Jawline: Pressure to perform

On becoming almost famous...

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Noah: I saw a film the other day about a YouTuber. A young male teenager Austyn Tester. He wanted to be famous, so he started a YouTube channel broadcasting messages of positivity. “You gotta have a dream, you gotta chase it, don’t let anyone’s opinions affect you...”

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Leo: He became famous?

She's a fan...

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Noah: Briefly. He created a fanbase of teenage girls.

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Leo: Why did he want to be famous?

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Noah: Didn’t seem to want to be famous for something, just famous. “It’s 10:06 PM, I’m not famous right now, but I’ll be famous soon.”

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Leo: Did it happen?

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Noah: He couldn’t keep up with the constant demands of publicity. Burned out and returned to school in Tennessee.

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Voice-over

The film, Jawline, won the Breakthrough Filmmaker Award at Sundance. The director, Liza Mandelup, ran a Q&A at the recent New Zealand film festival. Brilliant direction, articulate interview. A look at the precarious YouTube world of people who aim at being famous for being famous. She captured the angst of some YouTubers having to be creative every day. To say something meaningful to connect with their fans. To say things that make their fans feel someone cares about them swimming in their schools of anonymity. Make them feel special. Even if the constant stream of encouraging words sounds like empty prattling to other generations. The documentary film had depth; as Austyn seemed to be a pawn in the game, the young media entrepreneur Michael Weist came across as savvy if somewhat scheming.

Michael: "Austyn has 22,300 followers, hmm, I wouldn’t touch him...Because when they’re 30, and they’re not cute, it’s game over, there’s no longevity behind it."

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