Star Bit by Star Bit
👋🏻
Okay. Imma be real with you. I've kicked this letter down the street all week, updating the hours and numbers to reflect the current times. But I kept getting distracted by making The Thing™, which I suppose is the best reason to kick the proverbial can.
It's taken five-ish hours to edit five-ish minutes. I am not a huge fan of that conversion rate. To be fair to myself, this section has dependent on lots of external B-Roll; interviews, commercials, conferences, etc. I am scouring YouTube and incorporating what I find as I go. The only way to get it done is to chip away.
I suspect the gameplay (aka G-Roll) that the rest of the essay will depend on will make the editing pace much faster. I am also recognizing the value of having A-Roll. There are these tiny chunks that might not have relevant gameplay or would show a clip for too long. If I read the script out in full then I’d have a, theoretically, easy piece to plop in when needed. As I write that out though, I foresee problems with editing audio in my current flow. It’s a tricky balance, the production of these videos.
The initial progress may feel slow, but the little things also bring joy. I've come up with visual jokes and transitions already that I quite like. Mere seconds of the video that I hope bring joy to the viewer like they are bringing me joy during their creation. The small progress feels good. I leave sessions encouraged. Progress, no matter how small, is being made. And that is good.
You fine email subscribers get a sneak peek at the essay. I wanted to share a "sign of life," for you and for me. Let me know what you think. You'll see the whole video soon.
Until next time...
This letter is one block from the newsletter Memory Card by Max Roberts. Thoughts? Send me an email at max@maxfrequency.net.
Max is the writer and producer behind Max Frequency. cultivate and curate curiosity—both for himself and for others—by delighting in the details and growing greatness from small beginnings.
He's written a rich history and dive on the making of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II, celebrated the 15th anniversary of Super Smash Bros. Brawl with the voice behind its hype, and examined how Zelda "stole" Fortnite's best mechanic.
Memory Card is a real-ish time, raw, drip feed newsletter of his creative process for telling these stories. It’s how The Thing™ gets made.
It's all powered by Max Frequency and patrons.
Wanna see The Thing™? Check it out on YouTube. Read it on The Blog.