CaptainDisillusion

Ball on a Stick

I made one of these today, partly to help with an effect, but partly to feel like I'm in HOLLYWOOD.

Tubular

While I write the script, I'm also starting to build some VFX assets (in Blender). This episode will feature a transparent pneumatic tube that will appear in the room and feature throughout the video. Because it will be on screen for a while, I'm trying to give it a sufficient level of detail and rigging it with animation controls, so I have an easier time in post.

Re-engage Thrusters!

Things momentarily slowed down around here as we dealt with a personal loss, but now production is back on! This month's episode will focus on two very similar viral videos of lightning strikes (one of which many people recommended).

I'll delve into some frame-by-frame analysis with these little hoaxes, since they are both so brief.

At the moment I'm trying to nail the overall presentation structure so I can hop between discussing each video back and forth without making things c...

January 2016 patron supported

Thank you so much for the support this month!

New Video Early Access Pass

It's a Quick D that was anything but quick to make. I'm pleased with how it came out though. Please enjoy and let me know your thoughts!

It will be posted for the general public tomorrow.

Pre-posting Post

Picture is locked! Working on sound! Will be posted exclusively for you tomorrow! Graaawr!

The Quick D Set

Here's the complete setup from Saturday's shoot. It's what I typically arrange for Quick D monologues.

Lights: 3 kinos and 2 fresnels. The 2 tungsten-balanced kinos in the back light the greenscreen. The 300W fresnel next to the greenscreen is a sharp kick light for me. The daylight-balanced kino on the left is the key light and the 650W fresnel closest to us is sort of a fill. It's gelled to make it daylight-balanced and also diffused to make it about as soft as the light coming from the ...

All Systems Go

I'm using black cloth to construct a simple temporary set at my place that will be used for a demonstration shot in the next Quick D episode. This and all of the greens teen stuff will be filmed tomorrow. And then I have to try to edit with superhuman speed, I guess. Yay!

Working on Two Fronts

Small update! I am still working my way through the epic thank you video for the wildly generous patrons of the Disillusion Agent level, so that their reward packages can be finalized and shipped. As with anything I make, I bit off more than I can chew, workload wise, but it's turning out really cool :)

Meanwhile, HEY, we're already half way through the month (AAAHHH!) and I absolutely must rush into production on this month's episode. It's doable because it will be a "Quick D". The topic?...

An Ambitious Month

I believe I've zeroed-in on the next episode's topic. At the same time, I've written the script for the 'Disillusion Agent' reward video, to be filmed this weekend. I'm also starting work on a project that will hopefully help make Captain D videos more accessible to people in other countries.

And later today, I'll post for the general public a montage of all the "exit gags" from 2015's videos. Just for fun!

Behind the Scenes: Creating a Virtual Airplane Interior

Too... much... effects... Please enjoy.

Stand By

Just as I was about to share the behind-the-scenes thing, I discovered a couple of unacceptable editing defects in the uploaded video. Re-exporting and re-uploading now. Will be posted soon. Meanwhile, please enjoy this image of my assistant editor team.

Lights, Planes and Greenscreenmobiles

We did some elaborate greenscreenin' to put Lou into the cabin of a CGI plane in that one scene. I think it's worth making a short behind-the-scenes video about.

Behind the Scenes

A needlessly complicated method used for the videotape gag in the latest video. Needlessly Complicated is my middle name!

New Video Early Access

Here it is, folks! *collapses*

December 2015 patron supported

Thank you so much for the support this month!

Long Nights

I know, updates have been lacking. But I can honestly say it's because I'm spending all available time working on the next video. This episode's been QUITE an obstacle course and I'm not through it yet! A moment ago I  completed the last VFX shot on this 6+ minute monstrosity. Now I've got just one day to do color correction AND the entirety of sound post :|

It'll be worth it though.

See you when I'm done!

What's in the Box?!

Here's little teaser of what the flash drive package will look like (for the lucky 15 "Disillusion Agent" patrons.) Whaddaya think?

Brainstorming December

I'm having a hard time locking down the subject of the year's final episode. The web seems to be devoid of any new, interesting, hard-to-explain videos.

(I don't want to do the Chinese levitated cars thing - nothing interesting to talk about there.)

In lieu of finding a good subject video, I'm considering doing an overview of the various times I got something wrong in previous episodes. But that would necessitate watching old episodes and I really shudder to look at my own old st...

VFX Tutorial: Holo-display (Part 3)

In this final video, we tidy things up with some compositing tricks to give the hologram its final look.

VFX Tutorial: Holo-display (Part 2)

In this second (and longest) video, we go through the process of 2D and 3D tracking the shot in order to match the hologram elements to the motion of the hand. Warning: may be boring. 

VFX Tutorial: Holo-display (Part 1)

Enjoy this excruciatingly detailed mini-series on creating one of the effects I often use in my videos. In this first part, I go through creating the assets and some basic animation.

November 2015 patron supported

Thank you so much for the support this month!

IFLScience Decyphered

I suppose this could qualify as "production artwork" from the latest episode ;)

New Episode Early Access Pass

Please enjoy this new  video in the "classic Captain D" style and be sure to let me know what you think before the rest of the world sees it tomorrow. Thanks!

So Close I Can Taste the Turkey

I've been chipping away at the lengthy graphical segments of this episode and today finally completed all visuals. Color-correcting now and will work on sound tomorrow. But I've been unexpectedly invited to a Thanksgiving dinner so I may need an extra day to finish things up. Regardless, you shall be seeing it a day before the rest of the world.

In other news, the physical items for the $20+ "Disillusion Agent" patrons have been designed and are currently being manufactured! It's scary tha...

Filming Complete

Tonight's shoot went great! But I made one rookie visual effects mistake. For the exit gag (my departure at the end of every episode that involves some sort of visual joke) I forgot to capture a clean plate - a shot of the room without me in it, which is needed for some of the effects. Now I'll have to photoshop that together somehow out of different frames of footage where I'm in the shot.

Nothing's ever easy!

Classic Captain

I'm preparing the script for this weekend's filming of the next episode and it's turning out pleasantly ORDINARY. By that I mean that it's a standard episode with me, by myself in a red corner.

There's a greeting, an introduction of a video, a detailed explanation and a funny sign-off - just like all the "classic" early videos. I don't play with the format, parody anything, make obscure references or be meta.

I've been doing all of the above so much lately that NOT doing it is......

October 2015 Patreon supported

Thank you so much for the support this month!

VFX Breakdown of "The Future"

Here's something fun! A visual dissection of the various effects used in the long shot at the end of the last video, depicting the Back to the Future-style future world.

Welcome to the wooooorrrlld of tomooorrrooowww...