Off Screen

My next video—"Want vs. Need in Predator: Badlands"—is currently clearing copyrights claims on YouTube. If you'd like to watch it right now, it's available through early access for Patreon supporters. 🙂

www.patreon.com/offscreen/posts/want-vs-need-in-16…

2 days ago | [YT] | 10

Off Screen

I don't have a lot to report, but just wanted to check in.

The last three months have seen some unfortunate developments. Between losing my job and then having my lease terminated after 8 years (nothing untoward happened, the owner is just retiring and ready to move in/start renovating), I've had to put basically all of my creative work on hold.

The good news is that I was able to find an ideal spot pretty quickly; checking Craigslist was my day job for about three weeks. As I write this, I'm in the middle of moving. I'm very excited to set up in a new home, use the opportunity to de-clutter a bit, and set up a work space that allows me to focus on Off Screen and some other creative pursuits.

My new spot is somewhat unique: an old house situated in the middle of a storage complex. It's right next to a noisy road, which had me somewhat concerned for my audio recording process, but I just discovered there are basement units that were converted into soundproofed practice rooms for local bands, so I can use these free-of-charge to record for my videos, walking distance from my front door. It's also in a shady area on the side of a hill with plenty of natural breeze, so my computer won't be overheating through the summer!

There are a ton of other perks, most of which will just be little improvements to my personal life. Either way, I'm excited to get situated in a new place, shift up my energy a bit, and reorient my life around creative output again!

Since my last update, I've shifted focus for my next couple of videos; I'm going to be pivoting back towards craft & storytelling technique for a little bit. Something special came to me after finishing a movie marathon with a close friend, and I'm excited to use a short, punchy video as my on-ramp back into production after taking such a long time away.

In regards to those "other creative pursuits" mentioned earlier...

In addition to Off Screen, I'm taking this opportunity to make a long-standing dream of mine a reality: Ten years ago, I set about writing a novel. It took many years of revisions and lots of self-reflection to realize that the manuscript wasn't salvageable... at least not at this point in my life.

But with a new vision for how I can take the foundational work already done and pivot in a new direction, I'll soon be ready to get one of my first original IPs out the door! I don't have a lot to say about it now, but naturally as the process moves along you'll be hearing more from me on that front. This has been a big passion of mine for a LONG time, so finding a path forward to make my vision a reality has been incredibly inspiring, and I can't wait to get into the work once my move is over!

There have definitely been some big shake-ups this year, but things are finally starting to stabilize and reorient in an incredibly exciting and productive direction. I can't wait to start uploading again and share more of my work with you all!

Until my next update,

— Isaac

1 month ago | [YT] | 9

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Is anybody else incredibly excited for Marathon?

In anticipation of the upcoming game, I've been watching a lot of lore and theory videos, and stumbled across something really special.

This video by ‪@jakethealright‬​ is essentially "The Road to Marathon"—a complete coverage of the timeline of the Marathon universe in the same format I used for The Road to Halo series. You can think of it as a companion video to my own work, covering the sci-fi universe Bungie created long before they ever dreamt up Halo.

By giving an overview of events from the Marathon universe in strict chronological order, Jake The Alright has assembled a compelling narrative that contextualizes its timeline, bridging the gaps that exist between Bungie's early games and their upcoming release. It showcases how humanity's corporate greed fueled technological development without consideration for ethics, forging a path into a synthetic, post-human future amongst the stars that is visually beautiful... yet existentially horrifying.

I was beyond thrilled to discover another creator taking the same approach to exploring a fictional universe that I did with The Road to Halo, and I'm absolutely honored to present this team's exceptional work to you!

Music by ‪@datreyapr‬
Motion graphics by ‪@vslvsk‬

6 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 5

Off Screen

Do you want to watch The Road to Halo Part 2 without ads?

As a temporary workaround for YouTube's lack of control over ad placement on some videos, I've uploaded all of my major releases directly to Patreon so they can be watched as intended, without interruption.

Becoming a member at any level will give you full access to this library:

www.patreon.com/c/offscreen/membership

However, I don't believe in locking my work behind a paywall, so I've also activated the 7 day free trial on the $1 membership. I encourage you to watch the content you'd like to watch without ads, and then cancel before your account is charged.

This is just a temporary solution until I can find a better home for my content that isn't locked behind a paywall. Thanks for your understanding.

8 months ago | [YT] | 11

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This is a graph of subscriber growth from my most recent video, The Road to Halo Part 2. Can you tell at which point Sony started placing ads on the video where they weren't meant to be?

8 months ago | [YT] | 9

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After more than a year tailoring The Road to Halo Pt. 2 so that it would be eligible for ad revenue, carefully selecting copyright-free tracks and classical music in the public domain, testing a preliminary upload for the full 30-day dispute process to target any issues I might not have foreseen, and clearing ALL copyright checks, it seems that for the final video Sony Music Entertainment decided to place a new claim on the Rachmaninoff performance used in the video's opening.

As a result, all ad revenue on my most successful and best-performing content to date is now going to Sony. They've placed frequent auto-generated ad slots throughout the video, disrupting the emotional flow of the narrative, and (in my opinion) ruining the viewing experience for everyone who watches on YouTube.

I find it interesting that—regardless of my work's qualifications under Fair Use—every video which gets over 10K views has been claimed by either Sony or Disney. Coincidence? Or predatory corporate practices pursuing the highest income possible at the expense of small creators?

In the attached images, you'll see my top-performing content (all copyright claimed), my lifetime earnings from six years on YouTube ($21.32, not paid out until I clear my first $100), and what my average weekly earnings report looks like.

I make every attempt to pursue the creation of my work in good faith, without damaging the market value of the works I use in my videos, properly crediting all artists, and directing viewers to engage with their content outside of my channel.

After years of this, I'm finally considering taking all of my content off of YouTube and migrating to a platform where it can be viewed as intended, with either no ad breaks, or carefully chosen slots that align with the natural flow of the video.

If you're watching my content on YouTube, I apologize sincerely for the lack of control I have over your viewing experience, and I ask from the bottom of my heart... please click that SKIP button as quickly as possible every time Sony or Disney decides to interrupt your viewing experience and destroy the emotional flow I intended you to have.

- - -

If you're looking to support small creators doing their best to fight the corporate overlords, and you enjoy the quality and care that goes into my content, please consider becoming a Patreon member:

www.patreon.com/offscreen

If you're unable to support on a monthly basis, I also have a Buy Me a Coffee page where you can leave a one-time tip as a show of support!

buymeacoffee.com/offscreen

Every little bit helps me orient my efforts towards the creation of more thought-provoking content for the channel, and away from the daily hustle for food/rent.

My deepest appreciation to everyone who's watched and supported me in any way over the past six years. ❤️

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8 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 22

Off Screen

Last week, Off Screen officially passed a quarter of a million views for the channel as a whole, and we now have over 3,000 subscribers and counting!

Thank you so much to everyone who's watched, liked, subscribed, or simply shared a video with a friend. The growth is slow, but we're building towards an exciting future for the channel. The larger Off Screen gets, the easier it will be to get new content to you on a regular basis!

Couldn't do it without you. ❤️

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8 months ago | [YT] | 5

Off Screen

I want to take a moment to shout out the amazingly talented Kat Peterson!

Five years ago she began a series of narrated renditions of Halsey's Journal with ‪@Installation00‬. If it weren't for this series, I never would have discovered Kat's work, and The Road to Halo Part 2 would have been a vastly different video, so big shout out to him as well!

Instead of delivering the exact same lines she voiced for 00, I was thrilled to work closely with Kat to provide a more nuanced delivery of Halsey's voice, diving into the character's psychology, emphasizing the emotional struggles she faced when undertaking the SPARTAN-II program, and using Kat's amazing ability to do vocal age progression to highlight her development from a young, bright-eyed scientist to the jaded, cynical figure we meet in Halo: The Fall of Reach (and later Halo games).

Kat has an extensive resume doing voices for video games, audio dramas, and other narration projects. Her range extends far beyond the Jen Taylor voice print, from grizzled veterans with heavy accents, to children, to anime/cartoon characters.

If you want to check out more of Kat's work or are interested in hiring her for your own projects, check out her website or reach out on Twitter/X:

katpeterson.com/

x.com/CxeeFoxx

8 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 7

Off Screen

I want to thank everyone for the amazing reception to The Road to Halo Part 2. Not even 5 days and its view count has already surpassed Part 1!

On top of that, it's close to becoming the 4th most-viewed content on my channel ever in only the first week!

You all are so amazing. ❤️

8 months ago | [YT] | 13

Off Screen

The Road to Halo Part 2 is now live!

The complete story of the SPARTAN-II program from 2510 to 2525.

8 months ago | [YT] | 0