Yearly Round-Up: 2018

Now that 2018 is officially finished and done with, let’s bring on 2019!

At the start of last year, we looked back on what we considered to be a really tough 2017. Things seemed pretty bleak. 2018 had that on offer as well, but at least the memes were good, right?

Putting everything from the big wide world to one side, 2018 was a pretty big year on YouTube. As usual, we spent an awful lot of time watching videos and mulling over our favourites. It really was a year of highs and lows for both the platform, as well as its creators.

So, as we do every year, let’s sit back and reflect on the 2018 Yearly Round-Up.

Mr. President | A gun laws slam poem | Angela Innes

America’s gun laws are always in the news, for all the wrong reasons. Angela Innes has used the pain and vitriolic language set forth by the defendants of the “right to bear arms” and focused it back at them with cutting words that show off language as the incredible tool that it is.

This was a slam poem uploaded toward the beginning of the year and has stood the test of time, as it’s so wonderfully done and, unfortunately, as necessary as ever. It directly addresses a certain orange leader of the free world, with sound arguments and takedowns that would fly over his head and those of the majority of his Death Eaters. Eloquence is something that’s so needed in a time of pointless rhetoric that avoids facts at all costs. Angela, in two minutes and 10 seconds, has created a piece of art that will hold itself against the barrage of pro-gunners who don’t seem to value the life of people.

I Go Crazy | Orla Gartland

There’s been a song stuck in the heads of many of us here at TenEighty HQ for months now. It’s I Go Crazy by the brilliant Orla Gartland, and the visual that goes along with it. It’s a weird and wonderful trip through the mind of the creative team behind it. There’s Guy Larsen on directing duties, with Sammy Paul as first Assistant Director. There’s also Steven Bridges and his beard, and the ever-talented Ciaran O’Brien as the Director of Photography.

There’s a lot of eyes, there’s a lot of weird, there’s a lot of a lot of things. The music video is incredibly inventive and is one that should be winning a buttload of awards. We guarantee you won’t see anything like this any time soon. We were right then and we continue to be so now. It’s a music video that stands above its contemporaries. Some of its images have stayed with us months later and, for that, it deserves the title as one of the best of 2018.

What the heck is a stoma? (showing you my ileostomy) | Hannah Witton

2018 has been a hell of a year for Hannah Witton, with life-changing surgery and moving into a flat of her own. Whilst in recovery from having her colon removed, Hannah’s vlogged about the experience of having a stoma. The way in which she’s approached this subject is typical Witton: open and honest. As an audience, we should always be striving to learn more about things we know nothing about and no one has encapsulated that into their content more than Hannah over the past year.

There’s great value in having a creator like Hannah – with such a huge and, more importantly, engaged audience – talking about topics that aren’t often spoken about this openly. Whether it’s sex, relationships or stomas and all they entail, it really feels like Hannah’s audience is learning a great deal with every upload. It has been inspiring to see her do her thing throughout the past year, and we look forward to seeing her continue to flourish over the coming months!

We Sent Garlic Bread to the Edge of Space, Then Ate It | Tom Scott

Garlic Bread? GARLIC BREAD? The food that started a thousand memes and a world-class standup set from Peter Kay, garlic bread is an icon. That icon is now not just ours – it also belongs to the crazy alien people who live in space. They didn’t know what to do with it, so they gave it back.

Tom Scott is known for videos that teach us things, but this one is different. With the help of Barry Lewis, who prepared the carbohydrate delight, they rigged up a weather balloon with a camera and a secure box for the bread and, throughout the video, we see it soar higher and higher before the balloon bursts and it all comes crashing down. This is a fascinating video that does something new with the whole “sending stuff into sort-of space” idea. Have you boys got any of the garlic bread left, though?

Like a Dog or a Boat, you tether it | itsamemyleo

How many YouTube videos have you cried at, and how many of those weren’t tears of laughter at Vine compilations? The number dwindles, doesn’t it? Oh, boy, add another one to the list. Myles Wheeler, the prodigal son, returned this year with a feature film-length video that flies by. (In the best possible way.) There’s ups and there’s downs, and there’s something for everyone. We could literally write a dissertation on this video, Harvard referencing, double-spaced, Times New Roman (rules are rules – we still think Jokerman would make it much more fun to read) and 10pt font size.

Honestly, this video is a little overwhelming to write about, but in the best way. There’s so much to unpack, and talking about it won’t quite do it justice, so we implore you to watch and experience it for yourselves. What Myles achieves on this platform is everything we want from YouTube, and it’s a shining example of what it can be. This should be celebrated with many more views, many more subscribers, awards and much more. The return of Myles was a highlight of UK YouTube in 2018. He is an island all to himself, creating wondrous creations we can’t quite believe work as well as they do.

SOME LOVELY BOARD GAMES | What I’m Doing Now

Do you ever cry laugh? Do you like board games from a company with a great name? Then this is the video for you! Big Potato Games have got all manner of weird and wonderful games – we love them – and the people enjoying the heck out of them in this video are: Sammy, Steven, dodie, Rebecca Day and Tom Ridgewell. This group of rapscallions play three different games, which we won’t tell you about in this article because the video will tell you in a much better way, with the dulcet tones of Daniel J. Layton.

This video is definitely the funniest one of the year – we dare you to find one with more laughs per minute. Big Potato Games, you’ll be happy to know that everyone here at TenEighty HQ have played a number of the games shown due to this very video, with varying degrees of success. A success for everyone involved!

STOMPING GROUNDS (2018) | Bertie Gilbert

Bertie Gilbert is back with a bang with his new short film. Speaking with FilmFreeway, he says, “At its core [Stomping Grounds] is a ﬁlm about reﬂection and growth. A cerebral study of someone obsessed with their craft.

“It’s also about important figures in our lives and the lengths we go to keep them around long after they’re gone. Monroe’s entire personality and outlook on success was born out of the respect and reverence he had for his late mother.”

There’s no better way to describe the poignant and wonderful experience of watching this film than with a statement from the director himself. Stomping Grounds can be seen a landmark in Bertie’s career. The marked improvement in every aspect of the piece means this short is the new benchmark for him and his peers to aspire to be hitting with their work. A narrative that’s been a part of our thoughts ever since it dropped, it’s a miraculous achievement.

ANXIOUS | Hazel Hayes

Anxiety can be incredibly distressing and destructive to anyone who experiences it. It’s something people tend to struggle to explain to those who haven’t experienced it themselves, and it’s often something that prevents even the most creative of creatives from expressing themselves. Know anyone who doesn’t quite understand the inner workings of anxiety? Then what you should do is send them this video from Hazel Hayes. It captures the thoughts and feelings of the deafening reality of an anxious life in a beautiful and oh, so creative way.

This is a video that feels so personal that you’re not sure you should be allowed to watch it. It’s a calling card of the frank honesty Hazel is known for. It’s a piece that works well with her upcoming book, Out of Love, and is scarily real. It will get your heart racing. No one is alone out there and Hazel’s video gives us all a lifeline we didn’t know we had.

Terry & Tiara | Guy Larsen

Guy is back at it again with an exquisite video that’s so beautifully artsy it sits far above the majority of YouTube content. Based on a poem by Mark Grist, it follows puppets Terry and Tiara as their fake world comes crumbling down around them. Let’s put it this way: they are not good people. It might not be a bad thing for that to happen to them. Watch the video and work out who to sympathise with. It’s easy to see why it was selected to be a part of multiple film festivals.

Guy has had his hand in a lot of videos this year. Not enough of them are top-lined by himself, it has to be said. Terry & Tiara is a testament to his unique, creative mind. It’s weird and it’s most definitely wonderful. We’re willing to bet you haven’t seen anything like this before. It has only grown in our eyes since the first time we watched it all those months ago.

Like I Did (Official Music Video) | Leadley

Bethan Leadley – A.K.A. Leadley – blessed us this year with Like I Did, a pop song for the ages. Wonderful production and great vocals come together to create something of an earworm. The accompanying music video is full of colour and sexiness, the perfect vibe for this one.

After releasing a number of songs before and with the passage of time, this feels like a shift into a higher gear for Bethan. It marks her out a spot all her own. This song has made it onto our “Most Listened To In 2018” playlist for good reason. It stays with you and the visuals are top notch, aging well and well worth revisiting as we have done multiple times since its release.

What a year it’s been!

Thank you to everyone who read our Weekly Round-Up in 2018. We look forward to trying to entertain you all in the coming months with even more stellar videos just waiting to be spotlighted. What do you think of our picks? Did we get it spot on, or do you feel other videos should have been featured? Be sure to check out the past year’s Round-Ups – who knows, we probably featured that certain video you’re looking for!

While you’re here, you might as well check out our other send-offs to 2018:

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