Can You Record A Video For Me?

Submission 5,704

Part of a series on Pranking. [View Related Entries]

About

Can You Record A Video For Me?, also known as Do You Mind Recording A Video For Me?, refers to a public prank trend where users ask strangers to record a video for them. In such videos, the prankster hands someone their phone that's already recording and says something to the camera or does something weird to provoke a reaction from the stranger. The trend started on TikTok in late 2021, continuing into early 2022.

Origin

Andrew Evans, also known as Chairblind on TikTok,^[1] was the first creator to post these types of prank videos on the platform. He posted his first video^[2] using this "Can You Record A Video For Me?" method on September 12th, 2021. In the video (shown below, left) Chairblind asks an older woman to record a video for him at the mall. After he hands her the phone, he tells the camera that he just ran away from home. The woman is worried for Chairblind as she hands him back the phone, asking him questions about his parents. The TikTok received roughly 114,700 plays and 14,600 likes over the course of three months.

Two days later, Chairblind uploaded a "Part 2" video^[3] (shown below, right). It received roughly 84,300 plays and 3,400 likes also, over three months.

Spread

Chairblind received more attention for these videos after he posted one^[4] on September 23rd, 2021, that received roughly 4.9 million plays in three months. In the video (shown below, left) he walks up to a couple in a Target and asks them to record a video for him. He then talks to the camera, saying that in today's video he's going to be teaching his audience how to kidnap children with different toys. As stated, the video received roughly 4.9 million plays and 863,700 likes over the course of three months.

Chairblind had success with more of these videos going into the rest of 2021. For instance, he posted one^[5] on October 17th to his alternate account that received roughly 8 million plays in two months. In the video (shown below, right) he walks up to a couple and tells the camera, "Today, I'm going to show you how to steal somebody's girl."

On November 1st, 2021, another TikToker^[6] named gucci_pineapple posted his own "Can You Record A Video For Me?" prank. The video (shown below) received roughly 494,000 plays and 92,600 likes over the course of two months.

Another TikToker named killerpumpkins posted a video^[7] on December 17th, 2021, that also mimicked Chairblind's method. In the video (shown below), killerpumpkins asks a man in a supermarket to record a video for her. She then sings a song that references the I'm At Burger King With My Burger Queen TikTok, only to start fake crying soon after. The TikTok received roughly 12.2 million plays and 2.4 million likes over the course of one month.

As more TikTokers joined the trend, Chairblind continued to post content related to it. On his alternate account,^[8] Chairblind started taking suggestions from his viewers in the comment section. He posted his first comment suggestion video^[9] on October 26th, 2021 (shown below, left), where the suggestion reads, "do one where someone recognizes you." It received roughly 342,600 plays and 48,300 likes over two months.

Chairblind started posting these suggestion videos en masse going into December 2021. His most viral one^[10] (shown below, right) has a suggestion that reads, "you should do one where you literally sprint out the store full speed." It was posted on December 30th and received roughly 1.2 million plays and 190,300 likes in one week.