A Shout Out to the Best - {The Kloons}

The Way of Web Series

As I scroll around this web of ours, I have seen many a series. I know that you have too. If not you would probably not be on a site called Web Series Today. I was then surprised to see that the Kloons have not really been mentioned on this blog. If there ever was a channel that deserves loads of respect from the community, this is it. If you haven't seen this channel then you really haven't seen the best the internet has to offer. Here is a gem from December 2011 which has garnered 5.1 million views.

Whoa, did he just blow your mind and make you feel okay about checking out women? Alright, I'm in! The thing I love about these guys is that they hold themselves to a very high standard of film making. They treat their medium, the web series, with respect and it looks really good on them. A couple of key things that stand out:

1) Episodes are only as long as necessary

(:59)

(1:22)

(1:22)



2) Every premise is simple

Badasses take off their sunglasses

What if the laundromat was fun?

Men and women deal with the world differently

3) Paying off the joke

"I told you to get a glass of water!"

"And breathe in..."


[I'm not going to tell you what happens but I will tell you it's epic]

Before you think that it's all dick and fart jokes, I would also like to highlight my favorites. 

High Art

Interpretive dance

Who is the "I"?


"A modern day rhyming triplet of visual poetry"


SFX


They say they don't do drugs but this video begs to differ


Also, if this isn't a drug reference then I guess I don't get it

Where film meets the local color



Collabs


Yes, I'm okay with this.

This looks like a pretty funny show.

Trifecta of all things Kloon: Good filmwork, interesting premise & collaboration

So now you've watched or scrolled your way through enough of a sampling of their work to see why I am so impressed with them as filmmakers. Impressed, yes, and shocked when I finally watched the following video.

Attention YOU, maker of web series(es)!

As it turns out, being smart, funny, talented, long-running and recognizable isn't enough to pay the bills. Sit back and think about that for a second. These guys have everything in place. So why hasn't it paid off for them? Why don't they have a creative studio with their friends? And one bigger question to highlight the absurdity of it all, why does this exist instead?





In the case of the Grumpy Cat, she has handlers to take her to events, think up merchandise and broker movie deals. I'm sure Tardar Sauce's owners know how quickly internet sensations come and go so there's a limited time to cash in. Obviously it's not the case with the Kloons since they've proven that they're more than just a pouty face but I can't help but to compare. Why aren't studios beating down their doors? Why aren't they being handed the hundred thousand it would take for them to make a decent feature, sitcom or sketch show?

Their Solution

"Popsicles"

Butts

You get to the end and you don't even mind that it's an ad

The Kloons have learned a valuable lesson for all of us that are making web content. It doesn't matter how pretty or smart or talented your are; in order to be making money, you need to be making product.

It's not good enough to just be making content - each of the Kloons videos has several thousand views and are generally well liked - it's about making something to sell. This is America, we live in a system that is based on exchanging currency. The Kloons know this but they also know that you can't have one without the other. So they started using their quality content to make a product. I don't see this as selling out, I see it as survival. Since the State of the Kloonian the boys have turned out this series which is darling.

I wish them much success in their endeavors this year and hope that their budget continues to propel them into the mainstream.