Reworking intro
Added 2023-11-02 18:00:05 +0000 UTCI didn't intend to do two updates so close together (don't worry I won't start spamming them lol), but since I shared this on twitter at 3 AM, I figured I should share it here as well. It's still rough and subject to change/be made shorter but I made myself laugh multiple times while editing it tonight (despite seeing most of this footage already many times before and not making any new jokes out of it) which seems like a good sign.
The original video concept was explain real-life Nick Lutsko -> talk about the sharp juxtaposition between the real man and the bizarre fictionalized version of himself -> talk in more detail about the fictionalized version of himself. But I think that isn't very compelling, so I'm going to reorder everything to explain the manic fake version first. Viewer retention/engagement is a big consideration for me on this video and I want to present all of my ideas and arguments in a way where people won't get bored and click off even if it gets complicated, depressing, and heavy. So going high octane at the start (or relatively high octane in video essay terms) seems wise as a way to keep people hooked through the dour stuff.
Lutsko also recently performed a concert inside of a Spirit Halloween, which I may use as an opening hook for the entire video because it's just so damn weird. Just the idea of walking into a Spirit Halloween to buy a costume last-minute and seeing some guy is there with a full country music band singing about ghouls and Jeff Bezos. Here's some fan footage of it and official footage on Nick's twitter.
Thanks!
Shannon
