The Process

To address the most frequent viewer question, “Why do I have to wait six weeks for the next episode?” (and also the increasingly frequent (AI?) comment, “What is this is AI dribble?” (sic), here’s a handy-dandy outline of my process for every episode. Hope it clears up some things. If not, you can always become a Patreon supporter to experience how the World War III sausage is made; there can be a good amount of subscriber interaction between episodes. 

When I hit “publish” on every episode to my YouTube channel (after my Patreon subscribers have a had a few days to enjoy early viewing), I might take a day. Drink a Schöfferhofer. Practice my very fledgling guitar skills. Watch an episode of Severance or Veep (currently streaming for the third time), or enjoy some standup comedy on Reddit. 

I’ve already charted this war I am telling episodically to its conclusion, so I have a rough idea how each season (Wait, how many seasons are there?) will affect the process. So after that “publish” button is hit, work on the next episode goes a little something like this (cue twanging guitar intro):

  1. Week One

    1. Consult season and episode storyline

    2. Research, research, research! data and articles to support intended storyline

    3. Answer questions: What is the point of this episode, and how does it support the overall story? Who are the new and recurring characters? What is the story arc/conflict?

  2. Week Two 

    1. Beat sheet format (hook, act I, II, etc.)

    2. Conduct interviews with subject matter experts

    3. Begin writing script (About 160 words/minute footage; 1,800-2,200 words/episode)

    4. Send script to copyeditor for grammar, spelling, punctuation

  3. Week Three

    1. Subject matter experts review script (3-5 drafts are typical)

    2. Convert script to ‘shot sheet’ (narration, video, scenes 3-5 seconds/ 180 scenes per episode typical)

  4. Weeks Four & Five

    1. Build sets using individually downloaded gaming platforms, mods or coding my own as much as possible (this is why uniforms sometimes are not perfectly matched to rank, or an EXIT sign can’t be in Russian, etc.)

    2. Film scenes with help from FixEdit

    3. Add audio, then convert to ElevenLabs AI narrator — must listen to portions to ensure pronunciations are correct and consistent, timing is not too fast or slow, etc. — then overlay music using license-free offerings, add video clips last, often re-shooting up to five scenes I don’t like (angle, pacing, a phrase I no longer like the sound of, etc.)

    4. Video editing, graphics, visual and sound effects

  5. Week Six

    1. After a day break, view and kick to FixEdit, subject matter experts, and Patreon subscribers for feedback

    2. Create eye-catching thumbnail, title and description for episode, kick to Patreons to select

    3. Deploy to YouTube