself in an explosion to save his friends/family. Then he came back in the next season with a chip on his shoulder. He killed an innocent man whose kids were surrounded by a horde stuck in an old McDonald’s. I also remember one quote: “Holy shit! He just dropped those kids like a sack of potatoes!” If anyone knows this rp and what happened to it, please reply and tell me, even if you only remember a little. It’d be nice to finally know how it ended after all these years.
Ive been thinking of making a video like this for so long, its something thats bothered me so much recently and seeing this was a nice breath of fresh air.
I think Parkour Civilization is an especially pertinent example because it has all the makings of a decent or even good story but is held back by its adherence to the medium and painful insistence on a monotobe voiceover to deliver the plot instead of just showing us the story. There is very little direction or artistic choices made which holds it back so much from what it could be.
As someone whos been watching Ivory for years Ive always seen her as a diamond in the rough even back when she was just making prison break videos she managed to show artistic skills and I really hope that the moderate success of whitepine causes a change in the minecraft content space. Minecraft isnt just a game, its an art form!!!!
Yes! I completely agree with all of this- Parkour Civilization has a startling competent and simple story that caught me by surprise, but it's in the execution of that story where the series really stumbles for my money. Glad my analysis was the breath of fresh air you needed.
Maybe this is my medium…
It could be! Ultimately, as an artist, whatever medium in which you create is up to your choosing!
Holy fuck. I actually agree with almost every point you mentioned in this video. So glad the algorithm served me this.
Thank you! I'm glad you found my analysis to be at least somewhat insightful, and that your algorithm did a good job!
Surprised to see no mention of Aphmau and her Mystreet/Minecraft Diaries series! I'd argue she set the blueprint and these SMPs deviated..
Edit: Got to your conclusion and saw some! I heavily encourage you to watch the Minecraft Diaries series and give your thoughts!
I'm more disappointed to see no one in the comments talk about her at all
Because some of the things Aphmau did with Minecraft are actually incredible - they even have their own mods
It makes it especially disappointing that they decided to fully animate the entire next (last?) season of MyStreet especially after not giving any updates for years
Saying that as someone who really wanted to make Minecraft roleplay content *because* of MyStreet when I was younger
I very briefly mentioned her in the first chapter of the video during the course of the history lesson, and some of the MyStreet stuff makes an appearance there too! One of my biggest concerns with this script was that I didn't paint a detailed enough picture of the past to give appropriate context for Minecraft storytelling as a discipline, but I definitely agree that she and others like her were initially the ones setting the paradigm for the genre, a paradigm that eventually shifted to favor a different type of storytelling/content. Hopefully that contention still comes through in the video, though. Thanks again for the comment, and for the recommendation too!
thats why all the videos that i make are non scripted, i think it has more personality and just unpredictableness if you do things that aren't scripted 🙏
Yeah yeah Whitepine is good. But Whitepine is temporary, the "can you beat Minecraft with dementia?" series is forever.
Literally.
All art is temporary, no matter how timeless. But it strives for the eternal anyways. That's why it's beautiful.
@@FrostbyteFreeman I was just memeing but
Yes
Imagien watching this video, knowing NOTHING about parkour civilization, and hearing the quick summary of it LMAO
Chicken or beef and those sweet, sweet three-sixties. What's so hard to understand?
I think if we are comparing minecraft scripts to movies, Parrot's is like popcorn movies. The ones like Marvel or London has Fallen. They focus on action and spectacle with not much deeper themes. Whitepine is more like Stanley Kubrick, with a lot more craftsmanship surrounding the art form. Parrot's videos are nice to turn off to. I grab some hot chocolate, some biscuits, watch Parrot and chill.
I don't think "turning off" is an appropriate way to engage with art, and if Parrot wants to make art (which he ostensibly does), he has to reckon with that. Also, Ivory's more in the vein of PTA than she is Kubrick. Ultimately, though, I agree with the broad conceits of your analogy- thanks for the comment and your insight!
Stampy's Lovely World was and is my favorite Minecraft story
Right, i used to watch mythrodak(now Ivory) back in the prison days, it's crazy to see how far she has come
I don't know if you just needed background footage, but Ish's events aren't scripted. I played in one, so I'd know.
That's where the point about the gladiatorial games comes in- those definitely weren't scripted, either, but at least from an outside perspective they follow a roughly preordained structure that's close enough for the content to be analogous in a crudely referential sense (i.e. in the prison video there's the preordained structure of the prison's investors coming to visit, what the players do within this structure is unscripted and unprompted but it still exists). Don't know if I articulated that well enough, though.
Whitepine makes me think of Horror Channels Zeemyth and Garfilled, where while they take their stories more seriously, the story being set within minecraft makes it have to align with minecraft, and then ergo the fact that the medium is a video game, and then in that that it's a video the person edits unto their channel.
oh no, the silly video I wanted to put on in the background became inspirational again..
I used to watch alot of videos from a guy named NewScapePro, I remember stumbling upon his Minecraft Fallout roleplay and just sticking with it. It was funny, and just very cozy. He made much more with the rest of his group, having some overlap with SkyDoesMinecraft before he waas ousted as a terrible human being, he sadly privated or deleted most of his older content, leaving only his Minecraft SCP series up, with also his other Fortnite stuff being up (Never watched those.). I still miss the fact that I cannot rewatch Minecraft Fallout in it's entirety, I did read that he was emberressed by his older content and that's why it isn't up, but it still is something I miss being able to go back to.
As much as I can act like it isn't. Those silly little Minecraft Roleplays where a huge part of growing up.
HAHAHAHAHAHA thank you! I'm very glad this video was at least a little inspirational to you in some small form or fashion, and I completely understand what you mean when you say this sort of storytelling was a formative part of your youth!
The more interesting thing i believe about WhitePine, is it has a good bit of people from other things like clown. Like you mentioned you wished people did more with clown then just "the guy you gotta beat" and ivory has, sure at the minute his just a headmaster but its still more then most of the other scripted content hes in from an acting pov. Sure its mainly cuz its a whole diffrent acting scene, but i feel like it should still be noted
Yeah! Casting doesn't happen in a vacuum, and I find the way Ivory casts creators like actors to be super compelling personally. Definitely worthy of note, thanks for the comment!
As someone in love with parkour civilization, i do agree that there is room for improvement even in masterpieces
One memory i have is me watching a let's play series back in like 2016 or something, I question in the comments why they introduce it as a lets play when the series is clearly a roleplay.
The RUclipsr responded saying it was a lets play series. 3 video later starts to introduce it as a roleplay.
I personally think that content smp is really good, I am not entirely sure that it is scripted even though you gave it as an example of it.
Some out of character comments they have made makes it sound like the battles and duels have actual story stakes, they may be planned to happen but have actual consequences
Yeah i think they try to script as little as possible, with as few people knowing about the scripted parts as possible - for instance, when mouthpiece (funny charter ghost guy) first appeared, rat litterally had no clue arathain was doing that. the only part of that which was scripted was that arathain told rat to go to the place under bonesburrow and break the effigy, but he didnt tell him what it would do. similar happens everywhere else - lux had no idea about the anchor, winsweep didnt know about the broken lesser divinity, etc. I'm fairly sure that the only significant thing that's actually scripted is when someone is permakilled by charter, to make sure they're fine with it lol
To me, it's sort of like the gladiator analogy I gave in the video- a lot of the events are spontaneous, but because everyone is making mods in advance, certain parts of the narrative must be "preordained" out of necessity. I'd contend this preordination is analogous to a kind of script, but if you don't buy this contention, I completely understand. I definitely don't think Content SMP is bad, either, I just thought that the concept was too complicated in of itself to take up more time within this video- maybe another time, perhaps?
@@FrostbyteFreemanI think that gladiator analogy is pretty good, one time one of the players after being jumped by mentioned that they thought the event was over, this just leads me to think that they plan times for something to happen but they don’t know what yet. And work the story around the outcome of the event
ok my original comment I'm pretty sure is too long for RUclips to comment bc it keeps saying returned error, so I'll just summarize it. ill put the google doc link to my full thoughts under this.
This is a genre of content ive only just gotten back into and I've watched all of the examples in this video, so im going to respond to each chapter in no more than a paragraph.
DSMP - I agree with what you said, after the l'manberg arc ended, everyone wanted to be the main character, everyone wanted the spotlight and their five minutes of fame and bc of that, the story suffered. The constantly branching plotlines led to just a huge, jumbled mess that made it basically inaccessible for newcomers and even us older fans found it hard to keep up. This isn't to say that the plotlines themselves were bad, I enjoyed a few of them, but it just so overwhelming to catch up again and again. I think that if the creators just worked together to incorporate all of their ideas into one cohesive overarching story that still let them do their own things, then maybe the server's story wouldn't have had to ended so lazily.
Unstable Universe - I somehow also agree with most of the issues you mentioned with Parrot's series but there was something i disagreed with. Firstly, i don't think the series being limited to the constraints of the game mechanics is a bad thing. Even if the episodes are scripted and they do use creative to pull off the mega builds, i don't mind it having the facade of being vanilla because i think it just makes the dynamics between characters more compelling. Like they're all just friends who wanted to play minecraft together so when things go wrong, it feels more impactful. But this may just be a me thing.
Parkour Civilization - you somehow managed to captured my thoughts about the story really well. I watched it before it got mega viral so I'm biased when it came to first impressions but yea overall its an actual good story. Simplicity is key, and Evbo pulled it off quite well. Similar to the point you made in the UU chapter, it being within the rules and limitations of the game isnt a bad thing imo and unlike UU Parkour Civilisation kinda has to remain within the realm of the game. Its whole concept revolves specifically around minecraft parkour, trying to change the rules of the game would be changing the parkour and ultimately the end product so it being vanilla is kinda mandatory.
Whitepine - since you're gonna make a seperate vid on whitepine i'll hold my thoughts on the actual series till that vid drops but i want to talk about the implications of Whitepine's existence within this genre. Whitepine is an anomaly, like you said. Unlike the previous examples, its a lot more cinematic and serious in its storytelling and its very obvious a passion project. I'm not saying that the creators behind the other series dont care about their series, but it feels like ivory actually cares about the story being told. You can tell she pays attention to everything and her love for this medium is very prevalent. When you compare it to the other series in this video, WP easily outshines them in terms of presentation and artistic vision.
Conclusion/Summary - I liked this video more than i expected, i went into this expecting to fully disagree but i actually agreed with most of the video. I honestly just want all of the creators in this video to just keep doing what they do, the only way they'll ever improve is if they try whether or not they'll succeed. In the immortal words of Evbo_ "Parkour isn't about making jumps, it's about getting up and trying again" or smth like that.
Goddamn i did not expect this to be so long lmao, if anyone read this entire thing umm reply with a thumbs up emoji idk. Also i would love for you to make a video on minecraft args its another genre of mcyt i fucking love and need someone to make a video on. or i could do it myself but im lazy lol.
docs.google.com/document/d/1KwERru2ME9frmQxTvKI9e5YmmwWbxpO5IAncmVpluH8/edit?usp=sharing
Thanks so much for all the detailed feedback you provided on this video! I'm glad you ended up mostly agreeing with my perspective in the end, and I'm really happy you could share your own perspective with me! I did briefly mention Minecraft ARG's at the end of this video, though I'd have to save that subject for a more thorough separate analysis, I'm afraid. If it's a subject you're really passionate about yourself, though, I'd encourage you to at least try to articulate your thoughts on the matter in video form! You never know- you might take a liking to it, and at the very least, it could be a fun exercise to share your passion and feelings with others, helping you to articulate all those complicated thoughts on the genre you've kept bottled up! 👍
@@FrostbyteFreeman oh damn I didn't expect to get a reply thanks man. I've never really done anything sort of video analysis stuff before so I have no idea if I'll be any good at it. I've been wanting to try for a very long time but the idea of it just seems so daunting. Who knows maybe I will in the future. I'm glad you liked my comment it was mainly just me rambling about the genre and the creators in the video than actually much feedback I feel lmao. I wrote the comment while I was half asleep and it was very rushed so apologies if some bits didn't make sense. Anyways keep doing what you do and I can't wait for the Whitepine video!! :D
@@agorifix_1237 If you've been wanting to try your hand at video essays for a while now, the best way to begin is by beginning. I know the thought is intimidating since there's such a steep learning curve, but you owe it to yourself to at least take the chance. Even if you should fail miserably, and the thing you end up with isn't the same as the thoughts in your head, you'll at least have the satisfaction of a thing you made. What good does worrying that you won't be any good at it do you? You have to start somewhere! I'm proof positive of that... my older stuff isn't great, and my new stuff hardly better, but the struggle goes on. Grit your teeth and embrace it. If you do decide to go that route, I wish you the best of luck.
17:08 don't be embarrassed! birds are terrifying 🥲
Terrifyingly cute
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
OHOHOHOOOO HERE IT IS HERE WE GO FELLAS THIS VIDEOS GONNA BE A RIDEEE
Hello cupcakegaming882! I hope you enjoyed the video!
Surprisingly I knew every single one of these EXCEPT white pine. I even knew the arg one.
same
Tbh I think Parrot’s videos would be pretty ok if they were stand alone and shorter. For me, I’ve only watched the latest episode with the dangerous city. It had me completely hooked excluding a few plot points that were left unexplained. I agree too that it is held back by Minecraft’s limitations.
I thought it had the potential to be better than Parkour Civilization but when it came to the end with bullshit luck and a shoddily crafted villains it all fell apart. I don’t know much about the whole series and how it connects, but it just shouldn’t.
The comradery felt genuine and every person who escaped felt like a small victory. LuigiToan’s tragedy felt extremely well written and Coin’s sympathetic situation also felt real. The ending blew it all though. We were told in the beginning that Red was a greedy businessman who only cared about money, but that was thrown away like it meant nothing. Then he sided with this bullshit army that I didn’t know about. I know I’m missing context but it doesn’t fit Red’s character.
Idk parrot has amazing potential but god make the vids less drawn out and make them stand alone.
listing evbo as a problem in the thumbnail is crazy that writing is peak
Got you to click, though, didn't it?