Hey everybody!
Excuse the shower hair.
I wanted to give you all a glimpse at what has been going on at Cloth Map HQ.
I am deep in the edit for Cloth Map's next feature, Chernobyl.
I'm really excited about this one.
I came back with 26 hours of footage from Ukraine.
Most if it is from Chernobyl.
This is a gigantic piece.
I'm doing some things I've never done before.
I hired a voice actor.
Okay, good.
Could I trouble you guys for one more take with the phrases after the word "Chernobyl" with almost
no pauses, so kind of speed through the rest of it after "Chernobyl."
[Audio engineer:] Okay.
I'm also working with a composer to do original music for this piece, which is another thing
I have never done before.
We'll see how that goes!
I'm excited!
But in addition to working on videos that I shot in the past, I've also been thinking
about the future.
Come check out my equipment upgrades, starting with this sexy beast.
That right there is 16 terabytes of network attached storage.
We used Synologys at Giant Bomb and I've loved them ever since.
I've got it set up to pull from my editing laptop periodically.
I'm hoping 16 terabytes is going to be enough, at least for 2017.
By the way, when your editing machine is a laptop and the screen suddenly decides to
not turn on, it brings your entire operation to a halt.
A few other items here, some Sony headphones.
The Apple headphones were just not cutting it.
These are MDR-7506s.
Speaking of audio: since I do a lot of voiceover with Cloth Map videos, I figured it would
be best to invest in a quality microphone.
Your friends and mine over at B&H Photo Video sent along this guy, the Shure SM7B.
Now since it is an XLR microphone I had to get an audio interface for my computer, so
B&H sent along this guy, the Scarlett 2i2.
So let's try it out!
[Otacon voice:] Snake, do you think love can bloom... even on a battlefield?
"But Drew, how's the charging station going?"
I'm glad you asked.
Check this out.
The six-port Anker charger was just not cutting it so I got a ten-port.
The six-port, which is now in one of these boxes, has become my dedicated travel power
strip.
This one'll stay here and the six-port will come with me.
But that's not all for gear.
May I introduce the 2017 version of the Samsung Gear 360, a 360-degree camera.
I have never used one of these before.
I've never even turned this thing on, so what do you say we give it a shot?
Alright, ready?
[record beep]
I feel funny.
I did quite a bit of research on 360 cameras and they're not great yet.
This one, I think, seems to be the best of a not-so-great technology quite yet and, as
they go, is one of the relatively cheap ones.
I'm just gonna try things out for a little bit, do some tests, and see how it goes.
But it's not just production gear that I've upgraded.
You may recall from the gear video from before the Ukraine trip that I bring synthetic shirts,
socks, and underwear that I can wash in the shower.
But I hadn't really found a good pants solution.
A lot of people recommended that I try Outlier brand pants, so I did!
Now, I haven't given these the shower wash test yet, but so far they fit pretty good.
They're really lightweight and maneuverable.
And they make my butt look good.
[royalty-free Billie Jean]
I also rigged up a capture setup because the Chernobyl video
is going to need some gameplay footage.
And I could probably turn this into a streaming setup without too much effort.
And, because I haven't done a VLOG in a while, some things have piled up in the Cloth Map
mailbag.
From Peter in Durham, North Carolina.
[laughing]
They're sticky all over!
That's perfect!
Yeah, these are... ha ha!
These are not cutting it.
Oh yeah, that is so much better.
Thank you very much, Peter!
And now we have, from Thomas from Fredericksburg, Texas.
You may recall Thomas is the one who sent me that sweet drinking glass with the Cloth
Map logo etched on it.
"Dear Drew, this is Thomas.
Enclosed is the mirror and a coaster.
The coaster is very functional, like the drinking glass, and made to compliment the glass you have."
Excellent!
Look at that!
That is some fine craftsmanship.
"The mirror is to commemorate your first destination.
It is the Ukraine coat of arms."
Wow!
Look at that!
I definitely saw this all over the place, too.
"I plan on doing one for every destination you visit, only if you object I will not."
That's totally fine, please do!
"I love doing this stuff, the etching and the like.
Like I said, I've listed to Giant Bomb and you for years so this is a show of appreciation.
Thanks, Thomas."
Thank you, Thomas!
These are awesome, thank you very much.
Also, you may recall from past Cloth Map mailbags, these guys.
Magnetic pins.
Well, I just got the thing they go with.
Wa-bam, there it is.
And not only is it magnetic, but the quality is great and these colors are just fantastic.
Not to mention it'll make a great backdrop to shoot against too.
Thanks again, Matt!
So what does the next few weeks look like for Cloth Map?
Well!
We've got this VLOG, then we'll have Chernobyl, which is a feature video.
In terms of Ukraine, there will be another travelogue, and then after that, another feature
which I haven't talked about yet but that I am very excited to show you.
In between all of that will probably be another Q&A for Patrons.
For those Patrons in the Secret Sauce tier, I've been posting documents for each related
video and those will also be available here, here, and here.
I was going to release a gigantic document with all the Secret Sauce at the end of posting
all the videos but it made more sense, I think, to do it per-video.
So if you are a Patron who is signed up for that, there you go!
And of course, probably near the tail end of all that, we will start talking about destination
number two.
So stay tuned for all of that, and I guess a 360 camera test video or something, but
until then: keep it maptacular.
[royalty-free Billie Jean]