Chris Harris must modernise and up his game

[ukaskew]

I may be alone in this, but I never actually watched the much hyped P1/918/LaFerrari video, there was no way I was finding 45 minutes or whatever to stream a vid online.

Had they cut it into 7 or 8 minute parts and released them every few days I would probably have watched the whole thing.

Shorter need not mean of lesser quality, I have on my desk a Panasonic 4K video camera with M4/3 mount, it cost me £250 (+ another £150 for a nice fast lens). I definitely think there is more than enough room for Chris to start adding shorter (but no less interesting) content with the cars he has access to on a regular basis.

Edited by ukaskew on Monday 21st December 12:37

[RobM77]

ukaskew said:

I may be alone in this, but I never actually watched the much hyped P1/918/LaFerrari video, there was no way I was finding 45 minutes or whatever to stream a vid online.

Had they cut it into 7 or 8 minute parts and released them every few days I would probably have watched the whole thing.

I'm just curious, but what's special about finding 45 minutes to stream a video online? Isn't that just like sitting down and watching any TV programme or film? Additionally, for people like me with no proper broadband (we have to use satellite at home, which struggles with streaming), you can just download the vid overnight and choose when to watch it as you would with a DVD or similar - that's what I did.

[ukaskew]

RobM77 said:

I'm just curious, but what's special about finding 45 minutes to stream a video online? Isn't that just like sitting down and watching any TV programme or film? Additionally, for people like me with no proper broadband (we have to use satellite at home, which struggles with streaming), you can just download the vid overnight and choose when to watch it as you would with a DVD or similar - that's what I did.

I (and presumably, like most others) stream YT content on my portable device, I often catch up with stuff briefly before bed or on the throne etc, or crucially I'm happy to stream shorter vids over 4G if I ever find myself in an area with coverage.

If the OP is suggesting shorter vids as a way to make more money, absolutely, it's very, very difficult to argue that's not a far easier/more likely way of making a success of things.

The 918/P1/LaFerrari vid has had 1.2m views, that's nothing compared to some of the content with those cars on Youtube.

[Swanny87]

balls-out said:

decrassius said:

In the meantime, a new breed of youtubers has exploded onto the scene. They post videos on a daily basis. Their clips are shorter and often focus on the life of the youtuber in the context of cars; rather than just the cars themselves. Shmee150 in one such youtuber and he has gathered twice as many subscribers as Chris Harris in a fraction of the time.

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

Yep. Many a Supercars of London/Shmee vid I'll miss because it's about where to fill up in Monaco or what type of sandwich they ate while driving through Belgium.

[EricE]

ukaskew said:

I (and presumably, like most others) stream YT content on my portable device, I often catch up with stuff briefly before bed or on the throne etc, or crucially I'm happy to stream shorter vids over 4G if I ever find myself in an area with coverage.

If the OP is suggesting shorter vids as a way to make more money, absolutely, it's very, very difficult to argue that's not a far easier/more likely way of making a success of things.

The 918/P1/LaFerrari vid has had 1.2m views, that's nothing compared to some of the content with those cars on Youtube.

I agree.
As you mentioned CH's hypercar video generated 1.2m hits in more than one month.

His /Drive colleague Matt Farah keeps posting lower quality videos much more frequently.
One of his recent videos went viral due to an incident that happened in the video and now had 1.3 million hits in less than a week. It's just him in a car with two GoPros!

I think that CH's video in particular is more of a "business card" to build a brand and impress the PR departments of car manufacturers so they continue to give him with the newest, shiniest metal.
If his primary objective was to monetize youtube then he surely would be far better off posting shorter, lower production value videos multiple times a week. Arguably the viewers would be happier too.

[ORD]

Chris Harris makes videos about cars for car / driving enthusiasts.

I have no idea what the f*ck Smee and those other tossers are trying to do, but it has almost nothing to do with driving and a lot to do with selling popcorn to a generation self-obssessed, materialistic morons. Watching those twits drive supercars around London is like eating nails.

[m444ttb]

Does this suppose that all CH does is videos? He is, or was, writing for Goodwood and presumably sells pieces to all sorts of other outlets too.

[CS Garth]

This is another classic pistonheads - some opinionated halfwit completely unprompted starts dishing out career advice to someone he hasn't met.

Any more nuggets: perhaps Andy Murray should tighten his forehand a bit, Barack should work on his domestic medi care drug choices or King Jong un should loosen up a bit and stop (allegedly) shootings his rellies?

If you can do a better job let's see it. If not can you advise your current career, earnings and net worth so a bunch of people who know f all about your financial position can offer some career advice and "helpful pointers". Or otherwise zip it nobby.

[dudleybloke]

I think its a generational thing.
The under 20's seem to enjoy watching peoples everyday lives online but older folk want to see something with substance that's had a bit of thought put into it.

[easytiger123]

RobM77 said:

R8VXF said:

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.

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. It was Paul who started out with the V8 R8 and "Supercars Of London".

This is my personal opinion.

He's probably got other income streams - have a read of his bio. He's a successful guy, and good luck to him.

I agree. Good luck to him and the Supercars of London guy. They are giving it a go and making some money. Don't have to like the videos to appreciate that they're getting off their arses and making a living.

[Streetrod]

I have often defended Shmee on here mainly because a lot of people get the facts wrong especially about how he funds his cars. He knows what his audience wants and delivers it better than almost anyone in the field, why else would manufacturers be willing to lend him their high products to play with.

But I do have an issue with his content, and that is that he might as well be quoting from a manufacturer’s brochure. Shmee never ever criticises anything he drives. It’s like he is trying to set himself up as an online marketing company which is why I think manufacturers are happy to lend him whatever he asks for, he will never give them bad press and they will get a lot of free publicity.

It is also evident from his video’s that he little of no knowledge of the history of cars. I have lost count of the times he has walked past a significant classic or race car or is stumped unless he reads what it is on a show stand.

And whilst I am having a pop, for guy with such great cars at his disposal I wish he would learn to drive better. He made a massive thing about his GT4 having a manual transmission and how interactive it is but has failed to learn how to heal and toe to get the most out of it, preferring to let the auto blip do it for him. Maybe it’s just me.

I suspect Shmee does not even own a basic socket set and would have a hard time identifying even a minor ailment on one of his cars but this is probably a generational thing

At the end of the day I think he is a nice guy, and you can’t deign that for someone who has not yet hit 30 he has done well for himself. But as he gets older he is going to need to raise his game. Kids have short attention spans, it won’t take much for them to switch their elegancies to the next younger more relatable and up and coming youtuber

As for Harris, I have a huge amount of respect, I think he is the petrol heads petrol head.

Edited by Streetrod on Monday 21st December 13:56

[R8VXF]

easytiger123 said:

RobM77 said:

R8VXF said:

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.

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. It was Paul who started out with the V8 R8 and "Supercars Of London".

This is my personal opinion.

He's probably got other income streams - have a read of his bio. He's a successful guy, and good luck to him.

I agree. Good luck to him and the Supercars of London guy. They are giving it a go and making some money. Don't have to like the videos to appreciate that they're getting off their arses and making a living.

I do not disagree. Still think they are bellends though Just another side to the fking horrendous "celebrity culture" that is thrust upon the working classes to give them aspirations that they may too make it one day. </PH Rant>

[Conscript]

Streetrod said:

I have often defended Shmee on here mainly because a lot of people get the facts wrong especially about how he funds his cars. He knows what his audience wants and delivers it better than almost anyone in the field, why else would manufacturers be willing to lend him their high products to play with.

But I do have an issue with his content, and that is that he might as well be quoting from a manufacturer’s brochure. Shmee never ever criticises anything he drives. It’s like he is trying to set himself up as an online marketing company which is why I think manufacturers are happy to lend him whatever he asks for, he will never give them bad press and they will get a lot of free publicity.

It is also evident from his video’s that he little of no knowledge of the history of cars. I have lost count of the times he has walked past a significant classic or race car or is stumped unless he reads what it is on a show stand.

And whilst I am having a pop, for guy with such great cars at his disposal I wish he would learn to drive better. He made a massive thing about his GT4 having a manual transmission and how interactive it is but has failed to learn how to heal and toe to get the most out of it, preferring to let the auto blip do it for him. Maybe it’s just me.

I suspect Shmee does not even own a basic socket set and would have a hard time identifying even a minor ailment on one of his cars but this is probably a generational thing

At the end of the day I think he is a nice guy, and you can’t deign that for someone who has not yet hit 30 he has done well for himself. But as he gets older he is going to need to raise his game. Kids have short attention spans, it won’t take much for them to switch their elegancies to the next younger more relatable and up and coming youtuber

As for Harris, I have a huge amount of respect, I think he is the petrol heads petrol head.

Edited by Streetrod on Monday 21st December 13:56

Pretty much sums up my exact feelings. I've nothing against Schmee, I'm incredibly jealous of him and his lifestyle. And usually I like quite a detailed walk through of car design and features. But the endless fawning over every car he reviews (everything is just fantastic!) is a bit tiresome and he comes across as a bit cringeworthy sometimes ("Schmeemobile"...Christ). So I rarely find myself watching his videos in their entirety.

By comparison, I do prefer CHs less frequent but longer/higher quality reviews. He gives the impression of being much more interested in how a car drives and makes you feel, has an obvious talent for driving, and is able to be critical of cars too. I like longer videos anyway, a nice way to while away a lunch break.

[RobM77]

R8VXF said:

easytiger123 said:

RobM77 said:

R8VXF said:

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.

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. It was Paul who started out with the V8 R8 and "Supercars Of London".

This is my personal opinion.

He's probably got other income streams - have a read of his bio. He's a successful guy, and good luck to him.

I agree. Good luck to him and the Supercars of London guy. They are giving it a go and making some money. Don't have to like the videos to appreciate that they're getting off their arses and making a living.

I do not disagree. Still think they are bellends though Just another side to the fking horrendous "celebrity culture" that is thrust upon the working classes to give them aspirations that they may too make it one day. </PH Rant>

I think the opposite actually, and that's the nature of his success. Schmee's videos are, to me, a bit like "Harry's Garage" on You Tube - both feel very intimate and private and not public or showy at all - the opposite of 'celeb'. Schmee is a normal guy who chats to the camera at arm's length like he'd chat to a friend with him at the time - I think that's the whole appeal; like a variation of "fly on the wall" stuff. It's a sort of diary about cars and he's clearly deliberately kept it that way, rather than wearing flashy clothes and parading in front of the camera like a TV presenter or celebrity.

[xjay1337]

Streetrod said:

I suspect Shmee does not even own a basic socket set and would have a hard time identifying even a minor ailment on one of his cars but this is probably a generational thing

Don't speak for all us 20 somethings thanks!

Think it's what happens when you are wealthy and in your 20s.
That being said plenty of people of all ages dont do any basic spannering themselves.

[Davey S2]

Streetrod said:

I have often defended Shmee on here mainly because a lot of people get the facts wrong especially about how he funds his cars. He knows what his audience wants and delivers it better than almost anyone in the field, why else would manufacturers be willing to lend him their high products to play with.

But I do have an issue with his content, and that is that he might as well be quoting from a manufacturer’s brochure. Shmee never ever criticises anything he drives. It’s like he is trying to set himself up as an online marketing company which is why I think manufacturers are happy to lend him whatever he asks for, he will never give them bad press and they will get a lot of free publicity.

It is also evident from his video’s that he little of no knowledge of the history of cars. I have lost count of the times he has walked past a significant classic or race car or is stumped unless he reads what it is on a show stand.

And whilst I am having a pop, for guy with such great cars at his disposal I wish he would learn to drive better. He made a massive thing about his GT4 having a manual transmission and how interactive it is but has failed to learn how to heal and toe to get the most out of it, preferring to let the auto blip do it for him. Maybe it’s just me.

I suspect Shmee does not even own a basic socket set and would have a hard time identifying even a minor ailment on one of his cars but this is probably a generational thing

At the end of the day I think he is a nice guy, and you can’t deign that for someone who has not yet hit 30 he has done well for himself. But as he gets older he is going to need to raise his game. Kids have short attention spans, it won’t take much for them to switch their elegancies to the next younger more relatable and up and coming youtuber

As for Harris, I have a huge amount of respect, I think he is the petrol heads petrol head.

Edited by Streetrod on Monday 21st December 13:56

One has the technical knowledge and driving skill but not the financial wherewithal to run a £500K+ collection of cars. The other has the money to own and run them but doesn't have the knowledge or skill to fully exploit them or give real detailed feedback on the driving experience.

As previously said Shmee's content seems to be more about the 'supercar lifestyle' rather than the cars performance and driving experience.

[ukaskew]

Some very, very specific views on what a car enthusiast 'should' be here, quite interesting really.

You will find me at Castle Combe and various other circuits come rain, hail or shine all throughout the year, but I don't own a socket set or have any interest in doing so, and I couldn't tell you which 'E' number that M3 is.

Edited by ukaskew on Monday 21st December 14:58

[J4CKO]

I would swap Schmees job for mine, "The Database Lifestyle" just doesn't have that ring about it and though I would expect he may be appalled by some of the comments he is getting talked about, I bet some have nipped over to his channel and reminded themselves how much he annoys them, how much of a "Bell end" he is, the irony being that you just gave him some money, a tiny amount but nonetheless, it is still publicity.

I dont think we have to choose one or the other, there is so much good stuff out there, why worry if you dont like Schmees stuff, the internet has made car stuff so much more accessible and mostly free ! it used to be Street Machine Cars and Car Conversions each month, now its detailed videos appearing every day on every subject, to every taste and a vast back catalog of existing stuff.

[Digga]

ukaskew said:

Some very, very specific views on what a car enthusiast 'should' be here, quite interesting really.

You will find me at Castle Combe and various other circuits come rain, hail or shine all throughout the year, but I don't own a socket set or have any interest in doing so!

Car polisher eh?!

[CS Garth]

Digga said:

ukaskew said:

Some very, very specific views on what a car enthusiast 'should' be here, quite interesting really.

You will find me at Castle Combe and various other circuits come rain, hail or shine all throughout the year, but I don't own a socket set or have any interest in doing so!

Car polisher eh?!

I'm a broad church kind of guy but non-ownership of a socket set is almost indefensible. You'd have a have a large amount of other "hallmarks" of a car enthusiast to make up for this.

I'll accept race transporter, fireproof underwear and membership of GRRC.

I won't accept a T-shirt that says "I am the Stig, Top Gear Shower Gel and Ferrari aftershave"