Chapter 16: A Standing Image

Broadcasters who typically do general game broadcasts usually rely on YouTube revenue rather than broadcast revenue.

This is because broadcasts primarily rely on direct donations from viewers, whereas YouTube allows them to earn advertising revenue once their views increase.

Moreover, unlike live broadcasts, which require viewers to tune in at a specific time, YouTube videos can be watched anytime. Therefore, many people prefer YouTube videos over live broadcasts.

For that reason, Osorin was also thinking about YouTube, but she gave up because of her lack of editing skills and the lack of money to hire an editor.

However, Dancing Raccoon made her videos fun, which led to an increase in live broadcast viewers and regular viewers, and her fixed income from donations increased.

She naturally thought about YouTube again.

‘But will Raccoon leave her own channel and come in as an editor….’

Since she had already given permission, all the revenue from the channel’s YouTube could be taken by Raccoon.

Judging by the considerable number of views, the revenue is expected to be considerable, so she was worried whether she would leave that behind and come in as a mere editor.

-Sure.
“Ah, of course, you can do whatever you want with the original video….”

Right now.

Did she say yes?

“Huh? Really?”

It worked?

I write a notice on the YouTube community page.

From now on, Osorin’s videos will be uploaded to Osorin’s official channel.

When I went to Osorin’s YouTube channel, which was linked together, there were already over 3,000 subscribers.

My channel’s subscribers were slowly leaving, but it didn’t matter.

‘I was planning to make this channel a Kirinuki channel anyway.’

There are Kirinuki channels that are made with only one person’s videos, but I wanted to use several people as material.

There are so many people like Osorin who are fun to watch but can’t get popular.

I want to upload videos of such people on my channel and show them to people.

Besides, it wasn’t particularly disadvantageous to me.

‘Because I can earn more money like this: my channel and Osorin’s channel editor.’

I made one condition when I joined Osorin as an editor.

That the [Dancing Raccoon] channel will continue to be maintained and videos of people other than Osorin may be uploaded.

She seemed to not understand the condition when she heard it, but she readily agreed, saying she didn’t care.

‘I’ve sent all the edited videos. …Now what?’

After being scolded by Song Jakga last time, I was limited to editing up to two videos a day.

Today’s editing is all done, so there’s nothing more to do.

Usually, I would have been dragged by Mister’s hand to exercise (take a walk), but today Mister was busy and wasn’t home.

‘Shall I watch a broadcast?’

Osorin’s broadcast wasn’t on, but it wouldn’t be bad to go into any broadcast and listen to it like a radio.

With that thought, I was about to enter Twitch as always.

Something I had forgotten flashed through my mind.

‘Come to think of it, aren’t there Vtubers even now?’

Not YouTube-specific productions like Kizuna AI, who was the first to introduce herself as a virtual YouTuber,

but virtual YouTubers who turn on virtual and communicate with viewers through live broadcasts would have appeared around this time.

Since it’s not known in Korea, I searched in Japanese and was able to find it easily.

“Wow…, the quality is completely different from what I knew.”

People who are active as virtual YouTubers at this time can be divided into two categories.

Virtual using 3D modeling like Kizuna AI.

Virtual using illustrations and iPhone apps to track facial expressions.

In the case of 3D virtual, gestures and actions are well visible, but the disadvantage is that facial expressions cannot be easily changed.

In the case of illustration virtual, it was possible to move the mouth or blink the eyes, but there were restrictions on movement.

‘At first, they followed Ai and did 3D, but gradually changed to illustrations.’

The 3D at this time was not of very high quality.

The legs would pierce through the skirt, or if the recognition was wrong, the arms would bend in bizarre directions.

Moreover, it was quite difficult to make an anime-style character into a natural 3D.

That’s why I think the illustration virtual, which can show facial expressions immediately, became the mainstream.

‘Of course, 3D technology improved and later it gradually changed to 3D.’

Anyway, I remembered this and thought of something.

In Korea, too, broadcasters who don’t turn on the cam create their own characters (self-characters) and display them on the broadcast screen to broadcast.

Illustrations in broadcasts are already popular.

Then, wouldn’t people accept illustration virtual without any resistance?

‘But it would be strange to change it all at once, and I don’t have the technology….’

Let’s change it step by step for now.

I opened my notebook after a long time.

There is a term called ‘live commentary’.

It is mainly a method in which the speaker talks about the game or daily life as if it were a live broadcast in a recorded gameplay video.

The difference from a live broadcast is that in live commentary, you talk as if it were a live broadcast even if no one is listening.

It’s a method used by many YouTubers around the world, but the use of the word ‘live’ is almost limited to Japan.

And among such live broadcasts, there is TTS live commentary.

TTS live commentary is literally a live commentary in which TTS speaks instead of a voice.

The difference from other live commentary is that it uses a ‘standing image’.

A standing image is often used in dating simulations, and it can be seen as an illustration that only shows the ‘appearance of the character’.

You could make the video more realistic by changing only the facial expressions to match the content of the video in the same character illustration.

‘A representative example was Yuzuki Yukari’s live commentary.’

And to make people accept virtual without resistance, I’m going to use this system.

-Certainly, if you can see the facial expressions in the picture, it would be good for people to see the broadcasters’ reactions like a cam broadcast.

“Right?”

-But can you do facial expression changes by recognizing the face?

“Honestly, it’s difficult right now. But I think it will be possible in a few years.”

Osorin spoke in a friendly tone after hearing my plan.

After I told her that I was much younger than her, she approached me with tremendous sociability.

She probably won’t know about virtual yet, so I left that part out and talked.

“So for now, I’m thinking of using a method where only the mouth moves in the standing image. In a way that the image changes to open mouth when sound enters the microphone. Even that alone will look realistic.”

It will be in the form of only the mouth opening and closing, but it will be better than an image that doesn’t move at all.

“And although automatic facial expressions are still impossible, you can change them manually. It would be even better if you set up a macro key and change the expression at the desired time while broadcasting.”

-It will take some time to get used to it……

“You have to work hard, I guess.”

I could hear her groaning over the speaker.

I helped her, which greatly increased her awareness.

My editing just made the original stand out more, but the broadcast itself was so much fun that YouTube could get high views.

However, because of that, the number of regular viewers increased significantly, and she was sincerely grateful for my advice.

So she was seriously thinking about my words like this.

-But, Raccoon. To implement what you said, we need a standing image first, right?

“That’s right?”

-Who do we get that from?

“Who drew the illustration for Sorin right now?”

-My younger sibling drew this, but they’re in the military right now.

“Ah.”

She said that to be exact, she stole the picture her sibling drew.

So her sibling doesn’t know that she’s broadcasting.

“Then we have to find an illustrator first.. Do you know anyone?”

-There’s no one around me who draws pictures except my sibling.

“Hmm, I see. Then let’s both look for an illustrator first. I’ll send you the details later by message.”

The illustration on Osorin’s broadcast screen was quite cute and popular, so I was going to ask that person, but the schedule was slightly twisted.

If there are various facial expressions and different poses of the character in the editing, it would be possible to edit more fun, so I was going to ask for various things.

People can see it without feeling a sense of difference only if the art style is the same.

‘I have a lot of requirements, I wonder if there is an illustrator who will listen to this.’

The first thing is to find someone who has a drawing style that is not too anime-like, cute, and popular.

I get a headache just thinking that it will be difficult from the start.

It was when I finished the call with Osorin and was about to go out to the living room to cool my head for a while.

Mister, who was watching TV on the sofa, called me.

“Are you done? Then watch this.”

“What is it?”

“Remember when I went to the broadcasting station and helped my junior with the directing? That episode is airing.”

I looked at the TV and saw the strangely cute and mature Senior Bom being interviewed.

And in that interview scene, some of the directing techniques that Mister and I talked about at the time were included.

“He used it well. He knows it too, but he can’t think of it. He’s still a bit intimidated.”

“But you did well to match Senior Bom’s image.”

“If it were me, I would have used it more drastically. I think he’s too cautious because he’s worried about damaging her image. That’s why filming with actors is so difficult.”

Mister clicked his tongue and I continued to watch TV.

In it, Senior Bom’s acting and her usual life and hobbies were interestingly captured as if observing.

Then, Lee PD in the TV asked Senior Bom.

-Bom, do you have any hobbies?

-Hobbies? Hmm…. I used to do ballet and flute, but recently I’ve been drawing.

-Drawing? Can we see it?

-It’s a bit embarrassing…. Wait a minute. Here it is. I like to draw like this cutely~

-Wow, you’re very good at drawing? It seems like you’ve learned professionally.

-Ehehe, is that so?

The pictures drawn by Senior Bom shown on the screen.

They were not too anime-like, cute, and had a drawing style that wouldn’t be disliked by many.

Moreover, the quality is considerable.

Seeing that, I muttered in admiration.

Oh.

“Found it, huh?”