Screen Junkies

Screen Junkies
Screen Junkies Logo
Website www.screenjunkies.com
YouTube information
Channel
Created by Andy Signore
Brett Weiner
Years active 2011–present
Genre Comedy, humor, parody
Subscribers 6.4 million+
(July 2018)
Total views 2 billion+
(July 2018)
Network Fandom

Screen Junkies is an online movie magazine and YouTube channel, owned and operated by Fandom, that focuses on movies and television. The Screen Junkies produce three main shows: The Screen Junkies Show (hosted by Hal Rudnick, consisting mostly of interviews and film discussions); Honest Trailers (a series of trailers, narrated previously by Ptolemy Slocum and Gannon Nickell, and currently by Jon Bailey, that satirizes and parodies various films and television programs); and Movie Fights (a competition series, where guests debate various issues related to film). On October 21, 2016, the ClevverMovies channel announced that it would be rebranding into Screen Junkies News on November 1, 2016.[1] Roth Cornet was chosen to serve as editor-in-chief.[2] Screen Junkies News, focuses on news-related programming, but also includes non news-related programs. On July 2, 2018, it was announced Defy Media sold ScreenJunkies to Fandom, a site similarly focused on hard-core entertainment buffs.[3]

As of October 2018, Screen Junkies has over 6.5 million subscribers and over 2.1 billion video views.[4]

Videos

Programs

Currently Airing ShowsMain Host(s)Live/Taped ChannelDay
Screen Junkies UniverseRoth Cornet (with Dan Murrell, Spencer Gilbert, Joe Starr, or Various)Live SJ NewsMonday-Friday
Charting with Dan Dan Murrell and Roth Cornet Taped SJ News Monday
Honest Trailers Voiced by Jon Bailey Taped SJ Main Tuesday
Honest Trailer CommentariesDan Murrell, Spencer Gilbert, Joe StarrTaped SJ NewsTuesday
Movie Fights Hal Rudnick (with Dan Murrell and Danielle Radford) Live SJ Main Thursday
The Screen Junkies Show Hal Rudnick Taped SJ Main Several Times per Month
Movie Reviews Dan Murrell and Roth Cornet Taped SJ News Once or Twice a Week
Cram It! Various Taped SJ Main Weekends (in rotation)
Serious Questions Various Taped SJ Main Weekends (in rotation)
Smash Hit! Various Taped SJ News Weekends (in rotation)
Cast Away Joe Starr with Various Taped SJ News Weekends (in rotation)
Could Have Been Worse Joe Starr Taped SJ News Weekends (in rotation)
Background Extras who Ruined Movies Billy Business, Joe Starr, Danielle Radford, Ed Greer Taped SJ News Weekends (in rotation)
Other Special Featurettes Various Taped SJ News Weekends (in rotation)
Watching ThronesSpencer Gilbert, Michele Boyd, Roth Cornet, Danielle RadfordTaped SJ NewsMonday
Previously Aired ShowsMain Host(s)Live/Pre-Taped ChannelDay
TV FightsRoxy Striar (Billy A. Patterson as Fact Checker)Live SJ NewsTuesday
Millennial Falcon Jenny Nicholson Taped Both Sunday
Flick Bait Andy Signore, Spencer Gilbert, Joe Starr, Dan Murrell Live SJ Main Friday
Knocking DeadHector NavarroLive Monday
Honest Game Trailers CommentariesMatt Raub and/or Spencer GilbertPre-Taped Tuesday
Flash and FriendsJoe Starr, Roxy Striar, and Jason MewesLive Friday
What's in the Box?Kevin Smith and Jason MewesPre-Taped Saturdays (rotation)
Pitch OffDoug BensonPre-Taped Saturdays (rotation)
After The FightLive Thursday
Debugging Mr. RobotRob Cesternino, Spencer Gilbert, and Clarke WolfeLive Thursday
Movie GamesJeremy JahnsPre-Taped Saturday (rotation)
Does it Hold Up?Spencer GilbertPre-Taped Saturday (rotation)
Movie VS MovieJohn FlickingerPre-Taped Saturday (rotation)
After CreditsHow It Should Have Ended (HISHE) crew (created by)Pre-Taped Monthly
Screen Junkies RoastsN/APre-Taped Monthly
Mundy Night RawNick Mundy, Michael Truly (with Spencer Gilbert on bass)Live Monday
Mega Movie Get-TogetherAndre MeadowsLive Wednesday (alternating with What's in the Box)
Interns of F.I.E.L.D.Andy Signore, Dan Murrell, Spencer Gilbert (created by)Pre-Taped Monday
Summer Movie ReportDan Murrell and Sasha Perl-RaverLive Monday
ScreenJunkies Movie ReviewDan MurrellPre-Taped Monday (later moved to SJ News)
F1rst and Worst Chris Stuckmann Pre-Taped Saturday (alternating with Movie Games)
Dan's Labyrinth Dan Murrell Live Monday
Gamer Fights Matt Raub (Nikole Z as Fact Checker (Kristen Brancaccio for live episodes)) Live Friday

Honest Trailers

Honest Trailers is an Emmy-nominated series of parody trailers of films, and occasionally TV shows, that are made to satirize the film. The videos are narrated by Jon Bailey.[5]

Created by Andy Signore and Brett Weiner and shepherded by Break Media's Head of Programming Mitch Rotter, Honest Trailers debuted in February 2012 and by June 2014 had become the source of over 300 million views on the Screen Junkies YouTube channel.[5] The series started when the creators saw that Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was being re-released in 3D and decided to make a parody trailer for it, continuing the series as a result of the positive reception the videos received.[6] The series received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series at the 68th, 69th and 70th Primetime Emmy Awards.

The series' videos take approximately one week to assemble, and are typically created by around four people.[5] The creators watch the movie a number of times before writing the script as a group.[7] Subjects are chosen by a combination of current popular movies and suggestions from viewers, with an aim of making the videos go viral.[5] Though Signore has said that they would like to cover more television shows, they haven't done many due to the increased time commitment as the team have to watch every episode of the series versus a film.[8]

The series was first narrated by comedian Ptolemy Slocum who narrated only the first video. The next dozen were narrated by Gannon Nickell (with the exception of the one for Avatar, which was narrated by Dough Medlock), before he enlisted in the military and Jon Bailey replaced him.[5] Despite starting as a direct copy of typical movie trailer voiceovers, Bailey's narration voice has become more of a parody over time, using different styles for the various genres satirized.[5]

Co-creator Signore says that he would like a celebrity to perform a narration for their own Honest Trailers episode, explaining that he would like to have someone who "understands what we're doing and enjoys it and is willing to make fun of themselves".[5] This eventually occurred in May 2016, when they were able to get Ryan Reynolds to co-narrate the Honest Trailer for Deadpool in character as the film's titular character, who is known for breaking the fourth wall.[9] Reynolds reprised his role as Deadpool for the Honest Trailer for Logan, the series' 200th video, and the Honest Trailer for Deadpool 2.[10]

The series' 100th video, for 50 Shades of Grey, was released in May 2015.[11] As of January 2017, the Honest Trailer for Titanic is the most viewed, with over 40 million views.[12]

Not all videos speak negatively about their films; for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, contrary to typical style, the creators found it difficult to raise negative points and conceded that the film was good.[7] Co-director Joe Russo said that he had the series in mind when creating the film, and aimed to make the movie "Honest Trailer-proof".[13]

The head writer of Honest Trailers is Spencer Gilbert, who also appears on Movie Fights.

The Screen Junkies Show

The Screen Junkies Show covers a variety of topics in film and television. Some episodes include interviews with actors, "supercuts" (compilations), and information and updates on movies. The Screen Junkies Show is hosted by Hal Rudnick, and was created by Andy Signore, Brett Weiner, and Mitch Rotter.

Movie Fights

"Movie Fights", typically hosted by Signore until his termination in October 2017, features debates between three other people within or outside of Screen Junkies, such as other YouTube reviewers, on various movie-related questions. This segment lasts for about an hour and a half, with the first five rounds being a roundtable debate, and the last round being a "Speed Round". Each round would begin with a question, and each contestant would have to make an argument for why their answer is best. The speed round consists of five questions, and each contestant has fifteen seconds to make a claim for their answer and ten seconds to give their rebuttal against their opponent. When a contestant wins a round or speedrun question, they win a point and the person who finishes the game with the most points wins. In the match titled "Ultimate Game of Thrones Spin-off Movie?" posted on April 12, 2015, Murrell became the first ever Movie Fights Champion after winning the first ever title bout, a position held until July 13, 2017 when he lost a "Showstopper" competition to Spencer Gilbert immediately after retaining the Belt in a tournament fight. To become the next Movie Fights champion, a contestant is required either to defeat the current champion in a title bout match which occurs if the current champion wishes to "put the belt on the line", or win the special "Last Man Standing" fight where multiple contestants fight in a knock out format to win the "Showstopper", a box with 5 speedround questions, so that the contestant can challenge the current champion to a speedround match using the speedround questions found inside the "Showstopper".

Movie Fights made a return in December 14, 2017 with a new format with Hal Rudnick hosting. The format involves two fighters compared to three and three judges compared to one. However, later on March 29, the two fighter format was switched back to the three fighter format, though the three judge format remains.

Screen Junkies Plus

During the 56th episode of Movie Fights, which aired on November 18, 2015, new premium shows were announced to be available through screenjunkies.com or an app for a monthly fee of $4.99 with a free 3-month trial and other package options. Upon its initial release, more than ten original shows were available through Screen Junkies Plus, including Interns of F.I.E.L.D., their first scripted series.

In addition, their YouTube shows, including the Screen Junkies Show and Honest Trailers, are available through the platform, with each episode of Movie Fights also streaming live each Thursday before its Saturday YouTube release. Several cast members, notably Alicia Malone and new producer Ken Napzok had previously worked for the Schmoes Know network, Napzok as a producer and Malone as a presenter, as the Schmoes and the Screen Junkies often work together, with numerous members of the Schmoes Know team appear on Movie Fights.

On the February 3, 2016 episode of Screen Junkies Universe, Hector Navarro was announced as the host of a new show Knocking Dead (start date Monday, February 8, 2016), which would have more of a balance of praise and criticism for the TV show "Walking Dead" than the show has been given thus far. The show focused on the second half of season 6. This slot was later used in April through June for the show Watching Thrones, a commentary on "Game of Thrones" season 6, hosted by Ken Napzok, Michele Boyd, and Spencer Gilbert and a rotating guest host, with Trisha Hershberger later becoming a regular. Starting July 7 (Thursday), a similar style show was introduced critiquing the second season of USA's "Mr. Robot" (Debugging Mr. Robot).

On the April 25, 2016 episode of Mundy Night Raw, Dan Murrell announced that a hiatus after the episode, and that he would begin a show of his own in which he'd review films. Summer Movie Report with co-host Sasha Perl-Raver debuted on May 9. Following the conclusion of Summer Movie Report, it was announced Dan would host a new movie review show called Dan's Labyrinth, which premiered on November 7.

On the 86th episode of Movie Fights (YouTube airdate June 4, 2016), it was announced that winner Matt Raub would be hosting a new weekly show Gamer Fights, which premiered on Friday, June 17. The show is created in collaboration with Smosh Games, and once a month, an episode will be available through the Smosh Games website. The first six episodes were pre-recorded. Additionally, Honest Game Trailers would be aired on Screen Junkies Plus along with Honest Game Trailers Commentaries.

In addition to their original series, Screen Junkies Plus also featured occasional special content, including Extended Editions of their Honest Trailers, a 2015 holiday special, and a Movie Fights two year anniversary retrospective special.

On July 5, 2017 during Screen Junkies Universe, it was announced that the service will be going free with shows airing on YouTube spread over their two channels. Content will still be uploaded to their website until August 5, 2017.

As a result of the Andy Signore firing, production of all of the Screen Junkies Plus shows halted. And in April, 2018 screenjunkies.com was removed, resulting in all of the SJ Plus videos to no longer be accessible to users.

Millennial Falcon

On 19 September 2016 Screen Junkies announced that Roth Cornet would lead an open search for a new presenter.[2] YouTuber Jenny Nicholson, formerly of My Little Pony redubbing team Sherclop Pones, and tyrant who annihilated the Oasis' economy,[14] was chosen to present Millennial Falcon, 'a deep dive into the Star Wars universe, all things Disney, breaking news, and all of the geeky minutia in between'.[15] The first episode appeared on 8 April 2017 on Screen Junkies News. The show moved to Screen Junkies on 16 July 2017.

Firing of Andy Signore

Screen Junkies co-creator Andy Signore was suspended by Defy Media on October 6, 2017 after accusations of sexual assault and sexual harassment made by female fans and coworkers became public.[16] Several of the women also stated that complaints made to Defy Media's HR department and management about the incidents had been suppressed or ignored by the company for several months until the women involved made the allegations public. On October 8, Screen Junkies announced on their Twitter page that Signore's employment was terminated effective immediately as "There is no justification for this egregious and intolerable behavior."[17]

Activity on both the main channel and the Screen Junkies News channel was then suspended until further notice following the news. The creative team of the channel requested patience from the fans; Screen Junkies News editor-in-chief Roth Cornet assured that the team was "meeting daily to find a good path forward".[18] Activity on both channels resumed on October 30, 2017, after an update video was posted on the main channel on October 26. Signore's image was removed from the thumbnails of several videos on both channels following his termination, and several videos on both channels featuring Signore, including all of the Flick Bait videos, were deleted out of sensitivity.[19]

On August 21, 2018, Andy Signore and his legal team filed a complaint in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Defy Media. The complaint alleges that Defy wrongfully revoked Andy Signore’s ownership interest in the company and denies any accusations of abuse, assault or criminal misconduct. [20]

Reception

As of Octoberer 2016, Screen Junkies has over 6.5 million subscribers and over two billion video views.[4] In 2014 the Screen Junkies YouTube Channel was listed on New Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels, ranked at #34.[21] In 2015, the series writers Spencer Gilbert, Dan Murrell, Erica Russell and Andy Signore were nominated at the 5th Streamy Awards.[22] In 2016, 2017, and 2018, the series was nominated for a Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series.[23] Several creators positively reacted to the Honest Trailers of their movies:

  • Zack Stentz, co-writer of Thor and X-Men: First Class, initially called the channel's "Honest Trailers" feature "insufferable". After the channel's staff contacted Stentz, he agreed to watch the "Honest Trailer" for Thor with them, and conceded on some of the points that were brought up.[24] He later appeared on the first episode of "Summer Movie Report" and the 83rd episode of Movie Fights.
  • The Russo brothers have declared themselves fans of the "Honest Trailer" series, and stated that during production of Captain America: The Winter Soldier they aimed to make that film's script "Honest Trailer-proof", finding the series a litmus test on film logic,[25] and explaining how the choices came to be during the development process.[26]
  • Chad Stahelski and David Leitch likewise stated that they enjoy the series and have kept it in mind during the production of John Wick and its sequel.[27]
  • During the production of Deadpool, the crew at one point considered making the Honest Trailer version of their own movie for the closing credits.[28] While the idea ultimately did not come to pass, Ryan Reynolds reprised his role as Deadpool in the Honest Trailers for Deadpool, Logan and Deadpool 2. In the latter he turned the premise on its head, instead narrating an Honest Trailer for Honest Trailers in character as Deadpool.[29] The first film director Tim Miller, Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld and Colossus actor Stefan Kapičić also approved of the choices made for the Honest Trailer.[30]
  • The Lion King director Rob Minkoff called Honest Trailers amazing, adding that he preferred them to the regular movie trailers.[31]
  • Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts appeared in the Honest Trailer for his movie and helped write it, listing what he believed were legitimate faults in his own film, in contrast to the video CinemaSins made on the film.[32]
  • Ant-Man director Peyton Reed stated that he found the series very funny, and explained that the similarities between the first Ant-Man film and the first Iron Man movie brought up in the Honest Trailer stemmed from the film's lengthy development process. Both movies were originally written around the same time, before their shared elements became cliches, and by the time Reed came onboard years later became integral parts of the script that could not be changed without altering the whole story.[33]

References

  1. ↑ ScreenJunkies News (21 October 2016). "Clevver Movies is becoming ScreenJunkies News!". Retrieved 24 October 2017 – via YouTube.
  2. 1 2 Screen Junkies (19 September 2016). "Become the Next ScreenJunkie!". Retrieved 24 October 2017 – via YouTube.
  3. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2018-07-02). "Fandom Acquires Screen Junkies From Defy Media". Variety. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  4. 1 2 "Screen Junkies - YouTube". Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Acuna, Kirsten (June 26, 2014). "How YouTube's Funniest Movie Parody Series Found Its Epic Trailer Voice". Business Insider. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  6. ↑ Ned Ehrbar (6 May 2015). "Honest Trailers hits 100". Metro. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  7. 1 2 Nicole Laporte (30 September 2014). "The Truth Behind The Blockbuster Success of Honest Trailers". Co.Create. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  8. ↑ Couch, Aaron (25 February 2014). "Honest Trailers Hits 50th Installment With '300' (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  9. ↑ Logan Honest Trailer (23 May 2017) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qIRtFE6aIc
  10. ↑ Deadpool Honest Trailer (May 10, 2016) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_SyrpYk-Ik
  11. ↑ Jonathon Dornbush (5 May 2015). "Honest Trailers celebrates 100th episode with 50 Shades of Grey". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  12. ↑ "Screen Junkies". YouTube. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  13. ↑ Kristy Puchko (2014). "Captain America: The Winter Soldier Made Great By Honest Trailer Nitpicking". Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  14. ↑ Jenny Nicholson (2018-04-07), I guess I'll talk about Ready Player One, retrieved 2018-04-10
  15. ↑ "Millenial Falcon". ScreenJunkies. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  16. ↑ "'Honest Trailers' Creator Andy Signore Accused of Sexual Abuse". The Hollywood Reporter. 2017-10-06. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  17. ↑ Spangler, Todd (8 October 2017). "'Honest Trailers' Creator Andy Signore Fired for 'Egregious and Intolerable' Sexual Behavior". Variety. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  18. ↑ Marotta, Jenna. "Will ScreenJunkies and Honest Trailers Survive Andy Signore's Firing?". IndieWire. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  19. ↑ A Candid Discussion About Sexual Harassment. YouTube. October 30, 2017. On the comment section of this video, SJ replied to a comment, confirming that several videos were deleted out of sensitivity.
  20. ↑ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/honest-trailers-creator-andy-signore-sues-defy-media-reckless-firing-1136849
  21. ↑ "The NMR Top 100 YouTube Channels: 50-26!". New Media Rockstars. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  22. ↑ Soules, Conor. "The 5th Annual Streamy Awards Nominations Include 'Bee and Puppycat,' 'Hotwives' and James Franco | IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
  23. ↑ Grobar, Matt (2016-08-09). "ScreenJunkies' 'Honest Trailers' Takes On 2016 Emmy Nominees — Exclusive Video". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
  24. ↑ "Honest Reactions: Thor Writer Watches Thor Honest Trailer". Youtube. May 14, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  25. ↑ Weintraub, Steve (September 3, 2014). "Joe Russo and Anthony Russo Talk CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, the Deleted Scenes, Trying to Make the Film Honest Trailer-Proof, and More". Collider. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Russo Brothers' Honest Reaction to Winter Soldier Honest Trailer". Youtube. April 28, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  27. ↑ "HONEST REACTIONS: John Wick Directors React to The Honest Trailer!". Youtube. February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  28. ↑ Will Perkins (March 22, 2016). "Deadpool". Art of the Title. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  29. ↑ BRIAN GALLAGHER (August 21, 2018). "Deadpool 2 Honest Trailer Is An Honest Trailers Honest Trailer By Deadpool". ScreenRant. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Deadpool Director & Creator React to the Honest Trailer! (Tim Miller, Rob Liefeld & Stefan Kapicic)". Youtube. July 26, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Lion King Director Reacts to Honest Trailer! - Honest Reactions w/ Rob Minkoff". Youtube. August 28, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Honest Trailers Commentaries - Kong: Skull Island". Youtube. September 5, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  33. ↑ "HONEST REACTIONS: Ant-Man Director Reacts to the Honest Trailer". Youtube. July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.