Ausztrál Tom - Állati Jo Videó context

Sziasztok! For those of you into video production / writing / qualitative analysis / references etc. this is some longer-form context around my latest video. If it's too long no worries! Come say hi on Instagram or Twitter.

If it wasn't clear, the theme for this video was 'games'. The entire premise of the video was that we're playing a stupid game with a completely subjective and ultimately pointless scoring system. Was I critiquing heavily manipulated reality competitive TV and manufactured mass media? Maybe.. but my primary thought was that it would be really dumb and funny to have like a trainwreck kids tv show meets The Amazing Race meets Mr Bean meets K, Mint Kardashian meets YouTube.. in a zoo.

Mortal Wombat
I can't believe how popular Boglarka is (fake name of wombat from old video). It's unbelievable to me that 11 years later, people write to me asking about Boglarka (and also Bendeguz and Gyuri of course). So when I was thinking about Wombats and the theme of games, the idea of a 'Mortal Wombat' (Mortal Kombat parody) just constantly made me laugh, so I knew I had to do something with that though I didn't know what.

In fact, the first thing I made for this video was the Mortal Wombat clip. I don't have the skills to imitate a modern Mortal Kombat, so carried over the nostalgia theme from my last video and replicated the first Mortal Kombat. I had NO idea how I was going to use it, I just knew it could be really unique. I won't even dare tell you how long it took me! And while it's pretty unpolished, most people won't see each image for more that one second so all I cared about was achieving the desired impact.

I replicated this opening scene. It was actually really straight forward to figure out HOW then it was a lot of busy work of finding the right images, editing, finding fonts etc.

The flaws are easy to see when side-by-side, but most people don't overthink it.

It was really hard to find pictures of animals which are front on and taken at eye level, especially for the seagull. Seagulls don't look like instantly recognisable as seagulls front on! Though fascinatingly, animals naturally have the same intense energy as the Mortal Kombat characters, I mean just look at Raiden (man with the blue eyes) and the koala. Same vibes

This image is actually huge so it fills the screen horizontally and we can scan down. Some Easter Eggs include of course that Gyuri the Gyongytyuk is the end boss. The funny thing about that particular gyongytyuk is that its name is Tom. Someone sent me this video about Tom a kis gyongytyuk. I was pretty flattered. Ili is sub-boss, naturally. I left in Sub Zero (hallmark Mortal Kombat character) because imagine what kind of game that would be???

Lastly, instead of saying 'FIGHT' the voice says 'FORAGE'. I simply didn't want to suggest violence because it's not realistic (unlike ninjas who shoot ice from their fingers)

Introducing Mortal Wombat

I made this fake tablet home screen with icons to suggest that I'm playing Mortal Wombat in the video. Again, there are little hidden Easter Eggs such as for some reason I have Netscape Navigator (old and rubbish internet browser from the 90s) on my iPad, and there's the Hey Ili app we can only assume I was using in the 2020 Greetings video. The yellow thing is actually the logo from an artistic project (from I think university students). They sent me a link to their videos, and I wanted to include a nod to them (I wonder if they'll ever notice)

Studio audience 

Who doesn't love some cringe. In several parts of the video I included the canned studio audience effects (awww, ahhh, shouting numbers, clapping). This was staying true to theme of games, but more around game shows.

Early in the video, I say my three favourite things are Australian animals, language learning and you, with an 'awww', followed by a transition to sepia tones and the start of soppy music. I mainly just wanted the gag of a sweet sentimental moment being broken by a screaming cockatoo, which feels so Australian to me.

Bendeguz and the Emu

I'm sorry but look at how this kangaroo is lying down. I'm unashamed of rehashing the 'Bendeguz a hasadra sut a nap' quote when such an image exists.

Previously in the scene, there was an emu that kept walking in front of the camera during filming. I didn't realise how unusable the wallaby footage was until I got home, so I reworked the original idea I had to complement the visuals.

Bobby the Snake

This snake is really impressive! And extremely dangerous! In an original cut of the video I was so preachy about snakes being misunderstood and how you need to be careful and ecosystems need to operate in balance, so instead I condensed all that and instead referred to snakes being known as 'danger noodles' (vesz tesztak) or 'nope ropes' (remzsineg). You know, really improving the world.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the entire indoor reptile area of the zoo is closed. They have so many snakes and lizards there, and now there's only one you can visit. But what a beauty.

There are other references and stories but this post is already long enough! Hope you enjoy this video and all its cheap thrills.