A little Interview ;D (Patreon)

Hey sweet insomniacs and tingle lovers, I really hope you enjoyed my last video! Today I wanted to share a little interview with you that I did for a cool site named ASMR Schedule where ASMRtists can plan their video posts, as the name already suggests.   

What’s the first viral video you remember seeing (doesn’t have to be from YouTube)?
The first viral YouTube video that's coming to my mind is "two talking cats". I saw a dubbed version from a guy who got big with a couple of other talking animals. But I also remember watching the infamous "Star Wars" kid before YouTube. 

Your first video is of you drawing a Pokemon type creature - how long have you been drawing and what made you decide that would be your first kind of video?

Drawing always has been my favorite hobby since I've been a kid. I was a huge Disney fan and dreamed of working as an animator one day. Later I was still interested in art and studied graphic design. I also worked for several years in this field before becoming an ASMR creator. In the early days of YouTube, I had an art-related channel that no longer exists. So it seemed natural to me to do something like that for my first ASMR video.

 
One of your strong suits is color - most of your videos have a strong color palette or are drenched in a singular color. If ASMR was a color what would it be and why?

Interesting question! It's very subjective of course but I guess I associate ASMR with dark blue or deep purple. Those are very calming, slightly mysterious colors. It also has to be a rather cool tone I think since having tingles feels a bit like shivers or goosebumps.

 
Walk us through the process of video creation - how long does it take, from inception to final edit?

Awfully long... Meanwhile, I work about 7 to 10 days on a video. I posted in shorter intervals in the beginning but I decided that I rather polish the video until I'm okay with the outcome. In the first two days, I am busy developing an idea. I always try to come up with a trigger or set up that hasn't been done yet. At the same time, I order new props and triggers (in the same color) online or search for them in shops, get myself a new outfit and write a rough script. The video shoot itself takes about 2 to 3 days. Every video has several settings and camera angles depending on the trigger. I already start editing the video between the takes. The editing process takes forever considering that I film at least 6 hours of raw material for each video. The sound usually requires a lot of post-processing as I don't film under ideal recording conditions. In addition to that, the animations of the microphones which have to be adjusted for each video. They also cause my computer to crash every now and then.
Nevertheless, I love the whole process from start to finish and I'm doing it all by myself. The good thing is that I always learn something new in regards to editing and sound design. I have no professional background in film making or audio and my channel has taught me a lot.

Have you ever had an idea that proved to be too ambitious?

Last year I attended an ASMR live event in Berlin organized by the wonderful WhispersRed ASMR. It was an inspiring experience and I was thinking about how to further develop live ASMR. The idea I have come up with is far too ambitious. At least at this point, so I prefer not to reveal it yet. ;D

What inspired you to give your microphones names and personalities? 

When the channel started doing quite well, I decided to get one of those fancy binaural microphones. I originally wanted a 3Dio, but they're made in the U.S., which means it's a long way back and forth if it needs to be repaired or something. So I came across the SR3D, which is manufactured in the UK. It's a bit cheaper than the 3Dio and it had quite good reviews. The only problem was that I didn't like the design that much. It's just a white box with silicon ears basically. So I decided to spice it up a bit and added some cartoon eyes in post. A whole character evolved out of that idea and the people seemed to like it. His name is Frank and by now he's much more popular than I am. It's a lot of fun, so I did the same thing with my other mics. 

How do you think ASMR is perceived by the average German vs other countries, whether your neighbors in the EU or the Americas?

The ASMR community is the same across countries. Just amazing, open-minded, and mostly quite sensitive people who share the need to relax a little. However, it's perceived differently from the publics' point of view. My impression is that through media and celebrities doing ASMR, it is known to a wider audience in the U.S. and is therefore a bit more accepted. I recently made a poll and I was surprised that a lot of my viewers (31%) watch ASMR secretly. I think there needs to be more research in what ways ASMR may affect the well-being of people and how it works. The current media discussion mostly focuses on the question of whether ASMR content is sexual or not. Of course, there is erotic ASMR content, as there is erotic content in every genre, but that doesn't make the ASMR experience sexual per se. This might be one reason why some people seem to feel shy about watching ASMR. They don't want to be associated with some weird ASMR fetish as often portrayed in mainstream media. 

Who are some of your favorite ASMRtists and why?  

Since I started watching ASMR in 2012 I still enjoy a lot of the OG ASMRtists, for example, WhispersRed ASMR, FredsVoice ASMR, Gentle Whispering ASMR and many more. The number of ASMR channels exploded during the last couple of years and I'm glad to discover new fantastic ASMR content on a daily basis. 

What advice, that you’ve never heard given before, would you give someone creating a new channel?

Don't do it for the numbers, meaning views and subscribers, since they don't reflect the quality of your content. Don't try to please everyone. Just make the content you enjoy watching yourself and the rest will follow. I see that a lot of ASMRtists feel the pressure to post several videos a week and get stressed out by their own schedule.   

Here's the link to the original interview: https://asmrschedule.com/2020/02/asmr-zeitgeist