The Spoony Experiment - Because bad movies and games deserve to be hurt back!

thesilentcomentator

Thanks for introducing this to us Noah! These people are hilarious.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

My wife plays the Danish delegate, and for your comment would like to marry you. What do you think? :)
- thesilentcomentator
  
  Unfortunately I believe your offer of a shared marriage would be frowned upon in most countries, so I will have to unfortunately disagree :p I do wish that you and your series receives the attention and many views it deserves though. Good luck to you all!
  - http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
    
    Haha, thanks buddy. You’re a damn fine soul.

http://twitter.com/Supra34 Tyler Baker

I thought it wasn’t bad. I got a few chuckles out of it :) i think i might want to see more

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

As co-creator of BCTV (and the angry Englishman), a few chuckles is far more than we deserve, Ty. Thanks for the kind words. :)

http://funnydndstories.com CaptainZM

They got their roles down pretty well. God job guys.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

I think you’re too kind there, man, but I’ll take the compliment anyhow. Some (most) of the accents…damn. Cheers.

jnywest

not bad, pretty funny.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Thank you so much. For that comment, you have one free life-save from Bad Call Man. And not everybody gets one.

http://twitter.com/Nukleon Nukleon

Not entirely factually correct. In 1981, it would’ve been the European Economic Community, the EEC, which was the predecessor to the EU.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

You legend! Yes, it would have been, however I went with my cynical instinct and assumed most people wouldn’t realise that, so changed it to EU for the sake of shorthand storytelling. But nice pick-up!
- http://twitter.com/Nukleon Nukleon
  
  Yeah that’s what I figured. Would’ve ruined the joke if you had to explain that one first.
  
  Nice job by the way.
  - http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
    
    Thanks, chief. Not only would it have ruined the joke, it would also have blown out our runtime. Originally I wanted all of the eps to go no longer than ten seconds (dreaming, but I’m a 5 Second Film fan). As I wrote, that went to 30, then a minute, then two minutes. So undisciplined…

http://www.facebook.com/people/Grzegorz-Wojtczyk/100000046280578 Grzegorz Wojtczyk

Fucked up ? If you want to put it nicely.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Why be nice? Have at it, big guy. ;)

http://www.facebook.com/people/Thomas-Rembrandt/100000266887558 Thomas Rembrandt

live action axis powers hetalia. Amazing!

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Not as amazing as you, Mr Rembrandt. Thanks a lot, man.

http://www.facebook.com/tenow.sorz Alexey Belyaninov

Hey, thanks, Spoony. Awesome series. If only that new project of that nostalgic guy was as watchable.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Thanks so much, Alexey. Best is yet to come, promise.

Guus van Voorst

It was kinda funny… though the accent of the dutch lady was more german-like than dutch (but far I’ve seen, a lot of american movies tend to mix those accents, so I guess its a standard there XD)…

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

German, huh? I actually said in rehearsals, “I don’t know if your accent is Dutch, but it’s definitely funny.” So we went with it. But you’re dead right, I’ve heard plenty of Dutch people before and that ain’t it. Glad you got a little bit of a chuckle. FYI, though, we’re Aussie, mate, not American. ;)
- Guus van Voorst
  
  Oh right, but I was just talking about American movies in general… Sorry for the confusion… Still, good job making this funny…
  - http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
    
    Thanks, Guus. Good job making my day. :) Cheers, buddy.

http://twitter.com/RoppongiCoffee Mr. RHC

The drama of the actual situation is reflected in a way somebody can laugh at it. So, not bad!

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Thanks, Mr RHC! I’m glad we could tread the line and not be TOO inflammatory. One does have to keep in mind that a lot of people are suffering over all this, but humour is a great healer, I think.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Mitchell-Bandes/100001750373297 Mitchell Bandes

I watched through all of them.

They were acted well enough, but the concept gets stale almost instantly.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Hey Mitchell. Thanks for your thoughts, man (and for watching them all through – marathon runner, I love it). The critique was insightful and valuable. Interestingly, Spoony’s criticisms were along exactly the same lines, so I’ll take good notes when they come. These eps were all shot close together, and all, obviously, with the “bad business decisions” theme in mind, so it’s no surprise they get a bit samey. It was an effort to get people familiar with the concept but I agree that it stales too quickly in close succession. As we move beyond business and push into other areas (genre, celebrity, history, etc), it’ll be easier to mix it up, keep the audience on their toes, wander a little farther from the formula, as you put it. Cheers, good sir.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Andreas-Tornqvist/605088298 Andreas Törnqvist

As a Swede and citizen within the EU, I approve of this message.

Honestly though, the stereotypes were kinda funny, you should make a Finnish one (a run-down drunk somehow managing to demand safety nets) and a Swedish one (wearing some shoddy clothes but acting like it’s better than everyone else).

http://www.facebook.com/people/Andreas-Tornqvist/605088298 Andreas Törnqvist

And as a footnote, you might want to look up “Golden Dawn” and work that into another show if one such would be made.
- http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
  
  Just did. Wow. Yep, definitely have to take the piss out of those guys. Thanks for the heads-up, Andreas!
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Andreas-Tornqvist/605088298 Andreas Törnqvist
    
    You’re welcome! You should check the growth of extremist/racist parties in Europe overall. Even multicultural Sweden has a racist party (although they only got 5.6% of votes). Golden Dawn however… yeah.
MiniMacker

I’d love to see the Swede as a social introvert.

http://i.imgur.com/xbC4s.jpg

Us Swedes keep to ourselves most of the time. We don’t like to speak up in the fear of insulting or making someone uncomfortable. Yet when we consume alcohol, we become the complete opposite. We’re loud, obnoxious and not afraid of anything! Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde style!
- http://twitter.com/nemo3590 Jonathan Smith
  
  Sweden sounds like my kind of place.
- http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
  
  You forgot to mention how much fun you guys are on the booze. :) So many good night with my Swedish mate back in the day. Christian, you my boy!
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Andreas-Tornqvist/605088298 Andreas Törnqvist
    
    Yes we are a bit on/off. :)
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Andreas-Tornqvist/605088298 Andreas Törnqvist
  
  Yeah it’s a bit like the Japanese phenomenon. What I was referring to was that Sweden is reporting that “everything’s fine EU, we’re doing GREAT” when economic inequality is growing and people under 25 are fucked over completely on jobs.

http://www.facebook.com/jenny.ontree Jenny Ontree

It was … pretty good.
Actually I did like most of it. There’s just a
few things I’d wish they might change, like interjecting some of the
stereotypes (which where funny) with some other more jokes specific to
the situation.
Maybe a jab at the Italian government being in some
trouble in 1981. Kind of foreshadowing Berlusconi making a complete
farce of the whole thing.
Stuff like that. It might give it a bit more wit and rewatchability.
Though I’m willing to accept that since this is just one sketch, not a show about the Europe nations that’d be a lot to ask.

Also
whilst I love those sort of Now Show (English radio show. Radio 4.
Awesome) style sketches that get more in depth you might limit your
audience a tad if you did that.

A sketch about the Eurozone Crisis they had:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KUcu5HdhYI

Overall it really was a good sketch and I’d like to see more. :)

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Hey there. Thanks for the notes; all very well-thought-out and insightful. It would have been wonderful to work more sly jabs in but the truth is it was running longer than I wanted it to to start with, so I kept it sharp as I could, to-the-point, and as (hopefully) understandable to as wide an audience as possible. But our aim has always been to cram as many jokes into a tiny timeframe as we can, so we’ll definitely take your advice onboard. Cheers!

http://www.facebook.com/adecaire1 Andrew DeCaire

You basically saying: (If you want to learn something for yourself look it up… instead of watching these videos)
It’s ironic because your review of FF8 which totally tore it apart and explained fully why it’s crap. Got me into playing it :)

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Hey Andrew. Actually that’s us, Bad Call TV, saying “if you want to learn something, look it up”, not Spoony. Don’t hold him to our twisted logic, it wouldn’t be fair to him. Anyway, the line was equal parts comedy, cover-our-asses disclaimer and just plain good advice: never rely on a single source for your info. But, as you say, you already got that. So kudos, son. :)

doresh

The resemblances are uncanny XD

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Aren’t they just? I so would have loved to have everybody in stereotypical national dress, but we ran out of money. Also, as a matter of curiosity (and I hope no Germans get too offended), in the original script when the German delegate appeared he was dressed in an SS uniform, but the Dutch delegate shouted, “Remove that stereotype; he’s offensive!”, whereupon the SS German delegate was yanked off and replaced by a guy in Lederhosen. :) One day I’ll take the piss out of Australians just as badly, promise. In the meanwhile, The Simpsons did it pretty well…
- doresh
  
  As a German, I think I’d be more offended by the Lederhosen. The SS gear is probably more offensive, but at least it’s outdated. Those Bavarians on the other hand are slowly assimilating our other German cultures right now XD
  - http://www.facebook.com/adecaire1 Andrew DeCaire
    
    Okay, got it :D

Der Neger

Oh boy, a new vid on TSE!

…oh….

…err, well, it’s okay I guess, but…

Why is it here again?

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Because Spoony’s a friend to cute animals, damsels in distress, and nobody Australian filmmakers in desperate need of a boost. Duh, man.

http://twitter.com/zodd88 Guido Palombi

I lost it at the ”FANCULO”!!!
Never though i could hear some good italian swearing on this site…
By the way great job, definetly going to see more !

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Haha, thanks, Guido! That was all Will’s improv, so he’ll be stoked you liked it. Nothing like cursing in Italian, huh?

http://www.facebook.com/lewis.cowen.528 Lewis Cowen

You know, I’m English (Part of the EU) and I don’t know who half of these countries are.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Mitchell-Bandes/100001750373297 Mitchell Bandes

And they say Americans are bad at Geography.

Well, they’re right of course, but it’s nice to see a foreigner once in a while who’s worse than even we are so we can all point and laugh at him and feel better about ourselves.
http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Look east Lewis! They’re all there! (Except for Ireland, but I’m pretty sure you’d know where those guys are at, right?)
doresh

We in the mainland have it much better, especially us Germans. We easily have more neighbors than everyone else XD

Tough for some reason, whenever anyone shows a map with all EU countries here in Germany, the map is always cut off slightly above Great Britain. So German media is basically pretending like Finland does not exist Oo

Sajeh

It is a rip off of that japanese cartoon thing, where all countries are represented as human characters right?

Darke Mayer Goulart

Axis Power Hetalia is awesome!

About this Bad Call thing: well put, guys. I loved the Episode 5 (about Michael Cimino)! Hope to watch you weekly from now.
- http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
  
  Yes! Thanks, Darke! The Cimino one’s a favourite of mine, too, since I’m a big movie buff. Weekly’s a can-do. Cheers, man.
http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Hey Sajeh! You could certainly look at it that way, but I can assure you I wrote this long before I became aware of Hetalia. Also allow me to draw the distinction: our characters are only delegates of their respective nations, not the nations themselves, as in Hetalia. Though the stereotype joke does rely on them being representative of their nation in the same way that the characters in Hetalia are representations of their countries, so dramatically it’s the same effect. Still, my primary aim was to make fun of the idea of “union” when everybody’s at each other’s throats all the time, rather than just paying out on ethnic stereotypes.

http://www.facebook.com/KoeLeos KOstantinos Piou ELeftheriadis

ELA MORI ELLADARA…IM FROM GREECE xD

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Opa! Ela! :)

L1nk1

Episode 9 has a great line you guys should check it out.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

I love where your head’s at, L1nk1. Everybody, listen to this guy. FYI, it’s one of my favourites too.

Merost

Nice. But the guy who is giving the facts at the end is mumbling way to much, you should let another one read the “facts”. Maybe the german guy.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Haha, that’s me. I think you’re right, Merost. Talking quickly and clearly wasn’t my forte. I’m working on it, though – getting better. Cheers!

http://www.facebook.com/JCW91 Jake Willson

Wait a second, an English stereotype that ISN’T yet another done to death upper class twit?
HERESY!!!

I approve.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

It’s so much easier to shout at a Frenchman in a working-class accent, don’t you think? Thanks so much, Jake. You’re too kind.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Seth-Williams/15618827 Seth Williams

I’ll have to check more of these out! Fingers are crossed for seeing one about the rulers of Middle Earth agreeing to take the Rings of Power.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Snap! Brilliant. I’ll give you a story credit when we run that one, Seth! Legendary.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000005596843 Andreas Andy Persson Fondell

I’m from Sweden and I hate the European Union. It’s governed by Germany who has such insane guilt over what happened in the 30′s and 40′s that Angela Merkel insists on creating this stupid (e)utopia that fails on every single level. It’s closer to a Third Reich than the actual Third Reich ever was with the exception of genocide. It’s a failure not only because of the way they try to manhandle a delicate situation and rush things, but also because of that goddamn Euro currency. It drags everyone down in the shit. F*ck the European Union.

Nachtmuseum

Germany is extremely bowing to the US. Germany is a minion of the US in many ways (wars, finance, middle east, etc.). Chancellor Schröder once said germany has “unlimited solidarity” to the US. That aside… I think you are right with your statement and i believe most Europeans like the cultural idea(l) of the EU but hate what “politics” made of it, yet they are too busy/ignorant to get into it and make their voices heard. I hope for a big change in politics soon.
- Merost
  
  Lol he said “unlimited solidarity”after the 9/11 attacks….Then he ditched out on that statement when it came to the iraq war
  
  Germany never bowed down to the US since the cold war ended, actually Obama ended a long period of “icy politeness” between the two states.
  - http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
    
    Still loving it. Maintain the sparkling repartee, chaps.
- http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
  
  It’s awesome to see the vid stimulating this kind of intelligent discussion. Keep it up guys!
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000005596843 Andreas Andy Persson Fondell
  
  Yeah, regulating the size of tomatoes and the shape of cucumbers is so insane that it’s laughable and that’s only a fraction of the idiocy that goes on in the EU parliament.
FrodoSix

Really…? Than I would love to read your explanation about HOW Germany
governs the EU and how this in any way resembles the Third Reich… Did I miss the forcible occupation of other European countries by the German military? And wasn’t there some kind of EU commission and parliament which, I’m pretty sure, works in Belgium and consist of members from all EU countries? You should not base your view on the world on tabloid newspapers and “I hate Europe”-internet discussion forums.
- http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
  
  Thanks, Frodo. I was sorry to lose the joke, but you gotta kill your babies.
Sajeh

“Tetra-pak, ja…. Blå-pripps, ja…. kuk kuk, kuk kuk, faldera… dansk nationalpoet…. DANSK DJÆVLA!”

http://twitter.com/MammaJambas Yomommmmma

I hope you all know what this means. Any moron can pay to be on Spoonys site now.

Merost

Lol I thought you were joking but he did advertise this option on Twitter O_o

Not sure how I feel about that.
- http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
  
  See above, gentle knave.
http://twitter.com/Okanehira Okanehira

How is that a negative? If you don’t like what gets posted “vote with your wallet” and don;t watch it, and Spoony still gets the extra money to keep this site going.

If its decent (like i think this was) then you discovered something new.
- http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
  
  Thanks for the back-up, Oka. F*cking stalwart, son.
http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Any moron with the cash anyhow. :) I completely understand your trepidation but if you’ll indulge me: you’re a Spoony fan so I assume you trust his judgement in some capacity, so trust him enough to believe he won’t allow anything he considers total shit on his website, paid for or otherwise. Now, that may be precisely how you feel about our show (and that’s cool – ride the walrus, man), but nobody can like everything and even fans aren’t going to agree with Spoony every time, and I think his plan to open up his site has as much to do with diversifying, providing variety to his fans, as it does with eking out a living in new media (which isn’t an ignoble thing anyway, if you’re asking me). And please believe that, whatever you think of BCTV and its appearance on TSE, we certainly didn’t do this as a half-assed dip into the new media pond. We’re serious about our stuff, passionate about it, and we really do care what you guys think.
- http://twitter.com/MammaJambas Yomommmmma
  
  Oh, I was about to say, is there really someone that idiotic to be defending the fact that now anyone with money can exploit Spoonys greedy nature to appear on the site with the fan base that was built by Old Spoony?Then I saw you were apart of the people that paid for this. Carry on.
  - http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
    
    Don’t worry, mate, we surely will. Thanks a bunch for your compassion, thoughtfulness, openness to change and sunny disposition. You stay classy, Yomommmmma.

http://twitter.com/d_kong Dan K

Eh I chuckled at the end. Still I dont think its too bad. I’d like to see more.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Thanks, Dan! An end chuckle’s like gold to us. Cheers.

Nachtmuseum

The EU was formed in 1991… The European Community, which was before the EU, was a very different thing, because every country had their own direkt inflation target, currency and so on (which they dont have anymore, which is part of the big problem in the EU… oh and the bank/stock exchange market stuff). I cannot explain it very good in english. The dilemma the EU has right now is a result of more complicated thing than “Greece has a bad government”. Although the Greece Government has made mistakes. I like the video on the entertainment side though =)

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Hey, Nachtmuseum! You’re right, of course. I addressed this point somewhere else in the comments, but briefly: I doubted that most people would know about the EEC so for the sake of brevity and clarity I changed it to the EU so more people would understand. You’re very right that the EU problem is far more complex than depicted here. I’m glad you found it entertaining, though; this was all we were ever trying to do. Thanks!

Kimarous

*shrug* Eh. Not really my cup of tea. It didn’t help that the latter half was pretty much “explain the joke” time. Just ending at the acceptance of Greece would’ve been better IMO.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Yeah, I wrestled with the explanatory title cards but in the end decided to go with them, not least for the sake of consistency. Sure, the EU ep is one most people would understand (as long as you watch a smattering of news), but there are plenty of eps concerning more obscure bad calls (the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the Heaven’s Gate debacle, Thalidomide, etc) that we were pretty sure most people wouldn’t understand without some elucidation, so we knew they’d need the cards and we didn’t want them to jar on people. But yes, I also think leaving it at the end of the live-action shots would’ve been better. In a perfect world anyway. :)

Pinup Ghoul

What an awesome concept! Hilarious and educational, and their style of humor is very clever. I like it a lot.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Dammit, Pinup Ghoul, now Bad Call Man wants to marry you. :) Thank you so much; I’ll do my best to prevent his infatuation from tipping over into stalker territory, promise.
- Pinup Ghoul
  
  I’m afraid I’ve already got a fella, but I will nerd out about history and historical inconsistencies with anyone, anyime! I’m an opera singer by trade, and the history of western classical music is my favorite thingever. I’ll also keep watching your show!
  - http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
    
    His mighty heart is breaking, but I’ll look after him. :) Thanks, doll!

http://twitter.com/Okanehira Okanehira

That was actually really good, well done guys – looking forward to more of these.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Thanks so much, Okanehira! We’ll try desperately not to disappoint.

Darke Mayer Goulart

We all have personal bad calls to remember… like this time when I walked through a shelf of Playstation games and saw this interesting title, which remembered me of Final Fantasy Tactics, so I picked it up…

Turned up to be the WORST. JRPG. EVER. Why, Atlus? Why did you bring Hoshigami to the West? You broke my heart, Atlus! YOU BROKE MY HEART! No amount of Persona 4 and Demon Souls and 3D Dot Game Heroes can mend my soul!

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

In those cases there really are only strippers and booze to fill the void. I’m sorry, my friend. So sorry…

Also, the way you started that story, I thought you actually walked THROUGH a shelf. Like, took it out. That, too, wouldn’t have been a great call.

http://www.facebook.com/miffy92 Matthew Mifsud

As an Australian, I wholeheartedly endorse this event or product.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

^This bloke’s fair dinkum.

http://www.facebook.com/gpavlopoulos2 Giorgos Pvl

I am Greek and i find this both hilarious and accurate :D

Merost

You can afford internet???
http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Thanks, Giorgos! That means a lot. We’ve had positive and negative responses from Greeks, both understandable and valuable, but it’s always nice to hear people get a laugh. Cheers, mate!

http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.wooten.3 Jonathan Wooten

Not bad, I enjoyed it. The ending would have been better without the explanation but that’s probably just me. I already got that part so having it explained seemed a bit redundant but I can see it working for the most part. Its the end so its not mandatory to watch though so really no reason for a complaint I guess.

Some of the accents didn’t sound quite right but still was rather funny.

@Yomommmmma. You just seem like one of those people that’s mad at the world and taking it out on anything you can find without any real constructiveness, just flinging crap everywhere. If youre upset about something simply acting like an ass doesn’t do much good, it just makes you look like an ass and people wont generally take you seriously.

Overall Id say I hope Spoony continues to trickle in a some other critics/entertainers. Its how I ended up being fans of his and Joes.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Thanks, Jonathon – I do agree with you about the ending (I’ve mentioned it somewhere else in the comments), but we wanted to make it consistent with our other episodes with stories that weren’t so well-known and needed a little background info, and, hey, there are probably a few people out there who know it’s bad in Greece but don’t know exactly why things went south so badly, so it brings them up to speed. And thanks for the vote of confidence and, considering how much of boost the exposure on Spoony’s site has already given us, I hope other entertainers get that chance too. Cheers, mate.

http://twitter.com/anceldelambert Aaron Kerr

Christopher Titus, I love you dude, but everytime you make fun of the French for not joining the European Union, I have to shake my head. They were right. And Greece is FUCKED!

Michael Sporzynski

I’m really unimpressed. Let me count the ways:
1) There’s no real joke. I get the intended humour. But honestly, each country saying a sentence or two, without really saying anything particularly funny or fitting? Yeah, real side-splitting. I’ve seen “people as personification of countries” done well, in both a restrained way and in an over-the-top, offensive way. This is not only not done that well, it doesn’t seem able to make up his mind what it is going to be. None of the countries gave me a “oh, that’s just spot-on” reaction, none gave me a chuckle or even a wry half-smile.

2) There’s no structure. A good sketch needs a setup, a build-up and a good payoff. That’s why it takes some skill to tell a joke well. This is just “there’s a bunch of countries, everyone says something that is essentially pointless and rather random, and then there’s the joke.” Heck, it’s one step from everyone going “I’m [country] and I’m [adjective!]“.

3) The explanatory part. Really? Really? Surely the average person visiting Spoony’s site is not ignorant enough to need everything spelled out to them. And to be honest, the WHOLE thing is an infodump. The writing is busy to get the point “oh, and THIS is [country]!” that it forgets that it is supposed to be funny. Dudes. Make it subtler. A good setup is not “someone says something very directly, and then the exact opposite is described”. Show things indirectly. With emphasis on SHOW. As in, “show, don’t tell”. A thing with actors and a script is built around, well, acting and things happening. A “wall of text” approach is doing it wrong, unless it’s an overt parody or deliberately over-the-top. The sketch is about a good a joke as if someone on-camera said “Greece was accepted into EU. It was, and it was a terrible idea! Hilarious!”.

4) The way Greece is portrayed was mildly amusing, I admit. But the sketch doesn’t do much with it, doesn’t turn it into more than a cute little visual joke. And honestly – that’s too little. Honestly, a still shot from the Greece guy with the date and the caption “Greece gets accepted into the EU” would have been funnier than the sketch.

In short, the sketch is worse than terrible – terrible, as any fan of Spoony’s reviews can attest, can be funny in itself. It’s extremely average and honestly just, simply, not funny. It’s not well executed, it has bad structure, it has only one joke (and not that great a joke at that) if you don’t count the “I’ll say something stereotypical” thing that is just not that funny. I definitely am not interested in watching any more videos by the same people.

I’m trying to be as constructive as possible in the comment, seeing as at least one person involved in the making of this little thing is apparently reading the comments. But honestly? This is not good comedy. It’s painfully average in my book. I’d rather watch even the least inspired and well-done sketches on SMBC Theatre or CollegeHumor. They are better. Yes, even the poorer-done ones.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Wow. o.O Thanks, Michael, I haven’t had my soul scoured like that since I was forced into the realisation that the Loch Ness Monster doesn’t exist. :) Anyway, I won’t waste your time refuting every point, but I will refute your contention that “everyone says something that is essentially pointless and rather random”. Each of those lines was a jab at another a country; as I’ve said elsewhere in these comments (though not this comprehensively), I was making fun of the EU’s ideal of unity when the business of international politics often places nations at loggerheads. So there’s that joke, too, not in the things they were saying (which I won’t accept are pointless because I had that point very clearly in my mind while I was writing the lines), but in the spaces between. Didn’t work for you? No worries at all. Thank you for taking a decent amount of time out of your day to explain why – as tough as it was to read lines like “worse than terrible”, unvarnished feedback’s always good. Cheers, mate.
- Michael Sporzynski
  
  Hey, don’t take the “worse than terrible” out of context. As I said, I consider the end result very average. It being terrible may have made it unintentionally funny, but it would not be a credit to whoever made it. So it was a roundabout almost-compliment. If it were terrible, it might be “so bad it’s good” kind of fun to watch. But if it’s very average, to the point of not being all that amusing, it has actual room for improvement.
  
  And I realise I was being rather harsh overall. It’s just, the main sin of what I’ve seen is the blandness. That’s not something that can’t be improved upon, either. So, good luck, even if the series is certainly not for me. I hope you can take something even from my reaction to make your future ideas work better.
  
  Plus, you get big points for being gracious in accepting heavy criticism. Especially since it seems some other commenters found this funnier than I did, and were more positive.
  - http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
    
    Thanks, Michael; when we started this my main mission statement was grace under fire. It’d be the height of churlish to get my back up over someone else’s well-put honesty. We put it out there; we should pay attention to the reaction. So thanks for yours. And I need to keep in mind as much as anyone else that these episodes are very much a start. I want BCTV to diversify in the future, incorporate limited series, action videos, popular science, the work of others if they want to come on board, on top of these little weekly bad call videos (which themselves will push into non-business-related territory). So that helps give me a little perspective. Also, yes, you’re quite right about “worse than terrible” being a roundabout compliment – but the curve’s pretty long, dude. :) Thanks again, mate.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000005596843 Andreas Andy Persson Fondell

They’re supposed to be stereotypes of the countries in the EU and the politicians as a whole. That’s the funny part. It’s called “satire”.
- ummon
  
  The problem is that stereotypes aren’t funny on their own. They can be like in the case of greece as the bad call is made obvious by their behaviour. Apart from that? We’re still doing the drunk irish? I’m german and I don’t even understand what exactly most of these stereotypes are supposed to be. They are just doing accents.
  It would have been much better to either play up the contrast by making the members look very somber and composed as they announce that greece has been accepted, tThen move over to show party-greece. If you want to show the conflict between the countries, make it relevant. Have them argue about current grievances in the EU, they can even keep the silly accents.

groskino

oh, well then, i make it short.
so we are now laughing at the downfall of a society. thats great, really. throw in some stereotypes to replace political parties and politicians (they suck anyway, so why care anyway?). development of the international market economy? bollocks. development of the social market economy? booooooooring. the question why banks and financial institutes used to throw money at greece? what a ridiculous question.

i got a funny line for you guys, its from Trotsky, so enjoy:

what is the answer of fascism to a severe crisis? kicking down those who are already at the bottom.

greetings from germany :),

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Hi Groskino. Your point is well-made, and I admire your compassion. I won’t press my own point too hard, but please allow me to say that the Greek citizens who are suffering as a result of poor governance were not our target here. The fact is, their crisis was brought about by the terrible decisions of bad leaders, and those leaders are our targets. That said, I understand your offense, but there are other ways to interpret what we’ve done here, and the most cynical one isn’t necessarily the best. Thanks for your thoughts, mate.
- groskino
  
  Thanks for your kind and considered reply,
  the current crisis is upsetting to all of us. as you point out, we have now to face the consequences of bad decisions.
  the quotation i made, was not made to make you look bad and place you and your friends in a certain corner. i want to point out a certain mechanic in our thoughts and reaction (including mine) that can mount in downward spiral until it is ´every nation now on its own´.
  
  its not helping either to throw numbers at viewer. who is paying how much to whom in order to pay what? here it is, i think, a scetch can set a twist.
  
  however, i m looking forward to see more from you guys. there werent any ill intention from, so i level a gear down and calm down.
  
  best wishes, groskino
  - http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
    
    Hey, man. Thanks so much – it is really delightful to get such a kind and thoughtful reply. Our other sketches will cut much farther from the bone, I promise. :) I believe Spoony may be kind enough to post a few more for us. We shall see. Otherwise, they’re all on the Youtube channel. Cheers, mate.

verves5237 ft

Anyone who supports the Golden Dawn party is probably reacting to the complete lack of a capable and honest political party.These morons do NOT in fact, represent the hellenic people, as mainstream media might have you believe.Just throwing that out there.No offense meant.

http://twitter.com/Sillybilly2000 Niels haas

Okay, this was insulting the Dutch Accent was a poor Swedish one at best. as an Dutch person it was insulting to hear.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Swedish? I don’t think it even makes it there, Niels. :) I’m sorry if it offended you; it was intended only to be a funny accent, that’s all. No-one at The Simpsons, for example, can even come close to an Australian accent, so they just go for something over-the-top ridiculous to make a joke of themselves as well as the subject matter, which is what we were trying to do here (and at BCTV in general).
- http://twitter.com/Sillybilly2000 Niels haas
  
  True, it would be nice if they would have taken the time to put down a good accent for all the countries, that way it would be even more funnier.
  - http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy
    
    It would have been ideal, yes, but resources aren’t there yet. Someday soon, I hope – until then, please bear with us in the same way you would with the “slow” kid at school. :) Thanks, mate.

meanmanturbo

Pretty good overall. But the EU in 1981? It wasn’t called the EU until the Maastricht Treaty of 1993. For shame!

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Well-said. Yes, I changed it from the EEC to avoid confusion. I wanted to keep it under a minute so there’s so little time to establish everything, and I decided to sacrifice some accuracy in the interests of shorthand. Forgive me, good sir.

http://twitter.com/Amor_Kitsune Amoren Cinteroph

Everyone will watch and like this video, or else we’ll deploy the drop bear paratroopers!

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Because that’s just how we do Down Under. Advance Australia Fair, motherfuckers! :)

Spectr

I dont know whats worse, the unfunny forced video or the extremly awkward cocksucking by “Lachlan Huddy” here in the comments -_-

MikeBester

+++

“I dont like the video”

“HA Great point you are of course absolutly right you wonderful genius and pinnacle of human evolution!!” -_-
http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Is it really that awkward, Spectr? Guess I need to work on my technique. Maybe you could help me out…?

http://www.facebook.com/people/Adam-Duffles-Duffield/1351718417 Adam ‘Duffles’ Duffield

“a new hilarious (yet educational!) web series”
“These are not the facts. They don’t claim or aim to be. If you want to learn something look it up, you lazy f*cks”
Erm what.
Besides, wouldnt making fun of real ‘bad calls’ be more edgy and fun? Rather than the safer route of made up things?

Brandon Skyblade

Huh…European stereotypes arguing with each other at a giant table while attempting to have a meeting? …I think I’m watching Hetalia remade in live action. XD

askorbitalrescuesage

Unworthy.

These videos are so incredibly bad, unfunny, and lacking in value or content in any form. I watched about a dozen or so of them and while they do seem to cover relevant topics, the videos and performers fail in every possible way in presentation and delivery.

PS: I was physically there in Dubai for the riots and the 2009 economic collapse that rocked the Middle East. Your facts and presentation of the typical Arab mentality towards foreign workers are spot on. It just isn’t funny. None of the videos were.

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Hi, mate. I agree totally that worker exploitation and the reduction of human life to barely-paid labour isn’t funny, but I do believe that mocking that sort of mindset is a worthwhile pursuit. The idea was to laugh at the people who perpetrated those things, not to find humour in the suffering they caused. In any case, thanks for watching as many as you did, and I’m sorry to hear none of them worked for you.

DarkSaber2k

Thanks for reminding me I’d much rather be watching Eurotrash over this tepid shite!

Rhisify

Hi, i haven’t watched the video (i intend to) but just browsing the comments I feel really bad about the the way feedback is given. It seems everyone want to be a reviewer but many of the people commenting don’t have the kindness or subtlety to give constructive feedback. Congrats on actually making a series and having a creative vision, more than the majority of people commenting have achieved. I look forward to watching the video when I have time and will give my feedback :D

http://www.facebook.com/lachlan.huddy Lachlan Huddy

Hi, Rhisify. Thanks for the encouraging words, mate. Actually I think for this episode we’ve had plenty of constructive criticism, and a lot of kindness. Sure, there’s been some outright hostility but it’s about as much as you’d expect, especially since, as many detractors are at pains to point out, this isn’t what people expect to come to TSE for. But seriously, you want to see some real destruction? Check out the comments on the second of our eps Spoony posted, Come Get a Byte. No-one’s shy there. Anyway, here’s hoping you get a kick out of some of the eps if you find the time to check any out and, if they’re not to your liking, we’d still appreciate your thoughts if you’d care to share them. Cheers.

Vismutti

I’m too much of a history nerd to find this funny… all my mind goes to is nitpicking about stuff like how it’s not really about Greece being accepted into EU, it’s more about it being accepted into the Euro-zone and how certain banks were involved and how the whole rescue operation is a joke and does more harm than good and how there might be ulterior motives for certain people in doing it that way whether it’s about dodging responsibility or about something worse and how the whole Euro thing was a bad idea from the start because the countries involved were just too different from a financial standpoint and I honestly think it probably wouldn’t have worked anyway unless they’d either restricted the membership requirements much more (not just for Greece but others as well) or just changed EU into a federation already since that’s what they apparently are trying to do.

*sigh* I know, I know, I’m a spoilsport. I’m not saying you can’t make fun of this stuff, though, or that it can’t be funny. But I would have done it differently.

http://www.facebook.com/kimberly.pearce.391 Kimberly Pearce

This would have worked better if it was longer. The jokes, are okay I guess, it would have worked better if there was more to it. It really feels bland and forgettable.

Support the Experiment!

Categories

Bad Call, Episode 1 – Bad Call in the EU