Video Content Ideas for OC ReMix's YouTube Channel

[DarkeSword]

So I mentioned this on

: OC ReMix is interested in putting up more content on our YouTube channel aside from just OC ReMixes and album trailers. We've got something like 73K subscribers, and we want to put that audience-base to good use. We've already started this by doing the weekly Talkback show, so that's one thing.

Obviously doing music videos is a another thing we're always interested in exploring, so we're not going to discuss that here; what we're really looking for is specifically-themed, well-produced content that can come out on a weekly or semi-weekly basis.

For example, an idea that was tossed around was doing a show called "Unsung Heroes" (obviously named after the album) that highlights an often overlooked game soundtrack every episode. Or maybe something called "Source Breakdown" where someone with some music theory knowledge takes a look at some VGM track and does some critical analysis on it. Tutorial videos are also something we'd like to get. The important thing though is that we want the videos to focus on VGM content; we're not interested in just hosting Let's Play videos with OC ReMixes playing in the background.

We're specifically looking for people who are interested in creating content for the YouTube channel. The community here is really talented in ways beyond just writing remixes, and we want to tap that to start putting out some regular shows. Just to stress again, we're not just looking for ideas, we're looking for folks who are actually willing to dig in and produce these videos. OC ReMix staff is super busy and we can't do this stuff ourselves, which is why we're trying to tap the community more in order to get more cool content out.

This thread is primarily for gathering ideas and gauging interest.

Shows

• Unsung Heroes - Highlights an obscure, underrated, or unheard-of game soundtrack.
  
• Source Breakdown - A critical, theory-oriented analysis of a VGM track.
  
• Production Tutorial (Unnamed)
  
• VGM Composer Spotlight (Unnamed)
  
• Inside the ReMixer's Studio - One-on-One Intensive Interview with a ReMixer
  
• Compo Corner - Competitions news. Winners, losers, recommended tracks.
  

Edited November 19, 2013 by DarkeSword

[Brandon Strader]

A remixer interview series could be an awesome idea, sort of like a remixer spotlight. It'd be great if the interviewee had their own video camera of course. I'd watch this series.

I like the Unsung Heroes idea but not the Source Breakdown one. I don't think the latter would be good or interesting. Tutorials could be good if they covered general knowledge rather than DAW-specific knowledge. Not everyone is going to have the same DAW.

The way Remixer Spotlight could work is to send some questions to a remixer, have them answer them in a video after reading each one out loud. Edit the reading out, replace it with on-screen text, followed by their answers. Like they do on a pro level.

[Mirby]

Perhaps a weekly/biweekly/monthly compo roundup, spotlighting a few tracks that stood out from the crowd in that time span or something? I mean, it would also show that compos are a good way to get involved, and drum up more interest in them.

[Ivan Hakštok]

Unsung Heroes idea seems pretty nice. Remixer Interview could also be fun, but that isn't really focused on VGM. The VGM Critic idea is also nice, and a good thing would be to have a remixer maybe talk about how he would approach that theme if he were to remix it.

My guess is that this would have to be some HQ stuff, and unfortunately I only have two webcams with questionable quality

If the quality isn't an issue, I'd definitely like to make some material. I don't know if I'd be able to make a video every week, but a good idea could be to rotate hosts or have multiple people discussing at the same time, like on Talkback, but with post-production and stuff like that.

[Brandon Strader]

I think we could definitely stockpile footage from this upcoming MAGFest for a youtube video.

[Tuberz McGee]

Or maybe something called "Source Breakdown" where someone with some music theory knowledge takes a look at some VGM track and does some critical analysis on it.

Man. I would LOVE to score study some VGM and put my theory to use.

I would love to see how abundant Neapolitan 6th chords are in VG composition.

Also, maybe rather than huge tutorials, you could have someone say their #1 mixing rule and compile them.

Or like, compare their beginnings with them currently to give motivation to the next wave of OCR contributors.

Just ideas, but yeah. I look forward to this.

[Brandon Strader]

Would anyone with a webcam or camcorder want to try to make a proof of concept for the remixer spotlight thingy?

[Melbu Frahma]

Tutorials could be good if they covered general knowledge rather than DAW-specific knowledge. Not everyone is going to have the same DAW.

I was actually just thinking that a show featuring various prominent artists throughout the community giving tips/tutorials on basics would be excellent content to develop. Maybe you could frame it along the lines of a "How would you X?" show - get a different musician each week, pose them a common problem that musicians come up against, i.e. "Your instrument sounds too grainy - how would you fix it?" or "The vocals you've recorded are too tinny - how would you fix that?" or whatever, and then the spotlighted musician would spend 5-10 minutes explaining how they would go about fixing it. (Besides re-recording, of course.) It'd be a fun little show that wouldn't take too much effort to produce or time out of the participants' schedules.

[GravitySuitCollector]

I think we could definitely stockpile footage from this upcoming MAGFest for a youtube video.

This, along with maybe some other OC Remix panels. If you end up doing anything exciting and you have a camera rolling, you might as well post it.

Along with OCR remixers, you might consider composer interviews. It doesn't hurt to send an email to see if they wouldn't mind questions like in talkback, or you can have a set of questions ready and just do it that way.

When posting, I'd recommend keeping most of the videos shorter; I think most people go to youtube for quick entertainment. I went to check out the first OCR Talkback and it was almost two hours long; it's a bit much to just randomly decide to watch with 30 minutes of free time. Of course, if videos are long, that's alright, but it might be nice to split them into parts if you can.

[Garrett Williamson]

Didn't read much of the original post, but I'm a YouTuber. http://youtube.com/user/GCWaves

[Eino Keskitalo]

I don't think there was a bad idea yet, but I would be very interested in watching the Source Breakdown Show. *adjusts glasses*

--Eino

[DarkeSword]

Didn't read much of the original post, but I'm a YouTuber.

If you didn't read the original post, why are you replying to the thread?

Anyway, ReMixer interviews would ostensibly be conducted during Talkback. I personally don't like the idea of having a show that depends on a different person getting it done by themselves every single time (i.e. artists having to record themselves). I'd like for specific people to take ownership of a recurring program that is prepared beforehand and has decent video production going on (well filmed, title cards, etc.). If someone can take ownership of that kind of thing and make it happen on a regular basis (every two or three weeks), then that's probably alright.

Also just want to clarify, we're not looking for another Google Hangout-on-Air-style show like Talkback. The OCR "talk show" is already covered.

Also it's important to note that that audience for a lot of the video content will not necessarily be remixers. Remember, the OC ReMix YouTube channel has 73,000+ subscribers, and most of those folks are listeners. Keep that in mind when brainstorming, and try to gear your thoughts more towards VGM in general.

[Garrett Williamson]

I'm simply stating that I might be of use, as I do film stuff

[Chernabogue]

I can give video help (editing, effects, etc.) to remixers/artists who'd like to work on a video "show" for OCR (as I already worked on two trailers).

I'd really support the "tutorial" idea too, like how to address many recurring problems found in the judge's panel. Everything would be more "production-oriented". For instance, a tutorial on how to create a particular sound/effect, or how to EQ a particular instrument.

I also like the "Unsung Heroes" and "Source Breakdown" concepts. The SB one could totally take really famous themes, and go through them in a very detailed manner (some SMB, MM, CV themes, etc.)

Anyway, I like the ideas, and would be happy to help, once I'm not busy anymore (mid-December).

[Esperado]

I agree with mirby on the monthly compo highlight. highlight a few of the winning tracks from various competitions that month and play them like a radio set on youtube live or something.

another idea would be a monthly wrapup of the various ongoings and projects of the site. although, that isnt specific to vgm.

oh and you could maybe do vgm composer spotlights. just a quick bio on the composers of various game osts.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Esperado

[RiverSound]

A remixer interview series could be an awesome idea, sort of like a remixer spotlight. It'd be great if the interviewee had their own video camera of course. I'd watch this series.

The way Remixer Spotlight could work is to send some questions to a remixer, have them answer them in a video after reading each one out loud. Edit the reading out, replace it with on-screen text, followed by their answers. Like they do on a pro level.

I think this is a great idea. Make it happen, please. I bet remixers and listeners alike would find interest in the series.

EDIT: DarkeSword already commented on this.

Edited November 19, 2013 by RiverSound

[DarkeSword]

I agree with mirby on the monthly compo highlight. highlight a few of the winning tracks from various competitions that month and play them like a radio set on youtube live or something.

another idea would be a monthly wrapup of the various ongoings and projects of the site. although, that isnt specific to vgm.

oh and you could maybe do vgm composer spotlights. just a quick bio on the composers of various game osts.

Need to reiterate: no live shows. That requires us giving access to the YouTube channel to people not on staff. Looking for pre-produced videos.

As for compo mixsets, we're not gonna do that, because the entire point is to put up videos that aren't just music. Also, we're not gonna post music to the channel that hasn't gone through the submissions process or album process.

Project progress and "what's going on" not so much. Site projects move at their own pace and come out when they come out. It's not interesting to subcribers to watch a video that basically just says "this isn't out yet."

VGM composer profile show is a good idea.

[Radiowar]

the source breakdown show could be interesting as long as it isnt "music theory" a la that game music theory tumblr, watching someone transcribe the mario bros theme and scribble chord symbols and cadences over it. i would be more interested in something like ella guro's blog, highlighting obscure/strange/unique vgm, with perhaps an analysis focused on interesting harmonic/timbral effects, especially those linked to considerations of the hardware used, as well as the game itself.

[Cash]

I'd be interested in a tutorial series on basic music theory and how it applies to VGM. I believe Abadoss mentioned something like this in the last Talkback (if I remember correctly). I'm sure it could be done in a way that isn't boring.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Cash

[Patrick Burns]

This sorta verges on remixer interview, but I'm thinking a kind of fusion of Unsung Heroes and Source Breakdown:

Someone -- a regular 'host' -- invites remixers or composers on to discuss a soundtrack (or two) they personally love and feel is overlooked, and they go into some deeper analysis of it together.

• 
  It would be planned. OSTs selected before the show to give time to familiarize and make notes.

• 
  Music theory would only be involved where relevant, not gratuitously. (Personally, I have a degree in composition and find theory & notation, in isolation, two of the most dreadful and alienating topics.).

• 
  Music theory aside, still focus on being critical -- going beyond "man this is so great.".

• 
  It would focus on the soundtracks, only briefly plugging the guest's information..

• 
  Guests could be selected by the host or through other means: poll, staff picks, etc.

Just an idea right now. If the idea sounds ok and the spirit moves me in the coming months, I might contact a guest and make a test run to send to someone on staff.

[Brandon Strader]

The only real ideas I can think of would partially rely on the site functioning at a reasonable pace. If you had a monthly "ReMix Request" show, it could be based on the most popular comments from the previous video once it gets rolling. If the concern is the panel being so far behind, it's possible that you could find a remixer who could produce a direct post-quality mix in a month's time, then feature that. Maybe even make a competition out of it and have a lot of remixers enter. Everyone loves making remix requests. Hey, that reminds me, whatever happened to the FF6 kickstarter remix requests?

I do think the content should focus on remixes, remixers, composers, and conventions where OCR is participating. I think "source breakdown" would not be entertaining.. it would be useful information for people trying to become an OC Remixer who need to know exactly what part of the melody they need to use to make a remix, but that could be worked into the tutorial videos. My brain turns off when people start talking music theory because it's some of the most boring stuff in the history of the multiverse, this is coming from someone who aced their theory courses. Might as well host a video series about teaching Calculus cause it'd probably be watched by as many people!

I disagree that remixer interviews should be live and worked into OCR Backsass. Owning a decent camcorder does not mean you have a decent webcam or a decent internet connection *cough* Only hardcore fans are watching that for an hour, hour and a half, and it often goes far outside of the OCR umbrella. By that I mean, OCR has a specific branding of what people expect and want from OC ReMix and maybe half of the show targets that demographic, but it's too much like freeform jazz. It needs structure, and to stay on course with relevant topics.

ReMixer interviews on the other hand, would probably be limited to 10-20 minutes and be focused on the remixer, and their answers to a series of questions about remixing and VGM. It could open and close with a clip of their music and possibly have their music in the background during the questions. It would be short enough that people would check it out especially if they were interested in said remixer. It would also be a good move towards informing people that remixers exist and the remixer is not "OC ReMix".

[Cash]

My brain turns off when people start talking music theory because it's some of the most boring stuff in the history of the multiverse, this is coming from someone who aced their theory courses.

I can think of lots of subjects more boring than music theory. Aside from that, even the most "boring" subject can be presented in a fun and interesting way.

[DarkeSword]

The only real ideas I can think of would partially rely on the site functioning at a reasonable pace. If you had a monthly "ReMix Request" show, it could be based on the most popular comments from the previous video once it gets rolling. If the concern is the panel being so far behind, it's possible that you could find a remixer who could produce a direct post-quality mix in a month's time, then feature that. Maybe even make a competition out of it and have a lot of remixers enter. Everyone loves making remix requests. Hey, that reminds me, whatever happened to the FF6 kickstarter remix requests?

I'm gonna just have to say no to this. We don't want to just post more music on the YouTube channel. You're missing the point with this idea. This isn't exciting as video content. This isn't even producing video content. This is just making a remix.

I think "source breakdown" would not be entertaining.. it would be useful information for people trying to become an OC Remixer who need to know exactly what part of the melody they need to use to make a remix, but that could be worked into the tutorial videos. My brain turns off when people start talking music theory because it's some of the most boring stuff in the history of the multiverse, this is coming from someone who aced their theory courses. Might as well host a video series about teaching Calculus cause it'd probably be watched by as many people!

Theory is fun and interesting for a lot people, and relating it to VGM is a good way for people to get more interested in it.

I do think the content should focus on remixes, remixers, composers, and conventions where OCR is participating.

The goal of this is not just make videos "about OCR." I want people to look more outward instead of inward. Videos that aren't about the community, but content coming from the community. One of OCR's goals is to not just be a place to get remixes but also be more of a resource about VGM in general.

Edited November 19, 2013 by DarkeSword

[Argle]

Theory is boring as shit. If you want to function as an insomnia aid, by all means put up theory videos.

[Brandon Strader]

Maybe you should put it to a public poll and see what the audience would want. That's more effective than asking for ideas and shooting them all down. Heck, maybe they'll even vote for ideas you shot down. Just be cautious not to dissipate what OCR is known for and what people care about.