October 2022 is over. While I didn’t get to attend as many haunt events as I hoped at the region’s different amusement parks, I was able to visit both Field of Screams in Mountville, Pa. and 301 Devil’s Playground in Galena, Md. Both haunts were amazing with top-notch effects, props, costumes, and operations. I thought about trying to do Off-Track Bonus videos for them, but honestly, I wanted a couple of nights of enjoying time with friends and not having to focus (pun intended) on my camera.
Speaking of videos…
Trying Out Some New Things...
Adobe Photoshop - Title Cards
Okay, okay… I know I redesigned all the title cards earlier this year and now I’ve went and done it again. While I didn’t come to hate the previous redesigns, I felt like they didn’t pop enough when on screen. Most of the text was of similar size and some of the logos blended into busy backgrounds. When coming up with these new title cards, I aimed to fix all of that.
I took inspiration from some sports channel title cards that featured large text and a single large graphic. Some would also feature team or channel logos, but what I loved about all of them was how clean they were. I’ve always been a fan of simple and clean. After toying with some different layouts, I came up with the cards you now see above.
I have a few color backgrounds going on, with each one appearing on different types of videos. The colors (so far) are as follows:
- Orange – On-Ride POV/Off-Ride Footage
- Blue – Ride/Park Vlogs
- Red – Off-Track Bonus Content
- Purple – Park Announcement/Trailers/B-Roll (courtesy of parks)
- Black – Site Promotion/Trailers
Adobe Premiere Pro - Audio Tracks & Graphics
Until launching We Were Inverted, I had very little time invested in Adobe Premiere Pro. I knew enough to post some simple videos with generic titles. Well, I’ve decided to start learning more about this robust program. Like some of the other programs I’ve learned, I am teaching myself, with a lot of aid from people on YouTube. I am by no means amazing yet, but I hoping some of you who subscribe and/or watch my videos, see the little extra touches I’m introducing.
Starting with the Flatwoods Monster Museum Off-Track video, I began laying in background tracks under the main audio track. Both it and the newest Hersheypark Vlog feature this from start to finish. Let me know what you think of this addition.
The next thing I began adding was info graphics for liking, sharing, subscribing, and following the site on other social media platforms. I barely ever asked people to do this in my videos before. I also never featured graphics asking viewers to do it either. Well, I finally decided to join the club.
I’m not doing this because it’s the cool thing to do, but because what everyone has been saying in their videos about the YouTube algorithm is 100 percent correct. My most viewed and interacted with video, the Le Scoot On-Ride POV at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW), just keeps chugging along. It currently has 16,238 views, 144 likes, and 10 comments. Now while I know those numbers don’t compare to larger channels out there, it’s amazing for what I’ve built so far. Thank you to everyone who has watched it, along with my other videos. Your likes, comments, shares, and subscribing has helped the channel grow. Please consider doing them on all my videos to help it out even further.
Randy Davidson Shares His Passions
The last few enthusiast/creator interviews on We Were Inverted all revolved around people running YouTube channels. While I loved talking with all of those people, I wanted something different for my next interview. That’s when I decided to ask, Randy Davidson. Randy is an amazing photographer whose work I saw for the first time on the Facebook group Busch Gardens Williamsburg Insiders. Thankfully, he was more than happy to take part.
During the month of October, both parts of Randy’s two-part interview were posted. I kept with the normal two-part style, with Randy sharing his love for coasters and amusement parks in Part 1 and then talking about his passion for his photography in Part 2. If you haven’t had a chance to read them yet, I encourage you to do so. I included a ton of his photos throughout both parts.
Randy is a very down-to-earth person, so if you’re ever headed to BGW, hit him up. He likes meeting fellow enthusiasts – both amusement park and photography enthusiasts. Also, let him know you saw his interview on We Were Inverted.
A Few More Pins, Nothing Crazy
With a limited budget these days, my pin collecting has slowed down quite a bit. For the second month in a row I added four new pins to the collection. The first one I picked up came from my first of two visits to Hersheypark in October – the Wildcat pin. That was a must buy and I grabbed one for Chris too. As for the second Hersheypark pin, I grabbed that on my second visit. It was the first time I saw the pin on their shelves. I believe it has the same artwork as a shirt I saw back in 2021 featuring Sidewinder (now Jolly Rancher Remix).
My most recent additions I didn’t think I’d end up getting, much less a week apart. Someone was selling the color version of the Iron Gwazi Presidential Award pin from Busch Gardens Tampa (BGT) on eBay. I had $40 sitting in my PayPal, so I decided to grab it. Then, one week later, I saw the pewter variant of the pin up for bid on eBay. Only one person bid on it and I was able to grab it last minute for a cheaper price than the color version. Needless to say, that $40 is no longer sitting in PayPal, but it was so worth it.
November should be more eventful when it comes to pins. Steven, from Thrill Maxx, just mailed out five pins he grabbed during his visit to Kings Island. He saw them last minute on his way out of the park and knew I’d probably love them. Steven is a great guy. Be sure to check out Thrill Maxx and follow all their social media channels.
Hersheypark, Twice
In October I took advantage of Hersheypark’s deal for their lowest rate on signing up for a 2023 King-Sized Pass. Since my renewal failed to process for some unknown reason earlier this year for my 2022 pass, I was without one all year. Money was tight and with gas prices high, I put buying one on the back burner. Well, with the impending RMC Wildcat, I wanted a pass for 2023. You best bet I will be getting some rides on that next year. And if it’s open for Sweet Start, that pass will be easily worth it.
After signing up for my pass, I decided to visit the park on Columbus Day weekend. And yeah, with kids having off an extra day from school that weekend, the park was packed like no other. I used the majority of the day to film the above mentioned vlog, getting in just three rides all day.
One week later, I was back at the park with Renee and her brother, Brady. We had a smaller crowd and also decided to give the park’s inaugural Dark Knights haunts a try. I won’t get into what I thought about those houses here since I did an in depth review on them in Part 2 of the trip report found below:
- (10.09.2022) Hersheypark – Making the Most of Another Crowded Visit
- (10.16.2022) Hersheypark – Dark Knights, Pt. 1: The Coasters
- (10.16.2022) Hersheypark – Dark Knights, Pt. 2: The Scares
A Park Visit w/ James?
Now that October is done and over, what does November hold? Well, first off, I will be starting a new job. I will be working four 10-hour days that will still leave me with three days off. Those days include the weekend, thankfully. I start this week.
That being said, James, who was always one of my biggest travel buddies for years leading into this site’s creation, has not been to a single park with me since the site’s launch. Between Covid, the birth of his child, and work, it just hasn’t happened. Well, it looks like that is about to change.
Like me, James is starting a new job this week and will training up in New Jersey. He’ll be only 20 minutes from Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv), so I asked him if he’d be up for visiting the park. He said sure and we’re looking to go on November 13.
James has yet to ride Jersey Devil Coaster, so that should be fun. I haven’t been to SFGAdv at all in 2022, so I’m excited to visit for that reason too. I’m hoping these plans play out and it could start James getting out with me to some parks again. Maybe a Hersheypark Christmas Candylane visit with him and his family before the end of the year too? He hasn’t rode Candymonium yet either. We shall see.
