We are Team RocketJump, creators of Video Game High School and the Freddiew Channel, Ask Us Anything!

Hey Freddie and Team RocketJump, just wanted to say I'm a huge fan of the content you guys produce.

How did you guys get Stan Lee to make an appearance on VGHS?

A friend of ours works with him, and freddie was on his talk show. World's collided. Requests were made. Hands were shaken. Cameos were given.

And further, what was it like working with such a legend!?

It was the fastest thing I have ever shot (took like 3 minutes).

He came in. Owned the room. Learned his line in a second. Asked for direction. Made jokes and jabs in a friendly way. Was sharper than everyone 70 years younger than him, and then walked off like a gentleman. It was a great, but too short, pleasure. A highlight.

Are Jenny and Brian really married in real life, if so what is it like working with them both at the same time?

Yup, they are totally married. We take complete credit for setting that up!

With a web-seires such as VGHS, how exactly do you go about making your money back, and even profiting off of it?

We will let you know when we figure it out.

RIght now the answer is pretty simple - ads don't give crazy revenue. its good for a vlogger, or a person doing small videos. But it cannot sustain productions like VGHS. Not close.

You essentially have to find brands or partnerships to fund it ahead of time. So you are essentially in the black when you start. And you have to start getting creative with other revenue streams. We haven't been the best at merch, but we are trying.

Especially when you consider we live in a world where "content" is more and more becoming a free commodity. There is just so much of it out there for free.

What happened to Brandon?

He still does stuff, he's been making a lot of 3ds (program) tutorials on youtube

How come the RocketJump team gets so many terms of computer components wrong and instructions on installing them wrong yet they can operate the single handedly most complex video editing program on the market like it's a toy.

The same way Michael Schumacher doesn't change his own tires AW YEAH

We're all working on projects simultaneously right now! Brandon is creating a series of tutorials on 3DSmax, and on Monday he and Freddie are shooting a sequel to Milkman together!

We will have more details in a bit on the channel but basically he and I are focussing on separate stuff - shooting a Milkman sequel with him this Monday though!

To elaborate a bit on that, I think it'd be interesting to know why he's not involved in VGHS S2. Is it simply because you wanted someone to do other stuff, or doesn't he like doing longer stories, etc?

Matt and I were kicking around VGHS as a concept even before the YouTube channel was around (back in mid-to-late 2009). As any person working in an artistic medium, there are projects you are interested in, and projects you're less interested in.

Dear Team RocketJump, when are you guys going to do a Kickstarter to create a real-life VGHS?

Sincerely, everyone.

we have a weekly meeting where we pitch ideas for the company, and I keep lobbying to build a replica of VGHS in minecraft, I think that's as close as we're gonna get to IRLVGHS any time soon

Plus knowing my skills I'd probably accidentally torch the whole thing.

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E sports are the freaking future, man. DOTA and the MOBA games are already on the level of some mainstream professional sports. That whole scene is very, very close to exploding in popularity. All we need now is the first real Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods of competitive gaming and I think e sports will break out in a big way.

e-sports is fascinating, and the validation of them as professional athletes by the government is a big step.

Its biggest issues are finding ways to report the game that make it entertaining for non-experts. And also finding a way to cover FPS games without it being the most boring, incomprehensible thing in the world.

Well... FPS will probably not be huge as an e-sport ever. Its all fast reactions, gunfire, and big moves are easily understandable to an audience.

MOBA is so big because its big strategies and broad strokes are understandable in a way that sports are.

This makes me sad as an avid CS:GO player :(

Sorry :-(

I love FPS games. I played pretty darn seriously during BF1942, and CoD one days. Clan for 2 years/tournaments/sponsored and all that jazz.

Who is the best gamer on Team Rocket jump?

I'm the only one who made money with my skills at a video game, so me. By default.

We challenge anyone in the world to beat us in Towerfall on Ouya.

Depends on the game. Clint swears he is the best at mario kart. But the number of times Jimmy and I beat him serves as evidence to the contrary.

We play a lot of Towerfall, which we have all gotten pretty good at.

THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE.

And it's probably not me. Matt is pretty solid overall, but he'll never beat me at Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS. Clint and I believe ourselves to be quite literally be amongst the top in the world at it. Challenge us. Fo reals.

I am the best gamer. It is me. (It is not me, I am terrible at video games).

Freddie, what are your thoughts on piracy? Is it a destructive practice or is it simply a nuisance to corporations?

Piracy is reality so you gotta work with it. I would not have the skillset I have today without pirating software in my youth.

I'll weigh in with one thought. Is it so destructive if thousands of fan created films for videogames, thousands of original productions, and so much of YouTube exists because people have pirated a program in order to create something larger?

Just playing devil's advocate.

Was that Burnie Burns in S02E01? And can we expect more cooperations between both companies, considering I am in love with both?

Also, do you guys have any other big project in the work that isn't VGHS?

That was Burnie. We would love to work them them. We both sort of do our own thing, but they are an awesome group of people. We respect them immensely. I mean, they were the first people doing this.

What is Harley like to work with?

Legitimately he's an incredibly thoughtful actor and a razor sharp wit and improviser.

I love me some Harley. He's a super kind and nice guy in person and is also incredibly intelligent when it comes to business and the online world. Always a great conversation. he's also the kind of guy that will invite you to attend a freestyle rap battle in Northern Los Angeles.

A boss.

I read Team Rocket and got disappointed. Cool stuff though.

Jesse and James will be here later, they're doing a press junket in Cerulean City right now.

Well, guess we'll just blast off again if you really don't enjoy our presence.

How the hell can you convince us that your little brother, who's pretty much the exact same age as you, is supposed to be your son? (to Freddie)

Also, (again, to Freddie), can you PLEASE make a follow up to "First Person Mario"? Like the final castle where Mario finally squares off against Bowser and rescues the princess?

Also, can I have a VGHS sticker please? One that I can stick on my laptop to look part of the crew.

Asians don't age.

I think that was always kind of the joke with Freddie and me. Asians all look quite young for some time, and our relationship in real life sometimes mimics a father/son dynamic, so we thought it'd be fun to play it up in the show. And also putting powder in Freddie's hair or aging him would just be weird.

Was there anyone, Freddie, that you looked up to before you went into making all these awesome videos and of course VGHS?

Werner Herzog, Takeshi Kitano, and Robert Rodriguez. As rock star as you can get in the world of film!

Sup guys... congrats on VGHS!

Do you see web series as an exclusive thing to do on YouTube? Or do you think that they'll always have to be complemented by short-form content?

I think what we're seeing is a move away from the idea that certain mediums have to have certain lengths of content. A story is a story, wherever you watch it from. The only difference is the barrier to access; do you need a subcription, a cable deal, or just an internet connection?

What is the funniest thing that happened on set while making VGHS?

Brian Firenzi's eighty different takes before we settled on "Hey pricklepuss, mind if I borrow my girlfriend for a minute?" from season 1

There is a scene with fart noises... and the Law in episode 2. I left after the three takes as I was ruining it.

On a scale of 1 to 10. If someone just happened to show up where you guys film how mad would you be? Bonus question would you let that person be an extra in said short that you are filming?

Hmmm, probably a solid 3. And as for letting them be an extra,lets give it a 5/10.

Question for the cast members (if they are here):

• How familiar were you with gamer culture before working on VGHS? What video games, if any, do you play in your free time?
  

Questions for the producers/writers:

• I noticed that a lot of Video Game High School looked more like a college or university (acceptance letter, dorm roommates, TAs, etc.) Was this theme intentional? If so, why didn't you decide to make VGHS look more like a traditional high school?

• Why is Brianpalooza's Rock O' Clock at 3:32? Half past rad, quarter to score... if that's a puzzle, I can't figure it out!

Question for everyone:

• What’s your favourite song? What music do you listen to on and off the set of VGHS? I really liked some of the song choices for the series, and I'm curious about the musical tastes of the cast and crew :)

Thank you all for the work you have done, and for doing this AMA! VGHS is one of my all-time favourite shows, and I really think you made something special. Keep up the great work with season 2!

actor here! I'm pretty darn familiar with gaming since Freddie and I grew up playing games... our whole lives. When we were kids we were primarily a Nintendo family, and then got an Xbox. Although looking back, I think a Playstation 2 would have been a much wiser decision for my tastes in games. I'm looking to get back into Borderlands 2 whenever possible! I love that game.

One of my favorite songs of all time (and it seems to be /r/music's favorite as well) is Mr Blue Sky by ELO

Wilco - A Ghost is Born, Stars - Set Yourself on Fire, Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea are all required albums in my opinion.

Writer here! Thanks so much for the kind words. My hope is that "Rock O' Clock" goes down as our version of the three sea shells from Demolition Man. How Ki arrived at that number, we may never know!

Music-wise, we're obviously huge Protomen fans around here (Act 2 has been playing on loop in my car for like, 3 years now), and even from the early drafts of the script, we always their music (esp. the synth-y stuff from Act 2) would be PERFECT for the show. FUN FACT: Raul Panther from the Protomen composed our new theme song!

Sup Freddiew and Rocketjump.

First off, I'd like to thank FreddieW, you were a huge inspiration for me back in the GH days, with or without chains, first as a goal to reach and later to surpass.

I truly love the VGHS show, seen season 1 countless of times, and sat up for 28 (Twenty-Eight) hours waiting for Episode 1 of Season 2.

Unfortunantely, I have but one question, what dates and times (specify timezone) are the next episodes coming out at?

Edit: Oh actually! I have a massive question, how the hell could TheLaw be aimbotting? When he so clearly played at someone elses computer at the season 1 finally? Is this just a huge conspiracy against the Law that'll be discovered during the season?

RE: Law - you shall see.

As for time and dates. We are switching to a friday schedule after the mishaps yesterday.

We are AIMING for 9am pacific time for the episodes on youtube. Then, hope that we have the 48fps on RJ the same time, or even earlier.

Uh... nothing to see here folks... move along...

;)

(keep watching)

You have a lot of characters. How exactly did you find all the people to act for the individual characters and how did you decide you had found the right actor for example, The Law or Games Dean or BrianD or Jenny?

Casting is, at least for me, more instinct than anything. You have a character in your head, and once you decide if they are a good actor, whether or not they fit the character is just a gut thing. But I am new at this.

We look for funny people. Most of the cast are friends from 5sf, people we met at UCB, or we cast traditionally. We are lucky enough to know a lot of USC folks, and youtubers who are just damn talented.

Hey Freddie and the team, Loving VGHS, My question is where do you see VGHS going in the future? Another few seasons? A feature length movie?

Three seasons is the plan... for now! We've got a pretty solid plan for ending Brian/Ted/Ki/Jenny/The Law's stories at the end of season 3, but there have been some (very tenative) rumblings of maybe doing a spinoff show...

Would you ever want VGHS to become a TV show on large networks such as Nick or Cartoon Network?

Not in its current form. We don't really make these with a "end game" in mind outside of the internet and our own site. Certain aspects that are important to us, would be difficult to negotiate with a network: direct connection to fans, control of message, behind the scenes, transparency with certain aspects of production (education is important to us), ownership of IP etc.

If a network wanted to play ball, sure. We have ideas of how to continue the world of VGHS outside of this initial story. I can tell you, animation would be MUCH easier, and let us do many of the story lines we have discussed. Besides, the show feels a bit like a cartoon as it is.

animated VGHS would feature like 100000x more Cheeto, which I think everyone can agree would be a good thing

I work in esports and dream of a future VGHS for my children to attend. XD All my colleagues love the show! Aside from Freddies Wong's pro Guitar Hero days, how aware of the competitive gaming scene are the cast and crew?

I watched a TON of Evo this year and just gasped at how high level those guys were. I have a lot of friends that are very into League of Legends/DotA.

we watched the Daigo counter over and over again while watching season 1 (we even referenced it directly in the early drafts). We also watched a lot of footage from competitive FPS play (mostly BF3 and counterstrike) for research, as well as a doc on pro RTS.

Hey guys thanks for the AMA!

Specifically to Freddie i'd like to thank you and Brandon for getting me into VFX. It's become my passion and because of your influence I've been recognized for my work, including by you, brandon, sam and niko. I'm the guy who did Ghost Ride the highway and Freddiew Vs. Corridor Digital (along with /u/zacktgizack).

My main question is (for Freddie or anyone who can answer), though you guys went a different route with your success (through YouTube) do you have any advice breaking into the VFX industry?

And to Matt, what was your favorite thing you did this Season that you didn't do last?

Also, looking for any interns?!? (RocketJump, freddiew, CorridorDigital, etc). I graduate from uni in fall, thought I'd ask haha! Thanks for your time

EDIT: Fixed link

There is a storyline with Shot Bot...

VFX Industry can be pretty shitty for VFX artists. Right now, you should move to Canada because productions and moving there. But in five years? Who knows.

The fact is you're developing what used to be an incredibly specialized skill set (like VFX artists, to the lay production person, might as well be magicians). But more people are getting into it. You'll get a better shot at a job, from what I've heard, being good at a specialized thing - fire, water, smoke, etc. than a generalist just because you can thin the playing field a bit.

But if you ask me, the #1 way to secure any sort of work in the entertainment industry, be it directing, acting, or VFX work is to make your own work. Create your own projects, become a producer, find the talent, put them together, and create a product.

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Tough to say. The term 3D means a lot of different things depending on your view of it.

I think 48fps is a tool like any other. It has its own unique affectation and simply creates a different type of 2D image. 3D is a bit bigger of a shift in visual language.

I don't think it works for everything. But I think much of the thoughts on it "looks like a sitcom" is relative. Sort of like how craft beer companies restrained from using cans for a long time, despite them being better for beer, because beer from cans "taste" worse because of their association with cheap beer.

We find younger kids, who play a lot of games, or don't even watch that many movies, don't find it cheap looking.

The professional steadicams you see in behind the scenes are 100% owned and operated by the professionals we hire. Our steadicam involves holding it as still as possible then warp stabilizing in post! Sneaky.

It's not the rig, it's the operator.

Thanks everyone! The HFR version of Episode 1 just got processed on our website, please check it out! We appreciate your support so much: http://www.rocketjump.com/?video=vghs-season-2-episode-1

Hi RocketJumpers ! As everyone already did, I want to thank you for the awesome first episode of VGHS season 2.

How was it to shoot in high frame frate ? Did you have any issues with lighting or color grading ? What were the perks and quirks of it ? (I spotted a cameraman in the crowd scene, in the outside area of the school, didn't you 3ds Max that stuff out ?)

Keep jumping rockets ! You guys shred !

If you do a casual google search for 48 workflows you will find all our forums posts asking people the same question. In the end, the method Ben came up with is nuts and complicated and kind of hacky. Planning on doing a big blog post on that soon...

This. While we only see a bit of a difference on our end (though I did really like the effect in the trailer!), I imagine it is a TON of work for you guys! Do editing programs even support two framerates at once?

You can trick them into thinking that they do.

You guys went to Rooster Teeth's RTX event and had Burnie Burns as a cameo in the first episode of VGHS season 2, can you tell us if you plan to have any other cameos from Rooster Teeth seeings how a good portion of their company is based around video games? (Ex, Ray from AH cause he is the "best" at games there of any of the Achievement Hunter lads/gents in general.)

My dream is to work with Monty, so nothing from VGHS but stay tuned...

Guys! Guys! Great work! Have all the upvotes. I'm loving the longer episode format.

Ps to Will: S O U T H B U R B A N K is calling.

An Islands waitress... a Quiznos manager... a passionate rendezvous at a strip mall karaoke place that only has John Mellencamp... Tonight, on S O U T H B U R B A N K

Blasting off again!!

ding!

• 1) GOTY?
• 2) Jimmy, are you planning to go back to music?
• 3) How well do you think your 48fps worked? Will higher framerates be more normal? 60fps?

1) Towerfall.

2) We're putting together a surprise for Vidcon.

3) When we post the 48 you'll have to tell us how you liked it! From a technical standpoint, figuring out how to do the mixed framerates was a huge challenge. In that regard, it didn't work very well. We love the way it looks, though. Mixed framerates are an effect that you apply in the appropriate situation, just like any other. You wouldn't use a green screen if it wasn't needed, and you wouldn't just choose 48fps to choose it. There was a specific reason to use it this season, and we think it fits the story well.

1) Towerfall 2) Yeah, Jimmy. Are you? 3) I like it as we used it. I think it makes the action scenes pop. Can't wait for you all to see it. Higher framerates will give off the same "side effects" as 48.

What advice can you give to high school students who want to pursue film or special effects in college? What should we be doing now? What colleges did you go to?

Thankfully you have an infinite amount of resources on the computer in front of you. The best advice is just to keep making things. It doesn't have to be perfect, and everything you do makes you better. There are tons of websites with tutorials (video copilot, for example) and tons of awesome videos out there to draw inspiration from. College is an option, but it's not the only option.

Pursue the following: fundamental visual arts - foster an appreciation for photography, painting, architecture etc. Become a better people person and make lots of friends (films are made by teams, not individuals), and never be satisfied with "good enough."

Will you be bringing retro gaming into the VGHS scene? (E.g. NES?)

we have a really REALLY fun "retro"-style game coming up in later episodes. stay tuned

edit: OH COME ON MATT LEAVE A LITTLE MYSTERY FOR CHRISSAKE!

Yes. There is a plot later on that completely revolves around a game Ki makes. We will also be releasing that game on newgrounds. Its a fun little retro summary of VGHS, as made by Ki.

Any chance you will ever organize game-nights with fans? (And, in light of the release of season 2 of VGHS, this game should be Counter-Strike:GO)

I'm personally going to be heading up our gaming content soon and this sounds like an excellent idea. If you like to be endlessly shamed by our noobstomping skillz of course (just kidding. I'm actually pretty bad at a lot of modern FPS)

What is your ultimate goal? TV? Cinema?

Making whatever we want and having the support of a fan base. Mission accomplished!

What's it like working as a team? You guys are basically the V/FX Avengers.

Who's the Hulk?

Ben is the Hulk, no question. That's his secret. He's always angry.

Freddie is Tony Stark, Dez is Fury, Will is Hawkeye, and Matt is totally Black Widow.

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Those were done in El Tejon, north of Los Angeles by about 2 hours.

Hey! First; great job on the behind the scenes! They were greatly produced and alot of fun to watch! How many people did work on them, and can we expect to get 20min BTS every episode?

Thank you to the whole FreddiW, VGHS and Rocketjump crew from The Netherlands!

our friend Lauren did the majority of work on the Behind the Scenes. They'll all be pretty long! We hope you like the fly-on-the-wall style where you get to see the action going on set without having to be intrusive.

I'm an aspiring film student who is going to be attending Seattle University next year and you all were the ones that helped me decide to follow that path about 6 years ago when I first bought a camera. I've read/watched almost all of your posts about how to succeed in the YouTube or professional community, but I guess I'm just too critical of my own work (I rarely end up posting it) . I was just wondering as I am trusted into this thing they call life, what's the best way to meet people and get involved? And do you acknowledge what the people that find your work distasteful have to say, or do you ignore it? If I have the time, I want to post some more and better YouTube content during my first two years of college (Until I finally start working toward my major) I have a few things out there, but they never got the views I wish they'd gotten. I am planning on applying for internships on the west coast since it's a prominent area for film, but anything else you have to say on how to get noticed and get involved would be great. Thanks!

I know you're probably reading and answering a ton of posts so...

TL;DR

College student wanting to know how to get noticed in YouTube/professional community so he can kick-start his career in film. What should I do?

Make cool shit. Post cool shit to the internet. Try and get cool blogs interested and sharing your shit. Profit.

Kidding. Take the profit part out entirely and really just focus on making something that you want to make and are passionate about. And don't invest everything you own into the first thing you ever make. It's a battle of endurance and time where each project you will hone your skills better and become a stronger filmmaker. If you blow your theoretical load on one big project and it isn't the success you want, you'll get discouraged. Just keep plugging!

Heya,

Do you think that the quality of your productions/ editing/ scripts etc has become better over time because of experience in the field, or through the doors that having a largely successful YouTube channel opens, or a mix of both?

Thanks, Ryan.

We grow with experience and everyone gets to observe that growth. It's pretty raw, bro.

were there any gnarly stunts that caused injuries during the shooting?

My bike fall in Season One lightly tweaked my elbow for a few monts

If you could, ignore all money or production time or whatever, make one thing, what would it be?

A 3D remaster of Speed Racer and a theater that plays it forever.

My entire soul yearns to make a 200 million dollar post-apocalyptic sequel to the Bob Hoskins mario movie. It's called "MAD MARIO: BEYOND KOOPADOME" and it features Road Warrior-style kart races in a big gladiator arena held for Wario's amusement. Kickstarter coming soon!

Freddie, on a scale of 0-11 what was it like playing guitar hero to open for Joe Satriani at the Youtube Live event?

11 to be in the presence of greatness. 1 to be doing something embarrassing. It's like playing a Golden Tee cabinet at the 18th hole of Augusta right before Tiger Woods rips one down the line.

Hey, question for Freddie. I saw you at RTX and you were filming me with your Google Glass. I asked you what you're going to do with the footage and you said you may put a video together of all the shots you got. By any chance are you still planning to do this?

Thanks in advance!

Yes. SPECIAL FEAAATURES!!

In episode 8, after Brian gives Ki a pep talk, Ki meets Brian's fist bump with her head.

I've always wondered, is this just a silly Ki thing, or a throwback to episode 3, when the trio are trying for a three-way fist pound and Brian accidentally punches Ted in the face?

It was a silly Ki thing but your alternate explanation is AMAZING and now OFFICIAL CANON

Hey Freddie and RocketJump Team! Congrats on getting season 2 kicked off!

I've found myself enjoying VGHS more than just about any other TV Show I've seen, and I think that, because of the niche market your show appeals to, I feel more personally involved and invested in the show. Do you think/hope that VGHS will encourage more crowd funded super-webseries that target niche audiences? I feel like this could be an incredible change!

I hope so. I think the future of content is in those "niches" because frankly niches aren't small. There can be something for everyone.

Hey guys, in the long run do you guys want to eventually make your way on to television and the big screen, or will you stay on YouTube?

We are staying online. As far as I'm concerned we are already on tvs (the viewing experience between our show and another show through a smart tv is identical). Theaters are great - they're often empty enough that we can rent them out ourselves.

Is it just a coincidence that RWBY and video VGHS released this close to each other

Coincidence - but we couldn't be more stoked that its coming out - its a serious game changer.

I have an easy question for you. PS4 or XBOX ONE? big fan. cheers :D

BOTH SON THAT'S HOW I ROLL