Behind the Scenes: Workflow (Patreon)

The end of the month can get a bit frantic for us, so it seems like an ideal time to talk about our work flow and some recent changes to it.

For a typical episode of the podcast, the work goes something like this:

1. Watch the episode. We take notes, compare those notes so that we have time to think about everything, and then we record our initial discussion.

2. Decide on research. We pick out research topics that make sense for this episode, and divvy them up between us.

3. Writing. We each research and write, and I (Nina) write the recap(s).

4. Last bits and final recording. We organize our notes about people to thank, write or choose a wrong Gundam opinion, and write the "next time on" section. We then record these bits, along with the recap and research portions.

5. Editing. Thom edits, mixes, and masters the episode, then uploads it to our host. He also pulls screenshots for the cover photo and designs the cover for each episode.

6. Show notes. I organize and write the show notes, (usually) getting them up before the episode goes live, 12:01am on Saturday.

7. Promote. Social media posting about the new episode! Making memes (mostly Thom)! Liking and sharing!

8. Start the whole thing over again.

All the while, we're both trying to stay active on social media and in discord, keep the website up-to-date, and I manage and track the business end of things (finances! insurance!).

This week, things changed a bit. In addition to our regular weekly episode we have TWO bonus episodes to get out. One is our usual monthly bonus for Patrons, the other is the Q&A we recorded as an all-patron bonus in honor of reaching 50 Patrons. Plus, we are working on something new, and hoping to have it done soon.

So.... it was time for me to learn some editing! Thom gave me a crash course on the rudiments, and I learned by working on the rough cut of the Q&A. Hopefully my new editing skills will bring us a bit closer to our goal of having a week or two of episodes recorded in advance!

- Nina