THE ONCE AND FUTURE DIGI

Hello, gang. Thanks for sticking around for another month.

So, another week at the Digi Level 2 coalface. I hope you’re enjoying it, even if it wasn’t what you originally signed up to Patreon for. We will get back to the regular stuff soon enough – BYAMPOD, the main channel etc. We're desperately missing making our little travel/history vids.

So, thanks for bearing with us.

Sanja’s currently finishing her assembly edit of Ep 5, while I’m working on Ep 3. This one is proving tough. The raw material is GREAT, but we had a meeting yesterday to discuss it, and both agreed that… already by ep 3 the format has become a little predictable. Because the show is so sort of slickly formatted – intro-funny bit-segment-funny bit-segment-funny bit-end game-credits – it feels oddly safe to us.

Also, because we’ve made the decision to make Drong’s Challenge its own standalone show, we’re stuck in the bunker the entire time, so it is beginning to feel slightly claustrophobic. I mean, partly by design, but it lacks some of the scale and surprise we were originally going for – which Drong’s Challenge was intended to offset.

Now… I fully appreciate that most viewers aren’t going to care. Some people like to know what they’re getting, there’s a comfort in it, and the format is kind of like Digi of old – with sections, like a magazine. The general consensus is that the show works, it’s more Digi-like than Digitiser The Show, etc. etc. If it ain’t broke, right?

Plus, the ep is ready to go. We could put Episode 3 out today, and everyone would be happy. It’s perfectly fine, it has my favourite end game of the series so far…

But fine isn’t enough. It’s like a red rag to a bull for me, and we’ve spent much of this week – while I’ve been editing the segments – working out how we can mix up the format a bit. It’s never too soon to blow it all up.

Oddly, I’m not worried about the final three episodes, because they’re already feeling different. Ep 4 is going to be very different – completely unique intro, we’ll have something called F.A.S.T. Theatre running throughout – while 5 and 6 are going to feel kind of different again.

But… we’ve got a fix. We’re going to film a few extra bits and pieces early next week to drop into Ep 3, which should help to keep it fresh, and open it up somewhat. Nothing major – but we don’t want to put these episodes out until we’re 100% happy with them.

THE FUTURE

So, what’s next? Well, after all six episodes of Digi Level 2 are out, we need to start fulfilling the Kickstarter rewards. There are a lot of them, and it’ll keep Sanja busy. The priority, though, is to get back to the main channel; restart our travels, get BYAMPOD back on track, and have a few months of ‘regular’ content.

Now that she can edit, Sanja will also be working on the Digi Live shows. We’ve not decided how to release them yet, but they will be made available at some point. Then, probably the latter half of the year, we’ll release Drong’s Challenge.

I asked earlier in the week about what big thing you’d like us to do next. We are going to crowdfund our next big project – it’s the only way we can afford them alas. It would seem that the majority are leaning towards wanting a Digitiser Annual.

Now… being honest and transparent, our preference – which could change – is a series of Digi Level 3 (the title might not be that). This could be because that’s where our head is at right now, but because Level 2 was filmed over such a long period of time, it isn’t like we’re sick of making it.

We would intend to make it a lot more quickly than Level 2 – parents carking it and career crises notwithstanding. We’ve also learned so much from Level 2 that we know we can make another series even better. Now that we have a baseline of what a Digitiser TV show can be, I kind of don’t want to lose the creative momentum.

Also, I just really, really badly want to make a spaceship/space station set. Genuinely, it’s a dream I’ve had when I was a kid – when I SO desperately dreamed of turning my bedroom into a spaceship.

This could all change.

We could be really sick of it all by the end of the six episodes, but a book – right now – feels like less of a creative challenge than another YT series that pushes us even further. At the same time, a book feels like we’d be starting from scratch in terms of what we already know. Yes, the writing/design would be easy… but the nitty gritty of publishing, which we’d want to handle ourselves, is tougher.

Whereas we’re getting better at making ambitious not-telly shows, and that feels like the correct trajectory to stay on right now.

But we’ll see. Even if it doesn’t happen this year, we’re going to do a Digitiser book one day. That’s a promise.

I mean, if it was up to us we’d do Found Footage 2, but it seems there aren’t enough Found Footage fans out there alas.

IN THE IMMEDIATELY FUTURE

Next Thursday: Biffo’s Brain. Mark it down. We’ll also do another joint Biffo’s Brain/Writer’s Club Zoom before the end of the month.

Today… no editing for me. My nephew is training to be a hairdresser, and he’s got his final assignment. I suspect I’ll regret this, but he asked me to be his model, and the theme is “rock star”…

I was okay with this until I found out I have to travel back from central London afterwards. Apparently “yellow hair colouring” will be involved. 

I’m taking a hat.

Paul