Plans For The Future

I've mentioned here and there on Patreon having gone on a trip last year, attending a wedding, visiting family, and letting Sparky take me to the big milk.

Don't ask.

There were many amazing things about the trip that were a welcome change from my usual day to day life, but the part I didn't really process until arriving home was having my own private space.

Not waking up to hear business calls, playing music without headphones, and not dealing with the wonders of living among alcoholics.

I didn't consciously register this at first, but it hit me when I caught myself looking at Craigslist for apartments. I happened to be looking at a bunch of new condos for rent in Burnaby, an area of BC I'm very familiar with...

Starting at $2500 a month.

As a result, I did something I didn't think I"d ever do in my life last week, and sat down with a Real Estate agent.

Because if I'm going to make the kind of changes that are necessary to be able to pay off that kind of monthly expense, I should at least direct it in such a way that $2500+ isn't going to just be set on fire every month. Now I'm not planning to rush into a situation that'll give me an aneurysm at 35, so the future isn't now, but I am planning for it, and the main part of that plan is what I've been resisting for years...

Ads.

I hate 'em, you hate 'em, everybody hates 'em, and I haven't been in a situation that I need 'em, so I've been turning down the offers I get from people like MoreYellow because they didn't meet my standards, but my current living situation isn't going to last forever, and quite frankly... I wanna get out of it before it becomes a requirement.

That's what I learned from my trip.

So how do I satisfy my standards for Ads?

Well, I've always liked how Bricky does them, mainly, that they're at the very start of the video. Not only is it easy for viewers to skip, the main thing I'm concerned about, pacing, is a non-issue, because the ad never interrupts the video.

That's the context then for this prototype I commissioned from The Rebel Heart Project. It essentially combines my old Zoom Into Raycevick Text intro with an opening Ad that comes up before the video.

I emphasize prototype, because it's not going to appear in the next video, might not even be the next three. I happily encourage feedback from y'all on the idea, and I'm already exploring an alternative that I might like more...

Instead of starting from across the room, and the TV being dead center in frame, I'm picturing the TV being set to the right, taking up 60-70% of the screen real-estate with the same premise, of playing an Ad, but with a Laptop/Desk/Whiteboard in the remaining 30-40% on the left with hints and details about the video that's about to start.

What games it has, people it features, or opening questions.

It's very much inspired by things like the Menu Screens of Metro Exodus that I got Stoofer to turn into Chapter Screens for my Years Later video.

Something to prep the viewer for what's to come and build a sense of tone. That was always the goal behind the opening text in the first place, to give the viewer a breather before tossing 'em into a free fall.

Another part of the premise is that the Ads themselves wouldn't be made by me. I only care about the Ad to pay a Mortgage, and with the deals I've gotten offered in the past, I could use 50% to cover my monthly expense, and give the remaining 50% to someone to make the Ad.

I want to make this as close to a Win Win as I can.

I had some moral concerns about the payment, but all my friends I've talked to about this have said they think it's a fair deal... they might've already been encouraging me to call them up first should this plan go into action.

It's a tough economy out there.

I've got another idea to pitch to y'all soon, but it's a much smaller scale idea and related to Patreon. This one I think takes priority, and is already long enough as it is, so I'll leave it here.

In the meantime, I think I'm finally done rewriting the next video into oblivion, and going into goblin mode for editing until it's done. The video's looking to be 30-40 minutes, but I've been cutting sections since recording, so it might be a tad shorter.

I didn't intend for y'all to be witnessing a transition period for my work, but then again, letting things go, and taking time to appreciate the art, people, and places I love is part of that transition.

Thank you; y'all's support is what's allowing me to setup this future to begin with, and whatever struggles I have, you've only helped lower their effect.

Thank you!
-Raycevick