B-Mask

May Update

 Realised that it would probably be good to send this long before pledges go through- I'm still working on projects, but will not have a video out this month. Totally understand if some of you want to skip until I have content on the channel, and of course very much appreciate those supporting me while I work on stuff in the background. Actually thinking of doing an update in a Beyond Words at some point very soon as I'll be undergoing yet more surgery (this time for my Kerataconus) on the 22nd of next month and would really like to be transparent with that process, as well as the other things that have made this year so eventful for me. 

 Either way, apologies once again, still very much working on a 'done when it's done' basis. Will keep you all posted as per usual, and really hope future projects will make it worth your while. Take care everyone!

 -B

April Update

 Apologies for the delay on videos again guys- the death of my laptop (have a new one now, but need the memory off the original) and a new job shook my month up again, right as I was finalising the script on the next video.  Everything's still happening and i'm at that point where I have to say that I don't know the exact dates videos will be done, only that i'm still working on them whenever and however I can. The year so far just kinda blew way off course from what I'd planned. Definitely understand your frustrations if you're feeling it's taken too long, and I'm looking to make it up to you as soon as possible. 

 Wish I had better news but otherwise I can only say sorry, and that I hope to be getting back on track very quickly. Won't post again until I've got something finished for you, so until then, take care and have a great weekend. 

 -B

March Update (The next few videos)

The way things have worked out, I have four complete scripts ready to go and a bunch of half complete ones waiting in the wings. Unfortunately, I once again wasn't able to make the first of those for the end of this month- but the first video will be done next month, closely followed by the rest of my finally planned out schedule. So, rather than make you wait to discover what each will be, I figured you guys should get a preview of the first four video subjects i’ve lined up, just to give you an idea of what i’ve been working on…

- The Mandalorian (Beyond Pictures)

I promised myself this would be the first full video I’d release this year on the channel and I’m sticking to that. Originally it was just going to be a Notes on, but I realised my thoughts on the show were better suited to the philosophy of Beyond Pictures, and while it’s actually a pretty short video, it’s taken a long time to untangle what I want to say without being too complicated. I can’t say I’m convinced I’ve managed that yet, but i’ve seen a lot of pieces saying the show ‘fixed star wars’ and I think this angle is different enough for me to want to finish the job. You also get some spicy takes on the whole franchise so, you know, might be worth it for that alone.

- Notes on Wandavision

This was a lot easier to write and came together pretty quickly after the show ended. However, I didn’t want to seem too reactionary and held off from releasing it ahead of my plan, as well as finding some new insights once the dust had settled which I think made it a stronger piece. It’s basically a discussion of both how the show adapts the material and whether or not I think it holds up outside of that, and while the currently running Falcon and Winter Soldier might end up getting mentioned it’s not going to alter the vast majority of the finished script.

- Notes on Spyro… 4?

So, like the Notes On Crash 4 video I wanted to talk about Spyro 4- only this time we don’t know if that game’s even happening. I thought it might be fun to get ahead of the curve and spitball about what I’d potentially like to see in a sequel, as well as deconstruct ALL of the existing sequel attempts in as few words as possible. I think it’s a solid little filler piece for the channel and will hopefully generate some good discussion, as I’m not sure i’ve done the best job of really figuring out how to take Spyro’s gameplay forward and would love to hear people’s responses to that concept once it’s done.

- Jak Franchise video (Beyond Pictures)

Going to keep quiet about the exact title of this one. I wanted to do a short little video about the Jak franchise like the Ratchet one I did years ago- then Charlie went ahead and made a video that said EVERYTHING I would have done. I scrapped the idea until, last year, he and I were talking and suddenly a new angle popped up. This is the video game franchise vid I’ve been teasing to patrons for a while now, and while it’s still not a terribly long video, I think it’s got a way stronger purpose than it had before and I’m ready to get it out there. Still very like that Ratchet video, but with a new Edge, and not that one guy actually called Edje, which is about the level of joke I can manage right now sorrysorrysorry

I won’t be making too much of a habit of these previews as I like to keep my cards hidden until I’m ready to show ‘em- part of the reason is that, while it’s good for my fans to know what’s happening and to hold me to certain promises, it’s also difficult to keep the energy/momentum fresh when you’ve basically already revealed the content of the video to people (Matthewmatosis was talking about this recently and I heavily relate, I can guarantee that the Fantastic Four video would not have been as exciting to release had you all known exactly what it was.) I think this is vague enough that the videos will still have an impact and obviously I have even more planned out long after this, some things i’ve briefly mentioned, a lot of things I haven’t, so hopefully i’m riding the balance for you guys. Just thought it had been too long between videos to not spill what i’ve been doing between marvel projects and tooth pullings.

Thanks again for all the support in that time- I hope these will still surprise you and justify your contributions. I’ve written so much but it’s time to start rounding it down and just get it all out there. Til then, gang.

-B

The next Marvel Retrospective (Teaser)

 There's a lot of projects I've wanted to do over the years, and every day I get a little work done on at least one of them. Some come together very quickly, especially if it's a timely topic or if I feel passionate about it in the moment, but others can take years to come together and require almost daily problem solving to get them to a place fit for production to begin. The Fantastic Four video, which took 2 years of planning, research and writing before finally coming together, was one such video, and the response to that made the process very rewarding.

 I wanted to do it again. 

 This year has started with a lot of delays due to my tooth surgeries and projects taking longer than anticipated. I have a video planned for release this month, but it felt weird to me to get the ball rolling with something so innocuous. As my Usher and ASM patrons know, I have been working on a larger project about another Marvel series for over a year now, one I haven't revealed the name of yet and one which is still in the writing stage, but there's only so many times I can say that before people want to at least see some evidence. It's a really large project and there's so little I can say without spoiling the surprises in store, but at the same time, I want everyone to be assured that something big is on its way, especially once I start releasing my usual stuff again.

 So consider this a promise. I'm not ready to say the name of the series out loud publicly (though it's let slip once or twice on my discord, and I urge those who know to keep it to themselves), but I'm ready to give you an idea of what's coming, and what it might be about. This video will only be available to all patrons first until the weekend, and will then be revealed to everyone else. In this way I hope to keep people interested in what i'm working on  between my other videos- I know that my update schedule is erratic and nobodies ever sure exactly what's coming up in the future from my channel, so I wanted a long term idea out there of what I'm up to. Ya gotta stay tuned and all that.

 It's of course thanks to all of you that this project has been made possible. I have a lot of work still left to do, and I have to abandon that for the time being to make sure my next video is out before the month is over, but i'm confident it will begin production in the back half of 2021. Once again, patrons will be the first to know when I'm ready to give out more information, likely when the project has been fully written and proofread. 

 That's all I got for now. Usher and ASM patrons will get new info on upcoming videos soon, everyone will see Beyond Pictures return before then, so in the meantime feel free to speculate on this project and have a guess at what we're covering. I think it's obvious to big Marvel nerds, but what might not be so obvious is how far i'm going with it. The clues are there. We'll see if you're right once the curtain's lifted.

 Later homies

 -B

February update

Just a quick update for this month-

The last wisdom tooth surgery was pretty intense and recovery took a full week (we hit some nerve damage i'm still dealing with), so I’m very behind on my plans to have anything finished. However I’m well over the major hurdle of pain and am doing my best to get stuff done for the coming month, as well as set up the videos to follow.

 Apologies once again for the silence, it’s all coming together bit by bit. Will be with you all soon.

-B

January Update (Future videos)

Hiya Gang,

The new year’s been a slow, odd start for me.

Those following these entires know I’ve got a lot in the pipeline and much of it has been worked on since I last caught up with everyone on here. I’m really excited to show you some of the weirder things i’ve cooked up for this year, lots of odd ideas kicking around this time along with the few outstanding videos I promised before, including the short video game series retrospective, and The Spider Man video - a major priority for this year in particular. Thwip Thwip.

However, I was beset by a couple of delays. The Crash 4 video took way longer to put together than planned and pushed all my stuff back by a heck of a lot. Then I got my wisdom teeth out which, due to complications of the surgery, ended up resulting in a very painful healing process I have only just recovered from, and I have one more tooth still left to go, followed by short term bottom braces- lots of very painful disturbances, and yes, probably TMI. I seem to be developing a habit of missing my January deadlines- combination of recharging after christmas and kicking off all the things I know need to be sorted in my life for the new year, happens a lot, and happens to be a bit more disruptive than usual.

But like I said, loads of videos have been set up and I really want them out as soon as i’m ready. I’ve been writing like mad while recovering, for all of the previous projects mentioned, but decided to spend some extensive time on a MAJOR project I spoke of before that I started crafting way back last March- my spiritual sequel to the Fantastic Four video, a series of videos going through the history of another marvel comic that, I feel, is the backbone of modern marvel continuity.

I am desperate to release episode one this year, and to be able to talk about the process of creating it, but two of the episodes are proving very difficult to assemble. It’s very different from the FF video in that we’re going through and telling the entire story of that series as if it’s a single, continuous narrative- but I’m trying to do it so that the way it’s told is an analysis of how, in hindsight, it inadvertently changed the future of Marvel comics continuity, how those characters were developed in a manner that managed to form a consistent arc over three decades by different writers, and how it speaks to a side of the Marvel Universe that, before it existed, didn’t have an outlet. Or at least, one like this.

The two episodes in question cover a huge amount of content that requires a huge amount of extra research, and are also very convoluted, so I’m trying to find the best way to get all the pieces of the puzzle to fit together to inform, entertain, and be purposeful, and not waste your time, while going beyond what I did for the FF video where possible. Only after the writing is complete will I begin to enter production proper- once again, hiring voice actors for the roles, but with a few more surprises in store too. Just know that it’s happening, I am working on it every day, and I am really, really keen to announce what it is as soon as I can. You will all be the first to know.

It’ll hit like lightning.

Other than that, I can only thank you for the continued support, and the wonderful amount of help you’ve given me. I’ve been working harder to try and create content above the level of whatever I made before and that’s required a little more time to prepare, and many of the funds have been set aside especially for this major project, so I appreciate as always the opportunity to make that possible. It’s insane to think how I started and the chances I’m now able to take with the content because of your help. Madness. Sheer madness. I hope you like what’s coming next.

Notes on, Beyond Pictures and Beyond words will be making an appearance over the year, as soon as they can. Until then, thank you all once again, can’t wait to get back to you with all the videos I got on the go. Even the Alf one.

-B

Crash Bandicoot 4: We Saved Video Games

 My last major video for the year- a full breakdown of the brand new Crash Bandicoot 4!

 Those of you following my more detailed posts know I planned this to come out in November, but I felt in the end it was too soon to say anything. Lots of youtuber's poured out with their big takes, the conversation kept evolving on social media, and I discovered more and more about my feelings for the game as I went back to replay over and over again-  taking all this into account as it happened changed what I wanted to say, and I think in the end it was for the best. I'm sorry my plans didn't all come to fruition in the time I wanted, but I hope the extra work and attention taken to make this video the best I could manage makes it worthwhile. 

 Also the intro took like...as long to make as the rest of the video. But it funee

 Once again, thank you all so much for the support and the ability to push these videos into new and exciting territories, I think this year has seen some really good material come out for the channel and I hope next year I can show you what else you've helped make happen with some other big projects I have planned. Everything I promised is still happening, but for now I gotta take some major rest and recuperation as well as enjoy my muted Christmas this year before I get back to work. I'll keep you all updated when stuff gets moving again ;)

 Take care of yourselves and Happy Holidays!

 - B

November update (Crash 4 progress)

 Let's try something a little different. 

 I'm currently about 55% of the way through editing the Crash 4 video, and thought it might be interesting to talk about my thought process while I'm on the job.

 In the end it took a long time to get the script written and recorded- really wanted to keep it as lean as possible, but it still ended up ballooning out to around 40 minutes of audio. There was just so much I wanted to say, and some of it needed very specific wording. Fact is, I don't even think I'm finished yet- I often find now that, once I've recorded a final draft and started assembling the video, points suddenly don't feel correct or I realise there's a better way to put something.

 However, this isn't as bad as it used to be- my mic setup is a lot better and it's easier than it used to be to match the audio quality- so I can just go into the script, make the changes, then rerecord those points and put them back into the video, unless it needs a major change in delivery. All of this is even faster with a version of the video already assembled, so the process is now a lot more immediately flexible for me, which I like a lot.

 The changes I'm thinking of making aren't that intense anyway, mostly semantics or things i've said I now think are questionable in context. (I write on a lot of sticky note tabs with stuff like 'you sure about this point? Really?) Even though I would have liked to have changed the structure a little, it's got all the bits in there I wanted. The video also goes through a lot of my history talking about the subject and it's funny going back through my old videos and seeing what I do and don't agree with now. The usual trend is that I agree with my points, but not with how they're written or with my delivery. Can't get past the pauses in the N Sane video, really bothers me now.

 You'll have noticed that I don't edit linearly, from the start to the end. Often there's certain ideas and images I know exactly how to edit, and I get as many of those done as possible first- but sometimes footage doesn't stretch over a point I want to make on the specific subject or there's just a LOT of footage to get through that I have to decide to use for any particular point. Process can go from very fast in the beginning to very slow as I have to hem and haw over what footage I'm going to use, which makes reaching those eureka moments incredibly satisfying. I've had a couple of those and it's been great fun. I think you'll enjoy some of the surprises in here.

 The plan is to get this out before the end of the month. For some insight, it took me most of last month and the start of this one to write, I recorded and edited the audio over 2 days, and hit the edit bay on the 15th. Took under a week to get this far so I don't imagine it'll be too much longer to power through this. However, part of me is aware of SO many other youtubers prepping and hyping their crash 4 videos. On the one hand I want to just release this and do my own thing, but on the other hand I'm aware I might accidentally contribute to a saturation on the subject and end up potentially seeming derivative. I'd like to avoid that, but I won't stop work because of it. Just something I'm keeping in mind, and this could potentially fall back to needing extra time anyway.

 Still, the work goes on. Hope this gave you guys and idea of how I approach videos like this and will give you some extra stuff to think on when it's released. I shan't give away how I feel about the game yet- you'll have to watch the video to find out. But safe to say it should at least be interesting. Lots of takes in this one. 

  That's about it from me. Thanks to patrons old and new for the support, I hope this one's worth the wait, a couple shorter videos should be on the way after this one's done. 

See you guys on the other side!

  - B

Notes on Villainous (A Disney Board Game)

 Something very different! A video about a board game i've been playing over the last year or so, and an excuse to try and experiment with what I can talk about through the Notes on format. I made a big boo boo and screwed up with the original version of this video I made in October, which is explained around the 7:47 mark - in the end, I think it definitely benefitted from me going back and giving it a second go. Let me know what you think!

 Next video is on the way. Hoping to make the end of the month, but it's a biggie, so I'll keep you posted as to what's going on. 

 -B

Scooby-verse 2 : Relectric Roogadoobydoo

 The sequel I never expected to make- a full rundown of Scooby shows, specials, movies and more that I missed out in my first video, leading to a full breakdown of my take on the new animated films. Thank you all for your patience, was a very intense month making sure this one hit a halloween release!

 Now some of you might be wondering where that other video I promised was- especially if you think you might have already seen it! The Disney Villainous video was released on the 21st, but featured a fundamental mistake that I had to investigate, and therefore I had to take it down. Since then it has been re-edited and completed, but scooby took priority, so I'm going to release it sometime this month after things have had time to settle.

 Thanks once again for the support and the chance to make this possible. I hope this makes up for the general silence since the KH video- we'll be back again soon with a video a lot of people have been expecting me to do since the subject was released last month. 

 I think it's about time, don't you?

 -B

September Update

  Hey gang! 

Popping in with another update to let you know some of the stuff to expect in the near future. I normally post these as the month ends, but I'm more aware of the fact that I won't have another video out in the next couple days. Truth is, after the Kingdom Hearts video, I was kinda spent. I'd been working on full video production for projects since the Monkey Island video, and didn't even hit my deadline for KH because of the workload, so I sort of stepped off the gas to get some rest and make sure my future content was sorted. Next month I'll have at least two new videos out, but have also prepared a little laundry list of stuff to prepare for the next couple months, either getting back to projects I promised before, or some of those new ideas that have come to me in the break.

 So, a recap of what's officially planned, some you know about from previous posts, and some you don't-

 - Love Halloween, and love making videos related to it, and I have two things coming your way to prove that. The first is a Notes On video (which has already been recorded) discussing something to do with Disney villains, in a medium i've never covered before. The second, as promised, is a sequel to a much loved video from last Halloween. Not too difficult to figure out what those are!

- Crash 4 is right around the corner and I'm very excited to play it, and hopefully won't be too hard to get my thoughts formed into a video. Will it also be out in October? Probably a tight fit, but will definitely have something done by November. 

 - Another short video game series retrospective- similar to the Monkey Island one, but with a very different message. It's on a series everyone tells me I should cover, and one I've always wanted to cover. Hoping this is complete before the end of the year. Don't expect anything too grand, it's gonna be a pretty small project.

- I feel like Spidey has to be the next thing. I'll be putting my energies into that video when this stuff is off my plate. Probably next year I imagine, but not something I want to put off much longer. 

- In an update earlier this year I discussed how I'd been writing another comic book retrospective, about another Marvel comic, this time in the form of a series. I'm delighted to say I've leapt back into that and am basically in the process of getting a rough draft finished for every episode. Will still be a while until you see it, probably early next year like the FF video, but it's looking good so far. 

 It's very possible that, in-between everything officially written down here, I might have an idea for other quick Beyond Words or Notes On videos (I'm hoping the halloween one will show how i'm thinking about opening up its format), but I think it's a pretty tight run of stuff to be getting on with otherwise. I've been doing a lot of video game stuff and a part of me wants to ease off and cover other mediums over the next year, just to re address the balance. I also have no idea if I even have anything for Christmas this year, but if something comes up, you'll be the first to know.

Thanks so much for the support and for sticking with me through this. There's so much more to say and I hope you'll enjoy what's coming. Stay safe, be well, and i'll see you guys at the next video. Lots of work left to do.

 - B

Kingdom Hearts ain't so DUMB

 At last, the Kingdom Hearts video is here! I've been wanting to do this for a long ass time, and tried to make what I hope is a video that speaks to why KH is great beyond all its weird intricacies and how it has a style all its own- I don't know, even now after so many rewrites, if I totally achieved that, but I hope this captures a little of this idea if nothing else. At some point I might talk a bit more on the construction of the video in the next update, and maybe even address a couple of points others have brought up in the comments sometime. 

 Really hope this came out good for you guys! Right now I have to take a short rest and then get my next couple of videos planned. Thinking of you, wherever you are. Simple and clean is the WAAAAAY I am Making you fee

 -B

August update

  Welcome back folks!

I have to once again apologise for not getting a Beyond Pictures video out this month- the project is not as long as the Devil's Playhouse video, but there was a lot that kept evolving and changing as I went, and because it's a big series, there was a LOT that needed to be double checked and recorded to really get the most out of the point being made- in fact, I think it's only fair to reveal what the video subject is...

 We're in it now, folks.

 The Kingdom Hearts video is something i've been planning to do since the channel started, but it was only after playing KH3 that the full scope of what needed to be said came into focus. It's so close to done, like 95 percent, so I'm going to get back to work and get this bad boy out there as soon as I can. 

 Oh, and the FF reading list is also ready! Again, has been done for a while, but this video really consumed my life and made me unable to do pretty much anything else. Enjoy the early link, which i'll make available to everyone else to view after the KH video is done.

 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bKaxhKitblcGktzYcLF-B3RtTJUhjzRhFHMSqzWJWA8

 When next we chat, the video should be done. Until then, stay safe and stay well- may your heart be your big silly whatever it is i'm supposed to remember next I dunno

 -B

Notes on Crash 4 (So far)

  Back again with a new set of Notes on how Crash 4's looking so far! This was actually very fast and fun to put together, I hope the format's working for you guys, I'll definitely have more to come from these in the future, and of course, will be doing a full review of Crash 4 once it's out.

 With this done, I'm onto my JRPG series video and the FF reading list. Will keep you updated in case anything goes wrong, but right now we're on track to have em out this month. Will be back to let you all know as soon as they're done!

 -B

July Update

 Hey gang!

 I did have plans for a Notes on Crash 4 (so far) to be out this month, but the Q&A took a bit longer than planned and pushed me over my expected deadline, with the Sam and Max piece taking the rest of the time available. Thought I could squeeze in the Crash video before tommorrow, as the audio was recorded and edited, but sadly I just couldn't make it. You'll be seeing it early next month, along with the Fantastic Four reading list (it's done, just not posted yet). 

 My other plans are on track, however. Next month's video is the big JRPG franchise i've been promising for a few months now. This one has been in the writing phase for a while, as well as taking time to get all the relevant footage, and is now ready to be recorded and edited. It's not a terribly long video, but I am quite excited for you guys to see it. 

 I think i'm through most of the list I put up in April now, with the exception of the Spidey video. I'll be looking into the possibility of making that happen in the next group of videos i've been drafting, now that many of my long planned projects are getting out of the way, though that one I'm not sure I can entirely promise just yet, still difficult finding the right structure. I think October would be a good time to do a sequel to the project I released at the end of last October, which has been a lot easier to put together, and after that I imagine the actual Crash 4 video will follow shortly. I should be able to lay out another list of hints once we reach the end of August. After all of that's mapped out, we'll be ready to start work on the Marvel video series I promised in the Q&A. Don't worry- this time, I'll tell you what it is before it launches.

 Hope the channel is living up to what you guys expected, I'm still trying to top past projects while also getting more content out faster. Any and all feedback is appreciated, and of course the support has remained solid, thanks to all of you for sticking around to check out all these new videos. Cool stuff is on its way- will speak to you all then!

 -B

Why Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse was their BEST adventure

 Yet another Point and Click adventure video as we discuss one of my all time favourites- Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse. I've been meaning to talk about this one for years so it feels great to finally get all these thoughts out there, and hopefully it'll convince you to get the series off of steam if you haven't already!

 Next up should be a Notes on video about Crash 4, and then I'll be starting work on the big JRPG series video I promised last time. It's amazing seeing how many people now support the channel and I hope the scale, quality and frequency of the content is matching that, feels like a lot of good things are happening with even better stuff around the corner.  Til then, stay safe, and break out the serious toothpaste!

 -B

50K subscriber special! Q&A #3

 At the 50k mark, I thought it'd be a neat idea to FINALLY unleash the Q&A promised way back in September! We cover subjects from Rayman to Musicals to Remakes to whatever else the people of twitter wanted to know, including a couple things that patrons were aware of many months earlier...

 That's another of the many video's promised off the list, and I still have plans for more to come. I'm aiming for both a full Beyond Pictures and a Notes on video this month, before moving onto the JRPG video based on a big franchise (that I've mentioned both here and in this video) next month . 

 Thank you once again for helping us get to this point, here's to another 50k and many more videos to come!

Notes on El Camino/Better Call Saul Season 5 + June updates

Hey gang! 

Back not only with a new video, but with some extra information about what’s happening on the channel.

So, you might have noticed this one’s a little bit pared back from my usual style. For a long time I’ve wanted to create a less high maintenance video format- something where, instead of creating an intricate script, looking for some kind of angle or lots of video editing tricks, I can just focus on a bunch of recorded thoughts on a subject of my choosing, usually something current. I thought this would be the Beyond Words series, but it turns out I’m terrible/insecure as all hellfire about recording my freeform thoughts which ironically made those videos even more rare for me to create. However, I was thinking back on my Civil War review, which was really closer to my original hope for low effort editing, high effort spitballing, and was like, why don’t I just do that? I also needed a name that set it apart from what everyone else was doing, like the ‘thoughts on’ videos you see a lot of since YMS claimed the name.

So, this is the Notes on series. It’s scripted, so everything I want to say gets included, but when I have a definite idea or am excited about something, I write very quickly, so it doesn’t take forever to create. I’m hoping I can make this a regular thing, though I’ll still be using Beyond Words to talk about a range of even smaller/more personal subjects like life updates and Q and A’s, and yes, you’ll be getting that third one soon. I feel like notes on is the middle ground i’ve been looking for, and may even be a great supplement to subjects i’ve already covered, and you should be getting one on the recently announced Crash 4 details in the very near future. First up to bat is the promised El Camino/Better Call Saul discussion. I know I promised this a while back but I wanted to get the MI video up first. I hope this adds to the sound of Saul discussion for those who liked that video, feels like I could get a few more interesting ideas in the mix about the shows without having to cram it into the same angle again.

Other unfinished business is still on the way- you’ve now seen that Monkey Island was the less popular franchise video I was working on, so next up is the much more popular franchise video I promised, which I’m quite excited to make (I have one more game left to record in that series, so we’re very close to production.) Before that I have one more point and click based video to complete, and I also will be releasing the fantastic four reading list I promised, the very last of my FF video promises.

Now, I’m right on the wire with this news- other creators and Patreon have probably informed you already, but for certain counties and American states, a tax is being added to the Patreon fee. More information can be found here, and I encourage you to check on this if you haven’t already to see what the situation is. 

And last bust not least- this week, I hit 50k subscribers. For me this is a very significant statistic. I genuinely thought I’d never get to this point but the last two years or so have really changed my view of the possibilities as well as help me realise there is an audience for the rando whack gunk in my brain. I have no specific celebration planned, but I thought it might be a good idea to update the Q and A to reflect this fact when it finally releases. The questions on it are really good and varied, so I think it will serve as a good checkpoint for the channel as a whole. 

Huge thanks to everyone who helped me get to this point, and for continuing to support the channel’s growth. As you can see, we’ve still got some exciting stuff ahead of us- roll on July.

- B

The Upsetting Secret of Monkey Island

 Continuing last video's monkey theme, we take a look at the Monkey Island series and how each game holds up within the franchise, as well as getting VERY existential about what the word franchise in this case even means. Had hoped to get this out last month but was blindsided by more pressing issues- I hope this makes the wait worthwhile. 

Thanks once more for your dedication, this was one of the videos I'd promised in an earlier list ,and the rest will be on their way to you soon too!

May update

 Really thought I would have a video out this month. Four of the projects I mentioned last month are ready to go, with all the edited audio in place, but I miscalculated on how long it would take to get some of the material I needed as well as how to pace production of these projects out.

As a result, you’ll be getting a couple of videos next month to make up for this. Output this year will still be more than the last, and there are still a couple drafts being finalised as we speak even after having so many projects completely written. Just been a weird time and finding my feet within it has been interesting to say the least.

I promise to be back next month with a lot more content. Thank you once again for your continued support, and please stay safe.

 -B

Kong: Fun Island

 New video as promised! Very left field, I know, but been wanting to talk about this for a long time. Thanks again for the support!- now back to making more stuff in quarantine hoo booooy

April update (new video very soon!)

 Okay, so, lots of stuff behind the scenes to talk about, or at the very least prep you for what's coming. Let's get to it-

 - I dragged my feet a lot on the next video because I wasn't happy with the writing, but tried my best to push the project to completion. I have a finished draft of the project and I want to try my best to get it out before the month is over, which I can't guarantee as I feel like there's still some slight voice/writing tweaks I want to make, but I'm hoping they're not extensive and I can stay on track (otherwise it'll be two videos next month.) If you're interested, it's a video about a certain monster movie revival.

 - I have a draft of the Saul/El Camino video nearly done, now that Saul has ended season 5. This is going to be a very different video because it's not a beyond pictures or a beyond words, more of a general thoughts piece. Plan is to see if that could be a more regular thing, potentially also for patrons. Guess we'll have to see what happens.

 - Polished a third draft on a popular video game series and finished a first draft on a less popular video game series. Still some footage to get for them, but should be done with that relatively soon. 

 - After many drafts, finally made one for a Spider-man movie video I kinda-sorta like. May change it yet again but I think all the points I want to make are in there, i'm trying to not let it be terribly long  because I really don't want to waste anyone's time, nor dwell on it needlessly. The challenge is great because it's forcing me to make my thoughts as clear and tightly articulated as possible, so I hope that will be a net benefit.

 - I eased off on the comic book retrospective to focus on these short term projects, and am glad I did. Looking forward to going back to that with fresh eyes and tighten it up, especially with other projects already so far along in the pipeline.

 - In all the drafting, I still haven't gotten that sodding Q and A edited. It's not even a hard job! I let this next, relatively simple video get the better of me for a hot minute there, and felt like I needed to make sure I had enough good videos in the pipeline for definite before focusing on stuff like the Beyond Words. You should be seeing a bit more of me now this next video is looking spicy.

 So, lots of videos on the way, and once I've got the last couple of those close to editing, i'll start looking at the next batch of ideas, had a lot of things both old and new come to mind while drafting. Trying to think of ways to, as Mick Gordon puts it, change my process to change my outcome, get better videos done more frequently and maybe better rewards for you guys if possible. Thank you again for your support and patience, especially with YouTube ad rates down hard during covid, and do let me know what you think of the new video once it's up!

 - B

March Update

 So, obvious thing out of the way, the Coronavirus's impact on my life took a while to get settled. Had to make sure that my family was okay as well as sort out a bunch of stuff concerning my plans for the rest of the year, as i'm sure many of you did too. I'm okay at the moment, and safe, and trying to make sure the same is true for the people around me, but otherwise things are alright. If anything serious comes up, I'll certainly update on the situation when possible.

 Now as you can imagine it's actually been a good time to really focus on video projects, and I'm certainly making the most of it. Below is just some of the stuff i've been doing, and will start building more substantially on next month-

- One thing I'm really powering through is archiving my video game library- last year I made a concerted effort to archive footage of full runthroughs for as many games in my collection as I could manage that I hadn't already recorded (the year before that I grabbed all the movies and tv shows I'd seen to that point, which I add to every time I see something new that I like.) Long process but it was paying off, and the last couple weeks i've been back at it like a man possessed. With no obligations outside of videos, it finally feels like I can do this without feeling guilty for not going outside (heh) so it's very liberating to feel like I can use the time constructively. Hopefully I'll have most of the games I really want/need recorded done which frees up time to try so many newer titles I've yet to play- maybe I could even show you guys my colour coded shelves to give you a sense of what I've gotten through? We'll table that thought for now.

- The Q and A obviously feels err, umm, out of date given recent events. I'm not going to be referencing the current situation in my videos because I feel like you have enough of that in your lives right now, but I think it's worth mentioning where i'm at at the start of that video. Again, shouldn't be a tough job to get done soon. 

- As mentioned I wrote a few drafts last month, and of course now I have the time to flesh them out. I have more projects drafted than close to finished at the moment now Luigi's Mansion 3 is done, so it will take a while to get back into the swing of pumping out videos, but I'm really sticking to my shorter video rule for the next few months, keeping longer projects in the background. Oh, yeah, speaking of...

- The next big comic book video is going REALLY well in drafting, even better than before. Still a long way off, but that's coming together very fast as a script so far. Definitely expect it in at the earliest the latter half of the year. 

 I noticed a small bump in patrons when the virus hit globally. Not sure if you donated because of that, but either way all donations are obviously very helpful right now. They're still funding the production of the next big, BIG video, but they're also keeping my head above water to continue doing what I do in the next few months now, so i'm now even more indebted to your generosity! Thanks again for your support, and for helping out in what is a seriously difficult and weird time for all of us. 

 Please stay safe, hopefully i'll be here again soon with another video!

 -B

The Great Thrill of Luigi's Mansion 3

 And only 6 months later, we have it. A quick review of LM3 while also testing it for the theories I presented in the first Luigi's Mansion video I did way back in October. Thanks once again for your support, it's thanks to Patrons I could get this video done so quickly after the FF project was in the can, and for those who aren't necessarily video game people don't worry, this funds all that other good content you're looking for too!

 Should be the Q and A next followed by whatever other video projects I'm hatching. Will keep you all updated, and in the meantime, have a great weekend. 

 -B

Updates on future projects!

Hi everyone! 

Just wanted to swing by with an update on future projects. I know a lot of you are now here for wildly different reasons, and some of you are just cool with whatever I make, but I basically wanted to assure you that I have a variety of different subjects in the works and that i’m not sitting on my thumbs. Which would hurt honestly, i’m a bit heavy.

- The Luigi's Mansion 3 video is recorded and now needs the audio edited. This is not a long video and hopefully should be out before the month ends (I have a lot going on but I think I can find the time) Footage was captured way back in November, and i’m kind of glad I gave the script extra time so I could go back and tighten it up last month.

- The Q and A is recorded and needs, again, the audio edited. Again, not a big project, so should follow soon-ish afterwards.

- Considering that the new season of Better Call Saul is now airing, i’m debating putting my thoughts on El Camino inside the same video, so would hold off until the season ends. Not a huge video or analysis, just putting out some ideas I think could make for good listening in a beyond words.

- I have a couple drafts sitting around for other videos, one involving a big crossover game franchise, but I’m really trying to focus on small videos with big ideas. They’ll keep me going in-between working on the next big project. 

- No clue on Sly 4, even now. I of course want to do it, but it’s very likely if I do it, it’ll be a short video, and not terribly in depth, but I may disagree with myself on that once I hit the drafting. I apologise if that’s what you’re waiting for specifically, but I have no idea what to say about it officially just yet. As soon as I do, I’ll let you know.

- The next comic book video is, believe it or not, in the drafting stage. I was hit with inspiration and have managed to very quickly assemble the bones of something i’m really excited about, something i’m more familiar with than I realised and have most of the research for already in my house. It will be a long time before that video is anywhere near ready, but that’s now my next big goal, and I think i’ll be able to manage it better thanks to my experience with the FF video. The new subject is err…well, it’s still marvel, but it’s VERY different to the FF, in fact you might say it goes in the complete opposite direction. I’m aiming for October but I imagine it’ll miss that target, so it’s my holding date to ensure I push myself to make the video happen at all. Also debating doing this one in parts for a number of reasons (upload speeds, driving interest to the channel, ease of watching etc.) However, I really like videos to be complete containment units which, while a little self defeating, is very satisfying, so we’ll see how I feel. 

And that’s where we’re at right now. As mentioned i’m very busy with another play at the moment so my attention is slightly divided, but I’m making efforts to continue putting out content monthly. Gotten more comfortable with my new mic setup which helps a great deal. Thank you so much for being supportive, the growth over the last month has been wonderful to see, really helps fund my more ambitious projects as well as generally lift my own life up a little. I promise to be back with you as soon as I can! 

- B 

Fantastic Four FAQ

 A video discussing some frequently asked questions about my recently released fantastic four video! And, err, as an aside-

 I have to reiterate once again to all new and old patrons, thank you so much for your support over the last month. It's really hit me the impact the video has had, maybe not reaching as far as the Scooby video, but certainly landing with everyone who's seen it. The support, the donations, the compliments - you know the best thing I've seen is how many of you have told me 'I didn't like/know the FF, and now I love them.' Four people who don't even exist and now you too laugh and cry about them the way I do, that's something I haven't quite gotten over. I got a little something in my eye boy howdy let's just sniff sneeze okay there it goes

 Rest assured, I am not done. While the videos will go back to being smaller for a while, my enthusiasm for making content is still strong. Eventually, as you hopefully saw with the FF video, my hope is to make smaller videos to keep rolling and then occasionally make content where the production value and input is as intense as it was here, and your support is what allows me to continue reaching those heights if possible, to constantly be improving to get the best of what I can do out there. It's also given me a lot of confidence to just keep making things of all kinds and be less afraid to get my voice on a recording and out into the world on a whim- though of course, I will try hard to make sure it's not something slapped together, you'll still be getting the best B-Mask content I can manage at the time.

 All this to say thank you again, and hopefully have another proper video out to you sometime next month.

 -B

We are the Fantastic Four (A Retrospective)

 The secret project is finally revealed! A retrospective on a series I've loved since I was very young.

 It's thanks to you guys that this project was able to take shape. It's the video I've wanted to make the most and every last one of you is listed to show my appreciation for your support. I really can't thank you enough for letting me get here, and for giving me the opportunity to share these people's lives at last.

 Excelsior. 

Final update on the new video

One last update before this bad boy finally drops.

Sadly I’ve once again gone over my deadline, the frustration being that I’ve literally just been editing the credits of the video before typing this up. There’s still a couple tweaks I want to make and the upload/double checking will take an incredibly long time due to the video runtime so I know I just won’t beat my 31st deadline, but I do have another, very soonish date in mind that I want to hit once everything’s been put in place. I have to apologise again as I really didn’t want to string you guys out for this long, but the project I’m working on has really become something a lot bigger than I initially intended, and i’m making sure that it’s the absolute best I can make it. 

As a consolation, I thought I’d offer some information on my process for this new video that, while still a secret, will make sense both before and after the video is released.

I wanted to do a retrospective of a comic book, one i’ve loved for a very long time, and one that has been perhaps the most important to shaping comics in the west and making them so incredibly successful, and has become deeply, deeply undervalued as time has gone on. I started toying with the idea around five or so years ago, thinking up a simple script, series of points and structure that I thought might work. The more I thought about it though, the more I realised this was a bit of a logistical challenge. There are a lot of videos and documentaries that show comics on screen but just kind of show them without much context, like they’ll make a broad point about a series and show a couple of iconic pages in-between a bunch of random images. I really wanted to get the scenes from the comics on the screen as they appeared in my head, and make people connect with them the way I always had, and doing that meant I needed to go way, way deeper with my process.

I went back and read every single iteration of the comic, every permutation I could find or remember and every crossover or cameo I could think of, as well as a bunch of leads I’d never come across before while keeping up with where the series was currently. I wrote a script and kept re-working it until it got across all the points I wanted to make as succinctly as possible, even if it was still very long when the runtime was finally strung together. My biggest personal innovation was the decision to hire voice actors. I experimented with this in the Sly retrospectives purely to test the waters and maybe try it out full time on this larger project. It turned out to be a good decision, not only something I really enjoyed doing in those videos, but helping me with knowing where to look for talent, how to manage conversations about their expenses/time, and how to direct them and plan for their input. 

Actually editing the video was also a huge challenge because of almost everything being images. When it’s video clips, they’re easier to cut to and mess with, you can show a lot on screen very quickly, but with still images you have to really think about what to move and what not to move, animating thousands of clips to get points across, and even more exhaustingly, choosing the right images for the right moments. Sometimes I’m very specific about the image I want to show, but sometimes an image in a comic that seems to make my point is less clear than in my head, or there’s another image hidden in 600 plus issues that makes the point better. A lot of the stress and time was often, outside of rewrites and narration, trawling through decades of history in comics and online to find one image that I felt suited my needs. Of course because there’s so much content there was a lot of indecision in what I should use and where I should use it, swapping images around until I felt like everything was in the right place. 

It’s not a video i’d say I’m 100 percent happy with- I think the product in my head is still very different to what you’re going to end up with and I’m definitely not a master of audio in spite of trying out a lot of tutorials, so that’s gonna bug me- but I do think this is probably my most personal work yet. It’s very intense and nerdy and vulnerable and I’m really putting my jaw out in a way I’m not sure I’ve done before. If ever there was a time to make fun of me, this would be it, even Jem wasn’t this level of earnestness. Mostly, I’m grateful for all the intensely talented people, friends and even artists who helped me put this together, and of course, for you guys.

It’s the first video I’m going to put all patrons names in- you all contributed to the video’s existence and the existence of the channel, and I want this one to immortalise that contribution. I probably won’t make any money off the video either because I’m using a fair bit of copyrighted music that I kind of personally need to use, there’s no other choices to put my thoughts across, so this and your support of my other videos has really been a solid support base. Everything goes back to normal with future videos, many of which will be ready to get started on after a small break once this video launches, but this one’s special. It’s the one I wanted to make the most. 

Alright, I'll give you another clue before I get back to work. 

It’s about superheroes.

More than one. 

-B

Christmas update (all patrons)

 Just an update for everyone here- ASM and Usher patrons have some extra details but there's a few videos I planned to try and get out this month/November- I ended up going all in on the big one and unfortunately, despite having worked on it solidly since November, I just don't think I can finish it before the new year. The good news is that I do think I can finish it inside of January, and after that all the other vids I have planned will tumble out not long after. I have a new Mic on the back of Christmas so maybe that's for the best. 

 That said, a tremendous thank you to everyone for supporting me over the last year. I'm really sorry that a new video hasn't been up in two months, but a lot of people this year were extremely generous in funding my works, and that means a huge amount. Even those who had to drop out or went down a tier, it's wonderful that you were kind enough to support what I do and I've been working extremely hard to make sure I can pay you back with the best I can offer. 

 I hope your christmases were great, and here's to a bold new year. Lots of cool stuff on the horizon. Hope I can do your support justice. Thank you again!

 - B

November Updates- upcoming video plans

Hey everyone!

So as you might have noticed, i’ve been up to a lot more recently, now the weight of Sly 3 is finally off my shoulders. Trying to hit my personal goal of not only hitting a video every month, but getting through my back catalogue of ideas for videos i’ve always wanted to do, but never acted on until now. That’s what lead to the Halloween double whammy you guys got this year- I had always wanted to do videos on both Luigi’s Mansion and Scooby, and initially chose LM because the new game was coming out. However, after finishing that so quickly, I thought I might just start on a Scoob video rather than push that back to next Halloween. Turns out that was a very, very good idea. 

So, the question is, what’s next? Do I actually have anything planned to keep up this per month streak? Here’s a breakdown of some of the things i’m working on in the immediate future:

- The belated Q and A I promised. A few new things have come up since then that I want to add to the video, and i’ve also been slightly delayed by work on a project i’ll mention further down here, but don’t worry, it’ll happen eventually.

-Thoughts on El Camino. I didn’t think I’d put out a video, but decided in the end I had enough to say to warrant a quick summary of my thoughts. Nothing too long, will be a good filler piece. 

-Luigis Mansion 3. I’ve completed the game, all footage recorded too (blasted through it in the first week of this month) and have lots to day- been writing the video on that in the background of other work. It’s potentially not going to be out before the end of the year, but it is going to come out, way too many thoughts on it to not release it now. 

-The last video to mention is a big passion project i’ve been thinking about for the last two years. I started properly writing/structuring it at the end of last year, and after a lot of phases, it’s finally being edited. This is pretty ambitious compared to my other stuff, i’ve dropped quite a bit of money on it enlisting the help of some really great people and i’m very excited to show you what they’ve done. If you don’t like comic books you probably won’t get much out of it, and it’s not a very popular title, but it is something very near and dear to my heart, and the hope is that I can at least get off my chest why I love it as much as I do. Aim is to have it completed around the end of November, kind of want this to be the last major thing I do for the channel this year, but if worst comes to worst I’ll focus on the Q and A and do this one for early December. We’ll see how things go. 

Huge thanks again to you guys for staying aboard, or to all the new people who’ve decided to help out, really cannot express how grateful I am to your support- I’m just hoping I can pay it back into the work to continue making better content for you all. The money has been put to extremely good use on this upcoming video and hopefully for a bit more new equipment in the near future (really need to get myself a decent microphone.) Until then, let me know if you have any questions about this or my videos, and I’ll catch you guys on, hopefully, the next video!

-B