Marc with a C is the stage name of indie and DIY singer, songwriter, and storyteller Marc Sirdoreus, and was formally a persona enacted on stage for over 20 years. HALF SERIOUS, HALF KIDDING is a documentary covering their career only using filmed stage performances, interviews, and other video and audio releases published online by Marc or their audience. Made from a myriad of videos with view counts ranging from 15 to 30k, it chronicles their attempts to use music and lyrics to connect to and understand others, as well as their relationship to attention and performance as social media swallows up small artists to turn art into content. Cat Blackard of Omniverse Media calls it "a monumental moment in music documentaries... an archival achievement."

Early on, Marc Sirdoreus adopted an edgy stage persona to lean into and satirize the trope of "white guy with an acoustic guitar" burgeoning in the late 90s as an attempt to get his music heard. Becoming a local success, he became indebted to this stage persona that was increasingly less reflective of his real self. As his act grew alongside (and often discussed) social media, this era of his career created a grainy and 360p digital footprint that his later work attempts to contend with and reflect on. Projects like "The Obscurity Show" point questions back at the audience about their online presence and how the attention economy has created digital social spaces that drown out any, if not all, attempts to be heard and genuinely connect with others. "Why don't we accept the obscure path?" he asks of those who are driven to create but don't find massive success.

HALF SERIOUS, HALF KIDDING utilizes both lofi and hifi quality video and audio, alongside genuine VHS editing, to analyze, arrange, and critique the archive of Marc with a C, an analog performer forced to sing for the age of "personal brands." The film explores Marc's discography as it argues with itself and questions the pros and cons of the digital age musically, artistically, and socially.

The film is produced, written, directed, and edited by Jo Canterbury, DIY, with no additional access from the subject beyond permission to make the film. All the material in the film is available publicly and the film functions a genuine “digital footprint.” The film features concert bootlegs and demos of Marc’s over 20 years old, as well as more current interviews and podcasts that reflect on the career.

The film primarily is told through Marc’s own words from interviews, stage banter, or the lyrics themselves, but also features the voices of AJ Fritscher, Cat Blackard, Kent Ward, Ryan Price, Nick Georgoudiou, and Jordon Zadorozny of Blinker the Star, all from archival sources.

Watch the trailer here: