Directors: Nick Riedell, Chris Riedell
Writers: Mamrie Hart, Lydia Genner
Actors: Grace Helbig, Mamrie Hart, Hannah Hart
Runtime: 102 min
Rating: Unrated
YouTube has revolutionized media, entertainment, and the way spectators consume them. The rise of the platform has been accompanied by the rise of “YouTubers” as stars with sometimes as many fans as your Hollywood regulars. Not entirely content with the limitations of the medium, filmmakers like “The Brothers Riedell” have sought to expand their craft into feature films. Built to be an online film experience, Camp Takota is a simple story, where nothing is particularly special, except the fact that it evokes the time when filmmaking was made for the sake of fun and art itself.
YouTube sensation Grace Helbig stars as Elise, a quirky aspiring author who, in the span of a day, manages to ruin her career, and finds herself terribly betrayed by her fiancé. Powerless under her misfortune, she decides to take on a job as a counselor at Camp Takota, a camp she used to attend when she was younger. In the camp, she encounters old friends Maxine (Mamrie Hart) and Allison (Hannah Hart), new interests, and what could possibly be the antidote to her frustrations with her future. When the camp is threatened by the possibility of its closing, she must find it within herself to help others and try to resolve her own conflicts.
The film itself is very simple, both in content and form. Its storyline is lighthearted, and its script has very simple jokes that constantly remind the spectator that there is definitely a target audience in mind. The character development in the film is quite predictable, and it is very easy to form an idea of how the characters will behave shortly after they are first introduced. Although beloved for her dry and robotic personality on YouTube, Helbig’s acting does not translate too well onto the big screen, and her role as Elise leaves much to be desired. The film has some very nice lighting, and very crisp images that evoke YouTube’s much coveted 1080p. Despite much of the cinematography just fulfilling its purpose of showing images in a straightforward manner, it performs well under the limitations of a “hand-crafted” lower budget film. Musically, the film struggles to find its voice, and the choices throughout the piece sound as though they came straight out of an iMovie sound library. Then again, perhaps this was the objective.
The YouTube star phenomenon might be difficult to understand for an older generation, but it is undeniable that to some, they are the new idols. The project alone was able to be born and survive out of the support and expectation of thousands of fans who longed to see some of their favorite content creators on the big screen (or computer screen for most). The dynamic created between spectator and creator due to projects like this one is innovative and exciting. Many times, the fans are able to interact with their idols, and help them make creative choices that make projects like these a team effort, in which the audience feels involved.
Despite its cinematic flaws, I insist that projects like Camp Takota ought to be celebrated. This is a film that struggled to get a budget, and it probably had a small one, yet the creators were enthusiastic and involved with the creative process. It is refreshing to see projects like this one in a medium that is saturated with commercialization. However, YouTube has become increasingly commercialized in recent years, and this aspect of it might not last long; it is probably only a matter of time before “online films” are monetized and exploited.
Camp Takota is available online at camptakota.com