Polkadot Explainer Video on Cryptonauts YouTube Channel
Hello Polkadot Community!
We are the Cryptonauts, a YouTube channel dedicated to educating the world about cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. Think of us as the "Magic School Bus" or "Sesame Street" of crypto. We breakdown complicated concepts and projects into easily digestible bits, along with custom made cartoon animations. Here are a few examples of our work:
**Concept Explainer Video (DeFi): ** https://youtu.be/_1tZEF0bdGI
Comprehensive Breakdown of a Project (IOTA): https://youtu.be/I_jNH9BlEEo
Explainer w/ an Interview (Akon's project Akoin): https://youtu.be/Od2VO5TILbA
We would love to create an in-depth explainer video about the Polkadot Network, and include an interview with the founder Gavin Wood and other leading members of the team (such as Community Lead Dan Reecer).
If we really want to go for the gusto, we could even focus the video around the story of Polkadot, like we did for **Publica **(if the budget allows): https://youtu.be/VXTiHhBnnvs
Our process per video can take anywhere from 4-10 weeks, because we believe in quality over quantity. We want to create "classics", over a simple one-take screen capture video with a green screen in the background. We want our videos to last forever.
To make these videos happen, we would need support from the Polkadot Community and the Treasury, since we put so much time and effort into each project. I will breakdown the timeline of what usually goes into a video here.
Pre-Production (2-4 weeks): This process consists of research, writing, and preparation. For the IOTA video, we had the developers check our script to make sure it was technically correct, and that the analogies were on point. We also cite our sources, like a research paper. The more time we have to create a script, the better the video will be.
Production (3-5 days): Depending on the length of the script, we shoot with different cameras and gear. On the lower end, we shoot on DSLR's and other canon equipment. On high budget videos such as Publica, we used the Arri Alexa Mini and Zeiss Masterprime lenses to make it happen. We had $250,000 worth of equipment on set and with this quality, we could play the episode in theaters. Equipment List available upon request.
Post-Production (3-6 weeks): After production, we move onto editing and post. During this process, we sync all the audio and video footage together to get a rough cut together. This means that we have a good idea of what it will look like, and determine which pieces of the puzzle to fit together. After the rough is out, we can move onto the animations. We hand draw all of our assets in Adobe Illustrator, and animate them in After Effects. The best way to explain difficult concepts is through animations, and these take hundreds of hours.
Our team spends day and night on our projects (much like coders and developers do on their projects), and it would be a dream come true to work on this with you. We are happy to provide more examples and production budget sheets if this is something the community wants.
Budget: $5,000 - $10,000
The budget varies depending on the scope of work, time and equipment used.
Thank you for the consideration, we look forward to hearing the response from the community!
- Cryptonauts
Cryptonauts YouTube Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFBMJMfA6WcmoIOIb81JE0g
Comments (2)
Comments (2)
Hi, Some comments and questions:
- will the budget be used for 1 video?
- could you allocate portions of the budget to the tasks to complete the video to understand spending?
- Is the budget requested 5k or 10k? its double, i'd like to understand costs.
- do you have any plans to distribute the video after?
- which topics will you be touching on the video? Is this decided?
- What's the DOT rate you re thinking for the project?
Thanks!
Great questions! Allow us to elaborate:
Will the budget be used for 1 video?
- Yes, it will be used for 1 comprehensive video, along with several deliverables. Deliverables include a social media cut, the individual animations (usually run 30 seconds per), the interview snippet, as well as the full episode.
**Could you allocate portions of the budget to the tasks to complete the video to understand spending? **
- Sure! We will allocate the following budget to the three sections of production:
Pre-Production (25% of the budget) will be used for scriptwriting which includes research, episode planning, writing and animation direction. Our writer will need about a month for the writing process, which includes communication with the Polkadot team as well as technical/fact checking to ensure accuracy. We estimate for such a huge topic (19-page whitepaper), we will need at least 21 writing days to complete.
Production (30% of the budget) will consist of the shoot days, which includes studio rental (if applicable), rental gear, set design, crew members, and anything else we may need. We will most likely shoot with a minimal/skeleton crew due to coronavirus, and will only have the necessary crew members on set. We usually hire out for the camera department, production sound, lighting & equipment, on top of producers and talent. Our above-the-line team members will be hired out for the whole project, from pre-production to post. We can send you a detailed sample budget sheet with all the numbers and figures in private if you'd like.
Post-Production (45% of the overall budget) will consist of the editing process. We will hire out an Editor as well as an Assistant Editor to compile all of the footage and audio together. This process takes quite a long time because we also need an animator to draw and animate the assets. For example, if we were explaining the role of validators or fishermen on the polkadot network, we would need to draw each each of the assets and have them move and illustrate the larger picture. We would need to draw a representation of a parachain, it's components, and everything in between. We estimate the post-production process to take a month to complete. We can also send you examples of these upon request.
**Is the budget requested 5k or 10k? **
- We put a budget range of 5-10k to leave this up to the team and community. The difference between budgets can be seen in the quality of the cameras used, as well as the team hired out to complete the video. We estimate the video to be as long as our IOTA video, which is nearly 20 minutes. This is the best example of what we are going for. (https://youtu.be/I_jNH9BlEEo)
The IOTA video took us 2 months to complete. We had many drafts of revision since we had the IOTA devs comment and suggest different ideas to better explain things, such as the tangle, the DAG, and etc. The more resources spent on a video, the better the final outcome will be. Our rate is generally 5k for a 6-10 minute video. With the anticipation of this video being over 15 minutes, we are expecting to use double the time and resources. Please keep in mind that we are hiring out a team of people for the duration of 2-3 months with this budget.
Do you have plans to distribute the video after?
- We plan to distribute it to our audience through YouTube and all social channels (twitter), and ask the Polkadot Team to share it as well to their channels and community. The IOTA video was able to reach over 100,000 views organically in 2017, with no promotion. We believe that if we work together with the project to create an amazing story, people will watch.
**Which topics will you be touching on in the video? Is this decided? **
- This is not decided, as we want to develop the script alongside the core polkadot team. We have been doing some research, and have compiled some notes/possible topics to cover. Please take a look at the list of topics here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rjfyrr8i58DAFlwMjEdvKA-bjTP2FN3Z-8POGtJNoGA/edit?usp=sharing
**What's the DOT rate you're thinking for the project? **
- At the time of submission, DOT was at a price of $5.20 (negotiable). Our plan is to pay out the production team in cash, and distribute the rest of the unused DOT between team members. Think of it as a bonus for the team, where they can do whatever they wish for a job well done. Since most of the production team comes from a non-crypto background (specializing first in the film industry), it will be the first time for many of us to own any crypto at all. It's a great way for all of us to invest and support the Polkadot project :)
The more involvement from the Polkadot team, the better we can portray and explain it. We are looking forward to creating this masterpiece with you!
Hi, Some comments and questions:
Thanks!
Great questions! Allow us to elaborate:
Will the budget be used for 1 video?
**Could you allocate portions of the budget to the tasks to complete the video to understand spending? **
Pre-Production (25% of the budget) will be used for scriptwriting which includes research, episode planning, writing and animation direction. Our writer will need about a month for the writing process, which includes communication with the Polkadot team as well as technical/fact checking to ensure accuracy. We estimate for such a huge topic (19-page whitepaper), we will need at least 21 writing days to complete.
Production (30% of the budget) will consist of the shoot days, which includes studio rental (if applicable), rental gear, set design, crew members, and anything else we may need. We will most likely shoot with a minimal/skeleton crew due to coronavirus, and will only have the necessary crew members on set. We usually hire out for the camera department, production sound, lighting & equipment, on top of producers and talent. Our above-the-line team members will be hired out for the whole project, from pre-production to post. We can send you a detailed sample budget sheet with all the numbers and figures in private if you'd like.
Post-Production (45% of the overall budget) will consist of the editing process. We will hire out an Editor as well as an Assistant Editor to compile all of the footage and audio together. This process takes quite a long time because we also need an animator to draw and animate the assets. For example, if we were explaining the role of validators or fishermen on the polkadot network, we would need to draw each each of the assets and have them move and illustrate the larger picture. We would need to draw a representation of a parachain, it's components, and everything in between. We estimate the post-production process to take a month to complete. We can also send you examples of these upon request.
**Is the budget requested 5k or 10k? **
The IOTA video took us 2 months to complete. We had many drafts of revision since we had the IOTA devs comment and suggest different ideas to better explain things, such as the tangle, the DAG, and etc. The more resources spent on a video, the better the final outcome will be. Our rate is generally 5k for a 6-10 minute video. With the anticipation of this video being over 15 minutes, we are expecting to use double the time and resources. Please keep in mind that we are hiring out a team of people for the duration of 2-3 months with this budget.
Do you have plans to distribute the video after?
**Which topics will you be touching on in the video? Is this decided? **
**What's the DOT rate you're thinking for the project? **
The more involvement from the Polkadot team, the better we can portray and explain it. We are looking forward to creating this masterpiece with you!