Chris Harris must modernise and up his game
Discussion
Shmee is a massive bellend with a rich daddy. His reviews are questionable and his voice irritates me. Paul (Supercars of London) is slightly less annoying, but both pale into insignificance in the face of Seen Through Glass' ungrateful t
ttishness (see his vlog of the recent Sunday Service at Goodwood).
Monkey Harris understands production values, knows how to drive properly and isn't irritating.
ttishness (see his vlog of the recent Sunday Service at Goodwood).Monkey Harris understands production values, knows how to drive properly and isn't irritating.
Doesn't Chris Harris do a lot of freelance chassis development work aswell? I'd imagine that's where his living is made and the videos are a nice bonus.
Saying that, after his appearance on Fifth Gear I think he should join Tiff doing that.
Whatever anyone thinks or says he'll undoubtedly do his own thing and good on him, his videos are the best reviews out there imo.
Saying that, after his appearance on Fifth Gear I think he should join Tiff doing that.
Whatever anyone thinks or says he'll undoubtedly do his own thing and good on him, his videos are the best reviews out there imo.
On the subject of regular updates, Matt Farah regularly says on his podcast that the short 'one take' youtube videos get way more views and generate more revenue than the longer professionally shot videos they used to do, plus they can film several on one day with minimal editing needed.
I think they have found a good mix, knock out quick and dirty YouTube videos to build an audience and get a modest income rolling in, then produce 'better' videos for the /DRIVE subscription channel and NBC Sports Channel and then make feature length films you can charge for.
I think they have found a good mix, knock out quick and dirty YouTube videos to build an audience and get a modest income rolling in, then produce 'better' videos for the /DRIVE subscription channel and NBC Sports Channel and then make feature length films you can charge for.
Personally I love Schmee150's and Chris' videos, I just feel they offer something quite different. Both appear to be genuinely nice people that the audience can relate to, both are extremely articulate and both capture the life and soul of what they do beautifully. We shouldn't judge something by the number of people who subscribe to it. Sure, Chris Harris may have to do other journalistic work as well as YT to pay his way, but that's fine, because he writes well too and has contacts in lots of great car magazines.
BBC Four probably gets lower viewing figures than ITV, but that doesn't make one 'right' and one 'wrong'...
BBC Four probably gets lower viewing figures than ITV, but that doesn't make one 'right' and one 'wrong'...
balls-out said:
God help this self obsessed generation. I really DON'T want to watch videos about the life of Youtubers. I want to see cars.
Mass appeal often means sinking to the lowest common denominator
Mass appeal often means sinking to the lowest common denominator
Well said. Youtube is an ocean of mediocrity with the very occasional drop of talent.Harris is a Petrolhead through and through, now I am sure Schmee is a nice chap and loves cars but it seems more about the bling, "The Supercar Lifestyle", I have not watched all his videos but it seems very one dimensional, kind of Top Trumps with real cars which has an audience, its his thing but I cant imagine him buying a 2CV or having any interest in anything that isn't noisy, shiny and expensive.
It seems to be more about brands and money than the love of cars.
It seems to be more about brands and money than the love of cars.
R8VXF said:
Shmee is a massive bellend with a rich daddy. His reviews are questionable and his voice irritates me.
That's a bit harsh!I've watched a fair few of Schmee's videos, and I've never heard him say a bad word about anybody or anything, he just seems to be full of enthusiasm and joy for supercars - what's wrong with that? Why does that make him a 'massive bellend'?
I'm also not sure what you mean by saying he has a rich Dad? Do you somehow think Schmee's Dad pays for his lifestyle?! As far as I remember, Schmee had a job in the city and started out making of supercars around London. He then saved up his own money to buy a secondhand R8 and now earns his money from You Tube advertisements. What's wrong with that? He's paid his own way, and unlike many high earners, appears to be a genuinely nice person.
I always enjoy his videos, they may not be as frequent as some others but they are good quality which i prefer.
Also take a look a Mighty Car Mods they do some longer vids which are always a good laugh, just been fitting a supercharger to classic mini for example. I am sure Chris could do something similar and would be interesting.
I think there is a market for longer vids with more tech and car related stuff rather than everyone trying to be Jeremy Clarkson and i think Chris does well doing his own thing with his own style.
Although he needs to stop being afraid and test the new Ultima GTR EVO
.
Also take a look a Mighty Car Mods they do some longer vids which are always a good laugh, just been fitting a supercharger to classic mini for example. I am sure Chris could do something similar and would be interesting.
I think there is a market for longer vids with more tech and car related stuff rather than everyone trying to be Jeremy Clarkson and i think Chris does well doing his own thing with his own style.
Although he needs to stop being afraid and test the new Ultima GTR EVO
.Harris gets over $5000 a month via Patreon, before youtube ad revenue. Quality content costs money, and there are a few people at least willing to put their hand in their pockets for it. Pre-youtube, you'd have had to go off to Duke Video and hand over £20 for something much less interesting than the P1/LaF/918 video.
Youtube made a big push a few years ago to be a "proper" content platform and spent a lot of Google's money commissioning longer-form, higher-quality content - it's how the likes of /DRIVE came about and managed to produce what they did. Now that funding has stopped, and the ad revenue only rewards quantity over quality.
There are plenty of people doing daily vlogs about cars - it must be easy to find the time when you're living on daddy's money. It's cheap to make, and for the most part dull as anything to watch.
I don't want to watch Harris driving to the shops, or going through pressing every button on a borrowed 730d. Quality, infrequent content absolutely has it's place - and if daily dullness really is what you want there's plenty of posh kids on youtube who can give that to you.
Youtube made a big push a few years ago to be a "proper" content platform and spent a lot of Google's money commissioning longer-form, higher-quality content - it's how the likes of /DRIVE came about and managed to produce what they did. Now that funding has stopped, and the ad revenue only rewards quantity over quality.
There are plenty of people doing daily vlogs about cars - it must be easy to find the time when you're living on daddy's money. It's cheap to make, and for the most part dull as anything to watch.
I don't want to watch Harris driving to the shops, or going through pressing every button on a borrowed 730d. Quality, infrequent content absolutely has it's place - and if daily dullness really is what you want there's plenty of posh kids on youtube who can give that to you.
I think there's a sustainable market for both the Harris's and Shmee's of this world.
I, like many others on here support Chris Harris through Patreon and really enjoy the excellent quality of the videos and always treat his videos as a chance to sit down and stream it through the TV, taking some time out to watch it in full in a similar way to the Roadkill monthly videos.
Shmee's videos I also enjoy but are more of a quick fix while killing a few minutes here or there. I certainly don't watch them all but as a petrolhead I love to see and hear exotic cars and Shmee posts a lot of content so you can just select the bits that look of interest.
I, like many others on here support Chris Harris through Patreon and really enjoy the excellent quality of the videos and always treat his videos as a chance to sit down and stream it through the TV, taking some time out to watch it in full in a similar way to the Roadkill monthly videos.
Shmee's videos I also enjoy but are more of a quick fix while killing a few minutes here or there. I certainly don't watch them all but as a petrolhead I love to see and hear exotic cars and Shmee posts a lot of content so you can just select the bits that look of interest.
dave_s13 said:
Without knowing details about his revenue streams and actual income how can you presume he needs to do anything at all?
He might not need or wabt to do anything more than he does now.
I too enjoy the less frequent, higher quality format and have no interest in following some daily stream of consciousness bilge.
This. Definitely this.He might not need or wabt to do anything more than he does now.
I too enjoy the less frequent, higher quality format and have no interest in following some daily stream of consciousness bilge.
For all anyone knows, Mr Harris could be 50p away from his early retirement fund target and is about to disappear into the French countryside enjoying his GT3 around the local Col network.
I personally think it's nice to have a choice about what to watch. Gone are the days of Top Gear being the only real car enthusiast* programme; Chris' infrequent yet entertaining to a niche segment are - for me - superb.
Without knowing Chris' model nobody can comment - what seems to be apparent is that none of the videos (certainly the recent ones) are done on a shoestring budget so their infrequent nature is both entirely acceptable and understandable.
For what it's worth, I can't see Chris disappearing into obscurity in the near future, regardless of the sustainability of his business model. Whether he remains in automotive journalism / media remains to be seen, but his stature within the industry, his persona and charisma mean that, whatever he does, he will still be well known.
And lets not forget the context of all of this, that being him being well known in a very small circle. Other than Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, I seriously doubt the general public would have a clue about any other motoring journalist or presenter. Jason Plato? Tiff Needell? V.B.H? Metcalfe? Catchpole? Prosser? Sutcliffe?
If anything I think Chris Harris has managed to position himself in a very unique position between the plethora of names I mentioned latterly, and the three amigos from T.G. That in itself gives lots of options and, is surely, as good a "business model" as he needs...
I get the feeling that Shmee is interested in, and knows about, older cars but realises the audience is all about "new is always better".
He doesn't do himself any favours on the subject of his income when he goes and gets 3 'supercars' within a month of each other and fess up to having another Mclaren on order. (Although I'd agree with his claim that the depreciation on his GT4 and 675 would be minimal (or positive) in the short term).
He doesn't do himself any favours on the subject of his income when he goes and gets 3 'supercars' within a month of each other and fess up to having another Mclaren on order. (Although I'd agree with his claim that the depreciation on his GT4 and 675 would be minimal (or positive) in the short term).
RobM77 said:
R8VXF said:
Shmee is a massive bellend with a rich daddy. His reviews are questionable and his voice irritates me.
That's a bit harsh!I've watched a fair few of Schmee's videos, and I've never heard him say a bad word about anybody or anything, he just seems to be full of enthusiasm and joy for supercars - what's wrong with that? Why does that make him a 'massive bellend'?
I'm also not sure what you mean by saying he has a rich Dad? Do you somehow think Schmee's Dad pays for his lifestyle?! As far as I remember, Schmee had a job in the city and started out making of supercars around London. He then saved up his own money to buy a secondhand R8 and now earns his money from You Tube advertisements. What's wrong with that? He's paid his own way, and unlike many high earners, appears to be a genuinely nice person.
His YT revenue is circa £120k based on subscribers/views, nowhere near enough to own a McLaren, Ferrari and GT4. It was Paul who started out with the V8 R8 and "Supercars Of London".
This is my personal opinion.
I can't fault Chris' videos, though I must admit it would be nice to see more of them. But I can appreciate how the content has slowed down a bit given he's effectively going solo. That said, things probably haven't slowed down much for him, with trips here and there and stuff to sort out all the time. That's the impression I have anyway.
One of my favourite aspects of Chris' videos is when you get quick bursts of enthusiasm and 'look at this' when a car is being appraised. It evokes feelings of trying something new or getting acquainted with a new or different car for the first time. This was more evident in his older videos such as when he got a white V8 M3 and was showing us round it after taking delivery, commenting on orange peel paint and random things he has spotted all over the car.
An in-person (rather than voiced-over) walk around the car works really well to introduce a video, in my opinion, and offers opportunities for insight, humour and engagement that a more conventional arty or narrated scene-setter lacks.
He seems to have found his style but I think mixing it up a bit every now and then is always good. Sometimes the format of introduction, track drifting and words gets a bit stale, though the hypercar trio was an absolutely luxurious extravaganza of content that made me very happy indeed.
Despite the highs of being behind the wheel and following a fascinating industry as it evolves in front of you, I imagine it's not an easy job, with many flights and tight schedules to deal with. Though if he borrowed a 306 GTI-6 or an Integra Type-R and drove the nuts off it down a B-road, I'd be all ears (and eyes). Though plenty of people have done that already. Or have they?
I just hope he keeps going and if he can keep up a steady stream of videos, that'll be great.
One of my favourite aspects of Chris' videos is when you get quick bursts of enthusiasm and 'look at this' when a car is being appraised. It evokes feelings of trying something new or getting acquainted with a new or different car for the first time. This was more evident in his older videos such as when he got a white V8 M3 and was showing us round it after taking delivery, commenting on orange peel paint and random things he has spotted all over the car.
An in-person (rather than voiced-over) walk around the car works really well to introduce a video, in my opinion, and offers opportunities for insight, humour and engagement that a more conventional arty or narrated scene-setter lacks.
He seems to have found his style but I think mixing it up a bit every now and then is always good. Sometimes the format of introduction, track drifting and words gets a bit stale, though the hypercar trio was an absolutely luxurious extravaganza of content that made me very happy indeed.
Despite the highs of being behind the wheel and following a fascinating industry as it evolves in front of you, I imagine it's not an easy job, with many flights and tight schedules to deal with. Though if he borrowed a 306 GTI-6 or an Integra Type-R and drove the nuts off it down a B-road, I'd be all ears (and eyes). Though plenty of people have done that already. Or have they?
I just hope he keeps going and if he can keep up a steady stream of videos, that'll be great.
marcosgt said:
I'm not a huge fan of Chris Harris, to be honest, but his 918/Laugherrari/P1 video was generally excellent (if a little inconclusive) and well worth an hour to watch, imo.
Indeedy. The world's first 'proper' get together of the holy grail I do believe? I can take or leave Mr Harris, and that's the beauty of the tube. That video is free and available to watch when ever and how often we want. God knows how much it cost to put together and peoples time to produce it etc etc. And yet, the OP thinks Chris needs to get his act together or he'll fade away into obscurity. Really?
RGambo said:
I think Chris subscribes to the quality, not quantity method of reporting/ presenting. Unfortunately, as is the case with so much of society and visual entertainment, these days its all about quantity and stuff quality.
Monkey Harris's 1 hour long video with the P1, laferrari and 918 was brilliant and 1 hour well spent in my view. How can you expect him to produce that sort of review on a daily/weekly basis?
Was an excellent video that. Problem is, there are people videoing themselves playing games for 3 hours with little to no effort other than screen capture and a microphone (in terms of actual production), people opening toys and kinder eggs and even people "vlogging" their recent grocery shop with their iPhone. They all have more subs and earn more money than quality stuff of the kind Chris makes. Heck there are "toy openers" who earn more than CEOs of large companies! Monkey Harris's 1 hour long video with the P1, laferrari and 918 was brilliant and 1 hour well spent in my view. How can you expect him to produce that sort of review on a daily/weekly basis?
Apparently kids with access to YT simply cannot get enough of people videoing themselves opening the latest toys. I know three parents who have to seriously control their offspring's time on the iPad or they'll sit there all day watching that kind of nonsense.
The numbers are not with the 1 hour quality broadcast. They're with the film a 10 minute "something" on your smart phone and get it up there daily crowd. Almost doesn't matter what so long as you have an entertaining personality. I myself am guilty of watching BaronVonGrumble because I just like listening to him rant whilst he rides around London. Thats all he's doing (on that channel). Riding and ranting.
Davey S2 said:
I wouldn't go that far but they are pretty poor quality - just him holding a camcorder.
And yet he is twice as popular as CH, regardless of what the dinosaurs on this thread think. He also makes considerably more content, at considerably lower cost and presumably makes considerably more money from it. I suspect that this is the OP's point. Whether or not CH needs to do it or the OP is his accountant 
, rather misses the broader point of the economic model and general direction of travel for automotive journalism. Or, perhaps more importantly where the consumers in this market are heading... Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be a dinosaur myself; I place a value on CH's work and therefore contribute to his tyre fund every month. To me it's no different to a magazine subscription, but then again I'm 40 and actually remember what a magazine subscription was...
CH is good at cocking about in his videos. That and his charisma and general enthusiasm suggests that he could be great at broadening out his content if he wanted to. He'd just need to be careful to protect his brand.
R8VXF said:
Shmeemobile, Shmeeple, Shmeeting, ShmeeT4. Enough said.
His YT revenue is circa £120k based on subscribers/views, nowhere near enough to own a McLaren, Ferrari and GT4.
This is my personal opinion.
Well now the expert has given his opinion its obvious his revenue is illegal and shady, better call HMRC His YT revenue is circa £120k based on subscribers/views, nowhere near enough to own a McLaren, Ferrari and GT4.
This is my personal opinion.
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