Video Live Stream Recap

Yesterday Nice Peter hosted a video live stream for all patrons. If you want to watch the replay click the link below - it's the only way to get a full overview of what was discussed. 

https://www.patreon.com/posts/75960497

But, we know some of you prefer to just read a recap of the main topics that were discussed so here is a rundown of the key things. Peter kicked off the stream playing on his piano with a rendition of "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole. 

A patron called Crabcakes asked "is there a time frame you are aiming for the release of King Kong vs Godzilla"? A) No, there is no time frame. Quality remains the focus rather than deadlines. Because deadlines create pressure squeezes workload wise which become unworkable. The aim remains to achieve a high bar of quality with the writing, music and video. In the case of Kong vs Godzilla the writing is 98% done but we are still playing around with the voice of Godzilla so the actual music track is not finished yet. Work on the video backgrounds etc is moving forwards.

Pete then stated that the work on Indiana vs Lara almost broke him. He doesn't think he's ever worked as long or hard on any other battle. Something about the pressure and deadlines affected him negatively. He loved the finished video and he thanked patrons for their involvement and encouragement. What that battle taught him was that our production system is often chaotic. Every battle is often a totally new workflow, using a different method. He said in 2023 he plans to work differently, working on stuff slowly but smarter - doing something productive every single day. The goal is to one day be able to produce battles faster but without the pressure squeezes.

Next a patron called Matthew Aylesbury joined Peter on camera. He asked "what was your favourite Indiana Jones joke to write"? A) Peter said he wasn't sure. He said he liked the lines which came from the tone of voice, so not necessarily jokes but just the delivery of how certain lines worked. He reiterated how vital the Discord server has been in terms of the lyric suggestions and jokes that come from patrons. Matthew then asked Peter if he prefers the idea of Bowie vs Prince or Cobain vs Hendrix? Peter said he much prefers Bowie vs Prince. 

A patron called The Bird Connection asked "how is the research going for Marx vs Ford"? A) Peter said he had so far put together a ten page document of lyrics, fragments and ideas for the battle. He's currently looking for a beat that could work well for that battle. He stated we had recently bought a large batch of beats from a producer we've worked with before. Pete wants an upbeat track with a good bounce, as he thinks that matchup needs it. He's also looking into potential backgrounds. He's unsure if Marx needs an industrial background or a utopian background. 

A patron called Braden then joined Peter on camera. He suggested a few niche matchup ideas: Balto vs Sergeant Stubby, Satoru Iwata vs Haruki Satomi and Jeff Kinney vs L. Frank Baum vs Roald Dahl. Pete was unaware of some of the characters but Peter said he liked how Braden's mind worked. 

A patron called Dragonsblood joined Peter on camera who pronounced himself "King Of The Patreon". Peter explained a lot of Kings often get killed. Peter asked Dragonsblood which he preferred out of Taylor Swift vs Johnny Cash or Dolly Parton vs Betty White. Dragonsblood said he preferred Swift vs Cash but maybe Dolly Parton could join as a third party - but have her show up as a peacemaker. Peter liked the basic concept and said he would think about it more.

Dragonsblood moved on to say he thinks there should be more communication in general from Peter and Lloyd with the patrons. Peter said he is open to the idea of trying to be more transparent in 2023, even if the updates sometimes may not exactly be what patrons want to hear because a lot of the process is painstakingly slow and often not that exciting. 

As an example he said right now with King Kong he has a 3D model that he has managed to animate (to move, walk, run, talk etc) but he's not happy with the skin color. He's spent four days so far just making changes to the skin tone / color. Peter then shared images of the Godzilla model (see below) that we are hoping to use. He stated there are issues with rigging the model correctly in Unreal Engine. This might take two weeks or more to resolve (or it might not be possible to use the model at all).

Peter moved on to say writing is underway on Van Gogh vs Warhol. He's still contemplating adding other characters into the battle - possibly Kahlo, Dali and Banksy. 

Dragonsblood suggested that he would like to see the return of Flash In The Pan videos. Peter explained their return would probably slow down work on ERB videos further. Peter explained people may think they are fast to create but they take a lot longer than people imagine. Dragonsblood said he really liked the idea of St Valentine vs St Patrick as a FITP matchup. Peter was willing to consider doing another FITP video in 2023 as an experiment to see if it was worth the effort. But  the idea worries him as Pete isn't keen on the idea of cranking out things. [We have opened a writing room called "Holidays-Spoiler" on the Discord server for lyric ideas for St Valentine vs St Patrick]

A patron called TheFormerPrez asked "is there any place you'd recommend someone to visit if they were only there for 5 days"? A) Peter said he'd recommend Berlin or Barcelona. Or maybe anywhere in Scandinavian.

A patron called Christian Benford asked "have you ever used a ERB costume for Halloween"? A) Peter said yes, he had actually dressed up as Bob Ross one year.

A patron called Braden asked "Will there be a make-this-battle category theme featuring YouTuber vs Game Character?". A) Peter said No, I don't think so.

A patron called Oldendorf asked "Was there any Rap Battle submitted you'd like to have but didn't have enough votes?". A) Peter said Lloyd loved Diego Maradona vs Tom Brady and they were surprised how poorly it performed on a YouTube poll (the one which Henry Ford vs Karl Marx won).

A patron called SamWise asked "I'm moving to LA in three weeks to pursue acting, voiceover, and sketch comedy, any advice for someone just starting out?". A) Peter said give yourself time and don't give up on yourself. Because other people will give up on you everyday here - those people don't matter. Don't give up. And don't hesitate to pivot and adapt.

A patron called The Bird Connection then joined Peter on camera. Peter asked him for his thoughts on the matchup of Marie Curie vs Dr Frankenstein. The Bird Connection didn't like the idea at all. But admitted his tastes are often not in line with the general patrons. Peter moved on to ask about Ulysses S. Grant vs Ho Chi Minh. The Bird Connection loved that pairing. They briefly touched on the latest behind the scenes video for Indiana vs Jones - Peter explained our editor Ross who edited that video will be receiving a new PC from ERB to speed up his work, which is a purchase partly funded by the support we receive from you all on Patreon.

The Bird Connection moved on to suggest a matchup between Shah Jahan vs Bugsy Siegel. The Shah built the Taj Mahal in India in dedication of his wife. Whilst Bugsy Siegel named the Flamingo casino in honor of his girlfriend. Peter said it was interesting but he'd need to let the idea marinate in his mind longer. The Bird Connection then suggested the idea of Gilbert & Sullivan vs Barnum & Bailey. Peter said it was a bit weird and out there but it's always interesting to hear ideas which widen the breadth of ideas in the match-up pot. 

Peter then answered a few quick fire questions. 

Q) Could mocap be used for Red Baron vs White Death? A) No. But, Unreal Engine can. It's still a matchup that Peter wants to do one day. 

Q) Have you ever considered a roast style ERB where the roastee has to be quiet but the others roast the shit out of them? A) Never considered it. But maybe it could work for Trump.

Q) Any favorite Christmas traditions? A) I really like making Russian style food.

Q) Excited for the Godzilla rap battle! What inspired this idea? A) Lloyd loved the matchup. Pete hated it. Originally it was gonna be regular 2D animation but when Pete pitched the idea to Forrest he didn't feel standard animation would be interesting or challenging enough. That's when we started experimenting with the idea of doing motion capture instead. 

Q) Have you and Lloyd, and the entire team, ever considered revisiting previous battles from the first few seasons? Like "Dude, that's not a cool way to play Batman!" A) No we haven't. Peter prefers the idea of moving on to do new characters instead.

Peter ended the stream by saying he intends to just keep working on stuff and battles will only be ready when they are done. But he will aim to communicate better with patrons in the future. 

We hope to host a Discord Chat session next week possibly on either Dec 19th or Dec 20th. We will confirm the date / time once we have worked it out.

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. Talk soon. -HM