atrocityguide

Next Video is Nigh

Hey everyone!

As the title suggests, the new video is nearly upon us! We are still about 2-3 weeks away, but we're on the final stretch. 

I think this will likely be the longest one to date, landing somewhere around 55-60 minutes, although that could change as I make the final rounds of revisions. In this stage, it's not unusual for portions to get removed or added, because there's something about the pressure of being close to release that brings certain issues with the narrative into focus that I wasn't able to see before, but I expect the total runtime to land at around an hour. 

As always, you guys will see it here first, about 24-48 hours before it's made public. For those of you who are new here, I do this with every video for two reasons: I think of it as an added bonus to you for supporting the channel, and it alleviates a bit of upload anxiety for me.

Aside from that, I'm spending a portion of every work day looking into future video topics. I currently have a pretty deep list of potentials, but if anyone has any suggestions, I encourage you to join our Discord and drop them in the topic suggestions thread. I read those every time a new one is posted, and I often scroll through the older posts to see anything I might have missed the first time, so a big thank you to everyone who takes the time to contribute.

Stay tuned around the middle of February for the video release, and I can't wait to read what you all think of it! I'm really proud of this one, and I think in many ways it's some of our best work.

Thank you all for your support and we'll talk soon, 

AG

Video Progress 12/12/21

Hey everyone! 

The upcoming video is coming along well, and I just wanted to give everyone a quick progress update since it's been a while. 

As I mentioned in my last update, I've been working on multiple projects at once, with the expectation that one would emerge as the primary project. This has happened. There was a topic that I thought was a relatively simple story with a small cast of characters that has ballooned into a multi-faceted saga, so it's become my main focus. It's looking like it'll be somewhat similar to the Breatharians video in that it'll be examining the history of a bizarre niche subculture--looking at it from different angles, different points in history, and telling the origin stories of a handful of notable characters in order to form a complete picture. 

Whereas the morality in the Breatharians video was pretty clear-cut, this topic is more gray. There are notable charlatans , and definitely victims of certain scammy aspects, but lots (maybe even most) of the people involved seem genuine and sincere. But the ultimate takeaway message will be left for the viewer to decide. I don't like to force a viewpoint on the audience; I'm just here to tell the story. 

More and more, my brand of videos seem to be character-centric, and although there are lots of notable characters here, it's more idea-centric, and it'll feature a pretty wide cast. These videos are always lots of fun to make, and I feel like I'm really developing a sense for how to make it all coalesce into an entertaining story, so I'm really excited to share this one. 

I was hoping to have the video out by the end of the year but I think it'll be January, and realistically, probably toward the end of January. But I can already feel this will be a strong one, so hopefully it'll be worth the wait. 

Really hope everyone is doing well! My part of the country saw some pretty catastrophic weather this past week, and I hope all of you out there in the same region are safe. <3

Til next time, 

AG

Upcoming Video Update

Hey everyone,

Progress on the next video(s) is coming along at a daily basis and things are going well! 

At the time of my last update, I was working on multiple projects simultaneously. As of now, this is still very much the case. The only difference being that one of the topics has made its way to the backburner while a totally new one has emerged. 

Dividing my workday into two different projects might seem like poor judgment on my part, and certainly a valid perspective might be that I should only concentrate on one so that I can complete it faster. But diversifying my efforts in this way hedges against the undesirable possibility of having sunk weeks of time and effort into a single topic that doesn't quite pan out , and then finding myself starting from scratch with nothing to show for it. This happened a few times during my last video, and trust me, it sucks. 

Naturally, as time goes on, one of these topics will emerge as the primary topic and then my attention will narrow to it at the exclusion of the other. But I'm happy to report that both of these topics are currently on very sure footing, and it's likely that I'll end up completing them both sooner or later. I think this approach might be *the way* going forward, but we'll see. 

In other news, the channel just reached 400,000 subscribers! Big thanks to you all for the continued support and allowing me to approach Atrocity Guide as a full-time job. I honestly don't think it would've been achievable without you, at least not at this scale. So thanks so much again. Hopefully by this time next year we'll be at half a million. 

That's all for now. During the next update I'll likely be able to offer a tentative release window, but it's a bit early now. Both of these projects will require lots of work to get right, and I may even commission some concept art to illustrate some ideas (similar to what I did for the Dolphin House video) so any release predictions at this point would likely be wildly inaccurate. 

Hope you all are well. See you in Discord!

-AG

Progress Report 10/27/21

Hey everyone,

Hope you all are well. I wanted to give everyone an update as to the progress of the upcoming video. At this point, I've narrowed my list of potential topics to two: 

The first is admittedly a bit controversial, and it's one I've had on my list for a while. I know for certain it will make a compelling video, probably about an hour long if not a little more, filled to the brim with all the drama and moment-in-time implications that I look for in good topics. The problem is its inherently political and religious nature, and there's really no getting around it. Although I'm confident in my ability to cover the events fairly and objectively, there's always anxiety present when tackling these subjects, and I'm not sure if I want to deal with that anxiety for the few months it would take me to make the video. But then again, knowing a good video will come out of it is often enough to propel me forward no matter what. 

The second topic is more of a character study than a full-blown saga, similar to what you've all seen me do many times before. What attracts me to this story is that I may have the opportunity to do some on-location filming & interviewing, which would allow me to present a slightly different style of video than I have before--something more akin to a traditional documentary than a YouTube-style video essay. Many of you who've been around a while know that I've been wanting to experiment with this style for a long time, and I'm hoping this might be the topic where I finally get to do it. 

This is not to say I won't eventually cover both of these topics. I would very much like to. It's just a matter of which one comes next. Currently, I'm working on both of them simultaneously. I'm also reserving a bit of time each workday for looking into other topics as well, just in case both of these topics fall through. I've been doing this long enough to know that that's always a possibility, and I want to have plenty of back-ups ready so that the time between releases isn't extended unnecessarily. 

Once I know for sure the next video topic, I'll write another update. Hopefully this won't be long. My goal is to be firm on a topic by the end of this month. I'd love to have another release before the end of the year, but it's impossible to say at this time whether or not that's feasible.  

Also, I want to thank you all for your enthusiastic response to my last video. Many of you have said you consider it one of the channel's best. This is so amazing to hear, because I totally agree, and I always want to be raising the standard with each video. So thank you again for your support. You all are my most consistent source of motivation to do good work. 

We'll talk again soon. Til next time, 

AG

NEW VIDEO

Hey everyone, 

So happy to share this new video with you all! Please let me know what you think. It'll be releasing publicly tomorrow.  

In the next couple weeks, I'll write an update about what's coming next, so please stay tuned for that. 

Thank you all for everything, and I'll see you in Discord! :)

AG

Next Video is IMMINENT

Hey everyone!

This will likely be the last video update before release, as I am expecting the next video will be out within 2 weeks! 

About the only things left to do are to finish the music (which, I know I say this every time [but it's true every time], feature some of my favorite work Ryan has done for the channel), finish editing the final section, have a couple trusted friends beta watch and give feedback, and then make a round of final polishes and adjustments. 

As always, I will upload it here to you guys at least 24 hours before I release it to the public. For those of you who are new here, I know I don't advertise this as a perk, but I typically do this with each video. It alleviates a bit of upload anxiety for me, and I hope it's a nice bonus for you all. :) 

It's looking like I will be taking a sponsorship with this video, and the 60-second ad will go at the very end, as this seems to be the least immersion-breaking place for it. Doing this will allow me to pass more money along to the people who work on these videos with me (musicians and occasionally graphic artists), as well as fund some upcoming channel-related projects such as building a foam-treated vocal booth for recording. But if the ad completely clashes with the tone of the video and somehow takes away from the lasting impression, please let me know, because I definitely do not want that to happen!

At this point, I'm devoting a little bit of time each workday to topic hunting for the next video. I have a long list of potentials (some of which were suggested by you all on Discord), so I'll be narrowing that list down as the video wraps up. Topic hunting is often the biggest culprit for video delays, as it can sometimes take weeks to find something suitable, so fingers crossed we can have a fairly seamless transition from this video to the next. 

I think that just about catches things up! I can't wait to read what you all think of the new video. Thank you for everything. I hope everyone is doing well, and I'll talk to you soon.

AG

Progress Update 8/15/21

Hey everyone, 

Progress on the upcoming video is going extremely well. I can't remember the last time I was this excited about a video release. It'll be quite a bit different from anything I've done before, both in terms of story and tone. I don't want to overhype it, but I definitely feel like this upload will be one of the flagship videos of the channel for the foreseeable future (at least for me).

It's interesting because this saga started as merely a ten-minute segment in a compilation video where I planned to touch on multiple instances of artists spending their entire lives working on a single project. But the more I looked into this story, the more it revealed itself to be too important and too interesting not to warrant a full video. And once I began to look at it through that lens, it deepened in complexity to the point where the idea of spending only ten minutes covering it was laughable.  The premise is deceptively simple, but the obstacles that have prevented them from finishing their work (personal, philosophical, political) give such an interesting context to not only their own work, but the work of their artistic contemporaries. The world-building is where I think this video will really shine. We will be deep-diving into a time period and part of the world that has been largely overlooked in modern culture. Research has been intense. Lots of books, articles, interviews, etc. to be consumed in order to flesh it out (but that's part of the fun). And Ryan is doing a wonderful job of capturing the time and location through the soundtrack.

I want to make sure I tell this story as well as I possibly can, so Ryan and I will probably spend at least another month getting the story, tone, and everything as perfect as we can. But like always, you guys will be the first ones to see it when it's done. 

Sorry there isn't more concrete news for this update, but I thought I'd just touch base with you all to let you know things are going well. There will probably be at least one or two more Patreon updates before release, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I'll be working every day to bring you all the best video I possibly can. Thank you so much for your support, belief, and encouragement. It means the world to me. 

Til next time, 

AG

Next Video Progress

Hey everyone!

I figured it was time to give an update on the upcoming video, which is going really well. 

I really love this topic, and I'm excited to share this story with you all. The process for writing this script has felt a lot more effortless than some recent ones have, which I think is a good sign. Everything seems to be falling into place quite naturally. The overall story arc, as well as the main conflicts and character developments, have revealed themselves to me clearly and vividly. Honestly, the only problems I'm regularly running into during research is the ever-present language barrier. This story does not take place in an English-speaking country. Of course, this isn't the first time I've tackled such a topic, but it's been a while, and with these recent videos being longer and more in-depth than the older ones, the language challenge is slightly more daunting. But not worry; as I said, it's going well! 

Also, the merch store has arrived! And you can check it out here: https://my-store-9889896.creator-spring.com/

(I still have to create a custom domain but I still need to get a P.O. Box first so I don't get doxed) 

We're starting out with 4 individual designs on various products, but I plan to add new designs at least a couple times a year. I've had a ton of fun working with artists and making these designs. Big thank you and shout-out to our friend Smear who created the character depictions the two flagship products are based around. 

I'm having trouble linking it to my YouTube channel because apparently I have too many de-monetized videos to qualify for what's called a "merch shelf". I guess that's what I get for making videos about naked dudes filling out sweepstakes on webcam and people who go LARPing as soldiers in active warzones. But it's okay, I can still advertise on Twitter and video descriptions and such. It'll just be a slightly more elusive store, kind of like the monster shop in Breath of the Wild.  

I probably won't start promoting the merch store until after I upload the next video. I sort of feel like I need to earn the right to advertise it with a having just released a vid, which is probably silly, but oh well.  

That's all for now. There'll likely be another update or two before release, for which I'm still hesitant to give a release window (I want to start making more accurate predictions). But here in a couple weeks, I should have a better idea when I can expect to preview it to you all. As always, you'll be the first to see it! :)

Thank you for everything. Til next time, 

AG

Progress Report + Merch Store Upcoming

Hey everyone! Next video is well underway and it's a good time to touch base with you all.

As I mentioned in the last update, we'll be starting a new series soon where I tackle multiple stories in a single video, all revolving around a unified theme. I'm glad you all seem excited about that idea, and I want to thank you for all the feedback you've given. One recurring suggestion a few of you gave was that if one of the topics ends up blossoming into a full saga, then I should go ahead and devote an entire video to it...

…Well, that's happened.

I'm still planning the first episode of that series, but this next video will be a single-topic saga. I discovered the topic while collecting stories for the anthology series, and at first it seemed like a small story that would fit into the 10-minute-per-story format I'd originally envisioned, and then I started looking deeper into it. Suffice it to say, it needs a full video. Likely 45 minutes or more.

Without giving much away, this will be another multi-decade story, spanning around 40 years total. It involves a corner of the art world that I haven't touched on at all in this channel, and there's a lot I have to learn in order to make sure everything is conveyed clearly and accurately, so I've been reading a ton here these past couple weeks. There's also the added challenge that this story doesn't take place in an English-speaking country, so I've got to make sure translations of my sources are reliable. Lots of work to do, but I'm very excited about this topic.

I would be surprised if many of you have heard of this story before, unless you just happen to be close to this particular niche, or if you live or have lived in this part of the world. Part of what's so much fun about this channel is sharing these obscure stories that I get so excited to have discovered with all of you, and this video is a particularly potent example of that. More video updates forthcoming! :)

In other exciting news, I'll be launching a merch store with the next video. I've been talking about doing this for a long time, but now the time has finally come. I'm aiming for 3-4 original designs to launch, with maybe a new design or two commissioned after each future video release. It's something I'd like to continually update as we go along.

I've included a couple concepts--one which I imagine will be the flagship design, based on Smear's original profile picture that's become such an integral part of the channel's brand, and another that's a bit more minimal. There are a couple more in the works but I'll save those until launch. And I still have to order samples to make sure the quality is good. 

That's all for now. Thank you all for everything. Your support means so much to me.

Until next time,

AG

Idea for New Series

Hey, everyone!

So for this next video, I'd like to try something a little different. 

I'd like to start a series in which each video covers several (4-5) unique stories that revolve around a unified theme. These videos would be normal length--likely 45 minutes or so, with approx 10 minutes devoted to each story. The stories would be told to completion, including conflict, character development, and everything that makes a story compelling--it would just be compressed, and in more anthology style than what I've been doing. 

This series would not replace the typical long-form saga centering around a single individual/event/culture we've been doing recently. Those types of videos are what Atrocity Guide is known for, and it would be a mistake to depart from that completely. This idea is simply meant to allow me to tell some stories which are perfect for the channel, but I can't justify stretching across an entire video. It would also give me a bit more latitude when coming up with video ideas, which is often the most challenging part of the entire process.

I imagine the writing will be more of a hybrid of documentary and video essay, as I'll be speaking about what unites these stories, as well as providing lots of connective tissue so that transitions from one to the next will feel smooth and natural. But the narrative through-line would adhere more with the overall theme, rather than following a single character from beginning to end.  

The effort spent creating these videos would not change at all. In fact, I predict expending even more effort than usual for the first few episodes as I get used to the format. It would be a different approach, and I'd like to differentiate it further giving the series its own title, commissioning an intro specifically for the series, and Ryan has expressed a desire to differentiate it musically as well. 

Those of you who have been a supporter of the channel for years might remember me asking for feedback about this idea a while back. The feedback was largely positive, but the channel has evolved quite a bit these last couple years. I'd like to know what you all think of this idea in 2021. Or perhaps it's best if I try one out, and we can evaluate then?

Anyway, I think it's time to try something new. What do you think?

Thank you all for everyone, and I look forward to hearing from you, 

AG

Early Release for Patrons

Hey everyone, 

Thank you so much for your patience, I know it's been a long wait, but the new video is finally here. I won't be releasing to the public until probably tomorrow, but I'm happy to share it with you all first. Hope you enjoy!

Big thank you to Ryan for his amazing work on the soundtrack which features some of my favorite music of his. He always manages to capture each story's unique mood and for that I'm very grateful. 

Lots of upcoming projects currently in the works and I'll be writing a post probably next week giving you all a teaser for what's to come. Thank you all for everything, and I'll see you in Discord. 

AG

New Video Finished!

Hey everyone, 

Just a quick update to let you know that the video is finished, aside from the last little bit of music which will be complete within the next couple days. I'll be uploading it unlisted probably Friday. While I'm waiting for monetization approval, I'll be writing the closed captions and finishing up the thumbnail, but in the meantime I'll be making it available to you all first. So be on the lookout for it later this week in the form of a Patreon post.

Really excited to share this one with you. It was so much fun to make. It's a little different in tone to some of the more recent videos, and I think it'll be a very welcome addition to the AG catalogue. Can't wait to read what you think! 

I'm sure many of you are already aware, but our Breatharians video is back up. Very happy to have won that fight. I'm sure it won't be the last. Thank you all once again for supporting me throughout that whole process, I couldn't have done it without you all. 

Also, our good friend Fredrik Knudsen from Down the Rabbit Hole just reached 1 million subs, so big congrats to Fred and Ryan Probert for their accomplishment! Very well deserved. Most of you are already familiar with Down the Rabbit Hole, but if you aren't, I guarantee you will love it. Our channels share a lot of similarities in the categories of topic choice, storytelling style, and, for obvious reasons, music. 

That's all for now. Lots of exciting things currently in the works, and I look forward to alluding to more once this video is released. Thank you all and stay safe. 

AG

Progress Report 4/21/21

Hey everyone!

Hope you all are doing well. I thought I'd write an update on the upcoming video since things are going well. Lots of progress is being made daily, and I'm well into the editing phase of the video. Should only be a few more weeks, realistically, before it's ready for beta watching and final revisions. I think you all will enjoy this one. It's a nice blend of character study, outsider artist, Internet saga, and a little bit of mystery thrown in. In other words, a nice blend of all the elements that draw me to topics in the first place. Can't wait to share it with you. 

Of course, research for this one hasn't been without its snags (what video is?). Most of this saga takes place in the late 2000s, early-2010s, and I've been trying to track down several resources that, at this point, I worry have been lost to time (audio interviews from defunct podcasts, old forums posts from message boards only half-archived on the Wayback Machine, etc). I try to be as resourceful as I can with these things, sending emails to people who I think might, by some shred of fortune, have them somewhere on their hard drive or at least know who would. Sometimes, I get lucky, but other times--not so much. But no worries, I already have plenty of resources to tell the full story; I just like being a completionist.

As far as the Breatharians video is concerned, it should be back up... any day now? YouTube approved my counter notification on the 8th, and said it could take 10-14 business days before the video is back up (enough time to allow the offended party to obtain a court order to keep the video down, basically), and we're approaching that timeframe now, so keep an eye out. I know some of you have asked me about potentially uploading elsewhere, and although I haven't done that yet, if for some reason this counter notification falls through, the video will be uploaded again--either on YT or elsewhere. I have contingency plans, and I will not allow it to be gone forever. But YouTube allowing the original back online with all its views and comments in tact is the preferred outcome. 

Lots of big things planned for other future videos, and I'm dividing some of my time to making preliminary plans for those projects as well. Without giving too much away, I think a longer, much more high-effort documentary might be in the works, assuming I can find a way to gain access to the information I would need to make it happen. This will be something that I'll likely be working on in the background over the course of many months and maybe years, in tandem with more normal uploads. I'm starting to like the feeling of having multiple projects of various intensities going at once, so if things have stagnated with one, I can shift to another. This allows me to be more productive on a day-to-day basis.

That's all for now. Thank you all for your support and encouragement. It means a lot. Seriously. I hope you're all staying safe, and I'll see you in the Discord. Til next time, 

AG

Discord Invitation for Patrons

https://discord.gg/abqFxWG

Breatharians Video Update

Hey everyone, 

I've got some news regarding the Breatharians copyright strike situation that I'm excited to share. Again, if anyone reading is not yet up to speed on this, here's a quick overview: https://twitter.com/AtrocityGuide/status/1361486794316017670

As I wrote in a previous update, my original plan was to wait until the copyright strike expires (May 15th) and re-upload the video with some visuals replaced. However, I've been thinking about this a lot, and after discussing it with some other YouTubers who've had more experience with this than I have, I hired a copyright lawyer to look over the materials. And after consulting with them, I've decided I'm in the right to fight to get the video reinstated.  

Maybe this was fairly obvious and hiring a lawyer was overkill, but I wanted to be certain I didn't go beyond fair use with some of these clips, and now that I feel confident I did not, I've filed a counter notification. Hopefully the video will be re-instated with all views and comments in tact and we can put this behind us. But we'll have to wait and see on that. Like I've said before, I am up against people who think we do not need to eat or drink to survive, so expecting rationality is maybe a bit optimistic. 

A big thank you to everyone who's sent me words of encouragement during this whole ordeal. You've given me the conviction to do what's right. 

In other news, the new video is coming along well. Some recording and editing is already complete and I think I'm on track for a late-April (maybe early-May?) release window. More updates to come! 

Talk soon, 

AG

Progress Report 3/13/21

Hey everyone!

I'm deep into the research and writing phase for the upcoming video, so I thought I'd write a brief progress report and touch base with you all. This might also be a good opportunity for some transparency of my process as well, for those who are interested. 

At this point, the story has pretty well taken shape, and I've made a chronological timeline of all notable events that have occurred, which is something I'll be referencing pretty constantly while writing the narration. I've also got a detailed outline of the script, which is only partially chronological because I like to begin my videos at the heart of the story's conflict and then bring in the relevant backstory when it feels natural. This can sometimes lead to me spending a long time finding the narrative structure, which was definitely the case with the Dolphin House video, but this current project feels much less unwieldy, at least so far. 

I'm writing the narration as we speak, which is usually the longest part of the process. I've been putting more effort into the prose with recent videos, which is something much more important to me now than it was in the past, and I plan to continue that trend. I've also got lots of footage I want to feature, and figuring out the rhythm of where to punctuate the narration with clips is also something I like to nail down during the scripting phase. Some things are better shown than told, and a well-placed clip can usually replace a paragraph of narration and have a much stronger impact. 

Anyway, that's where things stand as of today. As far as a tentative release window, I'm thinking mid-to-late-April is reasonable. As always, you all will be the first to see it as soon as it's complete. 

Thank you so much for your support, and if you haven't already, feel free to say hello in our Discord: https://discord.gg/abqFxWG

Til next time, 

AG

Breatharians Update + New Video Underway! (2/26/21)

Hey, everyone! Hope you all are doing well. I just have a couple things to touch on in this progress report. 

Let me address some FAQ regarding the Breatharians video which was recently removed from YouTube due to a copyright strike. First off, thank you all very much for your words of support. And if this is news to any of you, here's a brief run-down of the situation: https://twitter.com/AtrocityGuide/status/1361486794316017670

I will be uploading the video again in a re-edited state, but let me clarify: this will be a cosmetic edit only. I will be replacing some clips with similar ones which do not belong to a particular individual who's upset about being critiqued in the video, but they will still be discussed in the exact same way (they cannot copyright claim themselves, they can only claim their footage). The narrative will remain entirely unchanged. I won't be giving in to any demands of presenting Breatharianism or its advocates in a positive light, and it is my top priority that the journalistic integrity of the original video remain uncompromised. 

As far as a re-release date: May 16th. This is when my current channel strike expires. I'm worried this person might strike me again once the video is re-uploaded, as some of their footage, such as their documentary which is heavily critiqued and thus protected under fair use, will be remaining. I do not want two strikes going at once. At three strikes, channels are deleted, along with the opportunity to make any future channels. And you never know when one could come out of nowhere. 

In lighter news, the next video is underway! I was lucky to find a suitable topic in a faster-than-average timeframe, so I've already begun researching and outlining. This will be a more modern story, set in the video game industry, which I'm very excited about. I've done video game stories before, but never like this. This one will be much more of a character study, with a strong emphasis on the human element. There's lots of material to comb through, and the story itself is a bit of a knot that I'll be unraveling over the upcoming weeks and maybe months, but I can sense it already beginning to take shape. More updates to come. 

To Patrons new and returning: It means a lot that you're here, and if you haven't already, feel free to say hello in our Discord: https://discord.gg/abqFxWG

Thank you for everything and I'll talk to you soon, 

AG

New Video is Here!

Hey everyone! 

The new video is up! It will remain unlisted to the public until probably tomorrow afternoon, giving me time to finish the thumbnail and closed captions. But I wanted you all to be able to see it as soon as possible. 

This was one of the more challenging videos I've made, but I'm very happy with how it turned out. This is by far one of the strangest stories I've come across, and it was one that I immediately began envisioning the video for as soon as I learned about it. I hope you all enjoy! 

There'll be an update early next week regarding the re-edit of the Breatharians video as well as the next new project, which is already in its initial research phase. I hope everyone is staying safe, especially those of you impacted by the winter storms. 

Thank you guys for everything, and I'll see you in Discord: https://discord.gg/abqFxWG

Til next time, 

AG

Next Video Almost Here!

Hey everyone!

The next video is nearly upon us! I'm finishing up the last section now, and Ryan is in the middle of recording the score--which, I have to say, is his finest work yet. Then, I'll have a couple people beta watch it in order to give their opinions, make some revisions for improvement if necessary, make a thumbnail, and submit for monetization. Shouldn't take much longer at all! 

The total runtime is coming in around 40-45 minutes, approx. And every second is densely packed with the developments of one of the most bizarre stories I've ever come across. I'm very excited for you all to see it. And as usual, I'll be releasing it here first before it's published to the public. :)

As Murdock pointed out in our Discord, we have some milestones to celebrate. In addition to the channel being on the cusp of 300K subscribers, we've now had 5 videos surpass the one-million-view mark (including the last three videos), and we're now beyond 13 million total channel views. Very exciting and encouraging, and I want to thank you all for being here to share this with me. I couldn't have done it without you, sincerely. 

To anyone who is new: thank you and welcome! Feel free to say hello in our Discord if you feel so inclined: https://discord.gg/abqFxWG

Til next time, 

AG

Video Update 12/5/20

Hey everyone!

It's been a while since I wrote a progress update on the upcoming video, so I thought I'd touch base with those who are interested. 

Things are going well, and I've entered the video editing phase of the process, although I'm still working on the script/research somewhat in tandem (the lines of demarcation between each phase are becoming more blurred with each video). I'm very excited about this topic, and I'm introducing some cool things that I haven't done before, such as custom illustrations that I'm hoping will begin to replace some of the more lower-effort visuals like stock footage that I've used in the past. Looking forward to seeing how all this plays out and what you all thing of them! 

A minor setback: my computer's hard-drive ended up failing about a week ago and I had to get a new one installed. The computer repair place near my apartment has sent the old one to a data recovery center; fingers crossed they'll be able to recover what was on it. If not, it's not the end of the world, as I hadn't started the video editing yet, but I did lose quite a bit of the script which I'm now re-writing mostly from memory. The silver lining is that the re-writing will allow me to further refine these ideas and I suspect it'll come out even better than the original. 

I don't anticipate this setback will push back progress much more than a week or so, since most of the research that I've lost I have remembered. But either way, still aiming for release around the end of the year/beginning of the next. I realize I don't always meet these time-related goals that I write in these updates. Now is a good time to disclose that they mostly serve to motivate me to work harder and faster. Having some kind of deadline in mind is important for me, even if I miss it. 

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. They'll likely be at least one more progress update (probably two) before release, so stay tuned!

For those of you who haven't yet, please feel free to join our Patreon Discord server: 

https://discord.gg/abqFxWG

Til next time, 

AG

Wiley Brooks Deleted Scenes

Hey everyone!

Just for fun, I thought I'd share some deleted scenes from the Breatharians video which didn't make it into the final draft. It's a slightly more in-depth look at Wiley Brooks' McDonald's obsession. I ended up condensing this section and moving it to the end due to its downright ridiculous nature conflicting with the tone/mood of the video, and once you watch it, you'll see why. But anyway, I hope you enjoy: https://vimeo.com/480974375

In other news, we have a couple milestones to celebrate! Atrocity Guide just surpassed 10 million total channel views, and a quart-million subscribers. I can't thank you all enough for your continued support and helping make this possible! :) 

Next video is coming along nicely, and I'll be doing a more detailed update on its progress in the next Patreon post. It's in its scripting phase now but I'm going to try very hard to release it before the end of the year. That gives me about 5-6 weeks which I think is totally achievable. 

To all those who are new: Welcome! And here's a link to our Discord if you'd like to hang out: https://discord.gg/abqFxWG

Til next time, 

AG

Next Video Underway!

Hey everyone, 

Just wanted to let you all know that the next video is currently in progress. I'm really enjoying the dive into this saga, which is more historic than most of my subjects (aside from James Hampton), but still has a scope that stretches many decades in total. It's a bizarre story, one that many of you may not have heard of, although will no doubt recognize some familiar characters involved. 

Not sure what we're looking at length-wise, as it's a bit too early to tell. If I had to guess, I'd say around the 30-minute mark, although please don't hold me to that. Timeframe-wise, I have a couple books to read as research, one of which I'm almost finished with, and lots of other supplementary materials to sift through before I can begin to fully understand the complete picture, but the pieces are beginning to fall into place. Outline for the script has begun, but we're still very much in the first phase. 

One thing I can say is that while there are quite a few visual resources at my disposal, there aren't many video clips to show, so I'll be relying more on my writing and narration to tell the story than has been the case in recent videos such as Breatharianism and Phoenix Jones. But having each project present a unique set of storytelling challenges is something I do intentionally, as it allows me to hone different skills which will be useful in future videos. 

Anyway, I hope you all are doing well and staying safe. To all of those who are new: welcome and thank you big time for supporting the channel. :) And I hope to see some of you in our Discord if you feel so inclined: https://discord.gg/KzGegkwgTu

Until next time, 

AG

Early Release for Patrons

New video is here, and I wanted you all to be the first to see it. I'll be publishing to the public tomorrow. I'll also be working on closed captions today which typically takes a while, but in the meantime I wanted to make it available to you. I'm excited to read what you think and I'll be posting soon about what's coming next. 

Thank you for everything. :)

Talk soon, 

AG

Discord invite: https://discord.gg/abqFxWG

Almost Finished!

Hey everyone! 

New video is in its final stages and should be out within a couple weeks. The runtime is going to land between 45 minutes-55 minutes. And believe me when I say each minute is densely packed. It is a neutron star of a video. Ryan's music is also excellent, as always. 

Like I mentioned to some of you in Discord, I love doing these longer, more in-depth projects but I hate how long they take, so I'm planning to have a better balance going forward. This will mark three long videos in a row, so the next one will be shorter. I already have the topic picked out so there will be as little downtime as possible. I'm going to get right to work as soon as this current one is released. There won't be days and weeks of topic searching like there sometimes can be.

Some milestones to celebrate: 

We've soared past 200K subscribers and are well on our way to a quarter-million! Videos are also beginning to pass the million-view mark; Sir Alfred and Ulillillia have already passed it, with Nasubi and Phoenix Jones trailing closely behind. Thank you all for being here to celebrate this with me. :) 

The next time I post here will likely be to debut the video, which you all will be the first to see. Thank you so much for your support and patience, and I hope everyone is well. 

Talk soon, 

AG 

Discord invite: https://discord.gg/abqFxWG

Video Update!

Hey everyone!

Hope you all are doing well. It's been a while since I've given an update on the next video so I thought I'd drop in and do so. 

I've entered the editing stage, and Ryan has begun music composition, so we are very much into the phase where progress happens quickly. In total, I've got a little over 15 minutes edited (the intro and the first two chapters). The chapters are coming out long--about 7-8 minutes as opposed to 5 which has been the average for the last couple videos. This is a dense story, and each chapter covers a different moment in time with a return to our central character acting as bookends for each section. Apologies if that's confusing but it'll make sense once you see the video. 

Not sure how long this video will be but I'm imagining at least 30 minutes and likely closer to 45. I'll be able to give a better estimated runtime in a couple weeks. 

As far as release date is concerned, I'm hoping the middle of next month. But we'll see. As you know, my predictions in this area are often wrong. :) 

Thank you guys so much for being here. I hope everyone is safe and healthy. And if you haven't yet, feel free to say hello in our Discord: https://discord.gg/p4RQ9cD

Talk soon, 

AG

Video Progress as of 7/23

Hey, everyone! Hope you all are well! 

The next video has entered the scripting phase. I'm working on the introduction/hook as we speak (which, along with the conclusion, is the section I tend to spend the most time writing), as well as developing an outline for the body of the video. 

Like I said in the previous update, the unique challenge this video poses is the braiding of different storylines. I don't want it to feel disjointed at any time, so smooth segues from one character/event to the next--sometimes taking place decades apart--is something I anticipate requiring a lot of time and effort to get right. But I've got a pretty good idea of how I want it to flow, so I'm not worried. :)

It's too early to give a concrete ETA, but in terms of progress I'm way ahead of where I was at this point in the process for my last two videos. I think a 4-6 week turnaround is reasonable, so I'm aiming for mid/late August. :) 

Runtime-wise, I think we can expect this one to be another 30+ minute video. Perhaps this is the new normal for me? 

In other news, we are close to hitting 200K subs (currently at 196K)! And Ulillillia is likely less than a week away from being the channel's first video to reach a million views! So, there are a couple of milestones approaching that I would like to thank you all for helping this channel achieve. Seriously, you guys are awesome.

For those of you who are new, here's a link to join our Patreon Discord if you're interested:

https://discord.gg/DMzV5UR

Thank you all again for your support, and there'll be more updates to come!

AG

Next Video's Progress as of 7/16/20

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to keep you all up to date concerning the progress of the next video! It's already deep into its research phase, so I'm way ahead of schedule from where I usually am at this point in the process, which typically involves topic searching for a week or two (or more). I ended up discovering this topic toward the end of making the last video, and I was exciting to finish Sir Alfred so I could dive into this one! 

It will be a somewhat new challenge, as it focuses less on a single individual and more on a movement. While there are some big characters involved that will be given their own arcs, they will likely be braided with one another as the overall story progresses. So structurally, this video is a bit of a departure, but I'm starting to envision how I want it to turn out and I'm confident I can pull it off (otherwise I wouldn't attempt) :)

I'm really enjoying giving you guys early access to new releases, even if only for a day or two. It does wonders for my upload anxiety. While I'm not quite ready to make it an advertised Patron perk yet, I do intend to keep that practice going forward! 

A big welcome and thank you to all the newcomers. And if you're interested, we'd love you see you in our Discord: https://discord.gg/PX3Qx84 

More updates soon!

AG

New Video is Here!

Hey, everyone! New video is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQfXd1YlkS4&feature=youtu.be

I still have to finish writing closed captions, so it won't be released to the public for another day or so. But I wanted to let you see it ASAP. 

I'm excited to read what you all think of it. I'm using different audio mixing settings for my narration, so please let me know if you notice my voice sounding better, worse, or the same. 

Next topic is chosen and already in its preliminary research stage, and there'll be more updates on that in the upcoming weeks!

Thank you all for everything, and I'll see you in Discord!

 https://discord.gg/77qyZeY 

AG

Next Video Almost Here!

Hi all! 

New video is coming along very well, and we've only got two (maybe 3) more sections to get through and then it'll be ready for release! I'm expecting to have it completed in a couple of weeks. Ryan's music is amazing, and I think we've struck a really interesting mood with this one. It's a strange, character-driven story, and I can't wait to hear what you all think of it! Those of you who live in the UK may have heard of it, and for the rest of you, you'll likely have heard of some of the films loosely based on it! 

This will be my first time uploading with the new monetization checker, which I know from speaking with fellow creators has both its pros and cons. It allows for a self-check of whether a video meets monetization requirements, but YT can also disagree and still de-monetize, but I haven't heard too many complaints so hopefully there will be minimal hang-ups . With Phoenix Jones it was almost two weeks of wrestling with the monetization algorithm, and I'm hoping this new process will not be nearly as frustrating. But I'll keep you all updated how it all goes, and during any delays, I'll go ahead and release early to you all via an unlisted version while we wait. 

I hope everyone is doing well, staying safe and healthy. 2020 has been one of the most turbulent years I've lived through, but I'm hoping some good will come from it. Thank you all for everything, and I'll talk to you soon. 

(Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/abqFxWG )

AG

Video Update!

Hey, everyone!

Just wanted to touch base regarding the next video, as it's been a while since I've written an update. It is coming along well, and probably my favorite in terms of writing, although equally as challenging: the subject is an incredibly unreliable narrator (you'll understand once you see the video), making the task of forming a clear chronology of events a challenge. But one I am up to! 

Progress has been halted as I wait for my new PC to arrive. The laptop I had been editing with quite simply can't take it anymore, unfortunately. It's stuck with me for more than 20 videos, but I simply can't ask its way-below-spec hardware to continue struggling to run Filmora any longer, especially as my videos get longer and more complex. But, the new PC is arriving on Tuesday and I'm happy to report this machine is much better suited for video editing than its predecessor, so this will mean fewer crashes and much less lag, stress, and frustration for me. As well as faster turnaround times for videos! All in all, a necessary change, and one I would like to thank you all for assisting in. It's something that's needed to happen for a while and I want you all to know you're responsible for it finally happening. 

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy, both mentally and physically. As always, thank you for everything, and I'll be in touch soon. 

AG

(Discord invite link: https://discord.gg/abqFxWG )