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A Behind the Scenes Look at the Making of The Next Level

March 12, 2014

by JacksSmirkingRevenge


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The Next Level is our weekly show that is approaching its fifth episode tomorrow (it usually airs on Wednesdays, but someone had to go on vacation), and we’ve recently been gearing ourselves up to give our weekly experience the highest production values possible. When you watch The Next Level, you see three guys sitting on a couch playing some games. But the amount of technology behind bringing this image to thousands of screens — in glorious high definition no less, is staggering. We’ve recently received and set up some of our latest toys to play with, so I thought it would be cool to give you an inside look at what we see each and every time we air an episode, as well as the tools and tech we’re working with. Enjoy!

This is ScreenMe. He's behind the camera and has been a major driving factor in upping our video activity over the last couple of months.

This is our intrepid video producer ScreenMe. He’s behind the camera and has been a major driving factor in upping our video activity over the last couple of months. He directs each episode of the Next Level on the fly, switching between various shot configurations live.

This is exactly what it looks like sitting on The Next Level couches. Pretty bright, eh?

This is exactly what it looks like sitting on The Next Level couches. Pretty bright, eh?

Perspective shot. We've recently added fill-lights in several key places around the ceilings to eliminate shadows.

Perspective shot. We’ve recently added fill-lights in several key places around the ceilings to eliminate shadows.

A bunch of wires are interlaced throughout the pipes in the ceiling.

I know this, because I set those lights up today. A bunch of wires are interlaced throughout the pipes in the ceiling.

Speaking of wiring, get a load of this. Each of these wires play a separate roll in keeping The Next Level going. This is why we tell guests to be very, very careful about where they step.

Speaking of wiring, get a load of this. Each of these wires play a separate roll in keeping The Next Level going. This is why we tell guests to be very, very careful about where they step. To be brief, you’re looking at a full tower computer (ScreenMe uses it to run the stream), a GoPro, video camera, boom mic, an ethernet switcher, three separate screens — all interconnected to make The Next Level run.

The lighting in our lobby here at HQ is warm, but not very good for filming. So we picked up these massive octagonal soft box light kits. Each one holds six 32-watt bulbs (!!!) and the light can be fully adjusted. We don't need any other lights on other than these when we film.

The lighting in our lobby here at HQ is warm, but not very good for filming. So we picked up these massive octagonal soft box light kits. Each one holds six 32-watt bulbs that puts out 8,400 Lumens (!!!) of light. We don’t need any other lights on when we film.

This blog post was brought to you by JacksSmirkingRevenge and ScreenMe. We'll see you tomorrow, along with BlockHaak, at 2PM PST on Twitch.TV!

This blog post was brought to you by JacksSmirkingRevenge and ScreenMe. We’ll see you tomorrow, along with blockhaak, at 2:00 PM PST on Twitch.TV!