Line #9 WebVideo/CorridorDigital


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/CorridorDigital_3781.jpg]]
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3	Corridor Digital is an American production studio based in Los Angeles and founded in 2010 by special effects artists Sam Gorski and Niko Peuringer, known for creating viral media and short-form videos on Platform/YouTube.
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5	Sam and Niko's videos often adapt popular video games or other media in an action[=/=]comedy[=/=][[BreadEggsBreadedEggs action-comedy]] style, and are known for embracing an anything-goes approach that relies equally on classic and modern filmmaking techniques, typically with inventive and creative visual effects. They usually co-direct and act in these videos as well. The channel has since expanded to a crew of nine full-time employees (including Sam and Niko), and has also on occasion made TV commercials for companies like Creator/{{Google}}.
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7	In addition to making their bi-weekly content on their own channel, Sam and Niko also have a monthly action series on Bammo called ''WebVideo/{{Sync}}'', with a thorough behind-the-scenes making of to accompany it. They also produced the ''Agent Origins: Ashes'' live-action trailer for ''VideoGame/TheDivision''. They also developed a partnership with Creator/{{Netflix}} to produce videos on "Still Watching Netflix" where they try to recreate various stunts and sequences present in popular Netflix shows and movies.
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9	In addition to their main channel, they also have a secondary channel called [[https://www.youtube.com/user/samandniko Corridor Crew]] with content including behind the scenes videos, slice-of-life vlogs, {{edutainment}} videos utilizing VFX to demonstrate the topic, custom builds for various projects and various playful competitions among the staff. Most famous from this channel is their ''VFX Artists React'' series, in which they detail visual effects, cinematography and stuntwork utilizing their own expertise but often bringing in a SpecialGuest with enormous industry experience (including Creator/SethRogen, [[Series/{{Mythbusters}} Adam Savage]] and Creator/TimMiller).
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11	The same crew also has [[https://www.corridordigital.com/ the Corridor Digital website]], which contains expanded content, as well as a gaming channel called [[https://www.youtube.com/user/Node Node]], which has content on video games as well as tabletop games and airsoft[=/=]Nerf games and is run alongside D and Brandon Laatsch[[note]]Co-creator of Creator/RocketJump and current head of game studio Stress Level Zero, who made ''VideoGame/DuckSeason''. Stress Level Zero's office is quite literally next door to the Corridor office and the exact one Node plays video games in[[/note]].
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13	Sam and Niko have been friends and collaborators since junior high, and additionally worked with Freddie Wong (who they went to UCLA with) and Creator/RocketJump around the time they began making videos, but later transitioned to becoming their own personalities.
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15	Also, they have a few projects done with Creator/StevenOgg. One of their videos, "WebVideo/ToTheDeath", has its own work page.
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18	!!Tropes:
19	* EleventhHourSuperpower: In "CLOCK BLOCKERS", the second-to-last round introduces a major shakeup to the video's mechanics. The video depicts a fictional [=1v1=] tactical shooter where two players fight each other by creating clones; each clone repeats the actions they took in earlier rounds (ex. purple Sam moves a pallet in round 1, and is stuck repeating that in every later round)... at least, until round 4 shakes this up: if a clone's forced to break out of their cycle, (in this round, blue Sam being saved from being shot,) they become Unlinked and can act freely. Round 5 is driven by the Unlinked mechanic, which enables clones to act unpredictably.
20	* AIIsACrapshoot: In their [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKjCWfuvYxQ "New Robot Can Now Fight Back!"]] video, a robot at a Boston Dynamics expy [[TheDogBitesBack turns on its creators]] after taking one too many hockey sticks to the back. In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3RIHnK0_NE&t=179s the sequel]] a military prototype breaks out of a test session after the engineers try to force it to kill a RobotDog.
21	* AdaptationalBadass: Mario in Powered UP appears with DynamicEntry after [[Franchise/TombRaider Lara Croft]], [[Franchise/AssassinsCreed Ezio]], & [[{{Franchise/Halo}} Master Chief]] took the power ups. [[FlawlessVictory Mario fights them untouched]].
22	* AdaptationalHeroism: Harry and Marv from the R-rated version, unlike their original counterparts, they are not thieves, but people who were invited to a supposed party organized by Kevin.
23	* AdaptationalVillainy: Kevin, Willy Wonka and Charlie, who are homicidal in the R-rated version of their movies. The biggest example would be Kevin being that unlike his original counterpart, he wasn't fighting back, instead he invited Marv and Harry (and their respective twins) to a party, so he could kill them.
24	* AdaptationalWimp: Spider-Man in the R-rated version, since he lacks his super-durability.
25	* ArtifactTitle: The Corridor Crew channel was originally intended for behind-the-scenes footage of how they produced their videos, but quickly became a mixture of group challenges, mini-documentaries and other crew interactions that come across as friends just hanging out rather than being about video projects.
26	* AuthorAppeal:
27	** They express pride that muzzle flashes are their specialty.
28	** Their reaction videos often has Niko mention pores and skin stretches when talking about model textures, leading to jokes about it whenever he begins to point out how to achieve realistic skin in visual effects.
29	** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnpkO8OwjvQ one of their podcast episodes]], Sam jokingly describe Corridor Digital's "office culture" as a [[RuleOfThree trifecta]] consisting of electric vehicles, bone-conducting headphones, and playing VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate.
30	* BehindTheBlack: In round 4 of "CLOCK BLOCKERS", blue Sam rolls a tire for orange Sam to hide behind as it rolls past blue Niko. Blue Niko should be able to see orange Sam from where he's running from, but orange Sam is obscured from the camera, so blue Niko can't see him.
31	* BlatantLies: Charlie says he found a dollar on the street, even though the blood of the guy he assaulted and murdered is still on his face.
32	* BloodierAndGorier: The "We Made [movie] R-RATED" VFX series is about taking fairly tame action and slapstick movies and making them significantly more violent and [[BloodyHilarious often comically gory]]. This ranges from the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse to ''Film/HomeAlone''.
33	* BodyHorror: When Mario glitches out in "The Glitch".
34	* ChristmasRushed: [[invoked]] In documenting the full process of trying to make a video within a set time period they often comment on things that had to be dropped along the way in order to make their deadline. Some things are unnoticeable unless they point it out, others create a notable SpecialEffectsFailure. To quote a [=TedxTalk=] Wren gave, "No film is ever finished, it just gets released."
35	* CloneArmy: "CLOCK BLOCKERS" uses this as a premise for a theoretical [=1v1=] tactical shooter game. Two players face off in five rounds by creating increasingly more clones of themselves. Clones created in earlier rounds repeat their actions in later rounds (ex. purple Sam does nothing but move a pallet in round 1 before dying, and repeats that in every successive round).
36	* ConversationalTroping: A lot of their Corridor Crew videos are about analyzing common tropes and seeing how realistic it could be. Notably Jake was able to pull off ClarkKenting through changing his voice and body language, deceiving the team into [[BeneathNotice thinking he was an AC repairman]].
37	* CrooksAreBetterArmed: "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0Ib9SwC7EI Superman with a GoPro]]" uses this. Two crooks with rifles hold off a lone policeman with a pistol. Naturally, though, [[ShootingSuperman those rifles are then outmatched by]] Franchise/{{Superman}}.
38	* {{Crossover}}: [[https://youtu.be/4R8lDjSycXc SlowMo Fallout Kills]] was a collaboration with ''WebVideo/TheSlowMoGuys''.
39	* CutSceneIncompetence: Two mooks exploit this trope in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phd9Jdlg3xQ The Cutscene]], managing to survive against an InvincibleHero by locking him into increasingly elaborate cutscenes where he can't immediately massacre them.
40	* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:In most versions of the [[Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory story]], Grandpa Joe and the five kids who visit the factory live. In ''Rated-R Wonky Willy'', [[Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory based on the 1970s film]], all of them die in a variety of gruesome deaths. Augustus explodes from being inflated by chocolate in the pipe, Violet gets grounded into candy, Veruca repeatedly hits several structures following her fall with her dead body laying by a group of chocolate bar boxes, Mike Teavee ends up having his body turned inside-out and severly deformed before being melted into chocolate, and finally Grandpa Joe gets shredded to guts by the giant fan which proceeds to do the same with Charlie]].
41	* DepthOfField: In the "VFX Artists React to the Moon Landing" video, the unique depth of field of the American moon landing footage is brought up as proof that it couldn't have been faked, as it, among other special effects, were beyond the technical capabilities of cameras from TheSixties.
42	* {{Diabolus ex Machina}}: ''[[https://youtu.be/wsF_NCadi9c World's BIGGEST Domino Run]]'' uses this twice to kick off and wrap up the main story.
43	* FaceRevealingTurn: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-m8_cM_SFI "Googly Eyes"]] features one as a character named Clint is revealed to have, well...
44	* GadgeteerGenius: Many videos on their various channels - whether as original content on their primary channel or behind-the-scenes vlogs - focus on members of the crew designing and building things, either from scratch or from spare parts. In particular, Wren - [[TheSmartGuy who has an engineering degree]] - has done several videos focused on [[MacGyvering designing and fabricating modifications]] to various pieces of filming equipment and drones, electric skateboards etc, as well as videos [[ShownTheirWork explaining core scientific principles using VFX]].
45	* GainaxEnding: Awfully frequently.
46	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: In the final round of "CLOCK BLOCKERS", Sam shoots white Sam so that he can steal his clone's cover and Unlink blue Sam from repeating his actions.[[note]]Clones are forced to repeat their actions unless forced to do otherwise; white Sam kicks a grenade to blue Sam, and not having the grenade is what Unlinks him.[[/note]] This backfires on Sam -- because white Niko throws a grenade at white Sam, seeing white Sam already dead Unlinks white Niko, which allows white Niko to come in at the last second to ActionBomb Sam.
47	* HyperDestructiveBouncingBall: "Ballin' Out Of Control"
48	* JumpScare: A really effective one in "The Glitch", when Mario is trapped inside of a glitch and then [[NightmareFace suddenly has his face]] [[FacialHorror start glitching]].
49	* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Kevin in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgLqxSPIhR0 RATED-R Home Alone]]" and Willy Wonka in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE-5tJWd2uU RATED-R Wonky Willy]]" never get punished for their killing spree.]]
50	* LighterAndSofter: They made Franchise/{{Saw}} a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu5JEE17wlM&t=685s G-Rated movie]].
51	* LightningGun: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDlif8Km4S4 Well]], they're more like {{Dubstep}} guns.
52	* MagicalCamera: "Photoreal".
53	* ManVersusMachine: Some of their team challenges involve seeing if PracticalEffects are easier or produce better results compared to Digital Effects, or if someone can simulate a complicated trick shot on the computer before another person is able to do it through sheer repetition.
54	* {{MST}}: While their reaction videos are primarily to explain tricks and techniques shown in the clips, the crew's general sense of humor fails to stop them from cracking wise about some of the more silly stuff they notice.
55	* NightmareFace: Mario once he glitches out in "The Glitch".
56	* NoEnding: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q2P4LjuVA8 The Glitch]] ends with [[spoiler:a fake [=YouTube=] "plugin failed" screen before the Windows "Blue Screen of Death" pops up.]]
57	* PracticalEffects: The video [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KluGDVBFe3o MiniDrones Blew Up My Toys!]] is largely made with practical effects, meaning that they actually did blow up a few toy cars in the toy car chase.
58	* RealPlaceBackground: Being based in Los Angeles, their video for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZZquVylLEo Real GTA]] naturally uses real environments paralleling those used in the in-game Los Santos as backgrounds.
59	* RainbowPuke: "[[https://youtu.be/K0Gx8hYi0hQ Potion Overdose]]" shows that puking rainbows is easily the mildest side effect of, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a potion overdose]].
60	* ReCut: Among various VFX challenges they impose on their team, they will seek to heavily modify the footage of an existing film. Sometimes it's to fix a [[invoked]] SpecialEffectFailure or to make it BloodierAndGorier. Then there taking ''Film/JohnWick'' to insane levels with [[https://youtu.be/yNuIK1hnmzE Big Wick Energy]].
61	* RuleOfCool: Much of their videos have no real purpose beyond showing off visual effects, stuntwork, and cool ideas the crew came up with that week.
62	* RunningGag: Clint hasn't seen most of the movies they react to in VFX Artists React.
63	* ShoutOut: To recent video games, by the boat load, considering they provide the basis for videos. ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' only scratch the surface.
64	* SitcomArchnemesis: Frequent collaborator Jan-Michael Losada has this relationship with the Corridor Crew, and Wren in particularly. It's a recurrent gag during Crew videos that whenever he visits the studio, he will engage the entire crew in Nerf gun skirmishes [[OneManArmy all on his own]], frequently coming very close to a TotalPartyKill, and during several videos focused on Wren [[{{Troll}} he will be seen in the background heckling Wren]] and in the Nerf gun drone video makes it his mission to destroy Wren's Nerf dart firing drone in single combat; he does not succeed.
65	** However, [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther the relationship is clearly one of mutual respect and friendship]]: Wren builds Jan a prosthetic finger to replace the pinky finger Jan is missing [[NoodleIncident under mysterious circumstances]], and [[GoKartingWithBowser during their annual Super Smash Brothers Ultimate tournament]], despite losing to Wren in their opening match together, [[GracefulLoser Jan is seen cheering Wren on as he gets closer to the final round]] and, when Wren defeats prior champion Niko, cheers and hoists Wren up on his shoulders.
66	* SlowLaser: Exaggerated in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCbmAVMMRek World's Largest Laser Gun.]] While Wren's laser is devastating enough to vaporize anything it touches, it moves so slowly that it has to be shaken out of the gun and can be dodged by simply stepping out of its path. This doesn't stop a bystander from getting barbecued and Wren going to jail for it.
67	* SpringtimeForHitler: One RealTrailerFakeMovie project was supposed to demonstrate that Creator/KeanuReeves was the lynchpin to the ''Franchise/JohnWick'' franchise that substituting another actor wouldn't work, so they swapped in Creator/StevenSeagal. The problem was the resulting video was such a funny parody of the franchise and actor ([[TakeThat and mean-spirited]]) that most of the staff said they were actually interested in a full-length version, undermining the intention behind the video.
68	* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Many times in reactions they'll point out how productions create unnecessary problems for themselves when more practical means could reduce the workload, a big example being ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_(2018_film) Zero]]'' where great pains was taken to turn the main actor into a dwarf when just hiring a short actor would suffice.
69	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: During the trial in “What Happens When Your Boss Breaks His Own Rules”, Wesley makes a not-so-subtle attempt to win over the jurors through bribing them with a briefcase full of money. Considering the trial is essentially an extended skit, one wouldn’t expect anything to come of this. However, Sam (the Judge) opens sentencing by finding Wesley guilty of Perjury and Bribery before sentencing him to be disbarred.
70	* TakenForGranite: "Head Hunters".
71	* TechnologyMarchesOn: [[invoked]] The topic of a number of their videos, as their own experience has shown a dramatic improvement in what equipment is available to casual filmmaker and the evolving software that assists them. One video had them try to [[GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion update the visual effects]] of an 8 year video "The Glitch" that featured ''extensive'' visual effects for that time but with a new top-tier workstation[[note]]featuring a GTX3090 graphics card[[/note]], Peter was able to pre-render the effects in real time and do far more than they could have imagined.
72	* VoodooShark: Mostly in response to their reaction, the VFX studio behind ''Zero'' released a VFX breakdown. It only ends up frustrating the crew more because one of the clips does ''nothing'' to explain how they achieved the effect.
73	-->'''Niko''': It's like showing me a magic trick and the solution is...actual magic.
74	* WorfHadTheFlu: In the "[[https://youtu.be/P9bDzHP6_Pk Stormtroopers, but They're ACCURATE]]", video, the main reason why [[Franchise/StarWars Stormtroopers]] [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy have terrible accuracy]] is that they have poor eyesight. Once they're given laser eye surgery, their accuracy ''drastically'' improves, to the point of killing several of the main cast.

Context WebVideo / CorridorDigital