I just remembered that I captured a time-lapse of the entire 3+ days of "in-studio" shooting for the latest video.
The only parts missing are:
It usually takes me a bunch of tries to get anything right. Here are all the camera takes of the shot where I introduce the screen-used miniature of the ship in the FON video.
We shot it with the jib crane, pulling focus remotely and it took this many attempts to get the move + focus + performance right together. Now picture this for almost every scene/shot of the hosting segments :P
2021-05-21 20:11:08 +0000 UTC View PostUPDATE: I've swapped out the video for a Vimeo version here, while I prepare the general audience premiere on YouTube. If you are prompted for it:
PASSWORD: 98X92A34
Thank you for, uh, waiting. I'm very proud to bring you the most elaborate video I've ever made on the channel.
Hope you like it!
(Even *I* think I've gone too far.)
2021-05-16 16:57:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Greetings,
So, there's been no Godzilla attack. And I'm essentially done with the video in that it's finalized visually (barring a few last-minute tweaks I always have to make).
There's just a matter of hundreds of sound effects and dozens of music tracks to lay onto everything, as usual. And since this is the longest episode I've ever made on the channel, I expect this might take slightly longer than the remaining 3 days.
So in lieu of a completed video, I'd like t...
2021-04-28 00:56:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi friends,
I write to you from the computer chair with which I have become one. Putting together this video has tested every kind of stamina I have, but the finish line finally seems within reach.
The image shows the completed VFX/animation progress bar (representing all the scenes of this 40-minute video, in order) as it was during my last YouTube stream vs. right now.
I'm just about done with that left-m...
2021-03-31 21:17:15 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi friends,
Been a while! I'm stuck in my edit bay fortress, chained to this extremely challenging project and I miss you guys. So let's do a livestream to catch up!
Sunday, Jan 31st, 3PM ET https://youtu.be/sVIdHKCjU94
On the agenda:
Making the Mr. Flare Explains video in 4 days was a good exercise for me in not being too precious with things. I tried to use as much simple stock pics/footage as possible. Still, a couple of spots required original "assets".
Mr. Flare needed a phone so I threw together this minimal, sci-fi-ish CD brand phone in Blender, texturing the back with some nonsense words.
2020-12-27 18:11:10 +0000 UTC
View Post
Hello! Here it is!
I think I need a lie-down now.
Once again, this emergency Christmas episode was made from scratch, just in the last 4.5 days because... well, I needed a little break from the *big* video and wanted to give you a little something before the year is out.
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!
2020-12-25 22:25:02 +0000 UTC View PostHey friends,
You haven't heard much from me while I've struggled to slay this colossal dragon of a project. I'm still in progress on it. I wish I could detail for you all the gains and setbacks that have happened, but it will have to wait until the video is actually out, as it stands now, some time at the end of January.
However!
To maintain my own sanity and to not completely fade from society's collective memory, I've decided to throw everything aside and make a last-secon...
2020-12-21 23:31:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi! As mentioned before, I'm posting this to all levels for now, but will limit visibility just to tutorial folks later.
It's an easy-to-follow, but very detailed walkthrough for creating an authentic-looking film leader countdown from scratch, complete with an adjustable damaged film look without using any plugins or stock images/footage. A nice, vintage element, useful in many situations.
If it sounds too simple, don't worry. I manage to make it complicated! Along the w...
2020-11-07 01:35:15 +0000 UTC View Post
The online version of the Blender Conference took place yesterday. It was a collection of fun 2-minute video vignettes from talented CG artists, developers, and filmmakers around the world. Also for some reason Alan the intern 🤷🏻♂️
Check it out!
A link to the entire set of presentations (a 1h 39m video) is also there as a card.
2020-10-31 15:37:38 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
Well, it seems like many of you are already aware, but the new Discord server I posted about a little while ago is now functional.
If you're my patron of any tier (and have your Discord account connected in Patreon settings) you should automatically see the new "Disillusion Industries" server in your list on Discord. Feel free to pop in!
It's brand new so there are probably kinks to work out. Let me know if anything's amiss, but keep in mind I'm learning this as I go,...
2020-10-17 23:24:00 +0000 UTC View Post
So... I'm pretty excited, and terrified of, the next video.
Excited because it's a cool topic that I'm very into and because it's a *type* of video many viewers have been asking to see (again) for quite a while. Terrified because, well... the script is currently around 36 pages! It's on track to be the longest video I've ever put out (not counting streams/tutorials).
Sammy & I spent a lot of time on research, but the more info we gathered, the more details eme...
2020-10-09 01:02:02 +0000 UTC View PostHey friends!
As you may know, an "Official Captain Disillusion Discord" has existed for a while. It's what's been integrated here with my Patreon, at some pledge levels, though I never quite figured out how to make good use of that integration.
The server was actually started by some very dedicated fans who kindly made me owner, but have really been doing all the work of maintaining and growing it. Whenever I visit to chat with members or do Q&As, I'm greeted warmly and ...
2020-09-10 01:42:51 +0000 UTC View Post
I made this goofy over-the-top high tech CG tablet for a momentary gag in the "CD/Color" video, as a shoutout to the YT channel of a masked (even before it was trendy) Japanese illustrator whose streams I sometimes watch while editing.
It's modeled and rendered in Blender. I also drew the illustration of a "chibi" Captain D using Blender Grease Pencil, then artificially placed it inside the interface of Clip Studio Paint (the tool of choice for many manga artists). The swirly procedural...
2020-09-04 00:10:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Since many of you patiently watched my stream working on the sound design for this episode, here's the complete mix without my pesky voice getting in the way!
The video is doing unexpectedly well, which I guess wouldn't have happened without putting in tons of time into all the details, which, in turn, would not have been possible without your generous support.
So once again, thank you all!
2020-08-19 23:00:14 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey friends,
Here is a brand new installment of the oft-requested 'CD /' series!
I enjoyed working on this one, but a few parts were real mind-benders to visualize.
Let me know what you think!
Thank you, as always, for your patience and support.
2020-08-17 19:43:44 +0000 UTC View Post
UPDATE: Starts in 10 mins!
Hey everybody,
The visuals on the next video are complete! Now I'm working on sound. I haven't tried this before, but I figure it could be interesting to stream my process of spotting sound effects (choosing and placing them) using Pro Tools.
If that vibes with you, come hang out this Tuesday, Aug 11, 3:00pm ET and watch the aural magic unfold. Fe...
2020-08-09 15:39:12 +0000 UTC View Post
I dunno about you guys, but I found this past month challenging for all sorts of reasons!
Continuing with the theme of not making the same type of episode back-to-back, the next video will be a "CD /". But I've been struggling with the script. The topic is a bit broad and juuuust outside my expertise, so I've been researching to get the details right without making the video too long. I definitely want to avoid another correction addendum!
But I've finally gotten the script to a g...
2020-07-01 03:35:11 +0000 UTC View Post
Here's a detailed look at the animation/effects in the Ian Hubert's Lazy Tutorials parody of the most recent episode!
There are some aspects I didn't really go into, like compositing, 'cause the video was getting a bit long, but hopefully what I did cover is interesting. Enjoy!
2020-06-15 16:08:18 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi friends,
I made a light-hearted new video to give you momentary respite from, you know, the world.
It guest-stars science writer Phil Plait, whom I've known for many years but never had a chance to properly collaborate with until now.
Please enjoy and tell me what you think.
As always, I'm very grateful for all your support!
2020-06-01 22:15:24 +0000 UTC View Post
UPDATE: You can now view the recording of the stream at the link
Hi friends!
I'm close to finishing the motion graphics on the next video, so I thought I'd give myself a productivity push (while simultaneously providing some ~content~) with a livestream.
But it'll be a 'lite' version of the usual stream -- no fancy visuals or monologuing, just me in somber solitude, sharing my screen as I toil away, barely acknowledging your presence. I'll try to answe...
2020-05-22 04:31:40 +0000 UTC View Post
Now that I've had a few days to recover from the latest video and not think about it every waking moment, I figure it might be fun to do a little live screening, talk about the process, make fun of the imperfections and just do a general Q&A on life, the universe and everything. We need to catch up!
If you like, throw me some advance Qs in the comments here, so I can think of cool-sounding answers. Otherwise, just ask in the livechat on YouTube.
Hope to see you there tomorrow,...
2020-04-15 15:01:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Haven't done one of these since way back on the "Amazing Water Trick" episode, but I think it's warranted for the latest video.
It's the entire thing in split-screen - VFX on top, no VFX on bottom.
During the "debunking" segments I try to display the main assets used in the graphics.
(best viewed on a mobile device vertically, or on a larger display in full-screen)
2020-04-11 21:43:19 +0000 UTC View Post
I was looking over the few pics I managed to grab during this strange project and they make it seem like I wasn't having any fun. But I don't remember being as gloomy as I look! I mean get a load of this guy!
For all the room transformation VFX, I needed to mark the walls with carefully spaced tracking markers so I could always tell what part of the background the camera was seeing, even in clo...
2020-04-09 21:40:42 +0000 UTC View Post
Well....... here it is.
I hope the extremely long wait hasn't lead you to expect something super mega over-the-top mind-blowing. But it is a slightly more ambitious episode than usual.
I tried my best to overcome the many tech challenges it involved. I hope the idea comes through and the "debunks" seem interesting.
Thank you to Samantha for co-writing the script and to Joey and Pawel for pitching in on the VFX. And thanks to all of you, as always, for the support.
Plea...
2020-04-07 14:10:17 +0000 UTC View Post
My fellow inhabitants of Quarantine Planet 12,
I hope you are all doing okay, staying safe and sane. As you know, I've been practicing self-isolation preemptively, locked away, working on the video. I'm happy to report that the video is now in the sound design stage! That means it's only days away from being finished and posted for you, at long last!
DAYS.
Like, 2 days maybe. Don't quote me on that.
I want to thank you again for your patience. I know you're proba...
2020-04-01 16:13:16 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello, friends!
I'm doing something rarely dared: sharing the video of my TEDx Talk exclusively with you, long before it'll be released to the general public. You're literally the only people able to see it, other than the event organizers who produced it.
This is not a final edit, so please excuse the strange look (there is timecode and a weird picture-in-picture of auxiliary shots at the bottom of the screen). But I worked really hard on this 18-minute presentation and I hope yo...
2020-02-25 17:01:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello, friends!
Patreon has made it so the first 140 characters of any post are publicly visible so I'm just gonna run out the limit with this text aaaand... there.
Ok, now that we're alone, I just wanted to let you know the next video is still in post-production. I'm so sorry that it's taking an eternity. As discussed in the last stream, since I filmed in Dec, I've been spending full-time shifts every single day working on the VFX, even recruiting help on a few shots.
