Donation protected
A few years ago, I began producing an original YouTube series called ENGAGE! (youtube.com/engageshow ) to help my fellow educators explore the potential of learning through play and to help lower the barrier of entry for those interested in integrating unique approaches to game-based learning into their curriculum and educational practice. I have been working on rebooting the show and bringing ENGAGE! back for an all-new full season for 2019, and I have decided for my birthday this year to launch this GoFundMe campaign to ask for your support to make this dream a reality.
FAQ
(1) What is your fundraising goal?
Terrific question. My goal is to produce ENGAGE! at a higher level of production quality so that it is on par with the best educational content out there on YouTube today (e.g. CrashCourse, SciShow, SmarterEveryDay, Vsauce, Braincraft, etc.). In order to make that happen, I need to purchase some proper video production equipment.
This equipment includes:
(a) a dedicated camera
Based on my research, the best camera for the job will be the Panasonic G85, and I found a kit on Amazon that comes with a battery and battery charger, a proper shotgun mic (RØDE VideoMic GO), a 64GB SD memory card, and a carrying case for $900. (I did look into other vendors to see whether purchasing each part separately would be cheaper, but this is indeed the best deal.)
(b) audio recording equipment
Audio quality is ironically more important than image quality when it comes to video. Generally speaking, people who consume online video are forgiving when it comes to whether a video looks as polished or as slick as it possibly could, but people are not so forgiving when it comes to not being able to hear dialogue due to poor mic performance or due to poor mixing with background music or sound effects. The RØDE VideoMic GO shotgun mic included in the camera kit will be a significant improvement over the internal mic of my iPhone 6s, but for voiceover work or for conducting interviews, additional audio equipment would be extremely helpful to have on hand. I would like to be able to purchase a Zoom H4n Pro to at least start out with, in part to accompany the RØDE VideoMic GO so it will provide a backup audio recording when filming on the go for interviews with game designers and innovators in the field of education, and in part because it can handle the duties of voiceover work. A Zoom H4n Pro with an SD memory card currently runs at about $280.
(b) LED lighting kit
I plan to invest in a lighting solution that is ideally somewhere in between this $100 kit and this $250 kit . (I say “somewhere between” because I have not yet found a couple of the specific models of lights discussed in these videos on Amazon, B&H, or similar vendors, but I’m sure I will be able to find something comparable within that price range of $100-$250.)
(c) the renewal of my annual subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud
When I first began editing video, the only editing software I had access to on the no-frills Macbook I had at the time was iMovie. iMovie is a terrific tool for getting one’s feet wet with basic video editing, but its capabilities and flexibility is unquestionably limited. Once I was able to get my hands on a copy of Final Cut Pro 7, I was able to push the show closer to what I envisioned it could be. There is no mistaking the huge jump in production quality between using iMovie for episode 2 on transmedia/ARGs and using FCP7 for episode 3 on practomime . Unfortunately soon after producing episode 3, the Macbook Pro I had at the time bit the dust, and I was not able to afford replacing both that and FCP7 for some time. Thankfully, once I was able to afford the parts to be able to make it happen, my brother helped me build a new custom desktop PC, and I made the switch to Adobe Premiere Pro. By the time I made this big switch, Adobe made their big switch over to packaging Premiere together with Photoshop and all of the rest of their professional level creative production software in the form of Adobe Creative Cloud, which has an annual subscription rate of about $360 (per my educator discount).
All together, the total cost of this equipment is approximately $1,850. I have set my fundraising goal at $2,000 to account for GoFundMe’s processing fees for hosting this fundraiser, to account for shipping/taxes, and to account for changes in pricing that may occur between the time I have researched these prices and the time this campaign launches on my birthday.
(2) Why did you decide to use GoFundMe instead of other popular crowdfunding sites?
Excellent question! I decided to use GoFundMe instead of Kickstarter or Indiegogo or other similarly minded crowdfunding platforms because unlike those sites, GoFundMe fundraising campaigns are not operated as an all-or-nothing system. On Kickstarter, for example, one has 30 days to meet one’s fundraising goal, and if that goal is not reached by the deadline, the Kickstarter is deemed unsuccessful and no transactions occur. GoFundMe, on the other hand, allows the fundraiser to keep the donations that they were able to obtain in whatever period of time the fundraiser decides to set.
That said, I am confident that I can reach my fundraising goal of $2,000. If at least 100 family members and friends graciously chipped in $20 as a birthday present, BOOM -- goal met.
(3) Wow. You’re not joking around! I can tell you’re serious about rebooting ENGAGE! and making it into a full-fledged educational YouTube series like the world has never seen before. How often are you planning on publishing new episodes?
As I will be discussing in detail in a vlog update coming to youtube.com/engageshow in January 2019, my goal for rebooting ENGAGE! is to produce what would equate to a full season of a high quality educational TV show and a high quality resource for my fellow educators out there. I do NOT plan to try chasing the infamous YouTube algorithm and post content each and every day. Instead, I aim to publish 12 new “full episodes” of the show, ideally on a monthly release schedule. Bearing in mind producing ENGAGE! is currently a one-man operation, it may not turn out to be monthly on the dot, but I aspire to stick as closely to that as possible. I also plan on experimenting with posting other content to the channel that is not as complex to produce as a “full episode” (e.g. interviews with game designers and innovators in the field of education, vlogs intended to spark discussion, video podcast sessions, etc), depending on what opportunities and what inspiration may arise.
(4) That all sounds AMAZING. I’m down to help! If I contribute to your GoFundMe campaign, will I get a shout out on future content you produce?
Absolutely (unless you would prefer to remain anonymous). Unlike a Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign, I am not setting reward tiers per se for varying contributions. However, I will be more than happy to list your name as a producer of the show at the end of each full-length episode of the show, much like what Rodney Smith does at the end of an episode of Watch It Played , for example.
(5) If you happen to raise more than your fundraising goal, what would you do with those extra funds?
ALL funds raised through this GoFundMe campaign will be dedicated toward making ENGAGE! the best show it could possibly be. I know at some point, I would like to purchase a quality video capture card in order to capture video game footage for use on the show, as well as to make live streaming possible. It would also be terrific to have some funds to be able to compensate a graphic artist to help me update the logo for the show and an animator to help me create a better opening title sequence. Additional resources like these are not mission critical must-haves right now for getting ENGAGE! back on its feet, but they would be wonderful to have on hand.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONTRIBUTING!!!
I greatly appreciate it. With your help, I can bring my show ENGAGE! to a whole new level, and getting it out there could have a profoundly positive impact on my life.
FAQ
(1) What is your fundraising goal?
Terrific question. My goal is to produce ENGAGE! at a higher level of production quality so that it is on par with the best educational content out there on YouTube today (e.g. CrashCourse, SciShow, SmarterEveryDay, Vsauce, Braincraft, etc.). In order to make that happen, I need to purchase some proper video production equipment.
This equipment includes:
(a) a dedicated camera
Based on my research, the best camera for the job will be the Panasonic G85, and I found a kit on Amazon that comes with a battery and battery charger, a proper shotgun mic (RØDE VideoMic GO), a 64GB SD memory card, and a carrying case for $900. (I did look into other vendors to see whether purchasing each part separately would be cheaper, but this is indeed the best deal.)
(b) audio recording equipment
Audio quality is ironically more important than image quality when it comes to video. Generally speaking, people who consume online video are forgiving when it comes to whether a video looks as polished or as slick as it possibly could, but people are not so forgiving when it comes to not being able to hear dialogue due to poor mic performance or due to poor mixing with background music or sound effects. The RØDE VideoMic GO shotgun mic included in the camera kit will be a significant improvement over the internal mic of my iPhone 6s, but for voiceover work or for conducting interviews, additional audio equipment would be extremely helpful to have on hand. I would like to be able to purchase a Zoom H4n Pro to at least start out with, in part to accompany the RØDE VideoMic GO so it will provide a backup audio recording when filming on the go for interviews with game designers and innovators in the field of education, and in part because it can handle the duties of voiceover work. A Zoom H4n Pro with an SD memory card currently runs at about $280.
(b) LED lighting kit
I plan to invest in a lighting solution that is ideally somewhere in between this $100 kit and this $250 kit . (I say “somewhere between” because I have not yet found a couple of the specific models of lights discussed in these videos on Amazon, B&H, or similar vendors, but I’m sure I will be able to find something comparable within that price range of $100-$250.)
(c) the renewal of my annual subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud
When I first began editing video, the only editing software I had access to on the no-frills Macbook I had at the time was iMovie. iMovie is a terrific tool for getting one’s feet wet with basic video editing, but its capabilities and flexibility is unquestionably limited. Once I was able to get my hands on a copy of Final Cut Pro 7, I was able to push the show closer to what I envisioned it could be. There is no mistaking the huge jump in production quality between using iMovie for episode 2 on transmedia/ARGs and using FCP7 for episode 3 on practomime . Unfortunately soon after producing episode 3, the Macbook Pro I had at the time bit the dust, and I was not able to afford replacing both that and FCP7 for some time. Thankfully, once I was able to afford the parts to be able to make it happen, my brother helped me build a new custom desktop PC, and I made the switch to Adobe Premiere Pro. By the time I made this big switch, Adobe made their big switch over to packaging Premiere together with Photoshop and all of the rest of their professional level creative production software in the form of Adobe Creative Cloud, which has an annual subscription rate of about $360 (per my educator discount).
All together, the total cost of this equipment is approximately $1,850. I have set my fundraising goal at $2,000 to account for GoFundMe’s processing fees for hosting this fundraiser, to account for shipping/taxes, and to account for changes in pricing that may occur between the time I have researched these prices and the time this campaign launches on my birthday.
(2) Why did you decide to use GoFundMe instead of other popular crowdfunding sites?
Excellent question! I decided to use GoFundMe instead of Kickstarter or Indiegogo or other similarly minded crowdfunding platforms because unlike those sites, GoFundMe fundraising campaigns are not operated as an all-or-nothing system. On Kickstarter, for example, one has 30 days to meet one’s fundraising goal, and if that goal is not reached by the deadline, the Kickstarter is deemed unsuccessful and no transactions occur. GoFundMe, on the other hand, allows the fundraiser to keep the donations that they were able to obtain in whatever period of time the fundraiser decides to set.
That said, I am confident that I can reach my fundraising goal of $2,000. If at least 100 family members and friends graciously chipped in $20 as a birthday present, BOOM -- goal met.
(3) Wow. You’re not joking around! I can tell you’re serious about rebooting ENGAGE! and making it into a full-fledged educational YouTube series like the world has never seen before. How often are you planning on publishing new episodes?
As I will be discussing in detail in a vlog update coming to youtube.com/engageshow in January 2019, my goal for rebooting ENGAGE! is to produce what would equate to a full season of a high quality educational TV show and a high quality resource for my fellow educators out there. I do NOT plan to try chasing the infamous YouTube algorithm and post content each and every day. Instead, I aim to publish 12 new “full episodes” of the show, ideally on a monthly release schedule. Bearing in mind producing ENGAGE! is currently a one-man operation, it may not turn out to be monthly on the dot, but I aspire to stick as closely to that as possible. I also plan on experimenting with posting other content to the channel that is not as complex to produce as a “full episode” (e.g. interviews with game designers and innovators in the field of education, vlogs intended to spark discussion, video podcast sessions, etc), depending on what opportunities and what inspiration may arise.
(4) That all sounds AMAZING. I’m down to help! If I contribute to your GoFundMe campaign, will I get a shout out on future content you produce?
Absolutely (unless you would prefer to remain anonymous). Unlike a Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign, I am not setting reward tiers per se for varying contributions. However, I will be more than happy to list your name as a producer of the show at the end of each full-length episode of the show, much like what Rodney Smith does at the end of an episode of Watch It Played , for example.
(5) If you happen to raise more than your fundraising goal, what would you do with those extra funds?
ALL funds raised through this GoFundMe campaign will be dedicated toward making ENGAGE! the best show it could possibly be. I know at some point, I would like to purchase a quality video capture card in order to capture video game footage for use on the show, as well as to make live streaming possible. It would also be terrific to have some funds to be able to compensate a graphic artist to help me update the logo for the show and an animator to help me create a better opening title sequence. Additional resources like these are not mission critical must-haves right now for getting ENGAGE! back on its feet, but they would be wonderful to have on hand.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CONTRIBUTING!!!
I greatly appreciate it. With your help, I can bring my show ENGAGE! to a whole new level, and getting it out there could have a profoundly positive impact on my life.
Organizer
Jeremy Yanofsky
Organizer
Encino, CA