TALKING SHOP

Hello to our new Patrons!

Thanks for signing up. This Patreon is… well, whatever I feel like really. Behind-the-scenes stuff, blog posts, exclusive videos and clips. I don’t do much on social media anymore, and Patreon has kind of replaced it for me.

 The latest Digi video is doing okay by our standards – not exactly viral, but healthy (again; certainly in comparison to where we were at before we evolved the format), with a decent bump in subscribers and – yes – new people signing up here. So, hello hello! We’re considering that a win.

I wish we knew how to really break through though. It feels like an impossible game to win – even though we know the audience is out there. Not least because we saw the other day that another channel had basically stolen the thumbnail from our Sellafield video – same text and layout and everything! And of course, they had over twice as many views, which feels unfair.

This is all VidIQ’s fault, with its “copy what works for other people” advice. I hate it.

We’ve been discussing whether pivoting, rather than starting a whole new channel, was a mistake. It has seemed to have confused the hell out of YouTube’s algorithm, which we’ve read can happen. Thing is, to us it feels like less of a pivot than it might to others – and I’m reluctant to throw away everything we’ve built and start again when we ARE seeing growth. It’s just slow-ish.

Plus, I still want to be able to justify putting, say, Beanus in a video if I feel like it (see above - and it's not *just* a random appearance...).

We also love our audience and community, and the fact that’s growing too. We’re realising now that the majority of you seem to be onboard with what we’re doing.

The nicest thing on the latest one is seeing the engagement in the comments. Lots of strong opinions, but all being discussed in a way that’s civil. I’m genuinely torn on the issue of UBI, so I’m relieved that I seemingly managed to present both the pros and the cons without it coming across like I was strongly on one side or the other. 

With the country and the world so polarised, it’s so important to me to find common ground, and the areas that can unite us. Civil conversation and dialogue is vital, which is why humour will always be a part of what we do – because it’s unifying.

Well, most of the time. A lot of people clicked off the video upon seeing the Toilet Squad clip within the first minute of the latest video.

I can't help myself, and wish I didn't find that so funny. Can't change, won't change.

 THE NEXT ONE

Anyhow. We’re already working on the next one – the image above probably won’t be the thumbnail (let’s face it – we change our thumbnails constantly) but gives you an idea of what it’ll be about. 

We’re attempting a different approach to this one. I’ve missed Sanja and I doing our vloggy walkabout stuff – it’s when I feel we’re at our best. The last few videos I’ve had to memorise a LOT of script on location, which hasn’t left much time for spontaneity (or much Sanja).

You know: because I inevitably have to do multiple takes, and I’m focused on just getting the facts out. Also, it exhausts me and doesn’t leave me with much energy to then just arse around, which I still feel is our secret sauce.

Also also, UBI, Chocolate and Aldermaston were all very much put together with VidIQ’s advice in mind, and I’m not sure it has really made a difference; our biggest videos just had us following our gut, so we’re aiming to go back to that. VidIQ can get shafted. Tossers.

This next one, I recorded the script in advance as a voice-over, which should give us more freedom and flexibility to just be us when it comes to filming.

At the same time, this is probably the most intensive research I’ve done for one of our videos. You may have heard of the mysterious 1982 death Robert Calvi – better known as God’s Banker – but I’ve pulled together every unanswered question I could find. There are lots of suspicious connections, but never are they put together in one place. This is what I’ve tried to do – and all without going into unfounded conspiracies or speculation.

 The actual conspiracy, the basic facts of the story, are insane enough without needing to heighten it. I think it absolutely plays into the themes we’ve been exploring recently, about wealth and power that seems to put itself above the law.

 Most of you know me well enough to know I’m not a conspiracy theorist – not least because the real conspiracies, the ones that are documented and on record, are shocking enough without needing to spiral down speculative rabbit holes. This is a story where the facts seem like fiction. It’s honestly insane, and the perfect companion piece to our Milton Keynes and Canary Wharf videos - the two biggest we've done.

COMING UP

We’ve half a dozen or so other videos kind of underway. We’re aiming to do a Halloween special, but we’ve a couple of different options that we’re weighing up.

We may head up to Lancashire or down to Dartmoor in Devon, depending which one we decide to do – and when where next heading up to visit the grandkids.

Either way, we’ve got a few we’d like to do in Devon, not least because our good friend Steve Horsley lives in Plymouth, and has offered to put us up for a night or two! tHAT cuts down on costs – and we’ve begun looking into some weirdness down that way. My old friend Jon Downes, from the Centre for Fortean Zoology also lives that way – so we may pay a long overdue visit to him (if that’s alright, Jon?).

Beyond that, we’ve no shortage of ideas. My only frustration is that I can’t get them out quicker, but between the research, the travel, and the need to work, we’re doing what we can as quickly as we can. We’ll still aim to get you exclusive videos that are a bit less of a time sink, though, to tide you over. Hopefully another Ask-Me-Do is imminent.

DIGI LEVEL 2

I’m hoping that we’ll have the next lot of Digi Level 2 out in time for Christmas. That’s my goal. The assembly cuts are pretty much finished at last, and as I said in a recent post, I’m in a better place than I have been most of the year – more accepting of where things are at with my mum. I feel like I’m ready now to continue with it. I’ll keep you posted, but they should be maaaaaad.

Righty. I'm mostly editing the voice-over sections for the next video today and Sanja's doing the accounts.

If I don't speak to you before, have a great weekend. We'll hopefully update you with some filming photos on Monday.

Paul