A Billion Views

I've had the ongoing privelege of developing short-form, educational, creative 3D animated videos for Zack D Films, an emerging YouTube giant with over 14 million subscribers. To date, I've developed over 40 of these short films using royalty free content, custom modeling and character animation, some clever compositing, and some physics simulation. The specific videos that I've produced for the channel have garnered over one billion [1,000,000,000] combined views!

Developing for Zack D Films is always an adventure. Each video, focusing on a unique historical, scientific or medical topic, must be completed within a very short turnaround time. I've relied on a variety of rapid prototyping techniques to quickly develop high-octane, engaging content for Zack's large audience, mostly focused on educational topics. Utilizing programs and packages such as Blender, Cascadeur (for physics engine-assisted character animation), BlenderKit, After Effects, and EmberGen, I've perfected the rapid turnaround and fast prototyping techniques required to produce for this rapidly growing YouTube shorts giant.

As a 3D generalist, I take pride in my ability to call upon all resources at my disposal, including the utilization of custom programming, advanced 3D workflows, and stock resources. For Zack D Films, my workhorse is Blender, and my workflow always starts with a variety of templates for everything from compositing, to a base 3D file, to editing. I have mechanized and optimized my pipeline for maximum efficiency and repeat work. As a programmer and technologist, I've also developed an automated render and file organization workflow using Blender Studio's Flamenco render manager, ensuring a codified render process for rapid iteration of these projects. Files are automatically synced to a local drive from a render farm using custom Python, and shot drafts are automatically integrated via After Effects compositions and AME templates.

It has been incredibly rewarding to help Zack D Films grow. I've been able to delve into new educational topics every week, quickly and accurately depicting many technical scenarios. I have also striven to formalize my rapid production process for this client, utilizing specific plugins and packages for the creation of 3D humans, for the retargeting and production of custom motion capture data, for smoke and water effects, and for asset acquisition. I've also been lucky enough to sprinkle in some custom Geometry Node work, custom modeling, and custom animation wherever applicable.

From a procedural standpoint, this case study should serve to demonstrate the importance and power of a process-oriented workflow. Utilizing a large number of addons, templates and prefab / modular elements (as well as ample custom design work), a speedy, efficient workflow can be developed to cater to a large client; in this case, a YouTube titan with a following of millions. Furthermore, producing for this client is an exercise in marketing for the modern age of social media. In a world of ultra-short attention spans, the real challenge is to produce a piece that will grab and hold one's attention within the first 1 to 2 seconds while swiping through YouTube Shorts, and then continue to hold it for the following 30 to 60 seconds. Engineering something that has a hook and is also substantive is a challenge in marketing and content development.

Below, please see a sampling of my ongoing work for Zack D Films.
Please use the grey playlist controls on the top right of the video window to browse through the selection.