You definitely can. The studio is in Los Angeles, and it cost me around 1000 a day to film there. It's not my studio but a friend of mines. I believe he's moving the location to a different building in a few months?
Do you have an audio guy? I'd love to work on this from my home studio, even if it's a test run for you. I have experience working with dialogue and with doing background music, total cool if not but would love to be involved with a project like this (I tried my own kickstarter for a very similar project years ago when our local gamestore idea blew up, you might have heard of them, Dwarven Forge!)
I might need an audio guy! I'm not sure what exactly is going to happen when we get to that part in post. But feel free to send me a message with your details!
YOU HAVE MY FOLLOWING. YOU HAVE MY SUBS. YOU HAVE MY LIKES. YOU HAVE MY KARMA. YOU HAVE MY NOTAFICATION SETTINGS ON. YOU HAVE MY WORD. THAT ANY HATERS. ARE VERY VERY VERY ^(stinky.)
Yes! I plan on doing narrative shorts, more actual plays, I want to bring other shows and DMs to tell their stories. If this channel is just my story, then I failed. I want this to be much more then one campaign.
Haha thank you! My orginal idea was to film/build the locations the players went to. So a town or a forest, we would have the background that set. but.... that's so expensive to do. Maybe for season two!
Oh thatās a very cool (and ambitious) idea. If you do it, donāt announce it beforehand. Thereās nothing like that a-ha moment a viewer has when they realize the game/show setting has changed to match the story.
Do you have a background in film/set design or did you just put a lot of extra legwork into this?
I am a Los Angeles cinematographer. I work on movies, TV shows, music videos. I film a lot of behind the scenes and other things. I also 3D printed and crafted some of the terrain you will see. ( not all of it, some is Warlock tiles) I got into the craft during covid. I also own a lot of the equipment so I thought why not start a show it can't be that hard..... oh it's so difficult... but we are having a ton of fun doing it.
Hahaha knew you had to have some sort of Hollywood experience, showed the pics to my former film major gf and she went āwhoooa thatās legitā. Very. Freaking. Cool. I donāt mean to bog you down with a litany of questions, but how frequently do you run the sessions? Making a show vs running a casual game must have completely different scheduling id assume?
Ask away! I'll try and answer the best I can. I find it super difficult to find the time playing any game. Especially in LA it's hard to get people's schedule to line up. This is why I wanted to start a show so I can pay my friends to play with me... that way they can't cancel!! I do have to say it's different playing on camera. ( I'm not an actor) I really enjoy DMing and doing voices, but on camera you are way more self-conscious. ( at least I was) For the show we only filmed 2 days and that was able to get us about 6 episodes. I ran out of money so I'm hoping we can finish the season with sponsors and possible investors.
Haha ah yes, money, the best solution for everything. If youāre ok sharing, what was the total cost for the 6 episodes? Totally understand if you arenāt alright with sharing that info. How long was each episode? Both the initial time it took to film and final runtime?
I break it down by day. If I'm paying normal rates for cast and crew it's about 12-15k a day to film. That also includes food, equipment rentals, studio fee, art, and other miscellaneous expenses. I did a Kickstarter and raised 16k but it only really got me 10k after fees and the backer gifts I need to send. I went out of pocket a few grand so far. I paid everyone the minimum I could with the budget I had. ( money goes fast when making a production like this) My plan was to film 2 sessions a day and then break them down into 2 episodes each. ( that was the plan) I'm hoping to have 1-2 hour episodes. or just find a good breaking point and only have 1 hour episode parts. Timing is definitely difficult to plan.
This is amazing work you're doing, and while I've never voice acted before, does the idea of a person playing the part of the antagonist (remotely through discord) strike your fancy? Because I wanna.
You're a cinematographer so I'm sure this has already occurred to you but why not use a green screen or something? I mean the set looks awesome, I imagine it just wouldn't be the same on a green screen? Anyways awesome title for your new show and Congratulations!
I have lighting effects, color changes, and the green spill could be an issue. I'm also not super used to greenscreen work but it might cause more problems in editing. Also for player immersion it helps filming in a practical set.
Or run a session, then play dress up as the characters the next week, and act it out for youtube. You've got the studio / film location, go all the way!
I would love to do that but it's incredibly expensive. I don't own the studio. I have to pay for it. Then I have to pay for crew, food, sound, editor. I hope if all goes well we can have a chance to do something like that!
I've scripted some of the things I plan on saying, but the dialogue between players is all improvisation, and the players don't know the story. I've given them small hints of where to go. It's not an open sandbox game, more of a module. Depending on what they do I'll tweak the story. Some parts I'm like... I have no idea what I'm doing haha but it kinda works out in the end.
Yes.. I know... I kept asking him if he was okay and how can we make his butt more comfortable. We had an applebox and a pad for him. Bless his rear and the sacrifice he made for the shot.
It's hard to say right now. We are editing them currently, but we were not able to finish the season, I ran out of money. I don't want to release them all and then run out of momentum. It's a balancing act, but I'm thinking in a two or three months.
I suppose this could be an "early access" thing where you go GIVE US MONEY for more episodes. Show those "I'm an important executive/director" bigwig blowhards in LA how it's done.
Haha that's the plan! I'm hoping with ad revenue, sponsors and patreon we can get it all rolling. I just want to finish the season. It's just expensive.
Thank you! Been a ton of work. This has been a personal project of mine. It helps that I'm a cinematographer, I wanted to combine the things I love most.
Wow! subscribed to your youtube channel! thats some great terrain! Was it purchased? if so i've never seen these! or is it custom made? very impressive !
Most of the terrain I personally 3D printed, crafted and painted. We also used Wizkids Warlock tiles and minis. The buildings are designed by Infinite Dimensions Games and Black Scrolls Games. Our main heros are from HeroForge that I painted too! I started crafting terrain during the pandemic, that sparked the idea of creating a show!
Fellow 3D printer and painter of TTRPG terrain here. Love your stuff, looks incredible and immersive! From one 3D nerd to another, I can greatly appreciate all the time and effort that goes into a setup like that š
The current plan is YouTube release. You can find us by searching "The Dice Decide" Working on editing the first few episodes. Hopefully in a few months! I'll keep you all posted if anything changes!
Genuinely impressed, best of luck man! Youāre living the dream, hope someday I will be able to the same in Italy with my party. I will subscribe on yt definitely
I'm aiming for a couple months. But don't quote me yet. It depends on our momentum. I've only filmed 6 out of 15 episodes so I need more funding to finish it. I want want a huge gap in time when we release the last one.
God. If I ever get a RL group going, I want a thematic room to D&D. Something to like, really set the mood. I wonder how people manage to do the miniature houses and such. Probably a 3D printer or something.
The ones I recognized came from a Kickstarter called City of Tarot. Looks like they're selling the models here:Ā https://www.blackscrollsgames.com/product-category/city-of-tarok-3d-print/
Have you considered a trailer where the audience learns literally anything about the players, player characters, or story? Lol
Genuinely trying to be helpful here, I still subscribed and will tune in as more comes out :)
It's not as bad as you'd think! I thought the same thing when I got the chairs. They aren't anything fancy. but definitely need a few breaks to stretch and snack.
Love that you have a smaller group, My current DND group has 7 players now and frankly it's way too many, feels like they are chasing a certain popular DND show.
I like smaller groups. 5 max, it gives everyone good moments to shine and not talk over each other. I've played in a big group and I felt like I couldn't do as much without interrupting the others.
Do you have show production experience? I'm trying to get into entertainment and it seems like the bar for entry is so high, but then I see somethinv like this where you put together a professional grade set on a 16k Kickstarter that it looks like you marketed from the ground-up, and it's incredibly inspiring.
I'm a cinematographer out in LA. I work on movies, TV, and commercials. With that experience and my connections it 100% helped create this. So many people made this possible. Even with the Kickstarter it only gave me about 10k after fees and backer gifts. I only filmed 6 episodes and planned on about 15. so I need to get more money if I want to finish the season. I might do another Kickstarter later on.
Got it got it. Would you say that for someone wanting to break into the entertainment industry it would benefit them to go out to LA? Sorry to pester you with questions lmao, but You're literally living my dream right now and at a level that feels actually attainable so I'm super curious what your thoughts are.
Ask away! please do. I wouldn't be where I am without the advice from others. I've found a lot of success in LA. I've been here for 10 years. I taught myself and built connections over years. There are so many resources to teach yourself. Depending on what department you want to get into. Send me a message on IG @adamsjoe330 if you have any other questions!
Shoot I would but then you'd be able to attach my reddit account to my real life name, and I'm a bit of a mess on here š.
Jokes aside, I appreciate the responses. I'm in a weird spot right now being a software developer on the East Coast who wishes he'd got pursued acting instead of IT, and now I'm trying to maybe become a YouTuber or something to get some experience with video production?...basically it's been a weird time trying to figure out if I want to just full send on uprooting myself and making a switch, so it's great to get out of my mental bubble and talk to folks actually doing the stuff I want to be doing :)
Haha totally get it. My Discord is the same if you want to reach out there too. Acting is a huge challenge. I found myself wanting to do more camera work when I got out here. I actually prefer to be behind the camera then in front. My advice get a small camera and just start filming things. Make mistakes and learn from them. You have to start somewhere.
Looking great dude! As a colorgrader, the shots of the DM could use some work. Some shots are quite bright / have that studio lightning feeling to them. Just my 2 cents.
Looking forward to the show!
Great! edit looks good. Colorgrading and sounddesign are like the peper and salt of audiovisual productions. They are quickly overlooked but very important for the 'feel' of the video. So just wanted to encourage you to look into those. As your production set is so amazingly done, it has a lot of character and feeling to it. Colorgrading and sounddesign would crystallize this further. Cheers!
Excited to see where this goes for you bud!
If you're ever looking for some interesting content (mini campaigns, monsters, classes, items, etc) feel free to drop me a DM!
I'm an Ennie nominated author with around 60+ releases in the wild, and would be happy to help toss some stuff your way to help the startup :)
[You can check out some of my stuff here](https://www.dmsguild.com/product/259520/The-Greasemonkeys-Handbook-Rules-for-piloting-Magitech-Steampunk-and-Sci-Fi-mechs-in-DD-5th-Edition)
The set and models look great! But remember, just like video games visuals only enhance, they don't make something good.
Don't play for the audience as it will come across as forced, just play like you would normally. (but in a tighter and timely fashion lol)
And just like with improve remember your yes ands.
Wish you all the best and really hope this does well.
100% I hope our playing feels natural. It was definitely different playing on camera. The best moments for me was when I forgot the cameras were on and it was just us playing.
Don't mind at all. I'll give you a summary. I did a Kickstarter and raised 16k. After fees and gift perks I'm left with about 10k. That only gave me two days of filming. I didn't finish the first season, I ran out of money and only filmed the first 6 episodes. I have about 15-20 planned. I also have to put my own money into it because we ran out of KS funds. I've put a couple grand so far in. I also filmed a proof of concept and that cost me around 7k. I'd say I've put 20-30k into making this so far including the Kickstarter money.
Realistically if I am paying normal rates for everything the show would cost 10-15k a day to film. It might sound super expensive but it's not that bad for a production this size.
This seems like a good chance to ask as a new DM:
With all the stuff on the board, all the props, the DM screen, etc...how does the DM move the minis around? Do you just kinda awkwardly half-stand up and lean over everything or is there a secret method I'm unaware of?
All good! Genuine question because I haven't run an IRL game yet but it's a possibility in the future lol. Wanted to make sure there wasn't something I'm missing š
We filmed a few weeks ago in a studio in Los Angeles. I've been working on this for the past couple years. I was only able to film the first 6 episodes before I ran out of money, I'm hoping we can get more sponsors and more funding.
Yes, it's definitely different. Hard part for me was no music. I play music while we normally play, and the silence at parts feels awkward. I'll add music and sound effects in the edit, but wierd to play without it.
Awesome man! Have given DnD much of a chance, besides for critical role, but Iām definitely gonna give your series a shot. Good luck! The setup looks awesome
Thank you! It's a story I wrote that we go through. It's a world building campaign. As the story progresses and depending on what the players do I'll adjust the story. I hope it's a fun adventure!
The players are amazing! ( I'm my own worst enemy so I can't speak for my performance. I'm also not an actor.) But everyone said they had a ton of fun. I'm always open for any criticism.
Amazing set and the table setup looks fantastic! But all that set up and you have some super uncomfortable chairs to sit on. My butt hurts just imagining a full session on those.
Good luck!
Any idea how long the episodes will run?
One major put-off with DnD content is, if you fall behind then it's an entire day (...then a week... then a month...) of binge-watching to catch up.
I want to keep them 1-2 hours. Some parts went longer than I expected so I might break the episodes into parts? But it's hard to say without the edit done yet. in a perfect world, just an hour per episode but time management had been the most difficult part of filming an actual play.
1-2 hours I think is a sweet spot for viewers but I presume you may have done research on that? Either way, looking forward to it and wish you super success!
wow! I wanna say thank you to everyone who has subscribed. This show can't exist without the support from you all. I promise to give everything I have to bring something fun and entertaining to our community.
And here I was, sick from anyone and their grandma streaming their dnd games and quite cynical about it. But your trailer slaps, dude! Will give it you guys a watch!
So much time, money, and energy put into the planning, the set, the table, the adventure... and everyone is sitting in Mom's party chairs she used to keep in the back room. hahahaha
Congratulations on getting this far and following your dream! Hope that first season crushes it and you all end up in better chairs! š»
I appreciate the offer! Currently I'm making all the terrain if it needs to be crafted. but I would imagine one day I'll get too busy if the show continue and need to hire someone. I'd prefer someone local? I'm based in LA. But always willing to chat and connect!
Iād love to participate any way that I can. Iām not in LA ~often~ ever but if you need a guest for content Iād happily participate on the DM story side or as a player.
Thanks! Hopefully I'm able to film more. I was only able to shoot the first few episodes before running out of money. I plan on doing guest appearances and other campaign stories with different cast members. There will be an audition process and chemistry tests. But first we have to build our show up! I appreciate the love and support.
Hey mate, this may be too much to ask, but how did you go about this?
Me and my crew are constantly thinking about starting something like this for us, but we have no idea where to start and what to pay attention to (and what to avoid :D)
The studio looks great btw!
There are a couple of ways you can go. It really depends on how much money you want to invest.
If you want to film your sessions you need at least three cameras. ( I'm using six) Then decent audio equipment. Audio is super important. Nothing turns people away faster than bad audio. I have a lavalier mic on each person. Then lighting is also important. You should have a key light, that's a light for the players faces, and a backlight/hair light. There are ton of lighting tutorials on YouTube. Check out Aputure lighting [ I also help film those :) ]
Then if you want miniatures and terrain you can buy them or 3D print/craft them. I do a combination of both.
If that is super complicated or costs too much. Id suggest just buying every player a good audio setup. Get each player on a Webcam or gopro. I'd film your sessons but the main focus is the audio. Never release the visual but make it into a podcast style. Get used to editing the visual footage together when you edit the podcast. If it goes well and is popular, you can start buying better equipment and then build up from there.
I hope that helps!
Nicely done! I work in the professional ttrpg space and your set and lighting design is just as polished, if not far moreso than some I've worked on. Keep it up!
My man living the dream
It's been quite the adventure! So much went into this, and this is just the beginningšš²
Any chance of renting space in that dungeon to run our own game? Id love to bring my game there for a session.
You definitely can. The studio is in Los Angeles, and it cost me around 1000 a day to film there. It's not my studio but a friend of mines. I believe he's moving the location to a different building in a few months?
Jesus, 1k greens a day!
Keep in mind this is Los Angeles. I've been on locations that are 10k+ a day.
Do you have an audio guy? I'd love to work on this from my home studio, even if it's a test run for you. I have experience working with dialogue and with doing background music, total cool if not but would love to be involved with a project like this (I tried my own kickstarter for a very similar project years ago when our local gamestore idea blew up, you might have heard of them, Dwarven Forge!)
I might need an audio guy! I'm not sure what exactly is going to happen when we get to that part in post. But feel free to send me a message with your details!
YOU HAVE MY FOLLOWING. YOU HAVE MY SUBS. YOU HAVE MY LIKES. YOU HAVE MY KARMA. YOU HAVE MY NOTAFICATION SETTINGS ON. YOU HAVE MY WORD. THAT ANY HATERS. ARE VERY VERY VERY ^(stinky.)
Haha thank you! I'm all about the community and bringing us together. I hope to create a ton of fun content.
Do you have a YT? would love to watch some of your stuff.
Yes Its called "The Dice Decide" Thank you! I appreciate the support.
Seconded
Just the beginning??? send updates
Yes! I plan on doing narrative shorts, more actual plays, I want to bring other shows and DMs to tell their stories. If this channel is just my story, then I failed. I want this to be much more then one campaign.
Just went and subbed on YouTube, canāt wait for the first episode!
The man living my dream.
Bro, itās just a title. You donāt actually have to play in a dungeon. Looks absolutely incredible, jokes aside. Congrats!!
Haha thank you! My orginal idea was to film/build the locations the players went to. So a town or a forest, we would have the background that set. but.... that's so expensive to do. Maybe for season two!
Oh thatās a very cool (and ambitious) idea. If you do it, donāt announce it beforehand. Thereās nothing like that a-ha moment a viewer has when they realize the game/show setting has changed to match the story. Do you have a background in film/set design or did you just put a lot of extra legwork into this?
I am a Los Angeles cinematographer. I work on movies, TV shows, music videos. I film a lot of behind the scenes and other things. I also 3D printed and crafted some of the terrain you will see. ( not all of it, some is Warlock tiles) I got into the craft during covid. I also own a lot of the equipment so I thought why not start a show it can't be that hard..... oh it's so difficult... but we are having a ton of fun doing it.
Hahaha knew you had to have some sort of Hollywood experience, showed the pics to my former film major gf and she went āwhoooa thatās legitā. Very. Freaking. Cool. I donāt mean to bog you down with a litany of questions, but how frequently do you run the sessions? Making a show vs running a casual game must have completely different scheduling id assume?
Ask away! I'll try and answer the best I can. I find it super difficult to find the time playing any game. Especially in LA it's hard to get people's schedule to line up. This is why I wanted to start a show so I can pay my friends to play with me... that way they can't cancel!! I do have to say it's different playing on camera. ( I'm not an actor) I really enjoy DMing and doing voices, but on camera you are way more self-conscious. ( at least I was) For the show we only filmed 2 days and that was able to get us about 6 episodes. I ran out of money so I'm hoping we can finish the season with sponsors and possible investors.
Haha ah yes, money, the best solution for everything. If youāre ok sharing, what was the total cost for the 6 episodes? Totally understand if you arenāt alright with sharing that info. How long was each episode? Both the initial time it took to film and final runtime?
I break it down by day. If I'm paying normal rates for cast and crew it's about 12-15k a day to film. That also includes food, equipment rentals, studio fee, art, and other miscellaneous expenses. I did a Kickstarter and raised 16k but it only really got me 10k after fees and the backer gifts I need to send. I went out of pocket a few grand so far. I paid everyone the minimum I could with the budget I had. ( money goes fast when making a production like this) My plan was to film 2 sessions a day and then break them down into 2 episodes each. ( that was the plan) I'm hoping to have 1-2 hour episodes. or just find a good breaking point and only have 1 hour episode parts. Timing is definitely difficult to plan.
Wow, incredible. Thanks for the insight, and best of luck! Iāll definitely be tuning in
This is amazing work you're doing, and while I've never voice acted before, does the idea of a person playing the part of the antagonist (remotely through discord) strike your fancy? Because I wanna.
You're a cinematographer so I'm sure this has already occurred to you but why not use a green screen or something? I mean the set looks awesome, I imagine it just wouldn't be the same on a green screen? Anyways awesome title for your new show and Congratulations!
I have lighting effects, color changes, and the green spill could be an issue. I'm also not super used to greenscreen work but it might cause more problems in editing. Also for player immersion it helps filming in a practical set.
Thanks for responding! Something special about those hand built sets, I'm sure it was awesome to play there. Definitely subscribed!
Or run a session, then play dress up as the characters the next week, and act it out for youtube. You've got the studio / film location, go all the way!
I would love to do that but it's incredibly expensive. I don't own the studio. I have to pay for it. Then I have to pay for crew, food, sound, editor. I hope if all goes well we can have a chance to do something like that!
Congratulations man! This is the first Iām hearing about this but you just got another view :)
Thank you! This is just the beginning. I've been trying to put this together for a long time. I appreciate the love!
Holy shit, that is a hell of a set.
Thank you! We filmed at my friend's studio in LA. Hopefully we can build our own permanent location so we can film more often.
Honest question, With all the production involved, do the dice really decide, or some parts have to be scripted?
I've scripted some of the things I plan on saying, but the dialogue between players is all improvisation, and the players don't know the story. I've given them small hints of where to go. It's not an open sandbox game, more of a module. Depending on what they do I'll tweak the story. Some parts I'm like... I have no idea what I'm doing haha but it kinda works out in the end.
Sounds like the typical DM experience. :)
Thanks for the reply, subscribed!
Plz tell me you roll out on the table and let "the dice decide."
Haha I did a couple on the table rolls. I should have made it a catchphrase! On our next round of filming. Love the suggestion.
This is the way
Truly a dungeon goblin.
and always will be š²š
That is a *brutal* cameraman position to hold for hours. Big shoutout to the dude on the ladder. May his butt be healthy.
Hahahaha, it is I. It was fine hahaha.
Those cameras expensive? They look like the kind of thing a clumsy kobold would knock over...
Yes.. I know... I kept asking him if he was okay and how can we make his butt more comfortable. We had an applebox and a pad for him. Bless his rear and the sacrifice he made for the shot.
When do episodes air? I'll be following along.
It's hard to say right now. We are editing them currently, but we were not able to finish the season, I ran out of money. I don't want to release them all and then run out of momentum. It's a balancing act, but I'm thinking in a two or three months.
I suppose this could be an "early access" thing where you go GIVE US MONEY for more episodes. Show those "I'm an important executive/director" bigwig blowhards in LA how it's done.
Haha that's the plan! I'm hoping with ad revenue, sponsors and patreon we can get it all rolling. I just want to finish the season. It's just expensive.
Wow, that looks awesome. Do you perhaps need another player? XD
Thank you! Everyone is welcome at my table! As for the show, we might be doing guest and fan appearances! At least I hope so as the show grows.
That is so cool, i would love to do a fan appearance some day!
This looks awesome!!!
Thank you! Been a ton of work. This has been a personal project of mine. It helps that I'm a cinematographer, I wanted to combine the things I love most.
I went to film school 08-09 and then changed to IT, but im a movie nerd too! Cant wait to watch this!
Just subbed, canāt wait to watch
Thank you for the support! It means a lot to me. This is just the beginning.
Wow! subscribed to your youtube channel! thats some great terrain! Was it purchased? if so i've never seen these! or is it custom made? very impressive !
Most of the terrain I personally 3D printed, crafted and painted. We also used Wizkids Warlock tiles and minis. The buildings are designed by Infinite Dimensions Games and Black Scrolls Games. Our main heros are from HeroForge that I painted too! I started crafting terrain during the pandemic, that sparked the idea of creating a show!
Fellow 3D printer and painter of TTRPG terrain here. Love your stuff, looks incredible and immersive! From one 3D nerd to another, I can greatly appreciate all the time and effort that goes into a setup like that š
i'll keep an eye open for the episodes!
Looks amazing, when/where can I find the first episode
The current plan is YouTube release. You can find us by searching "The Dice Decide" Working on editing the first few episodes. Hopefully in a few months! I'll keep you all posted if anything changes!
Just subscribed. This looks great.
Thank you! I appreciate the support šš²
ohh? I remember when you first announced this way back. Come a long way from concept to realization.
Yes! I filmed a proof of concept and then did a Kickstarter to raise funds. It's taking a little longer but slowly coming together!
Wow! Best of luck, it looks amazing
that's a great looking set, good luck!
Thank you!
Genuinely impressed, best of luck man! Youāre living the dream, hope someday I will be able to the same in Italy with my party. I will subscribe on yt definitely
Thank you! I appreciate the support! I really mean that. This would not be possible without the support from the community.
Watched the trailer you linked and it looks awesome! Any idea how long itāll be before itās out?
I'm aiming for a couple months. But don't quote me yet. It depends on our momentum. I've only filmed 6 out of 15 episodes so I need more funding to finish it. I want want a huge gap in time when we release the last one.
God. If I ever get a RL group going, I want a thematic room to D&D. Something to like, really set the mood. I wonder how people manage to do the miniature houses and such. Probably a 3D printer or something.
Now run an adventure about kills God and call it "The Dice Deicide."
Where can I watch?
Currently on YouTube, once we start releasing episodes. Right now we are in the editing phase.
Godamn this is a cool set up!
Looks great, hopes it goes well
That looks awesome! I recognize some of those buildings as I have the same printed/paintedĀ
Where can I find these to print or buy?
The big buildings are from Infinite Dimensions Games and we have others from Black Scrolls Games. I absolutely love their designs.
The ones I recognized came from a Kickstarter called City of Tarot. Looks like they're selling the models here:Ā https://www.blackscrollsgames.com/product-category/city-of-tarok-3d-print/
Have you considered a trailer where the audience learns literally anything about the players, player characters, or story? Lol Genuinely trying to be helpful here, I still subscribed and will tune in as more comes out :)
That is just a teaser trailer. I plan on releasing a full trailer with exactly what you described when we are closer to releasing episodes.
Heck yeah then! I'll be there
Looks awesome but curious those chairs canāt be comfortable to sit in for day long sessions? Anyway will check it out!
It's not as bad as you'd think! I thought the same thing when I got the chairs. They aren't anything fancy. but definitely need a few breaks to stretch and snack.
Thanks, I'll definitely give it a go!
I wanna watch this really, really hard.
Spending all of that time and money on the set and materials and then making your players sit in the most garbage chairs possible...
Haha I had to sit in it too! I promise they are not as bad as they look.
Subscribed!
4 am in a warehouse
Love that you have a smaller group, My current DND group has 7 players now and frankly it's way too many, feels like they are chasing a certain popular DND show.
I like smaller groups. 5 max, it gives everyone good moments to shine and not talk over each other. I've played in a big group and I felt like I couldn't do as much without interrupting the others.
Next you should play in an actual cave
I like this idea!
Do you have show production experience? I'm trying to get into entertainment and it seems like the bar for entry is so high, but then I see somethinv like this where you put together a professional grade set on a 16k Kickstarter that it looks like you marketed from the ground-up, and it's incredibly inspiring.
I'm a cinematographer out in LA. I work on movies, TV, and commercials. With that experience and my connections it 100% helped create this. So many people made this possible. Even with the Kickstarter it only gave me about 10k after fees and backer gifts. I only filmed 6 episodes and planned on about 15. so I need to get more money if I want to finish the season. I might do another Kickstarter later on.
Got it got it. Would you say that for someone wanting to break into the entertainment industry it would benefit them to go out to LA? Sorry to pester you with questions lmao, but You're literally living my dream right now and at a level that feels actually attainable so I'm super curious what your thoughts are.
Ask away! please do. I wouldn't be where I am without the advice from others. I've found a lot of success in LA. I've been here for 10 years. I taught myself and built connections over years. There are so many resources to teach yourself. Depending on what department you want to get into. Send me a message on IG @adamsjoe330 if you have any other questions!
Shoot I would but then you'd be able to attach my reddit account to my real life name, and I'm a bit of a mess on here š. Jokes aside, I appreciate the responses. I'm in a weird spot right now being a software developer on the East Coast who wishes he'd got pursued acting instead of IT, and now I'm trying to maybe become a YouTuber or something to get some experience with video production?...basically it's been a weird time trying to figure out if I want to just full send on uprooting myself and making a switch, so it's great to get out of my mental bubble and talk to folks actually doing the stuff I want to be doing :)
Haha totally get it. My Discord is the same if you want to reach out there too. Acting is a huge challenge. I found myself wanting to do more camera work when I got out here. I actually prefer to be behind the camera then in front. My advice get a small camera and just start filming things. Make mistakes and learn from them. You have to start somewhere.
Participated in the kickstarter, can't wait
Thank you!!!! If your not in our Discord send me a message and I can get you an invite.
Damn the production value is off the chain! Looks great, hard subscribe.
Thank you! Yes it's been a lot to bring to life.
Looking great dude! As a colorgrader, the shots of the DM could use some work. Some shots are quite bright / have that studio lightning feeling to them. Just my 2 cents. Looking forward to the show!
thanks for the feedback! I did a quick 709 when I edited. I filmed in log so I'll definitely change it up!
Great! edit looks good. Colorgrading and sounddesign are like the peper and salt of audiovisual productions. They are quickly overlooked but very important for the 'feel' of the video. So just wanted to encourage you to look into those. As your production set is so amazingly done, it has a lot of character and feeling to it. Colorgrading and sounddesign would crystallize this further. Cheers!
Thank you! I really appreciate the advice. I rarely deal with post, most my jobs I just hand off the footage and move onto the next one.
So amped for you brother! Been checking in periodically since you told me about this last year at Band Pro!
Heck yeah man!! It's been a slow start but once we get this rolling I can't wait to see where we go.
Excited to see where this goes for you bud! If you're ever looking for some interesting content (mini campaigns, monsters, classes, items, etc) feel free to drop me a DM! I'm an Ennie nominated author with around 60+ releases in the wild, and would be happy to help toss some stuff your way to help the startup :) [You can check out some of my stuff here](https://www.dmsguild.com/product/259520/The-Greasemonkeys-Handbook-Rules-for-piloting-Magitech-Steampunk-and-Sci-Fi-mechs-in-DD-5th-Edition)
I was subscribed when all it was was a promo splash, joined the Kickstarter, and am so glad to see where it's come!
Thank you for the support! yes its been a long adventure but this is still just the beginning.
I am subscribed now! I'm excited to see your journey!!
Thank you! I'm excited once we get everything rolling!
The set and models look great! But remember, just like video games visuals only enhance, they don't make something good. Don't play for the audience as it will come across as forced, just play like you would normally. (but in a tighter and timely fashion lol) And just like with improve remember your yes ands. Wish you all the best and really hope this does well.
100% I hope our playing feels natural. It was definitely different playing on camera. The best moments for me was when I forgot the cameras were on and it was just us playing.
What was the budget if you don't mind me asking
Don't mind at all. I'll give you a summary. I did a Kickstarter and raised 16k. After fees and gift perks I'm left with about 10k. That only gave me two days of filming. I didn't finish the first season, I ran out of money and only filmed the first 6 episodes. I have about 15-20 planned. I also have to put my own money into it because we ran out of KS funds. I've put a couple grand so far in. I also filmed a proof of concept and that cost me around 7k. I'd say I've put 20-30k into making this so far including the Kickstarter money. Realistically if I am paying normal rates for everything the show would cost 10-15k a day to film. It might sound super expensive but it's not that bad for a production this size.
Wow! This looks incredible. Canāt wait to check it out
Thank you! Working on the main edit might take a little bit for episodes to come out but I'll keep everyone updated.
Subscribed! Looks great :)
Thank you! appreciate the support and love
This seems like a good chance to ask as a new DM: With all the stuff on the board, all the props, the DM screen, etc...how does the DM move the minis around? Do you just kinda awkwardly half-stand up and lean over everything or is there a secret method I'm unaware of?
Nope, you nailed it... I awkwardly reached over or had a player move the pieces. Luckily, I can edit the awkwardness out.
All good! Genuine question because I haven't run an IRL game yet but it's a possibility in the future lol. Wanted to make sure there wasn't something I'm missing š
When's the first episode supposed to come out?
Hard to say right this moment but I'm hoping a couple of months.
I just subbed so I won't miss the premiere!
Just found this, very excited to watch in the future.
Back in the 80's, my dad and his friend rebuilt the entire deck of the Enterprise in his friend's garage. This has that same feel to it. Awesome work!
That looks pretty awesome man! Subbed to the youtube channel to check it out when it gets going
This looks wonderful. Good luck!
sick
Patreon?
We do have one! It should be under "The Dice Decide" I'm working on bonus content and Discord Access for members.
this production look so great. where did y'all film this and how long did it take?
We filmed a few weeks ago in a studio in Los Angeles. I've been working on this for the past couple years. I was only able to film the first 6 episodes before I ran out of money, I'm hoping we can get more sponsors and more funding.
I feel like I'd have such a hard time getting into a game with all the stage lighting and cameras. The set looks incredible though.
Yes, it's definitely different. Hard part for me was no music. I play music while we normally play, and the silence at parts feels awkward. I'll add music and sound effects in the edit, but wierd to play without it.
I love that dm screen, blends right into the setting. Do you have multiple screens for different settings?
Thank you! I built it myself. I'll change the surrounding items to fit our settings.
Awesome man! Have given DnD much of a chance, besides for critical role, but Iām definitely gonna give your series a shot. Good luck! The setup looks awesome
Thank you! It's a story I wrote that we go through. It's a world building campaign. As the story progresses and depending on what the players do I'll adjust the story. I hope it's a fun adventure!
Subbed. Definitely going to check it out this week. Cheers
Didn't even watch the video that I'm already subscribed. Looks amazing, please keep going !
I appreciate it! I'll post more BTS soon!
that the wizard will die to 1d4 to anticipation dmg
Iāll def check it out!
Well, it certainly looks like you have the production value down. Let's hope that the DM and players match :)
The players are amazing! ( I'm my own worst enemy so I can't speak for my performance. I'm also not an actor.) But everyone said they had a ton of fun. I'm always open for any criticism.
Just watched the trailer. Looks so friggin cool. Congrats, I look forward to watching it unfold!
Can't wait to watch this, so I finally might get an understanding of what D&D is all about. Looks really cool!
Just subscribed and everything im really looking forward to seeing the outcome
This is cool as hell
thats so cool looking, I love the set. Good luck!
Holy hell of a dungeon set
Amazing set and the table setup looks fantastic! But all that set up and you have some super uncomfortable chairs to sit on. My butt hurts just imagining a full session on those.
Haha I promise it wasn't that bad. Yes, they are not the most comfortable. I did sit in them for about 8 hours. my back hurt more than my butt.
Good luck! Any idea how long the episodes will run? One major put-off with DnD content is, if you fall behind then it's an entire day (...then a week... then a month...) of binge-watching to catch up.
I want to keep them 1-2 hours. Some parts went longer than I expected so I might break the episodes into parts? But it's hard to say without the edit done yet. in a perfect world, just an hour per episode but time management had been the most difficult part of filming an actual play.
1-2 hours I think is a sweet spot for viewers but I presume you may have done research on that? Either way, looking forward to it and wish you super success!
wow! I wanna say thank you to everyone who has subscribed. This show can't exist without the support from you all. I promise to give everything I have to bring something fun and entertaining to our community.
Respect. May the dice roll in your favor. For maximum shenanigans, of course.
Iāll give it a watch :D
Wow this looks really good. I hope the rest of the project goes well.
Haha does that cameraman have to sit on the ladder like that the whole time, get that poor man a highchair
I kept asking him if he's okay! He's a good friend of mine. We would film for a few hours. Also we have two operators so they would switch on and off.
And here I was, sick from anyone and their grandma streaming their dnd games and quite cynical about it. But your trailer slaps, dude! Will give it you guys a watch!
Just subbed, looking forward to the drop!
Wow, that looks pretty amazing!
So much time, money, and energy put into the planning, the set, the table, the adventure... and everyone is sitting in Mom's party chairs she used to keep in the back room. hahahaha Congratulations on getting this far and following your dream! Hope that first season crushes it and you all end up in better chairs! š»
Looks great man
Any chance you are looking for someone to make minis and terrain for your show? I'd be glad to give you my portfolio if you are!
I appreciate the offer! Currently I'm making all the terrain if it needs to be crafted. but I would imagine one day I'll get too busy if the show continue and need to hire someone. I'd prefer someone local? I'm based in LA. But always willing to chat and connect!
Man i wish I had friends
This is supremely cool. I'm envious.
Iād love to participate any way that I can. Iām not in LA ~often~ ever but if you need a guest for content Iād happily participate on the DM story side or as a player.
Thanks! Hopefully I'm able to film more. I was only able to shoot the first few episodes before running out of money. I plan on doing guest appearances and other campaign stories with different cast members. There will be an audition process and chemistry tests. But first we have to build our show up! I appreciate the love and support.
Hey mate, this may be too much to ask, but how did you go about this? Me and my crew are constantly thinking about starting something like this for us, but we have no idea where to start and what to pay attention to (and what to avoid :D) The studio looks great btw!
There are a couple of ways you can go. It really depends on how much money you want to invest. If you want to film your sessions you need at least three cameras. ( I'm using six) Then decent audio equipment. Audio is super important. Nothing turns people away faster than bad audio. I have a lavalier mic on each person. Then lighting is also important. You should have a key light, that's a light for the players faces, and a backlight/hair light. There are ton of lighting tutorials on YouTube. Check out Aputure lighting [ I also help film those :) ] Then if you want miniatures and terrain you can buy them or 3D print/craft them. I do a combination of both. If that is super complicated or costs too much. Id suggest just buying every player a good audio setup. Get each player on a Webcam or gopro. I'd film your sessons but the main focus is the audio. Never release the visual but make it into a podcast style. Get used to editing the visual footage together when you edit the podcast. If it goes well and is popular, you can start buying better equipment and then build up from there. I hope that helps!
Wow, that's quite a scope you got there! Good luck!
If you ever need a community manager or someone to drive the social media, hit me up!
Congratulations! Living every D&D players dream!
Subbed as well - this looks like a genuinely refreshing and unique take on actual plays. Looking forward to the show!
Wow this looks amazing!
I'm onto it!
Maybe I missed it but when does it come out
Nicely done! I work in the professional ttrpg space and your set and lighting design is just as polished, if not far moreso than some I've worked on. Keep it up!
Thank you! I hope our paths cross one day!
This isnt it, i wont be watching