The Multiverse is creating quite a name for itself in bringing very talented people together for its productions. In this case, The Multiverse has helped produce a series combining some of the best young talent in YouTube land.
Project: Library was created and written by the annoyingly talented Tim H and Mike Cannon, alongside Benjamin Cook, creator of Becoming YouTube, and Jack Howard, from Jack and Dean and also features the near-genius cinematography of Ciaran O’Brian. That’s not including the army of less-well known, but also very talented YouTube up-and-comers like Paul Neafcy, Chloe Dungate, The Woto Brothers and Sammy Paul. If you have time after checking out that dizzying array of links, I’m going to discuss what this combination of talents has resulted in.
Well, what has it resulted in? Only being two episodes in to this series, Project: Library is off to a fantastic start. The ever-present influence of Edgar Wright in YouTube comedy is in evidence here, with the snappy cuts and whooshing noises, and the whole thing has a really nice directorial pace and focus thanks to directors Tim H and Jack Howard (there they are again!). The characters are painted with a nice subtlety, so they seem human, without distracting from the plot.
The humour isn’t laugh-out loud on the whole, but it’s still extremely enjoyable. The laughs are based on the odd-ball characters, and their hapless actions push the plot forward (with occasional, but relevant, flashbacks). Compared to the most recent similar production, Ashens and the Quest for the Gamechild, it’s as funny, but more focused. The filming and sound production are frankly impossible to differentiate from a big-budget comedy film, and everything is very nice to look at and listen to.
The story revolves around a generic London community library run by a bitter Vietnam veteran (it makes more sense in context) which is due to shut down due to lack of funding. That is until they discover that one overdue library loan means that one hapless man called Michael (played by Daniel J Layton) owes them £1 million. Sensing their troubles may be over, the library manager goes into army flashback mode and launches a full-scale assault on Michael’s life and friends, while he tries to figure out what the hell to do about a paramilitary library, and the staff are caught in the middle. Maybe you would like to read something more about Baby Names – A Comedy Sketch from Whitney Avalon.
The set up is just crazy enough to work and they lampshade out the inevitable plot holes with a healthy serving of irony. Overall, with two episodes, plus two very well made bonus episodes (and more promised), Project: Library looks set to be just a great big barrel of fun. I had a great big stupid smile on my face after watching it, and I’m pretty sure you will too. You can check out episodes of Project: Library on Tim H’s YouTube channel here.