The original The Show With Ze Frank was described by one of Frank’s many “sports racers” as “one wacky conversation and one hell of a fun ride,” thanks to a lethal combination of high-end interactivity and Frank’s askew sense of humor.
And like a wannabe starlet fresh off a pageant victory, Frank followed up his 2007 conquering of the Internet by heading out to Hollywood. But two years later, after pitching sitcoms, working on screenplays and the odd acting gig, Frank has returned to the Internet with a slight case of multiple personality disorder, splitting his original concept for The Show between two different series: the indie Hard Times and a new series for Time.com.
Hard Times consists of tight, punchy and irregularly released sketches reminiscent of the original The Show, but with a focus on these trying economic times. Frank is specifically targeting the plight of the Web 2.0 hobo, who “has a $300 iPhone but can’t afford a 99-cent application,” and his comedy has taken on a Charlie Chaplin edge.
Much like Chaplin’s iconic Little Tramp character, whose woes brought laughter to millions during the Great Depression, Frank has embraced our crumbling economy as a source of comedy, offering money-saving tips and creating “cost-efficient” visual illusions. As always, the jokes fly fast and furious: Another creator could make an entire video out of the gag “what would happen if your GPS sounded like YouTube comments,” but it only makes a brief cameo in Five People. And when a disgruntled commenter suggested that Frank outsource his joke writing, Frank did exactly that, using an outsourcing web site to find an overseas worker, who agreed to write three jokes for $50. (Spoiler alert: You get what you pay for in this world.)
Hard Times is completely without sponsorship was created for Buzzfeed, where Ze Frank is an adviser, though the videos bear no branding for the site. But this week he also began a video series for Time.com titled That Makes Me Think Of, which essentially is Frank’s take on the news of the day (although it’s not clear yet if the series will be daily, weekly or also irregular). In the first installment, his analysis of the Iranian presidential election focuses not on the protests which have captured the web’s attention, but instead tackles what impact the election will actually have on Iran, given that the elected president will have comparatively little power considering his place in the government’s structure. It’s an even-minded perspective on the conflict that may generate some real discussion — which was always a key part of Frank’s genius.
However, it’s a part of his genius he’s not really making full use of, as the interactivity on both That Makes Me Think Of and Hard Times is lacking. Whether its due to the lack of a regular release schedule, Frank has yet to do much crowd-sourcing for Hard Times, and there isn’t even a place on Time’s site to comment on That Makes Me Think Of. He has also started uploading his videos to many different sites instead of just one, including Vimeo, YouTube and Buzzfeed, marking a major shift in previous distribution patterns.
Certainly, Frank’s new approach to distribution is a reflection on the changing web video space, but is the lack of interactivity a sad lapse on Frank’s part, or also a result of the new world order? Is 2009 really all that different than 2007? Maybe. But at least one thing hasn’t changed: Ze Frank still brings the funny.
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