11/29 Update
Added 2023-11-29 21:36:40 +0000 UTCHello everyone!
I don't have a lot to report except I've been thinking about the logistics for potential live-action segments for the Lutsko video essay.
I really like the setup my friend Joel has at his podcast studio. You can see the shot I'm thinking of in particular as the first shot in this promo video for his new podcast IndieGoGo. I would probably bring my own background but I think the LED backlighting looks really cool. (Random behind-the-scenes info- Caleb is an old friend of mine and he and I got Indian food right before Joel shot those promos so I was watching him film like half of them!)
I could also shoot random walk and talk segments around Atlanta on my cell phone with my old H1 mic and see if they don't look/sound too terrible. I got a Super 8 camera for a (scrapped? maybe not?) video essay during quarantine and could play with that too. I don't have much need for it though for this essay in particular and don't want to just do it as a gimmick.
I am still torn on appearing on camera much in video essays being that has to contribute a lot to parasocial weirdness, but it would also help viewer retention and production value immensely without a lot of relative effort on my part (or money even if I pay Joel his standard rate). Me not speaking into the camera for video essays has been a deliberate choice since the early days of my channel not because I'm uncomfortable on camera (I'm not) but more to avoid parasocial attachment and creepy horny/stalky behavior that accompanies it. But maybe it would be worth the tradeoff. I am still figuring that out.
Unrelated but I have been playing Subnautica. It's awesome. I don't have an angle to review it or anything that in-depth but It's definitely giving me an experience I didn't even know I wanted. I played all of the Half-Life games in a row in ~2010 and it's the first game since Half-Life 1 to give me that really intense desperate survival/exploration vibe. It's less than $10 on the Switch right now (what I'm playing it on) and I'd highly recommend it.
Take care everyone! Thanks for the support!
-Shannon
