We are RocketJump, creators of Video Game High School and freddiew! Ask us anything!

Thoughts on Twitch plays pokemon?

I can't wait to see the timelapse compilation of the whole thing.

Roller Coaster Day 2014?

Something else... something... radder...

Hey Freddie, Big fan of your work!

What happened between you guys and Brandon?

Basically, we're pursuing different projects separately. We were making shorts for 3 years straight - that's a long time! We basically wanted to do different things.

So that means you will be considered as a special guest at Lan Party even after VGHS 3 is done?

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Not to get too deep into this, but as advice to any aspiring video makers - if you are always trying to make the videos that you think other people will want to see, you'll never grow as a filmmaker and you'll always be chasing trends.

Because we literally can't make everyone happy anymore - there's too many people with too many tastes. So in the end, you have to make videos that you believe in and are proud of. And I'm happier with everything we've done, from Mexican Standoff to a black and white boxing short, than I ever have been in the past.

I understand if you prefer the older videos, but we have to grow as filmmakers.

Really its not the same. Compare this video to the ones in the past where Brandon was a big part. RocketJump going corporate(ish) loses that classic freddiew feel. I guess thats why they call them the glory days. :/

I guess I have difficulty in seeing how a black-and-white video that's about building up to a ridiculous joke is "corporate."

Nothing. This video explains it, if you haven't seen it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diVBqGBKtBs

Ah, but what about this kinda stuff?

Woah woah woah!

I completely missed this drama. I doubt you're getting an official answer for this, unless it was some sort of joke.

When someone says they're talking to lawyers, it doesn't mean lawyers are threatening to sue them. We had a discussion with Brandon about some questions with rights, making sure people don't get confused, etc. etc. Both our legal teams were present because, well, those guys know the law better than any of us do.

Who is responsible for this "oops?"

Hahah probably got smeared by someone's hand. SORRY!

FREDDIE WHY ARE YOU NOT ON NODE

LAN Party was originally created as an excuse to get more video games back in our lives. I'm too busy with VGHS and other RocketJump projects at the moment though for anything other than Spelunky on my Vita.

How did you meet Brian Firenzi?

He was on my floor freshman year at USC.

I'm an airsofter, how big a part are airsoft replicas a part of your videos? We'd love to hear on /r/airsoft

Big part. We use boneyard and broken airsofts all the time as props because we don't need working gearboxes. Gas blowbacks are perfect for pistols - just add smoke and flash and a shell and boom - instant pyro license.

Awesome! Do you get to play often?

I have an AK and GBB M4, but don't nearly get out to the fields as much as I want to.

Hey Freddie! What were some of your early inspirations to get into VFX and start releasing stuff on YouTube?

The Matrix. Straight up. The Matrix.

And Star Wars - Jimmy and I have some rad lightsaber videos lost to old hard drives.

Freddie, thanks a bunch for the advice you gave me regarding my YouTube channel regarding partnerships and deals, it's been incredibly helpful!

If you're ever looking for an extra person to call in for science-based podcasts or anything like that, let me know!

My question for everyone is:

What's been the reaction to your sudden fame from your families? Have you told your families what you work on in terms of YouTube, gaming and such? Were the reactions positive?

Thanks in advance for the AMA!

Parents are basically constantly amused by the whole thing, especially when I'm home for Xmas and we get recognized in a movie theater or something.

Do your parents like the content you make?

My mom texts me often that I need to work on my crappy unbelievable acting

Hi Guys! I'm a high schooler that's interested in film and special effects. Do you have any tips or advice?

Get a camera, get the student edition of Adobe's Creative Suite, download Premiere and After Effects and STOP PLAYING VIDEO GAMES.

Do you want to get good at film and special effects? Take the hours you play video games and make movies.

Video games rule. If I didn't have filmmaking I'd play video games. But if you want to really learn a skill like filmmaking, you gotta devote time to it.

Where do you see RocketJump and its affiliates 10-15 years in the future?

Two possibilities, in my mind:

1. We can make this thing work and sustain it. We are making 5-8 full length series or feature films a year with a variety of directors and creators.

2. Hollywood throws their hands up and buys us and we're working for some arm of a gigantic global transmedia conglomerate.

I would prefer option 1.

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I'VE BEEN LIFTING K

Will you ever work with Rooster Teeth again?

We would love to.

Is video game college next?

No - you're old news in the pro gaming world at the age of 20 we all know this.

Clearly, the only burning question in everyone's minds:

Why is MysteryGuitarMan your favorite YouTuber of all time?

His hair. Definitely the hair.

Woah first time i'm on time to an AMA. Freddie what did you plan on doing for a living before discovering filmmaking?

I was going to be a software engineer. Maybe game design. I really like programming. My brain goes into a different mode and it's really calming.

Will we get to see a series with Shot Bot as an intrepid investigative journalist?

I really enjoy ShotBot and push every day for more ShotBot. Maybe we'll do a spinoff comic?

In the old days, you guys had a pretty intense video schedule, and all of your videos felt like they were made by just two dues with a (slightly-better-than-potato) camera and a VFX program. Do you ever feel like some of that old magic is lost now that you've got RocketJump and all of your other big projects going?

Have a look at our last month of work and let me know - I can say that right now it feels more like the first year than any other time.

Hey Freddie and Jimmy, how did you guys meet Nathan Kress?

Through the magic of TWITTER!

What is RocketJump's opinion on Pandas?

They can't even procreate. Destined for extinction.

Hi Freddie! I'm a huge fan of your work, and have been following your channel for a while. How much free time do you get away from filming youtube/rocketjump stuff and doing VGHS, and what do you do with it?

Literally zero. I hope to fix that (i.e. get more balance in my life) sometime this year.

Any time I have I spend sleeping or getting killed in Spelunky at the moment.

How important was attending USC Film School, Freddie?

For meeting everyone I work with now? Incredibly important.

For learning VFX or filmmaking skills? Not as important as just practicing.

How did you meet Brandon?

Also on my floor freshman year at USC!

Hey Freddie, Do you ever lament the loss of guitar hero/rock band? Did you ever wish to make a career as a pro guitar hero player, as might guess your YYZ video was what brought me too your channel (here for those who havn't seen it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua3hZXfNZOE).

On a slightly more serious note you have shown yourself to me a talented real guitarist have you ever though about doing something more music focused like start a band or maybe some more music based stuff for youtube (something like your favourite martian). You clearly have the stage presence for it, I laughed hard when watching you do this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua3hZXfNZOE

I'm really really good at a game that nobody plays anymore, but it's cool I had my really weird time in the sun. I played a video game for Sebastian Bach. I intro'd Joe Satriani with a video game version of his song on stage. I got flown around the world to play a video game. I have a work permit from the government of Canada recognizing me as a "professional guitar hero player".

Would love to get back to doing more music though. I really enjoy it.

Would you rather go back in time and meet your ancestors, or go into the future and meet your children?

Future. Much much cooler.

Any tips for someone wanting to get started in the entertainment industry?

Everyone says that breaking in is difficult.

I can tell you - if you're truly good at something (cinematography, VFX, organizing other people, etc.) it's not hard at all. Competent people who can work with others are shockingly rare.

How did you get Key and Peele to work with you?

We had talked to them and the schedules worked out for me to show up randomly in their Halloween episode and for them to spend a few hours shooting the most ridiculous video we've ever come up with!

why a video game HIGH SCHOOL?

Because you lose all your gaming reflexes by the age of 20.

Have you found that your YouTube success has translated into any offers in Hollywood?

Yes, but a lot of times, those offers are really really bad, and continuing to do and own your own thing is a much smarter move in the long run (at least, I hope so)

I know you spoke to us long time fans before about the Brandon/Freddie split, but I think we deserve more as loyal viewers.

It was obvious that there was some rift/creative difference/etc growing over the past 2+ years as we saw less and less of you in Brandon's work and vice versa. It just feels as though you have stepped through a door with RocketJump that has made you more of a classic commercial studio producer type then the relatable, talented young filmmaker that you were. Which, of course, is understandable. It is just sad in a way to watch you and the RJ team ascend to a level in the entertainment industry that makes you feel less accessible. Red tape, lawyers, branding, etc.

I guess I really want to know what was brandon going to say when you cut at 1:40 in your "Phase Two" video? Or does this violate some NDA in place?

I'm really not sure where you're getting "classic commercial studio producer" from - I'm still basically doing the same thing I've been doing for four years now.

Red tape? Not sure what that means. Lawyers? We've had lawyers since year one - it's a sad necessity in the entertainment industry. Branding is a bigger thing - you're right in that I stepped away from the "FreddieW" branding and putting RocketJump ahead of that.

That was because I want to make movies and help other people make movies and use the platform we built to put awesome stuff out there. I can't do that if everybody still thinks I solely make everything by myself.

Hi Mr. Wong. Long time fan.

1) Do you think you'll ever attempt to produce another feature film like "Bear?"

2) Do you think the Google Plus-YouTube merger and YouTube's stricter copyright protection measures have harmed YouTube's reputation? (More specifically, if something better came along, would you leave YouTube?)

1. We'll do another feature, but probably not as DEATH DEFYING as Bear haha.

2. I think everyone agrees the Google+/YouTube comment thing wasn't rolled out smoothly at all, but I don't see things as "leaving" - just "also being on". Nowadays there's no reason not to be multiple places.

Will Logan ever return to the facerocker podcast?

Yes. He's now recurring. Here's his latest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYyQOj1oi3s

Banana or apple?

Bananas. My dad goes to Costco just to buy bushels of bananas. It's a little weird.

What do you uphold as the most important virtue of storytelling?

I'll let the writers chime in, but "make people care" for me.

Hey guys. Big fan of you and Corridor Digital.

Can somebody make a living out of a Youtube channel?

As a guy looking for work in the VFX industry, any pro tips on how to get noticed?

Thanks a lot, and keep this awesometrain rollin'!

You can make a living off YouTube. I will say... it's a bit harder now. More content and more creators out there. The ways of making money from ad sales are all outdated.

VFX Industry - get good, and get good at a variety of VFX skills. Fill your reel with real projects and not tutorials.

After VGHS, are you going to continue on the way of long-form projects? I remember from the podcasts it seems you are very into how the entertainment industry is evolving. Do you think it's still a journey to doing TV shows and a big budget movie? Do you see any other path/future goal and would you pursue it?

Also it seems that crowdfunding has worked very well for VGHS but do you think it's sustainable? Many people are already expressing a bit of exhaustion from an increase in crowdfunding campaigns and are not willing to spend so much at a time now. Do you see an alternative to crowdfunding besides going back to traditional studio funding?

We want to own our own content. That means TV show length projects and feature length projects. Will those projects show up in theaters? That remains to be seen. Functionally, doing VGHS as a 6 episode TV show and putting it online and having people watch it on smart TVs is really not that different than how "traditional" TV is currently consumed.

I don't think crowdfunding as it is currently misunderstood is sustainable. We look at crowdfunding as (and the most successful campaigns tend to be) a visible preorder system, similar to how Louis CK did his comedy show. We're basically doing a "pre-order" for an upcoming project.

Or maybe the more apt comparison - it's similar to pre-alphas for games like DayZ or Rust - money comes in early for a non-finished project that they use to complete it.

Is it safe to consider you to be the new Stan Lee? ex. doing cameos and such?

I'm nowhere near the legend that man is.

How do you come up with the script to video game high school? P.S I LOVE YOU

Matt and the writers, Will and Brian and for Season 3, Jake Andrews of Rubydog Films, literally sit in a room for 8 hours a day for six months straight trying to break the story. It's excruciating. It's mind numbing. It's really difficult.

Luckily they got me to pop in and distract them every so often with inane internet videos!