Honestly I hope I get to see the day where somebody uploads a day-long video essay about something, anything! Not a compilation of multiple parts of a video, just one long focused video essay
A TH-camr named Jordan Fringe actually did that on the reality show Survivor. It's not a 24 hour video but I would consider it a day long video because it's literally 12 hours.
Weirdly, I feel that 3~15 minute videos (what I like to call normal videos) are sandwiched in a bad place where the meta is either 1+ hour video essays or just shorts.
Personally I prefer 15-30 minute videos the most... They're less of a time commitment, but I can watch multiple if I feel like going longer (it helps that I almost always watch videos at 1.5-2x speed).
I love long videos because most of the time they are not just content that's made to be entertaining with wacky edits, but they are a journey of sorts. It really makes them feel a whole lot special and memorable.
I think, out of all of the annoying meta's we've had so far, I like this one is the best. Its hard to spam 6 hour videos for a quick buck, and the ones that do come out are usually really really good. The only way rn I can see this meta getting abused is through "binge watching" channels that reupload shows and movies, which would come with legal risks/difficulties.
I wouldn't say it's necessarily harder to spam 6 hour videos. It's just that they're cutting less stuff out and being as long winded as possible on purpose.
spamming long videos for a quick buck is exactly what james somerton and illuminaughtii were doing until they got caught stealing every word in their videos from various articles and documentaries on the internet
@@bobbymcjoey9432I think the best example of this is reviews that go through the entire story of a game. Take pyrocinical’s video on cruelty squad where he goes over every plot beat, weapon, and map of the game over 3 hours, for example. Even if you want to do a deep dive on a game, covering the story, gameplay, and systems in chronological order results in videos that feel like they are pulled directly from Wikipedia. This is even worse for material without gameplay, as some channels will choose to simply retell the entire story instead of attempting a summary.
Actually, longer videos are terrible for retention rate, let me explain If someone watches 30 seconds of a 30 second short, that’s 100% retention If someone watched 10-20 mins of a 6 hours long video essay, then that’s less than 10% retention Overall long videos do not help for retention rate, my guess is that they’re just simply being made for passion and have no statistical advantage on the TH-cam algorithm
@kawalek5 definitely true, but this changes once you get big on youtube I think. People will literally sit and listen to their favorite youtuber for hours, kinda like the equivalent to watching a stream (instead it's a 5 hour video) and you can see youtubers are starting to catch onto this. I mean streams themselves are assuming the role of longform videos. Your statement definitely has substantial evidence tho (not a plug but this happened to me recently) and for that reason shortform content is here to stay. But like Mr. Aight said, long-form will always have a place/audience
@@kawalek5i think though a substantial amount of the audience for long videos is looking for something to put on as essentially background noise, so they're far less likely to ever click off the video unless they REALLY hate it for some reason
If video essays are getting longer that just means I have to change what video I'm listening to In the background less often. Which is a plus for me honestly
That's exactly why I watch so many video essays lol. I put them on while drawing because it's annoying to go back to my TH-cam tab every 15-20 minutes and put on a new video.
@@aposterous4126 It seems like there are a lot of people like you who just use these as background noise, and you're not necessarily giving them your full attention. I personally prefer silence when I'm concentrating on a task that calls for a lot of mental work, and I prefer giving videos I choose to watch my full attention. I don't need to have something constantly playing in the background, but it seems a lot of younger people do now.
"Quality doesn't come from length, but from how you use that length." Greatest quote ever, in two ways. Seriously though this video was great! I enjoyed every second of it, and you used the knowledge you were sharing, and made every second count. Keep up the good work! One more thing: My take on this is that videos can be longer if they need to be, but most people don't have time for that, in one sitting at least. So I'd say it's important to keep in mind how it can fit into people's days, since not everybody can sit down and watch something for 4 hours. You can still watch it little bits, though I think it's still important to consider.
is that really a problem? I don't think anyone sees a 6 hour video and says: "I will watch it in one sitting", it's not a movie, you don't have to remember every single thing, those videos generally have parts, and even if you stop in the middle of something it isn't a big deal, you can just rewind 30 seconds and you'll remember what they were talking about.
@@geodart5834 what is the point of watching an essay if you're not even going to listen? At that point just watch an amogus funny compilation instead.
@@Chroma710 when did I say I didn't listen? I just said those videos don't require you to remember EVERYTHING in the video to that point to be watched, witch is useful if you watch it in the span of multiple days.
@@two_squared it’s not if you don’t spend your 2-3+ hour video repeating things or including useless details. there are plenty of vids at this length that are engaging, but not all creators seem to be able to pull this off.
@@volly9387 are longer videos making our attention spans longer? or are there some videos out there impossible to watch for people with even a normal attention span? tbh I don’t disagree with you, but I do think there’s a little of both here
One of my favorite things to do is boot up no man sky, together with an hour long video essay and just travel through space while listening to some guy talking about super mario or controversies or the meaning of life
There are three ways to watch these long video essays. I always chose the third way. 1. Watch them in one go when you have nothing but time on your hands. 2. Take breaks and treat them like a TV show with multiple episodes, picking up where you left off later. 3. Put it on in the background. I play a lot of games so it’s nice fodder when you’re traveling or repeating a section you’ve already done. I imagine this works for cooking and other activities as well. It is important to listen to the video, but if you miss something or are confused by something, you can just rewind a little bit. I will say, I do rewind quite a lot.
Honestly, if a video hooks me then I genuinely don’t care how long it is - in the case of Quinton’s videos, I just treat each one like a miniseries and chip away at it over the course of a few days.
20 minutes for me is the sweet spot for video length, ive watched a decent amount of 4+ hour stuff and some of it is really good and i can enjoy long videos, but ofcourse there are Way less 4 hour videos than 15 minute ones, and those can cover a much wider field of subjects. also good video!
I see giant moana crab that rates movies on youtube, i click. I personally love long videos. Those long videos on a subject like "darkest corners of the Internet' or other dark subjects like that are a gold mine for entertainment.
Really long videos, if they are good, are REALLY good. Quinton dropped another 9 hour video and I haven't seen it because I'm saving it like a fine wine What I will say is Quinton having 23 hours is nice because he has a really good, chill voice you can have running in the background
Its also funny when ever people proclaim "why does quinton make them so ling" clearly dont watcas alot of theh the videos the point of the videos, that they go into analysising so much of stuff around the shows themselves and all the extra stuff connected too it
I love longform videos, but hate when they feel dragged out and I need to skip constantly or just click off because I don't care what's happening. This video encapsulates my thoughts on longform videos, Great job!
You should've also mentioned Pyrocynical's video on this show called Utopia. It was one of the best video essays I've seen to date. Yes, it is somewhat of a retelling of the events of the show, but he also goes so in depth about how it was written and why it works. It uses those 8 hours of runtime so well. The video is just so good because Utopia wasn't such a well known show, so his video is likely your only way of finding out that it existed in the first place.
You took the words right out of my mouth. I watched that video in multiple sittings over a week and i still remember loving every single second of it. It even convinced me to watch the complete show a couple years after when i had forgotten most of the spoilers. 10/10 show btw
@Ransomwave i highly recommend it, its a relatively short show for 2 seasons and despite the 3rd being cancelled the final ending was still satisfying to watch. The full uncensored UK version is uploaded on TH-cam
I'm always knitting or crocheting in the background of TH-cam videos, so having something that can just keep playing without the need to change the video is really convenient for me. Plus I'm learning interesting stuff! :D
I think the biggest risk with long-form content is that people assume that more length = more content regardless of the quality. It ends up creating this mindset that its okay to have 10 minutes of ads, explanation, introduction, shoutouts, or whatever because it's only so-and-so percentage of some thing. But people get away with it because 1) they just like the personality of the person and it literally doesn't matter WHAT they cover as long as a person's name and face are present, because they've successfully built up a likeable brand/presence. For proof of this, scroll down to the comments of a longform video and count how many actually comment on or add onto the video subject, versus stuff like "only SkibidiBibidiGaming could make a 2 hour video on armchair folding interesting!", "Big fan of ThePopcornGang's channel for years! keep up the great work" or similar. and 2) most people are listening to shit in the background, and they prefer queuing up one video rather than 5-7. Whether it be for doing chores, drawing, playing games, driving, or *sleeping*, they don't want to have to curate and hunt for videos inbetween whatever they're actually doing. I'm not saying that they aren't listening to some of it sure, but overall it's not really about engaging with this content like you would with a shorter vid. I think a lot of long-form videos "succeed" based on those two factors alone more than the content or production value and people are starting to catch on.
One of the things I found with HBomberguy's videos is that he does keep the video moving at a comfortable pace, he doesnt use that much fluff at all and mostly talks information.
Hbonberguy is easily one of the worst offneders. His videos are absolute garbage filled with meaningless fluff. Go watch any of his videos about video games and count how many times he stop providing information just to pontificate about how he thinks it is "beatiful" that a game has a difficulty slider or something. "I.........would just......like to pause my narrtion............so you can really let it sink in........how beatiful........that is................" It is the most smug, self-satisfied bs ever.
In a generation where attention spans are getting shorter and you start seeing comments like “I ain’t watching all that 💀” on long form videos, I respect creators who post long videos. Although, it doesn’t help that TH-cam is starting to push shorts more than long form videos as of late. I’ve seen 3 creators talking about struggling to get views on their long videos because of that.
Don't even get me started on shorts. I tried them briefly on my old channel before very quickly realizing they just weren't for me. The views you get on shorts are worth a fraction of the views you get on long form videos, even if you get a ton of them.
I honestly hate those people "I aint reading all that" especially when they say it in response to a very long very complex topic like do they just want a TLDR of everything instead of understanding a topic they looked for a video and or article or comment on like what
@@memevondank1197media literacy is dying. People would rather have the information put right in front of them and dumbed down then actually going out and looking it up themselves.
In my opinion the fluff parts are one of the biggest reasons i watch long form content. They make it fun, and are a marker of a video essay's effort and quality when they can tie back into the video essay well. For example, see Philosophy Tube's petrol saleman skits or Folding Idea's Headband Guy in "This Is Financial Advice." They also break up the video and call your attention back to it.
Fluff parts are like dangling keys. I feel insulted by them sometimes because it tells me the creator has s little confidence in their points that they have to keep me entertained with a silly skit
@@littlemoth4956it’s actually scientifically proven that callbacks, narrative structure, repetition, etc help retention. The skits are to help brains process information and map them onto the real world. If they’re distracting, maybe they just weren’t implemented well, however it’s equally possible you weren’t paying attention and had your brain snap back. (You can google this btw.)
Great video! I've also noticed this trend, and wondered where discussions about it fit into the "wave of short-form video" discussion. I've found myself often filling my watch later with 1, 3, 5+ hour long videos I'm genuinely interested in but want to save for a time when I can really absorb them (rookie mistake, I need to start treating them like miniseries and not single sitting watches). I saw another comment saying long videos usually suggest more effort, but I fear as longer, documentary style essays do well we may see lower effort, bloated videos that are just trying to reach a specific run time. It's worth noting that not only does a longer video=more engagement, it also means more opportunities for midroll ads. I'm also someone who enjoys longform "background videos" like icebergs, tier lists or full series ratings where visuals are secondary & I can follow along while I do other things. In these cases, I feel like length is less of a problem because the videos are constructed in a way where you can really leave and return to them whenever you like. I also like when longer essays/documentary style videos have clear chapters or sections for the same reason, although depending on how the video is structured it can be hard to return without revisiting previous sections. At the end of the day, pacing of a video is a necessary part of the craft, and quality matters more than quantity either way. I do wonder how this fits in to the film industry favoring longer event films as well, and our culture's growing preoccupation with spectacle.
Caddicarus is one of the best examples of extreme long form content imo. Yes, his videos are usually over an hour long, but each of the segments don't drag and are funny as hell to boot, making you want to keep watching and rewatching.
Yea! I really love his videos! It's something I can still put on in the background if I'm doing something else but I can still watch his videos on there own and still enjoy them.
Dude your content is crazy good quality. When I saw you create this channel I was sure you would have blown up by now. Seriously good job on these videos. Don't give out hope. You'll be big one day.
Watched the whole thing, this video is absolutly incredible. Probably the best (at least my favorite) work you have done. and god damnn the edits are good
I feel it’s really telling how the majority of these commenters outright admit they don’t watch long form videos and put them on as background music essentially
ill never forget seeing a 8 hour (almost 9) video dissecting fnaf lore pop up on my recommended, and even not having ever been interested in fnaf lore, I clicked on it because I thought "What kinda story could fnaf possibly tell that warrants an 8 HOUR VIDEO". Whether it was a complete waste of time or not, I don't know and don't really care. I think it just goes to show how videos (particularly "video essays")
Caddicarus has the best template for extremely long videos. Have some kind of them, find a large amount of reference material, then spend as long as necessary on it and move on before the script starts going in circles. It keeps the video from dragging and the intelligence of the audience is respected by looking just as much as listening and allowing them to make their own conclusions.
I have rewatched super long videos several times over. A good long video gives you enjoyment beyond the length of the video, while a bad video makes it painfully apparent how long the video is.
I like how many comments are saying “I don’t care how long the video is because I just play it in the background” because it shows how many people aren’t actually paying attention to them
I kinda have to give props to people who regularly make longform content that's GOOD. As someone who has made ONE hour and a half long video, that shit took me nearly 2 years to make and I felt exhausted afterwards. I can't imagine making stuff like this regularly and still having it be quality. Nothing but respect.
I like long video essays because they tend to go more in-depth about the topic of the video, and also, it's great for having something in the background when I'm not in the mood for podcasts. My only problem with it is that I have been seeing a lot more video essays lately where it's obvious to me that 99% of it is filler and it could've easily been condensed in 15 minutes.
I’m so glad you brought up Quinton Reviews bc I’m in the middle of watching his Victorious videos and questioning my life choices. Personally, I feel if your video surpasses 2 hours, you should break it up into multiple videos. I am glad HBomberGuy made his plagiarism video as long and as in-depth as he did, and I think it’s very well-done. That being said, I had a lot of hesitancy to watch it because of its length, and think it could have benefitted from being broken up into sections separated by each plagiarist he spoke about. There is something to be said about a miniseries. Honestly, it’s my favorite way to tell a story.
Long videos are honestly a godsend for work, school, or for when you're just chillin. Joseph Anderson and Noah Caldwell-Gervais have helped get through mountains of school work.
@@littlemoth4956ya for me, Joseph Anderson is way too subjective in his reviews and critiques but at least he has a pleasant voice and good editing so I still watch him occasionally
The longer, the better! I love listening to stuff like "all dreamworks movies ranked" and "how princess mononoke nearly killed studio ghibli" and "the iceberg iceberg" and whetever lagovirt furry drama video comes up on my feed while im washing dishes for 6 hours almost every day
I think the issue isn't so much length as it is substance and concept. I once watched a 2 and a half hour video ranking every single Tony Hawk level and while that might sound ridiculous - it works out to about a minute per level so the script was actually surprisingly pacey. Sure you could always release it in short chunks but half the appeal is having it all in one place so - really it fits the brief in terms of both concept and content. The issue is when videos get away from that but honestly I don't actually believe it's all that common. Long videos that hold people's attention enough to actually impact the view time/ad revenue are really hard to make and take a lot of effort. It's simply not possible to churn them out at any kind of pace so I think that is a natural protection against this "meta" becoming played out. If anything I view it as part of TH-cam becoming more high effort. You've got to really offer something different now to stand out and pour a huge amount of effort into whatever you make. Surely that can't be a bad thing and if you don't like it - nobody is making anyone watch! Thanks for making this - I found it very thought provoking!
I’ve started using long video essays instead of audiobooks on long car trips, so personally I’m in favor of making the video as long as it needs to be. If a video can keep my attention for its entire three hour runtime, I say all the better. There’s folks nowadays who can spend three consecutive hours scrolling through their social media of choice, and I can just leave my video on in the background while I do other stuff.
Fun fact I actually met Fredrick Knudsen at EVE fanfest when he was showing part of that documentary in a theater and it was both hilarious and fun to watch cause people were actually laughing and showing emotions during the documentary and a TH-cam documentary being shown in a theater is really fucking cool and felt surreal... Really hope more TH-camrs do this cause it was actually more entertaining then some movies I've watched in theaters. ALSO! I showed him that I was the person in the dragon costume and he was really impressed and wanted to someday meet and talk to me again. Which makes me very happy!
@@joe_floydHis latest video goes over an entire movie spin off with another person and has another section covering Jennette McCurdy’s book and information of behind the scenes stuff. He also covered multiple characters’ appearances in other shows and what that meant for the lore and behind-the-scenes stuff for all the shows. It is no longer just recapping videos (although his first iCarly and Victorious videos were definitely more recap)
I am a large fan of long videos. If I find a TH-camr with a voice I like, they are great background noice for when I play a video gane, or am drawing stuff. Needing to constantly break away from what I'm doing to choose a next video, is also really annoying, so a good long video usually can keep me occupied for a day.
My favorite video essays are Pyrocynical's videos on Iron Lung and Cruelty Squad. Incredible watches all the way through for both, especially the Cruelty Squad video.
I'm so glad this got recommended to me. It was worth the watch from beginning to end. From personal experience, I have made a handful of long videos that have reached over an hour. I did get nervous because I thought not many people would care about my videos, but I was wrong. These videos are here to stay and people look for these videos as long as they have enough substance and are cohesive. This video made me learn from the importance of making what you love, no matter the length and how to use that time properly. Thank you so much ^^
Great video! Hbomberguy video was great and definitely taught me to be more careful with crediting the right creator. I find longer videos can be more fun to make since you don’t need to stress about cutting out relevant information and can tell a broader story. They can definitely negatively impact the viewing experience if they aren’t filled with value though.
The problem I have with a lot of long videos is the fact that many of them are so negative that they drain me and I can’t watch them for that long A 6 hour video essay where someone passionately talks about something they love wholeheartedly would probably slap though
Then you're probably going to like Billiam's multi-part, multi-hour retrospective series on the TV show Lost where he talks about the history of the show, the events that happen in the show, and why he personally loves it.
Honestly, in my eye, the more short form "yt shorts, tiktok, and Instagram reels" pop up, more longform content is gonna follow in its wake. its gonna even out at some point, and as a fan as longform content, I'm glad.
The great thing about TH-cam is that the youtubers can choose how long their videos are .in the pre internet age everything had to be around certain length's. like a movie had to be between 80 minutes or 3 hours .a tv show was usually either 25 minutes long or 50 minutes long .releasing short films on vhs was not good since you would just waste space and the tape wouldn't be much cheaper .
Don't you dare criticize my 5 hour documentary on the history of a niche Mario challenge that encompasses quantum mechanics, cosmic rays, and outright alchemy through mushrooms
My major requires lots of time to be spent on monotonous tasks that doesn't require much of thinking so those excessive long video essays saved me from going insane. So I'm only glad to see more of them. It's not like short videos are gonna disappear
No, videos are not getting too long. There is just different format for different public. That's it. In a world of tiktok and slow attention span, seeing more longform video is nice and refreshing for lot of people who want to be invested in a topic they like for a longer period of time.
This video was the perfect length, I really enjoyed this one. I have also been wondering about video runtimes recently because I have been seeing more and more videos that are longer get reccomended to me
I feel called out by long videos are getting longer thing. I watced both that punc-out video, and a 7 hour video on the history of super mario maker troll levels.
I’m fine with long videos that in the past would have been playlists as long as 1) the video has segments making multiple sittings easier. 2) they have something to say that isn’t repetitive at leat 80% of the runtime
I’d argue 10-12 minutes is normal video length. Anything shorter than 10 minutes is short. >12 minutes is medium length. Half an hour to 1 hour is long. 2 hours is very long. 3 hours is veeeerry long. 4+ hours is the Zack Snyder cut.
Sometimes the long ones feel like wayyy too much of a commitment for me to decide to watch them I have like 980+ videos on watch later and like 1/4 are video essays it’s nuts. There are days when I watch one on Quinton’s iCarly videos that was 9 hours in a day and it was pretty fun as a one off. I think TH-cam thinks I’m still in a slump phase where I watched a lot of these to pass time and expects me to keep watching them, hence the long watch later list. Also doesn’t help that TH-camrs try and capitalize on the holiday ad revenue so there’s a lot more than usual
The first mega long video I actually watched (and then later rewatched) all the way through was Tim Roger's video on Toki Meki Memorial. I went in expecting it to just be some guy rambling over random video game footage, instead I got an extremely well written, well edited, and memorial experience about a game I was convinced to play and which itself become memorial to me. Anther TH-camr whose long form content genuinely blows me away is Ahoy!
I love long video essays because, as I don't watch TV anymore, I like to listen to someone talk about something I find interesting while playing videogames or having lunch. It's good bc you can play or eat without having to change videos or scrolling. Still it needs to be enterntaining and original, since I have stop certain videos that just summarises the film is talking or that just say something I already know about the subject, or worse, just reacting to something.
I love videos that are over 3 hours because they're nice to put on while i'm working. It's the equivalent of a podcast but you have something you can watch when you're taking a break
I'm a fan of long video essays, but I've compiled so many of them into a playlist that I can't feasibly watch them all. I started compiling them because I had nothing to watch, but now I have TOO much to watch, and my playlist just keeps growing at over 1900 hours long. That is what I think the problem ultimately boils down to. There's no inherent problem with long video essays, but it gets hard to keep up when there are hundreds to choose from.
In my opinion, the QuintonReviews style is the type that really doesn’t work. Grand summaries of content can be made interesting, but it requires a whit and genuine sense of effort that not many people have matched. In this way, many videos are long for the sake of being long. This isn’t to say they aren’t high effort, but that they fail to justify their own lengths. Others, however, do earn their time. The works of journalism by Hbomberguy and Folding Ideas need that time in an effort to build a full point.
I like long videos a lot, and I appreciate when they arrive. Especially in a time where everything is so condensed into an 8 minute stimulation-fest or a TikTok. In regards to the Schaff videos, they’re fine, he does the long rankings alongside a bunch of smaller videos, which is a great balance. 5-6 hours is insane though, I can tolerate 3 hours but nothing past that 😭
For me personally, I'll always enjoy watching a multi hour video if the topic in question of course interests me is entertaining all the way through. I love Schaffrillas hour long ranking videos because of his humor and editing style, he really gives it his all in almost every section in the ranking and express his likes and dislikes without actually feeling like you're just listening to a guy ramboling for hours. But there are also channels out there create up to 5 hour videos on topics that just don't need that much explanation and often feel like a slog to get through if Im watching it in the background.
Videos nowadays are both getting shorter and longer at the same time
fr
yeah, and its pretty strange
wacky world
We need content creation entropy.
it's like stretching a person at this point
Honestly I hope I get to see the day where somebody uploads a day-long video essay about something, anything! Not a compilation of multiple parts of a video, just one long focused video essay
There is one 21 hour long deep dive into Berserk, if that's what you are interested in :)
PatricianTV did a 21h long Skyrim Retrospective
A TH-camr named Jordan Fringe actually did that on the reality show Survivor. It's not a 24 hour video but I would consider it a day long video because it's literally 12 hours.
Unfortunately, videos can't be longer than 12 hours (Some videos longer than 12 hours were uploaded before this rule was put in place). Cool idea tho.
i remember there being a 28 hour full playthrough of one of the Paper Mario games
Weirdly, I feel that 3~15 minute videos (what I like to call normal videos) are sandwiched in a bad place where the meta is either 1+ hour video essays or just shorts.
The meta is still 3 to 15 minutes though, however TH-cam is pushing the shorter length meta because of TikTok's sheer presence on the Internet.
Personally I prefer 15-30 minute videos the most... They're less of a time commitment, but I can watch multiple if I feel like going longer (it helps that I almost always watch videos at 1.5-2x speed).
@@lasercraft32 We are twins
I love long videos because most of the time they are not just content that's made to be entertaining with wacky edits, but they are a journey of sorts. It really makes them feel a whole lot special and memorable.
Same, I love 4+ hour long videos
That’s pretentious as fuck
@@littlemoth4956 it's pretentious as fuck to feel like a 4+ hour multi-phase video takes you on a journey?
I like HOURS long videos
@@littlemoth4956idk bud, your comment sound pretentious as fuck
If I'm being honest, I'd gladly take Schafrillas talking about his rankings of movies and video games for 2 hours than an hour long drama analysis
I'd rather take the drama. Love to listen to that stuff while drawing.
I think, out of all of the annoying meta's we've had so far, I like this one is the best. Its hard to spam 6 hour videos for a quick buck, and the ones that do come out are usually really really good. The only way rn I can see this meta getting abused is through "binge watching" channels that reupload shows and movies, which would come with legal risks/difficulties.
Honestly if it's against Netflix or something then I'd welcome that screw Netflix
I wouldn't say it's necessarily harder to spam 6 hour videos. It's just that they're cutting less stuff out and being as long winded as possible on purpose.
Could you give an example of this? Most video essays I've seen have been pretty good. @@ShiaNeko
spamming long videos for a quick buck is exactly what james somerton and illuminaughtii were doing until they got caught stealing every word in their videos from various articles and documentaries on the internet
@@bobbymcjoey9432I think the best example of this is reviews that go through the entire story of a game. Take pyrocinical’s video on cruelty squad where he goes over every plot beat, weapon, and map of the game over 3 hours, for example. Even if you want to do a deep dive on a game, covering the story, gameplay, and systems in chronological order results in videos that feel like they are pulled directly from Wikipedia.
This is even worse for material without gameplay, as some channels will choose to simply retell the entire story instead of attempting a summary.
I love super long videos honestly. There’s nothing better than a well made, several hour deep dive into a subject I know nothing about lol
The battle for retention rate. That's where we're at with videos now, making videos longer and shorter simultaneously.
So what, I like sitting down and hearing all about a certain topic for the day
Actually, longer videos are terrible for retention rate, let me explain
If someone watches 30 seconds of a 30 second short, that’s 100% retention
If someone watched 10-20 mins of a 6 hours long video essay, then that’s less than 10% retention
Overall long videos do not help for retention rate, my guess is that they’re just simply being made for passion and have no statistical advantage on the TH-cam algorithm
@kawalek5 definitely true, but this changes once you get big on youtube I think. People will literally sit and listen to their favorite youtuber for hours, kinda like the equivalent to watching a stream (instead it's a 5 hour video) and you can see youtubers are starting to catch onto this. I mean streams themselves are assuming the role of longform videos.
Your statement definitely has substantial evidence tho (not a plug but this happened to me recently) and for that reason shortform content is here to stay. But like Mr. Aight said, long-form will always have a place/audience
@@kawalek5i think though a substantial amount of the audience for long videos is looking for something to put on as essentially background noise, so they're far less likely to ever click off the video unless they REALLY hate it for some reason
If video essays are getting longer that just means I have to change what video I'm listening to In the background less often. Which is a plus for me honestly
That's exactly why I watch so many video essays lol. I put them on while drawing because it's annoying to go back to my TH-cam tab every 15-20 minutes and put on a new video.
@@aposterous4126thats what i do
@@aposterous4126 It seems like there are a lot of people like you who just use these as background noise, and you're not necessarily giving them your full attention. I personally prefer silence when I'm concentrating on a task that calls for a lot of mental work, and I prefer giving videos I choose to watch my full attention. I don't need to have something constantly playing in the background, but it seems a lot of younger people do now.
"Quality doesn't come from length, but from how you use that length." Greatest quote ever, in two ways.
Seriously though this video was great! I enjoyed every second of it, and you used the knowledge you were sharing, and made every second count. Keep up the good work!
One more thing: My take on this is that videos can be longer if they need to be, but most people don't have time for that, in one sitting at least. So I'd say it's important to keep in mind how it can fit into people's days, since not everybody can sit down and watch something for 4 hours. You can still watch it little bits, though I think it's still important to consider.
is that really a problem? I don't think anyone sees a 6 hour video and says: "I will watch it in one sitting", it's not a movie, you don't have to remember every single thing, those videos generally have parts, and even if you stop in the middle of something it isn't a big deal, you can just rewind 30 seconds and you'll remember what they were talking about.
That’s what she said. (I’m sorry.)
@@geodart5834 Yeah, that's one thing I saw wrong in my take.
@@geodart5834 what is the point of watching an essay if you're not even going to listen?
At that point just watch an amogus funny compilation instead.
@@Chroma710 when did I say I didn't listen? I just said those videos don't require you to remember EVERYTHING in the video to that point to be watched, witch is useful if you watch it in the span of multiple days.
video essay lengths have gotten out of control in the last year or so, I’m surprised more people aren’t bringing this up
(I watch them all all the way through anyway)
I don’t see how that’s a problem.
@@two_squared it’s not if you don’t spend your 2-3+ hour video repeating things or including useless details. there are plenty of vids at this length that are engaging, but not all creators seem to be able to pull this off.
I think that's better than lowering attention spans
@@volly9387 are longer videos making our attention spans longer? or are there some videos out there impossible to watch for people with even a normal attention span? tbh I don’t disagree with you, but I do think there’s a little of both here
Most people who actually watch alot of these long videos are animators and people who are doing long boring tasks at a desk
Soooo true. When I’m painting or drawing or crafting or having trouble sleeping they’re so nice to relax to
as an artist, that is 100% true!
One of my favorite things to do is boot up no man sky, together with an hour long video essay and just travel through space while listening to some guy talking about super mario or controversies or the meaning of life
There are three ways to watch these long video essays. I always chose the third way.
1. Watch them in one go when you have nothing but time on your hands.
2. Take breaks and treat them like a TV show with multiple episodes, picking up where you left off later.
3. Put it on in the background. I play a lot of games so it’s nice fodder when you’re traveling or repeating a section you’ve already done. I imagine this works for cooking and other activities as well. It is important to listen to the video, but if you miss something or are confused by something, you can just rewind a little bit. I will say, I do rewind quite a lot.
Honestly, if a video hooks me then I genuinely don’t care how long it is - in the case of Quinton’s videos, I just treat each one like a miniseries and chip away at it over the course of a few days.
20 minutes for me is the sweet spot for video length, ive watched a decent amount of 4+ hour stuff and some of it is really good and i can enjoy long videos, but ofcourse there are Way less 4 hour videos than 15 minute ones, and those can cover a much wider field of subjects.
also good video!
I see giant moana crab that rates movies on youtube, i click.
I personally love long videos. Those long videos on a subject like "darkest corners of the Internet' or other dark subjects like that are a gold mine for entertainment.
9:04 💀
Really long videos, if they are good, are REALLY good. Quinton dropped another 9 hour video and I haven't seen it because I'm saving it like a fine wine
What I will say is Quinton having 23 hours is nice because he has a really good, chill voice you can have running in the background
Its also funny when ever people proclaim "why does quinton make them so ling" clearly dont watcas alot of theh the videos the point of the videos, that they go into analysising so much of stuff around the shows themselves and all the extra stuff connected too it
@@patrickmitchell9068 I find it hilarious that Quinton of all people is now making long videos.
I love longform videos, but hate when they feel dragged out and I need to skip constantly or just click off because I don't care what's happening. This video encapsulates my thoughts on longform videos,
Great job!
You should've also mentioned Pyrocynical's video on this show called Utopia. It was one of the best video essays I've seen to date. Yes, it is somewhat of a retelling of the events of the show, but he also goes so in depth about how it was written and why it works. It uses those 8 hours of runtime so well. The video is just so good because Utopia wasn't such a well known show, so his video is likely your only way of finding out that it existed in the first place.
You took the words right out of my mouth. I watched that video in multiple sittings over a week and i still remember loving every single second of it. It even convinced me to watch the complete show a couple years after when i had forgotten most of the spoilers. 10/10 show btw
@@blazoraptor3392 So true. I'm planning on watching it soon for the same reason as you, I forgor most of the spoilers lol.
@Ransomwave i highly recommend it, its a relatively short show for 2 seasons and despite the 3rd being cancelled the final ending was still satisfying to watch. The full uncensored UK version is uploaded on TH-cam
I'm always knitting or crocheting in the background of TH-cam videos, so having something that can just keep playing without the need to change the video is really convenient for me. Plus I'm learning interesting stuff! :D
hope the algorithm picks this video up, it deserves it.
I think the biggest risk with long-form content is that people assume that more length = more content regardless of the quality. It ends up creating this mindset that its okay to have 10 minutes of ads, explanation, introduction, shoutouts, or whatever because it's only so-and-so percentage of some thing.
But people get away with it because 1) they just like the personality of the person and it literally doesn't matter WHAT they cover as long as a person's name and face are present, because they've successfully built up a likeable brand/presence. For proof of this, scroll down to the comments of a longform video and count how many actually comment on or add onto the video subject, versus stuff like "only SkibidiBibidiGaming could make a 2 hour video on armchair folding interesting!", "Big fan of ThePopcornGang's channel for years! keep up the great work" or similar.
and 2) most people are listening to shit in the background, and they prefer queuing up one video rather than 5-7. Whether it be for doing chores, drawing, playing games, driving, or *sleeping*, they don't want to have to curate and hunt for videos inbetween whatever they're actually doing. I'm not saying that they aren't listening to some of it sure, but overall it's not really about engaging with this content like you would with a shorter vid.
I think a lot of long-form videos "succeed" based on those two factors alone more than the content or production value and people are starting to catch on.
One of the things I found with HBomberguy's videos is that he does keep the video moving at a comfortable pace, he doesnt use that much fluff at all and mostly talks information.
Hbonberguy is easily one of the worst offneders. His videos are absolute garbage filled with meaningless fluff. Go watch any of his videos about video games and count how many times he stop providing information just to pontificate about how he thinks it is "beatiful" that a game has a difficulty slider or something. "I.........would just......like to pause my narrtion............so you can really let it sink in........how beatiful........that is................" It is the most smug, self-satisfied bs ever.
In a generation where attention spans are getting shorter and you start seeing comments like “I ain’t watching all that 💀” on long form videos, I respect creators who post long videos. Although, it doesn’t help that TH-cam is starting to push shorts more than long form videos as of late. I’ve seen 3 creators talking about struggling to get views on their long videos because of that.
Don't even get me started on shorts.
I tried them briefly on my old channel before very quickly realizing they just weren't for me. The views you get on shorts are worth a fraction of the views you get on long form videos, even if you get a ton of them.
I honestly hate those people "I aint reading all that" especially when they say it in response to a very long very complex topic like do they just want a TLDR of everything instead of understanding a topic they looked for a video and or article or comment on like what
@@memevondank1197I ain't reading allat
@@memevondank1197media literacy is dying. People would rather have the information put right in front of them and dumbed down then actually going out and looking it up themselves.
I hate shorts
I watch TH-cam to learn something or see something interesting, meanwhile shorts are usually just worthless
In my opinion the fluff parts are one of the biggest reasons i watch long form content. They make it fun, and are a marker of a video essay's effort and quality when they can tie back into the video essay well. For example, see Philosophy Tube's petrol saleman skits or Folding Idea's Headband Guy in "This Is Financial Advice." They also break up the video and call your attention back to it.
Fluff parts are like dangling keys. I feel insulted by them sometimes because it tells me the creator has s little confidence in their points that they have to keep me entertained with a silly skit
@@littlemoth4956it’s actually scientifically proven that callbacks, narrative structure, repetition, etc help retention. The skits are to help brains process information and map them onto the real world. If they’re distracting, maybe they just weren’t implemented well, however it’s equally possible you weren’t paying attention and had your brain snap back. (You can google this btw.)
@@littlemoth4956are you the #1 hater of long videos? You're going around everywhere preaching something like that
Get a hobby man
@@Justatoadyall YOU REALLY TELLIN SOMEONE TO GET A HOBBY CUZ THEY SHARIN THEIR OPINION LMAOOOOOOO I CANT BRO😭😭😭
@@JColeGlazer754 opinions have points, their words have insults. it's just being mean, no opinion in it
Great video! I've also noticed this trend, and wondered where discussions about it fit into the "wave of short-form video" discussion. I've found myself often filling my watch later with 1, 3, 5+ hour long videos I'm genuinely interested in but want to save for a time when I can really absorb them (rookie mistake, I need to start treating them like miniseries and not single sitting watches).
I saw another comment saying long videos usually suggest more effort, but I fear as longer, documentary style essays do well we may see lower effort, bloated videos that are just trying to reach a specific run time. It's worth noting that not only does a longer video=more engagement, it also means more opportunities for midroll ads.
I'm also someone who enjoys longform "background videos" like icebergs, tier lists or full series ratings where visuals are secondary & I can follow along while I do other things. In these cases, I feel like length is less of a problem because the videos are constructed in a way where you can really leave and return to them whenever you like. I also like when longer essays/documentary style videos have clear chapters or sections for the same reason, although depending on how the video is structured it can be hard to return without revisiting previous sections.
At the end of the day, pacing of a video is a necessary part of the craft, and quality matters more than quantity either way. I do wonder how this fits in to the film industry favoring longer event films as well, and our culture's growing preoccupation with spectacle.
Caddicarus is one of the best examples of extreme long form content imo. Yes, his videos are usually over an hour long, but each of the segments don't drag and are funny as hell to boot, making you want to keep watching and rewatching.
Yea! I really love his videos! It's something I can still put on in the background if I'm doing something else but I can still watch his videos on there own and still enjoy them.
I do miss the single game focused videos though. I feel his older stuff still holds up
Dude your content is crazy good quality. When I saw you create this channel I was sure you would have blown up by now. Seriously good job on these videos. Don't give out hope. You'll be big one day.
Watched the whole thing, this video is absolutly incredible. Probably the best (at least my favorite) work you have done. and god damnn the edits are good
I feel it’s really telling how the majority of these commenters outright admit they don’t watch long form videos and put them on as background music essentially
ill never forget seeing a 8 hour (almost 9) video dissecting fnaf lore pop up on my recommended, and even not having ever been interested in fnaf lore, I clicked on it because I thought "What kinda story could fnaf possibly tell that warrants an 8 HOUR VIDEO". Whether it was a complete waste of time or not, I don't know and don't really care. I think it just goes to show how videos (particularly "video essays")
Caddicarus has the best template for extremely long videos. Have some kind of them, find a large amount of reference material, then spend as long as necessary on it and move on before the script starts going in circles. It keeps the video from dragging and the intelligence of the audience is respected by looking just as much as listening and allowing them to make their own conclusions.
I love this channel! The type of topics you talk about are just amazing, and super interesting and informative!
I agree!
I have rewatched super long videos several times over. A good long video gives you enjoyment beyond the length of the video, while a bad video makes it painfully apparent how long the video is.
You should have made this a 7 hour dissertation
I like how many comments are saying “I don’t care how long the video is because I just play it in the background” because it shows how many people aren’t actually paying attention to them
I kinda have to give props to people who regularly make longform content that's GOOD. As someone who has made ONE hour and a half long video, that shit took me nearly 2 years to make and I felt exhausted afterwards. I can't imagine making stuff like this regularly and still having it be quality. Nothing but respect.
I like long video essays because they tend to go more in-depth about the topic of the video, and also, it's great for having something in the background when I'm not in the mood for podcasts. My only problem with it is that I have been seeing a lot more video essays lately where it's obvious to me that 99% of it is filler and it could've easily been condensed in 15 minutes.
i love your chill vibe
I’m so glad you brought up Quinton Reviews bc I’m in the middle of watching his Victorious videos and questioning my life choices. Personally, I feel if your video surpasses 2 hours, you should break it up into multiple videos. I am glad HBomberGuy made his plagiarism video as long and as in-depth as he did, and I think it’s very well-done. That being said, I had a lot of hesitancy to watch it because of its length, and think it could have benefitted from being broken up into sections separated by each plagiarist he spoke about. There is something to be said about a miniseries. Honestly, it’s my favorite way to tell a story.
Long videos are honestly a godsend for work, school, or for when you're just chillin. Joseph Anderson and Noah Caldwell-Gervais have helped get through mountains of school work.
I’ll never take Joseph Anderson seriously thanks to his Mario Odyssey video
@@littlemoth4956ya for me, Joseph Anderson is way too subjective in his reviews and critiques but at least he has a pleasant voice and good editing so I still watch him occasionally
The longer, the better! I love listening to stuff like "all dreamworks movies ranked" and "how princess mononoke nearly killed studio ghibli" and "the iceberg iceberg" and whetever lagovirt furry drama video comes up on my feed while im washing dishes for 6 hours almost every day
I think the issue isn't so much length as it is substance and concept. I once watched a 2 and a half hour video ranking every single Tony Hawk level and while that might sound ridiculous - it works out to about a minute per level so the script was actually surprisingly pacey. Sure you could always release it in short chunks but half the appeal is having it all in one place so - really it fits the brief in terms of both concept and content.
The issue is when videos get away from that but honestly I don't actually believe it's all that common. Long videos that hold people's attention enough to actually impact the view time/ad revenue are really hard to make and take a lot of effort. It's simply not possible to churn them out at any kind of pace so I think that is a natural protection against this "meta" becoming played out.
If anything I view it as part of TH-cam becoming more high effort. You've got to really offer something different now to stand out and pour a huge amount of effort into whatever you make. Surely that can't be a bad thing and if you don't like it - nobody is making anyone watch!
Thanks for making this - I found it very thought provoking!
I’ve started using long video essays instead of audiobooks on long car trips, so personally I’m in favor of making the video as long as it needs to be. If a video can keep my attention for its entire three hour runtime, I say all the better. There’s folks nowadays who can spend three consecutive hours scrolling through their social media of choice, and I can just leave my video on in the background while I do other stuff.
Fun fact I actually met Fredrick Knudsen at EVE fanfest when he was showing part of that documentary in a theater and it was both hilarious and fun to watch cause people were actually laughing and showing emotions during the documentary and a TH-cam documentary being shown in a theater is really fucking cool and felt surreal... Really hope more TH-camrs do this cause it was actually more entertaining then some movies I've watched in theaters.
ALSO! I showed him that I was the person in the dragon costume and he was really impressed and wanted to someday meet and talk to me again. Which makes me very happy!
Long videos are good for background sound bc you don’t have to stop what your doing to change the video
I love Quinton's long as hell videos lmao
It's just neat background content for when you're doing other things
I hate people that just recap episodes or media.
@@joe_floydthat’s not all he does. You clearly haven’t watched any of his long bois
@@cass.cassandra1685 that's all he does.
@@joe_floyd no
@@joe_floydHis latest video goes over an entire movie spin off with another person and has another section covering Jennette McCurdy’s book and information of behind the scenes stuff. He also covered multiple characters’ appearances in other shows and what that meant for the lore and behind-the-scenes stuff for all the shows. It is no longer just recapping videos (although his first iCarly and Victorious videos were definitely more recap)
Some of the most unique editing I’ve ever seen. That outro was nuts man, keep it up
This is really out of topic, but I wanted to tell you that you are going to be an enormous channel one day and I feel proud to be a part of this
I am a large fan of long videos.
If I find a TH-camr with a voice I like, they are great background noice for when I play a video gane, or am drawing stuff.
Needing to constantly break away from what I'm doing to choose a next video, is also really annoying, so a good long video usually can keep me occupied for a day.
My favorite video essays are Pyrocynical's videos on Iron Lung and Cruelty Squad. Incredible watches all the way through for both, especially the Cruelty Squad video.
And now Darkwood, too.
I'm so glad this got recommended to me. It was worth the watch from beginning to end.
From personal experience, I have made a handful of long videos that have reached over an hour. I did get nervous because I thought not many people would care about my videos, but I was wrong.
These videos are here to stay and people look for these videos as long as they have enough substance and are cohesive. This video made me learn from the importance of making what you love, no matter the length and how to use that time properly.
Thank you so much ^^
I like to listen to 1hr video essays about topics I was never invested in before when doing something, it's kinda nice and I don't know why.
Great video! Hbomberguy video was great and definitely taught me to be more careful with crediting the right creator.
I find longer videos can be more fun to make since you don’t need to stress about cutting out relevant information and can tell a broader story.
They can definitely negatively impact the viewing experience if they aren’t filled with value though.
Internet Anarchist
Weren't you accused of playgerism about halfway through the video?
@@Bawl16he did lol
I LOVE multi-hour videos, they’re so epic.
Great video bro, helped me out a bit on figuring out what type of vids I wanna make
The problem I have with a lot of long videos is the fact that many of them are so negative that they drain me and I can’t watch them for that long
A 6 hour video essay where someone passionately talks about something they love wholeheartedly would probably slap though
I have to be careful with that as well. It puts me in such a bad mood
Then you're probably going to like Billiam's multi-part, multi-hour retrospective series on the TV show Lost where he talks about the history of the show, the events that happen in the show, and why he personally loves it.
amazing documentary , and the fact that all that information in just 10 minutes is amazing . incredibly underated i hope for millions of views
Bro ur editing goes so hard, gr8 vid man
>Hours long video
>it's just a word for word summarization of a stories plot
I do love sleeping to video essays tho
Honestly, watching extremely long videos like those is the only thing that reassures me my attention span isn't destroyed yet
The real problem, our attention spans are getting too short
Nope. They were always short and I don’t think making 5 hour long videos proves that.
Honestly, in my eye, the more short form "yt shorts, tiktok, and Instagram reels" pop up, more longform content is gonna follow in its wake. its gonna even out at some point, and as a fan as longform content, I'm glad.
The great thing about TH-cam is that the youtubers can choose how long their videos are .in the pre internet age everything had to be around certain length's. like a movie had to be between 80 minutes or 3 hours .a tv show was usually either 25 minutes long or 50 minutes long .releasing short films on vhs was not good since you would just waste space and the tape wouldn't be much cheaper .
I literally can't believe you only have 46k subscribers. ALL of your videos are very high quality
Honestly i could watch extremely long video essays pretty easily if they are good
Don't you dare criticize my 5 hour documentary on the history of a niche Mario challenge that encompasses quantum mechanics, cosmic rays, and outright alchemy through mushrooms
I'm a new viewer from the Ludwig video, but so far I see some brilliant content and you have earned my sub. Keep up the good work!
2:55 i like how when you say "click the like button" the like button doesn't light up but when you say the most random unrelated thing it does XD
yo this video is fire
also first
@@hughjack5066 no
Videos like this that inspire thought or bring light to issues about pre-existing structures or psychology will always be my favorite!
My major requires lots of time to be spent on monotonous tasks that doesn't require much of thinking so those excessive long video essays saved me from going insane. So I'm only glad to see more of them. It's not like short videos are gonna disappear
No, videos are not getting too long. There is just different format for different public. That's it. In a world of tiktok and slow attention span, seeing more longform video is nice and refreshing for lot of people who want to be invested in a topic they like for a longer period of time.
I usually watch long video essays over multiple days and it helps me think of the certain sections and understand it more. It really does help
I love the length the Sidemen Sundays have.
you editing is incredible man
This video was the perfect length, I really enjoyed this one. I have also been wondering about video runtimes recently because I have been seeing more and more videos that are longer get reccomended to me
I feel called out by long videos are getting longer thing. I watced both that punc-out video, and a 7 hour video on the history of super mario maker troll levels.
Honestly, I love the longer videos!
I’m fine with long videos that in the past would have been playlists as long as
1) the video has segments making multiple sittings easier.
2) they have something to say that isn’t repetitive at leat 80% of the runtime
Commenting for the algorithm, you're heavily underrated man
I’d argue 10-12 minutes is normal video length.
Anything shorter than 10 minutes is short.
>12 minutes is medium length. Half an hour to 1 hour is long.
2 hours is very long.
3 hours is veeeerry long.
4+ hours is the Zack Snyder cut.
Sometimes the long ones feel like wayyy too much of a commitment for me to decide to watch them I have like 980+ videos on watch later and like 1/4 are video essays it’s nuts.
There are days when I watch one on Quinton’s iCarly videos that was 9 hours in a day and it was pretty fun as a one off.
I think TH-cam thinks I’m still in a slump phase where I watched a lot of these to pass time and expects me to keep watching them, hence the long watch later list.
Also doesn’t help that TH-camrs try and capitalize on the holiday ad revenue so there’s a lot more than usual
Man I remember watching you back in the good old days of krunker and its crazy to see the growth youve made since then
The first mega long video I actually watched (and then later rewatched) all the way through was Tim Roger's video on Toki Meki Memorial. I went in expecting it to just be some guy rambling over random video game footage, instead I got an extremely well written, well edited, and memorial experience about a game I was convinced to play and which itself become memorial to me. Anther TH-camr whose long form content genuinely blows me away is Ahoy!
Amazing video!! Glad I subscribed to see stuff like this 😄
This video is too short, It needs to be at least 8 hours
I love long video essays because, as I don't watch TV anymore, I like to listen to someone talk about something I find interesting while playing videogames or having lunch. It's good bc you can play or eat without having to change videos or scrolling. Still it needs to be enterntaining and original, since I have stop certain videos that just summarises the film is talking or that just say something I already know about the subject, or worse, just reacting to something.
I love videos that are over 3 hours because they're nice to put on while i'm working. It's the equivalent of a podcast but you have something you can watch when you're taking a break
God I just remembered what channel I am watching. you really are making the best use of your situation and that's awesome
Ahoy has been making videos over an hour long for almost a decade and they have always been worth it to watch.
I'm a fan of long video essays, but I've compiled so many of them into a playlist that I can't feasibly watch them all. I started compiling them because I had nothing to watch, but now I have TOO much to watch, and my playlist just keeps growing at over 1900 hours long.
That is what I think the problem ultimately boils down to. There's no inherent problem with long video essays, but it gets hard to keep up when there are hundreds to choose from.
Ngl, I’m getting tired of every video in my recommended being a documentary length video essay on some obscure topic
In my opinion, the QuintonReviews style is the type that really doesn’t work. Grand summaries of content can be made interesting, but it requires a whit and genuine sense of effort that not many people have matched.
In this way, many videos are long for the sake of being long. This isn’t to say they aren’t high effort, but that they fail to justify their own lengths. Others, however, do earn their time. The works of journalism by Hbomberguy and Folding Ideas need that time in an effort to build a full point.
I love long videos! They are able to properly explain a subject and all the nuances.
I hate how when he had the Lego with the hydraulic press in the beginning I immediately laughed as it got sent flying.
I like long videos a lot, and I appreciate when they arrive. Especially in a time where everything is so condensed into an 8 minute stimulation-fest or a TikTok.
In regards to the Schaff videos, they’re fine, he does the long rankings alongside a bunch of smaller videos, which is a great balance.
5-6 hours is insane though, I can tolerate 3 hours but nothing past that 😭
For me personally, I'll always enjoy watching a multi hour video if the topic in question of course interests me is entertaining all the way through. I love Schaffrillas hour long ranking videos because of his humor and editing style, he really gives it his all in almost every section in the ranking and express his likes and dislikes without actually feeling like you're just listening to a guy ramboling for hours. But there are also channels out there create up to 5 hour videos on topics that just don't need that much explanation and often feel like a slog to get through if Im watching it in the background.
That part of monumentality where he goes on a journey with his friends was literally my favorite part of the video