In 2012, hundreds of thorium enthusiasts helped ensure a new thorium documentary will be created, and made freely available on YouTube. However, editing is taking me much longer than expected and 2013 conferences are on the horizon. I'd appreciate your support faciliating the capture of additional interviews and lectures for use in the documentary.
This doesn't mean previous funds have been exhausted. But I can't allocate them to travel without impacting post-production costs like animation and music. Just as I was very concerned about missing 2012's ThEC12 in Shanghai, I do see these upcoming conferences as an opportunity to ask still better questions in interview sessions. To ensure lectures are captured in a manner that allows re-use in the documentary. And also to ensure they're shared online at all.
If you'd like to help ensure the new thorium documentary is the best it can be, backing me via Kickstarter is a perfect mechanism... and I say this after much experience trying to monteize Thorium Remix 2011 without sacrificing free YouTube presence. The whole point of this documentary is to go viral. So it must be free.
But I've found Kickstarter is optimal because it facilitates private updates to backers, and encourages participation beyond the existing world of thorium enthusiasts. Having a successful campaign on KickStarter is a great way to get attention. And it really doesn't require too much effort on my part... I'm happy to leave it up to potential backers to determine if these new conferences are worth while, and not waste my own mental energy endlessly debating the pros and cons.
If you pledge $3 via Kickstarter, you will see (in Private Campaign Update #1) how to download DRM-free copies of Thorium Remix 2011 (the old thorium documentary). Yes, it is already free on YouTube. This is just for convenience, should you desire offline viewing. Like, on a plane. Or in Cuba.
Previously I've offered backers a DVD copy of the new documentary when it is released. I'll certainly be honoring that commitement as soon as I can, but I no longer believe that a DVD is a good or fair reward. Most people are more interested in sharing the doc online, and are asking when it will be posted to YouTube rather then asking when they'll get their DVDs. And I can't update a DVD once issued. So backers will have watching screeners online before they ever receive a DVD, and also any future improvements past the official "this is done" launch won't be reflected in personal copies. A YouTube Play List can always be updated.
So am I offering online-only copies as a reward? No. It is my intent to propagate the completed doc far and wide, and don't think that I can fairly promise backers any sort of exclusivity. I can't offer a great deal on DVD pricing because I want the future cost to be as low as possible for everyone. I can't offer a great deal on downloadable copies because I want the future cost of a DRM-free download to be as low as any plausible monetization can allow. It can't be a discount if I have no idea what the final download price will be. If I was a potential backer, this certainly wouldn't get me too excited.
There is one thing I can offer that might line up more appropriately with what I need, what the conference organizers need, and what most thorium enthusiasts would presumably want... exclusive early access to lecture video coverage from the conferences which does not delay production of the documentary, nor pollutes YouTube search with inferior quality lecture coverage.
Exclusive early access: I'll share unlisted video links with thorium conference organizers, the respective speakers, and those who back this KickStarter campaign.
Does not delay production of the documentary: Well I still need to travel. (Time!) And I still need to move all captured footage onto my workstation's RAID box. (Time!) But the slowest process is putting multiple camera angles in sync, incorporating slide decks into a video, and cutting out as much garbled delivery as possible. You know... the basics of editing. (Lots of time!) Instead of editing any lecture, I'll "edit" a 1-camera capture that includes the projection screen in the frame. That will save most of the post-lecture time-sink.
Does not pollute top search result: By keeping lectures as UNLISTED on YouTube (or just posted as backer-only KickStarter video content) the 1-camera bare-bones video coverage won't be indexed by Google or YouTube, and won't appear in search results. The first video on any specific subject gets an SEO advantage which is somewhat permanent. It is in everyone's interest here to ensure top search results are viewer friendly... even if it is still just the same lecture.
This approach will let me focus on the doc itself, and not be sucked in to lengthy post-conference editing as I was in 2012 after Shanghai.
Of course I'll still (eventually) post all the lectures I capture in 2013 publically on YouTube. I just think they should be done so in an edited a manner. This is to the benifit of every thorium enthusiast, every thorium organization and all the speakers who are presenting.
As a thorium documentary backer, I'll keep you in the loop when a lecture video is available privately, and when it has been properly edited and released to the public.
As a thorium documentary backer, I'll keep you informed of any new thorium interviews released to the public, as part of my doc-editng workflow.
As a thorium documentary backer, I'll share screener copies of the documentary as it evolves. I do count on others to help spot errors and offer constructive feedback. This shaped Thorium Remix 2011 immensely. (I mean it is far from perfect, but you should have seen some of the early screeners!)
If you've already backed me before and just want your DVD (and a copy of the doc posted to YouTube), please know this has been what I've been working on all though 2012, and if it wasn't for your help I'd have forever missed many unique moments you'll see in the doc. You don't need to back this new campaign for early access to screeners. And you'll certainly receive DVDs ASAP.
Thanks for any support you can muster (existing backers or new). Even $1, I'd love to have you counted, and keep you in the 2013 conference loop. I try not to spam with updates... if I've got something to say, it is usually accompanied by new video content.
► A YouTube playlist encapsulates the documentary, and will be constantly updated to contain the freshest chapter iterations. The embeds you see below are not what YouTube offers by default... if there's a video UID the embed will eventually break as video is deprecated. I suggest looking at p02 embed to see how &index=1 (start at zero!) is used instead of video UID (the long UID is the playlist UID).
► p01 summarizes thorium's potential as an energy resource. Biggest change from TR2011's pre-credit sequence is showing commentary from multiple experts instead of relying 100% on Kirk Sorensen. Of course Kirk does a fantastic job , but I'd like to hold-off introductions until the basics of fission are introduced (in p03). Then we can make a thing of it-"This is Kirk." Also, I'm in there too helping narrate. That gives me great flexibility compared to TR2011 cobbling narrative from already shot footage.
► p02 is opening credits and music. The notion that our energy risk assesment might be out of kilter is introduced. Custom music created by KiloWatts. Numbers used to create charts can be found in this Google Spreadsheet.