There's no introduction here.
Let's just get straight to the point – money.
Some kinds of work are for the money, others are just for the idea (volunteering). I don't mind paying people and, even more so, I like when I get paid. However, I know what it means to be a volunteer and to devote myself to a cause solely on an ideological basis, investing not only my time and money in it, but myself. When I talk about some "cause", I'm not talking about your own, but about someone else's, which, at some point, becomes your own. I've had that experience more than once. It's not hard to guess what kinds of people I'd like to deal with. My point is not that I wouldn't pay people, but that I would prefer to work with like-minded people, such as volunteers first and foremost, and then with those who work for money. Another thing: doing volunteer work doesn't signify that you should have no skills. I am convinced that this resource has very serious potential, and I will do everything I can to realize it in all aspects, including technical. Therefore, even if you're a deeply sympathetic person and the most ideological supporter of the cause, if you don't have the appropriate skills and attitude – you simply won't do here. Despite this, the form will contain an option to select "ready to work only for money". In extreme cases, I will reach out to these people but, again, the bar is high for everyone, and the demand will be the same regardless of payment.
Regarding the process.
I would like to start with how I see the production process, because that will help you better understand where you can be most useful. I'm specifically talking about the production process here, not translations to different languages, which is also planned but is a topic for later. I would like the main production to occur in the United States, to the point where the presenter in the frame (where possible) is an English speaker. Why in the United States? Well, that's because the English language is international, and it's much easier to find volunteers in the States. Nevertheless, some of the content will be inevitably produced in Russia, so we're looking at a sort of Russian-American tandem. Frankly speaking, I'm still having a hard time imaging the details of such an arrangement, and I'm almost sure it won't go the way I picture it now, but you've got to start somewhere. Here we go.
Regarding the dreams.
Once again: the goal of the project is to motivate people into developing critical thinking skills. The method is a discussion between supporters of the evolutionary theory and also the creation theory. I've reviewed enough materials to identify the Achilles heel of both sides, the manipulation of one and the manipulation of the other, and where communication occurs on seemingly different wavelengths between the two parties, and a full-fledged discussion isn't possible (as I see it). My vision is for this discussion to be organized, for honest discourse to take place. I have a huge number of ideas, but the path from idea to implementation often takes about a lifetime (and sometimes life goes even faster than that).
Regarding the implementation.
Ideally, it would be useful to talk through the idea with a few people first and after, turn it into a script. The next step would be filming what needs to be filmed in Russia and what needs to be filmed in the U.S., and then do the animation, graphics, editing, and everything else. Seems simple enough… until you get to the details. For example, finding someone to talk through the idea with, to write the script with. Would that be with Russian-speaking or with English-speaking professionals? I don't know English well enough to be able to generate script ideas on the spot. It's definitely easier for me to do this with Russian speakers. The main production, however, will be in the States, so eventually the script will have to be in English. It can't be just translated, it has to be created by English-speaking people who know the target audience and who will bring it to the tech guys, and maybe even discuss it with them, while it's being written. It's clear that once we start everything will work out, but for now I'm at a crossroads. And that's not all. I'm not one of those people who can generate an entire script in their head down to the details for someone to then implement these thoughts into reality. Many things start coming to me during the production process, when I start modeling and animating 3D scenes. I work through the details as the project progresses. Besides I'm not one to do anything quickly on the computer, though, and at this point it'd be great to have an expert with whom I could model rough scenes "on the fly" in order to give birth to the script. Of course, a great screenwriter would to a large extent be able to relieve me of this stage by "seeing" everything in advance, and plotting all the points accurately from the very beginning. I wish I could get away from the production part and just focus on generating ideas. And then there's the time pressure…
Regarding the presentation formats.
There will be a variety of formats, including discussions and interviews with famous people and even feature film-style scenes, or perhaps not just scenes only. That means we need cameramen, lighting, sound, locations, and someday even actors.
Regarding vacancies.
Below is a form that is designed to make the process easier. Step in my shoes for a moment: I don't know how many applications there will be, nor will I know what kind of specialists I will need at one stage or another. That means… ATTENTION: YOU PROBABLY WON'T GET AN INSTANT REPLY.
In the first stage, I will focus on finding a person who would be able to coordinate the whole process (an English-speaking person and a Russian-speaking person, separately. I'll need both). They would probably be called a producer, or head of production, or production assistant – I won't quite get the right name, but it's someone who will be the right hand, so to speak, who will create the team and coordinate all activities. Upon finding a person like that, I will hand them all volunteer applications and then the feedback phase will begin. It's possible that even before a coordinator appears, I will ask for help from professionals such as website developers, text editors, translators, video editors, 3D animators, and others. The rest of us will probably have to wait a long time, but that certainly doesn't mean that you should delay filling out the form. Once you've decided to become part of the team, it's time to make yourself known. If a lot of time has passed, you still haven't received an answer, and your hands are burning with anticipation – re-apply. For us, re-applying will demonstrate your desire to take part. I hope the future coordinator has already taken this to heart.
A couple more words about coordinators. It's possible that we may have several episodes in progress at once, which means we'll need several teams of specialists, and maybe more than one coordinator. But for now, that's in the "dream" category.
Regarding translations.
Translations are planned for all major world languages – roughly the top 10 by number of native speakers. Thus, we will need translators not only from Russian to English and from English to Russian, but also (for example) from Russian to Spanish and from English to Spanish (and so on for other languages). Here, interpreters, translators, and proofreaders for each language will be necessary. Stylistically, the content should be light and concise. By no means should it be academic. The texts should be infused with a sense of humor, even sarcasm, and most importantly, with life. Then this platform will stand a good chance of helping people learn languages as well, setting a bar that AI won't ever reach (if it doesn't learn from us:)). In general, there are enough interesting materials online that need translating from Russian into English and vice versa, which will be to everyone's benefit. Anyway, translators are in demand here. Dubbing actors are equally needed.
A LOT OF DIFFERENT VOICES WILL BE NEEDED.
Summary.
At the moment, I'm looking for anyone with experience in video content production. As an example, this could include producers, screenwriters, translators, text editors, voice actors, graphic designers, 2D animators, 3D animators, 3D post-processing specialists, video editors, sound engineers, and so on.
In the future, talent will be needed, such as an English-speaking male with a sense of humor, a cameraman (capable of operating at least two cameras), and so on. I am also thinking about doing a Muppet-style show at some point. Your suggestions are more than welcome!
Fluency in English is a must.
If you are a specialist who is also capable of managing others in your field (for example, an animator who can manage a team of animators), please check the relevant box on the form below. These managers will be very important.