Breakdown and rebuild
Karen, Richard, and Matt are professional relations: business partners who are also family members. This issue, Richard interviews his wife Karen about What do we mean by climate breakdown?, Foggy Outline’s most popular (and recently remastered) environmental literacy course, with editing by their son Matt.
“Part of our process is to review the course as if we were a learner”
Richard: At the end of March, we finished what turned out to be almost a complete revision of our course, What do we mean by climate breakdown? You don’t have a lot of control over the course content, as it’s me who does the writing, but what are your overall thoughts about the process?
Karen: When we agreed that this course had become dated, I hadn’t anticipated a full rewrite of the course. However, as you started to provide the updates, it became clear that the course would need a new look, meaning that every section would need at least a new title slide. The original music used in the intros isn’t available now, so that needed to be replaced as well.
We’re much more experienced in the production process than we were when we originally created this course. We’ve invested in more equipment and have worked out how to turn our office into a studio, so the quality of the recordings is much improved. Thanks to Youtube, we’ve also learned more about editing techniques using Adobe, and I’m more proficient at using Vyond to create the animated sections.
Richard: Wow! That was a lot more than I was expecting.
Richard: Do you think we got the balance of different visuals right in What do we mean by climate breakdown?
Karen: Yes, I think the balance of images to talking heads and still images to animations is right.
Part of our process is to review the course as if we were a learner and to make sure the images reinforce the message – and that, without being too hectic, there are enough changes on the screen to keep people’s interest.
Something we’ve learned since the first version of this course is that Adobe lets you embed a video within a video, meaning we can create short animated sequences to run alongside the talking head. Timing for these has been a bit tricky, needed some trial and error, but I’m pleased with the results.
“I didn’t anticipate a full rewrite of the course”
Richard: I’m conscious that I write the script, film it, and then ask you to put together the images. Could we improve the process so that you’re working on images and animations at the same time as I’m writing and filming?
Karen: I think the danger of creating images alongside the scriptwriting is that the need for them could be lost in the edit, if you decided to take out a particular section.
Perhaps we need a meeting once the script is ready, where we can go over your ideas for images and review the ones you’ve already identified. Your script notes are usually good, but I know that sometimes I’ve misinterpreted them, and that’s wasted time.
There’s more to this interview. Buy us a cuppa on Ko-fi to support our work, and you’ll get to read the unabridged version.
📖 The ebook edition of What do we mean by climate breakdown? has had its final copy-edit; the text is now complete, and all that’s left is to format it as an ebook and get it up on the website, where it’ll cost you £3.99 (much less than enrolling in the course!)
🎲 Did you catch the shocking final-act twist in Merely Roleplayers’ Vigil: Ill Wind? Is this the end of the world as we know it?
Merely Roleplayers returns in May with Vigil: Shadowfall. That’s right: because of some backstage scheduling jiggery-pokery, we’re in the Main House for two productions in a row. Natalie Winter returns as Gwynned, this time joined by Marta Da Silva as Harper, Helen Stratton as Melody, and Strat as Brier.
♟ 30 May–1 June, NEC Birmingham: Matt’s going to UK Games Expo for the first time. If you’re there, you might get the chance to play Spindlewheel, The Hunted, or Bibliocalypse with him.
👗 Big thanks to everyone who came to the clothing swap we talked about last issue, and to Patrick Grant for taking the time to talk to swappers and fans, and to Settle Victoria Hall for hosting and helping us get organised.
🔬 Matt published No true names, chapter 2 of Camera Obscura. It’s very early days in the study for the IRB to be running this low on patience…