ProduerChadK
After the success of VGHS, a lot of eyes were on Rocketjump. Some thought it was the first shot in the battle that would see the end of modern film and television as we know it. Most of us, however, remained cautious, but very intrigued. Obviously, if someone says "the industry on which you've built a career is in danger," a lot of people - including myself - start paying attention.The premise of Rocketjump: The Show is two-fold. On one side, the studio aims to make the eight best shorts on the internet, while simultaneously shooting a documentary that takes the viewer behind the scenes into the production of each short.Based on what we knew of Rocketjump - from their own outlets - this sounded very intriguing. Finally, we could get a look into how this rag-tag group of filmmakers makes such incredible content while breaking out of industry norms.What we got was definitely a surprise, but not in the way many of us had imagined. The shorts were good. Not great, but good. The writing was sub-par, but that's perfectly passable for a 5-minute short. Each installment felt very true to VGHS's style and some of the work show runners Freddie Wong and Matthew Arnold had done in the early days of YouTube. If zany, bizarre humor is your cup of tea, you'll dig it. If not, I'm not so sure.What really took this show down was the documentary content. They focused mainly on the directors of each short, largely ignoring every other department. Each director had their own problems and issues with their productions, as all directors do. However, it was all under the blanket of drama and conflict. Many of the directors appeared to be suffering beyond the point that many consider normal in the industry.One director was on the verge of a nervous breakdown before dropping out, another was scolded and humiliated on camera for an ethically questionable scenario that was largely out of his control. Another director, Clint, was circumvented entirely by the show runners, who LITERALLY came onto set and micromanaged Clint's short to the point where Clint wasn't even directing anymore.From an industry standpoint, not only was a lot of this unacceptable, but it was embarrassing to watch. Yes, life on the set isn't always roses and ponies, but the loose structure of Rocketjump appeared to breed a culture of creative corruption that just doesn't happen on real sets.From an audience standpoint, what were we given? We never got to see half of the directors tackle their own personal challenges because the show runners would just butt in and start making calls. It was very anti-climactic and most episodes left you with a bad taste in your mouth after you see how they all treat each other.Perhaps Rocketjump has just grown too big for its bootstraps. Or maybe this is just a growing pain. Part of me wonders what was left on the cutting-room floor. How much of the drama was falsified? Was this a genuine look at Rocketjump's inner workings? There's always the possibility that what we see in the show is a misrepresentation of all that transpired.Regardless, Rocketjump: The Show gets a 4/10 from me. Solely on the fact that it was uncomfortable and heart-breaking to watch and not at all about the fun-loving young creative the trailer seemed to promise us. Maybe that was the reality. Maybe not. I'm not reviewing what really happened. I'm merely reviewing what we were given.
BadlandZ
This show has so many great things, but fails. The documentary style of the production is great. The productions themselves have good acting, directing, action, editing, color, style. And shockingly good cinematography at times in the shorts.But it proves that having everything right, and missing one key part, can make EVERYTHING fall apart. And that is, the writing. The stories just fall apart on the floor.Without a good story for the short, it's laughable when everything else is perfect. And without a good story for the short, it's sad to watch the documentary on how much work and talent went into making something that resulted in a laughable story.If anyone ever needed proof there was a case for sourcing scripts, and NOT letting producers and directors rewrite them just for good visuals, this is proof.Hulu, as much as I love the service, didn't learn from their tragic failure "Resident Advisors." They don't get that they can't become Netflix or Amazon with original content UNTIL they spend money on writers before they dump a ton of cash into production.
