How Primitive Building Videos Are Staged

SunnyV2Cited 5× on HN, 2022–2024

YouTube

commentary · general · evergreen · 2022–2024 on HN

A video debunking popular primitive-building YouTube channels, arguing that their digging, concrete and construction are staged. It uses the Primitive Technology channel as a baseline for what is plausible in a natural setting.

HN cites it as an exposé of fake primitive-tech copycat channels, usually when the genuine Primitive Technology videos come up.

5 comments from Hacker News

@kratom_sandwich2024-01 · in “Ask HN: Recommendations for videos/documentaries about building things”

Here's a pretty interesting research into the countless fakers this channel has inspired: "How Primitive Building Videos Are Staged" - ▶ this video

Critical View on HN

@neom2023-03 · in “Primitive Technology: Iron Bacteria Cement (no fire/water insoluble) [video]”

Totally unrelated to this video, just related to the subject matter on YouTube. Interesting how some of these style videos are totally bs. ▶ this video link Again just to be clear, I believe this channel is legit. Just the genre on YouTube has some disingenuous stuff.

Critical View on HN

@stephen_g2023-01 · in “My YouTube Earnings”

There’s an interesting video digging into the way these copycats are fake too [1] - if you watch them you can often see things like excavator tracks that haven’t been hidden well enough, and they found somebody involved who talked about how the buildings are built by teams of people on leased land and then just abandoned when the video is done… But I think they do cater to a different audience. You need a fairly long attention span to watch the real, not-faked Primitive Technologies videos, whereas the copycats not so much. And the real channels is always pretty interesting, whereas the copycats are all the same thing, so they’re probably not really taking that many views away. But yeah, they should definitely have to come up with less similar names to the real thing! 1. ▶ this video

Critical View on HN

@gregsadetsky2022-09 · in “Making iron from sand [video]”

I was afraid this was going to be a "fake" primitive technology channel... but it seems that this one, "Primitive Technology", is actually the _only_ real one! It was even used as "a baseline for what SHOULD be achievable in a natural setting" [0] The video hyperlinked below is a fascinating debunking of most other "primitive" channels. [0] ▶ this video

Critical View on HN

@mike_d2022-08 · in “Vietnam to make Apple Watch and MacBook”

I have seen some amazing work with my own eyes. Like buying a rusted farm implement from one vendor in a market and taking it to another to have it sharpened and getting back what was basically a brand new scythe. But the vast majority of these amazing "look what I built" videos from Vietnam are staged and are actually the work of production companies with teams of people. Here is an expose of the primitive building genre where this got its start: ▶ this video

Critical View on HN