Taking [Esc] reality to the next level (Patreon)

Sepember is coming on so let's talk about what's coming this fall.

This is what's coming this fall. 

My dream of creating top notch ASMR videos is starting to take on shape thanks to this unexpected (as in the offer caught me off guard) donation from no other than one of you guys. Thank you Martin for your immense generosity and for bringing the future of [Esc] reality into the present (no pun intended.) What you see here is the Sony α7s camera from the very night I managed to put it together complete with the Zeiss Sonnar E 24mm f/1.8 lens - do I know what all these tech terms mean? I have a vague idea. May I just say, I feel not stupid at all for knowing where all the parts go... except for the batteries which took me a good 15 minutes to figure out that those go in the opposite way from what I was used to with my Canon because the little connectors are on the opposite side of the compartment. But apart from that, I fucking killed it. Lol

Anyway, now your girl Ally is equipped with one of the best low light video cameras out there, including one of the best low light lenses. I'm sure you were aware that this has been a priority for my video production for a long time. At this point I want to say sorry you all have to wait so long to see real improvements in my videos due to my moving plans and me playing it safe on the topic of expenses we're going to require for that. So credits absolutely go to Martin for making this happen a lot faster than it otherwise would have. Come this fall (which, say what you will, I'm placing the beginning of Spooky Season right on September 1st) you will get to experience real HD ASMR and believe me - I am more determined than ever to make content that does this gem of a camera justice. I have so many ideas. Just all the ideas. Of videos I want to make with this camera, topics I want to explore with the added freedom of night vision (pretty much) and continuous, silent auto-focus. That's right, no more blurry videos! Just give me a week or two to play around with the setting and get to know my camera (which I never bothered to do with my Canon - no wonder our relationship was so indifferent) and then...

You do the math: Spooky season + low light camera = ? ... Spooky videos of course! Not exclusively, obviously, but there will be a high concentration of dark, witchy and spooky themed videos in September and October. This new toy really sparked my excitement again and just a side note: I didn't realize a lot of my meh attitude towards video ideas I had was because of the limitations I had to calculate in with my Canon. Videos are a lot of work to put together from start to finish in the first place - but trying to figure out how to make something work with a lens that doesn't focus beyond like a foot and a half? I believe that's called a buzzkill. To illustrate:

When you have the idea

When you remember the best you can do with what you have would be mediocre at best

Of course, my brand new Sony is practically begging to shoot cinematic videos with the magnificent lighting that the lens captures which is pretty damn close to what my eyes see. Perfect for dark ambient videos which is the style I'm going for which is why I put this toy on my wishlist in the first place. To illustrate, here are some night life still shots from when I went out with my best friend:

Exhibit 1 - People enjoying summer

Exhibit 2 - Me enjoying summer

If exhibit 2 seems like lower quality than exhibit 1, that's because it is. That was the "first try" - I had my bestie take the very first photo with my camera (I'll just call it a good luck custom) and it was in APS-C mode which means the largest jpeg size available was 5.1 megapixels (I later fixed it and exhibit 1 is 12m) ... That smooth lighting. Those sun stars. That running joke about me only being comfortable in desolate places. Of course I still have a lot to learn regarding what this camera can do so I beg your patience while I figure out what the hell I'm doing. The cyberpunk video is still coming out this month and I will probably publish some test footage just for you guys since this is such a special and celebratory occasion. But just you wait... I will do you proud. 

//Ally