Shaye Saint John and the Experimental "Deep YouTube"

Hello All,

I've been deliberating a proper way to introduce you all to the experimental side of YouTube, which is often called "Deep YouTube" or "That part of YouTube".  I've found the perfect introduction- meet Shaye Saint John and prepare yourself. Shaye Saint John is a quintessential introduction to the mind numbing, confusing material that is consistently uploaded to the depths of YouTube and missed by many.

Deep YouTube is a place on YouTube that many people reach after following the downward spiral of related videos until reaching hidden, under viewed content that has been pushed out of the public eye by popular, more viewed videos under similar search tags. It can typically be challenging to consciously get to Deep YouTube but it is easy to identify when you have reached it.

A Deep YouTube video can generally (not always) be identified by a relatively low view count , a lo-fi or digital aesthetic, garbled or highly compressed audio, and unflinchingly bizarre content matter. Many of these films are simple videos that have no purpose other than to confuse, humor and assault you with avant-garde or experimental imagery and sound. Not all Deep YouTube videos have a purpose or were created for artistic gain, many are simple editing or animation experiments that were never intended to reach the internet, but somehow did.

But this is not the case with Shaye Saint John; every SSJ film was created with purpose by the late Eric Fournier who had heavy ties to The California Institute of Abnormal Arts; there is very little information on Fournier other than speculation on his death and his online persona Shaye Saint John.

The SSJ films are incredibly interesting; watching them produce a unique feeling of confusion: do you react with laughter, screaming, or crying? Its tough to describe this feeling without experiencing it first hand, so watch this and be conscious of how the video makes you feel.

Are you disgusted? Amused? Terrified? Horribly confused? All of these feelings are appropriate. In fact, feeling confused after watching SSJ seems to be the exact intent of Fournier. The combination of brainless dialogue, the lo-fi aesthetic and cheesy Windows Movie Maker effects culminate to create a series of films that look like they came directly from an asylum and make you feel like you belong in one.

This is why I believe SSJ and other experimental Deep YouTube videos to be important; in a time where shock value, irony and insincerity reign over media, these Deep YouTube videos still find a way to instill genuine feeling into an audience through rejection of classic structure or logic and by embracing heavily stylized low quality imagery and sound that forces the viewer to challenge their view on the need for structure in media.

Shaye Saint John-

Intent- While information on Eric Fournier is limited, the info out there states that Shaye Saint John was a character created to confuse and terrify the few lucky enough to encounter his films. There is clear intent by Fournier to create a piece of art with his work as SSJ, although the exact reasoning and theory remain to be seen, although I believe it to be Fournier's attempt to instill genuine confusion within an audience that has become numb to internet media.

Oddness- The SSJ films are incredibly odd and confusing, to the point of being legitimately disturbing. There is almost no way to describe how odd the films are without experiencing for yourself. So here is another, I'm sure you'll agree...it's odd.

Findability- Shaye Saint John is easy to find online. His name is scattered throughout the internet and videos are posted on multiple websites and forums randomly in hopes that viewers will stumble onto them and have an intense reaction. The point of the SSJ films is not to find them and watch them, but to encounter them when you'd least expect and have yourself a confusing good time.

Satisfaction- Personally, I find SSJ to be very satisfying. The films create genuine confusion. But the true satisfaction of Shaye Saint John comes from sharing the film and watching others go through the same roller coaster of confused, disgusted, disturbed emotion. It's truly a communal experience. None of us really get it, and that's great.


Other Deep YouTube videos:

Sausage Groove

You're Correct Horse

The New Kid

Snospis Eht

Sad Toy Cats

2016

Mom Ordered Ants for My Birthday

Garfielf


What are some of your favorite Deep YouTube videos? Comment and share!

Thanks for reading,
Alex