Paul Neafcy is the chief creative force behind the brand new horror/ comedy YouTube Phillip Human, which can be read about here. Recently I emailed the writer/ star of this excellent series to find out about the character, the writing, YouTube in general and what he wants to do next.
1. Where did the initial character and concept come from?
Phillip was born out of watching too many vlogs and reading too much H.P. Lovecraft.
2. When did it occur to you that the happy go lucky world of vlogging may be good horror fodder?
As soon as I started vlogging myself I became aware of its inherent desperation. We are reaching out into the void of the internet in search of some approximation of human contact. Loneliness, isolation and need are ripe themes for a horror story!
3. Were there any problems shaping your vision around 6-7 minute entries?
Phillip was originally featured in four videos on my own channel, but from my first conversation with Jesse Cleverly from Wildseed Studios, it was clear we were both interested in developing the character and his story into something greater. For me, that was always going to be a series for YouTube. Phillip is a YouTuber and this series is for and about YouTube, so the structure of the story was actually specifically designed for 6-7 minute vlogs with each revealing a little more of the mystery.
4. The show’s an effective blend of horror and comedy – were you worried about satisfying both camps?
Phillip is a funny character, but he is stuck in a horrific situation. It was important to keep the horror stuff relatively straight-faced and make most of the laughs come from Phillip.
5. It’s strange seeing something released online being so heavily serialised. How did you find developing the arc and keeping each episode an entertaining entry to itself?
The key was selecting which vlogging tropes would help reveal which part of the story, so what does a “Day in the Life” video show us about Phillip and his situation? What about a “Room Tour”? What other stock vlog topics are there we can make use of? This enabled us to make each episode feel self-contained whilst also moving the story forward in a manner that hopefully feels natural to YouTube.
6. Was it a challenge to balance the laughs and the pathos across the series?
It was important to make people connect to Phillip so although his situation is bizarre, his motivations and desires are very, well, HUMAN. Yeah, it’s a show about supernatural scary stuff, but it’s also a show about childhood and growing up and family and loneliness and friendship that will hopefully resonate with people. Even when things are getting really strange for Phillip, we wanted him to remain relatable.
7. While i know you run a comedy channel, do you also pay attention to many vloggers and the current range of youtube celebrities?
I haven’t been watching a lot of YouTube lately, so I’m a bit out of touch, but I am subscribed to all sorts of YouTubers from Animators to Filmmakers to Musicians and yes, Vloggers. I am fascinated by – and enthusiastic about – the YouTube community here in the UK. I have attended Summer in the City (the UKs largest YouTube convention) for the past four years and even chaired a couple of panels there last year. I think YouTube as a platform is on the cusp of transitioning into something else. I’m not sure what that is, but there is such a focus on personality over creativity in mainstream YouTube at the moment that I can only hope there’s room for people telling stories and making stuff up alongside the people reviewing makeup, playing video games and recording their everyday lives in the future. But that’s the great thing about YouTube: because everyone can make something; there’s something for everyone.
8. So what’s next for Phillip?
I’m talking with Mr Cleverly about series 2 at the moment, but we’ve barely begun the development stage. All I can say is that it will be bigger, more ambitious and more bloody complicated for me to write.
Thankyou
Phillip Human comes highly recommended by Horror Cult Films. Catch all episodes to date from a playlist at this link. You can also follow Phillip on Twitter
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