How Bo Burnham made INSIDE

[@nadiamaresca7676]

me: I gotta stop rewatching "Inside" youtube: what about a 48 minutes analysis

[@ThePedro8161]

Yeah, I watched it six times the first day I watched it. Now I've been listening to the songs every once in a while.

[@m3dicgr33nthumb6]

Same here. Watched it twelve times now and i guess I'll watch it again tonigth.

[@roriefidler8636]

Hard same! Add in listening to the soundtrack while I clean.

[@AdrenolineLove]

Glad its not just me

[@MarianaCastro-ov7td]

Glad to know there are others having the same experience.

[@gingerthingx]

"i'll even link to like, Amazon" **BEZOS I & BEZOS II PLAYS LOUDLY**

[@theductductgoose]

one of my constant thoughts while watching this

[@lalakitty_xo]

I wouldn't be shocked if he made those songs out of frustration that the equiptment he bought was from Amazon. lol

[@fm.burbank8461]

well… i guess Bezos did it?

[@BelindaShort]

I can't stop singing this song

[@jayjay1drum1skate]

First two minutes in and I’m absolutely cracking up

[@Sillos09]

Some little points: - That first shot he actually shot for his last special "Make Happy". - Netflix requires 4k. So if he would have shot in 4k he wouldn't be able to do all the digital zooms. The camera he has can record 6k, which is probably what he did. - You can cheat a physical zoom with a digital one, but you can't actually "cheat" a dolly move with digital zooms. A moving camera is a different effect than a zoom. - In the last song you can actually kinda hear a switch from one recording to the other. it switches before the second "so long". I like the idea of going through a movie and just look for the technical stuff. 👍

[@RollingShutter]

You can still upscale the the cropped in 4K image in the timeline. But I agree with you for the very big zoom in in the beginning. That was a 6K shot for sure.

[@nbula2223]

The first shot isn't from Make Happy.

[@reillylawrence7129]

@@nbula2223 But it is possible that he recorded it then and it was left on the cutting room floor. I could see it going either way.

[@duseylicious]

Looks like in that first disco ball shot, he probably had a little bit of smoke in the room to get that “beam” from his headlamp, yeah?

[@TheBroShowAus]

@@duseylicious absolutely, that or he has a serious dust problem

[@ZombieGoBoomVP]

"...and he's... naked again."

[@EmileFeik]

my favourite bit is at 43:05 when you analyse what cereal he's eating

[@jean_etcetera]

I was waiting for him to show us where to buy it on Amazon, tbh 😔👊🏼

[@sillyfloofer]

same 😔👊

[@nighthawkdragon42]

It’s fucking insane when you sit down and truly think about everything that went into making this...

[@Atomic_Haggis]

Even more insane when you realise he spent a year making it, poring over it, analysing it, correcting it, until it was exactly what he wanted to release. You can also bet that when he released it he wasn't sure if it was ready but had to let it go.

[@michaelkeene5950]

Probably why he won Emmy’s for it.

[@tyneeweaner]

"He's not moving his mouth when Socko talks" I think you mean that he's an expert ventriloquist??

[@CHACHILLIE]

No

[@christianrollman3006]

@@CHACHILLIE what an enjoyable, fun person you must be

[@bluelunala]

given that i’ve never heard of bo being a ventriloquist, this must mean that socko is an actual living and sentient creature

[@CHACHILLIE]

@@christianrollman3006 lol

[@ggs27]

@@bluelunala Who is living in a constant state of sleep paralysis

[@foolserrand9715]

Drinking game: Take a drink whenever he points out that Bo is lip-syncing

[@abelassjer2644]

And the stove lights

[@katuni08]

Welp. I died. Gee thanks.

[@Kevuno]

Yea I don’t get why he is so obsessed with whether it was live take or not, who cares!

[@Kevuno]

But don’t get me wrong. I’m so glad this video exists to get insight into how everything probably went down

[@auradmg]

I think it's just interesting to know how this stuff works behind the scenes. It's *presented* as being live as he sits in front of the keyboard with a microphone, but the more you know about production, the more you can see when it isn't.

[@CaseJackal]

I think the SM58 microphone is partially to tether it back the aesthetic of a "comedy show", since he's used to performing into a mic like that and the audience is used to seeing comedians holding them. It could also be a symbolic thing where it's his personal token or totem that tethers him to reality, to his job as an entertainer.

[@theredvelveteer4721]

i love your music 👍

[@jayjay1drum1skate]

It’s just a good mic for the job, it’s very directional.

[@EternaMusicProductions]

@@jayjay1drum1skate very little in this special is "just" anything. Almost everything is there or done for a reason

[@CaseJackal]

@@jayjay1drum1skate that's also it, yeah

[@CaseJackal]

@@theredvelveteer4721 thank you!!

[@Reflexzzzz]

The conversation about what is "real" and what isn't is super interesting, and it's something Bo Burnham has brought up himself in his own work (I am wearing make-up, this show has got a budget), and even in Inside. I think my own personal conclusion I've reached is that while it's dishonest, it's authentic. Did he turn 30 during that shot? No way. Did he start recording himself from across the room with the room more cluttered than ever before, only to have a breakdown and have to crash through everything to turn off the recording? Hell no. Does it matter? No. The message remains, and it's up to us to find meaning. We can't trust him, we can only trust our interpretation. Excellent video, really enjoyed watching this from a technical perspective! You're very articulate and clear.

[@BrianaLynn7]

its definitely funny people mention what is real and what is acted bc ill admit when watching it the first time i was so involved i didn't stop to think that it wasn't real. I didn't believe it was all real, but I didn't stop to question. And like yeah, he didn't turn 30 in that moment but he did during the year/time filming. and he may have truly felt the emotions he portrayed through his set up and acting.

[@APG93]

So what you're saying is "art is a lie, nothing is real"? 😂

[@amy_grace]

♪ He meant to knock the water over, yeah yeah ♫

[@calebweldon8102]

I feel like the turning 30 one could be real. It wasn’t a song so could be done in one take

[@ericdecker2914]

Why am I booing you? You’re right.

[@sustentofila]

I got here, thought "oh wow, that's long, who watches a 49 min analysis" and then proceeded to watch it all haha. So good! Thank you!

[@Tom_Lube]

Hey Tucker. Just want to tell you that 'Funny Feeling' is recorded in mono, with the vocals and guitar all on the same track. Nothing else in the entire special is like it. Pretty sure that this is all one take. In every other song, instruments and vocals are stereo separated.

[@Saientific]

Then that begs the question: How the fuck is the guitar so crispy sounding with no apparent microphones pointed to it?

[@josephwarwick4604]

The video and audio of the guitar part look like they're recorded together. I dont think I'd be able to fake that sync with separate takes and I'm a professional guitarist.

[@Tom_Lube]

@@josephwarwick4604 Yup, agreed.

[@KristofskiKabuki]

So does that mean it’s just a very sensitive microphone that’s able to pick up the guitar perfectly from a distance?

[@JoseCastro-ws2sv]

@@Saientific it’s most likely an electric acoustic guitar that he plugged into the audio interface

[@NateIsLame]

I love love LOVE videos like this. It’s so easy to look at this special and admire how brilliant it is from a conceptual standpoint, but the ingenuity Bo has with everyday items and obtainable resources is just as exciting to me. Not a lot of folks take the time to really appreciate that. This is an amazing video. Thank you for taking the time to make this.

[@rtyl5019]

hi nate

[@Solloco]

I mean, "obtainable resources." From the recent Netflix leak, we know that his budget was north of 3 million dollars so he bought some expensive gadgets.

[@Broeckchen]

Just one note: Private property is not the same as personal property. Private property is stuff like factories and houses you don't live in. The stuff in Bo's room there is personal property. Stuff you simply kinda own and that is of meaning to you. The "private property should be illegal" sentiment is basically more about rich CEOs and landlords being able to lay claim to stuff the rest of the world needs to live, like houses and farmlands, so they can deny those assets to us unless we pay through the nose for them. Which is why there are more empty houses than homeless people.

[@TheRectangularCircle]

Thank you for the explanation! I’d heard that the two are different concepts but I wasn’t sure quite how.

[@Broeckchen]

@@TheRectangularCircle I'm happy I could help then! ♡

[@notaninstrument7707]

He meant "private property" in the Marxist sense, like stuff companies own, the means of production. What's all around him is personal property, stuff individual people own

[@matthewbouwense4337]

Yeah I was going to comment on that, but good to see other people mentioning it

[@encryptedmaze]

I hate how common this misconception is.

[@FluxAeros]

Funny how he said that he didn't want to get into analyzing the message but has to sneak that cheeky comment in which blatantly misses the point of what Bo is saying. Maybe he should spend more time analyzing the message after all lmao

[@LehkiBug]

wanted to mention this myself, glad somebody beat me to it

[@EternaMusicProductions]

@@FluxAeros he also doesn't talk about lighting because he doesn't understand it but he's going to drop his cappie bootlicking comment about property despite his lack of understanding.

[@sllimjimsinkhole]

I think knew he needed that first shot because this special begins where Make Happy leaves off.

[@sllimjimsinkhole]

10:33 that shot was a perfect representation of airplanes ruining a musical take haha You can sense his frustration too, and as a musician I know that feeling all too well haha

[@SirNightmareFuel]

8:12 _Technician critiques Bo for not setting his stove up properly and has meltdown over light fixture missing a screw._ 39:31 _this man is relentless._ 43:51 _he. can't. be. stopped._

[@SirNightmareFuel]

for real tho, my favourite parts of this video is when you're pointing out all these little details most people missed. lol

[@jspmartin]

I think the clock not being set on the stove is a metaphor for how nebulous the concept of time has become during the pandemic. The missing screw is obviously intentional to signify having a 'screw loose' while struggling to hold it all together. Deep.

[@contrapasso]

I didn’t think my respect for Bo as an artist could get any higher but here we are. Knowing how much of a perfectionist he is, this project must have been agonizing.

[@RandoBox]

How dare you insinuate that he is not the world's greatest ventriloquist.

[@anudeepk7579]

He is not though, socko is a sentient living being and Bo murdered him for misbehaving.

[@DeathToMayo]

"There's a lot of private property here" Socko is using the term "private property" in the socialist sense which is distinct from "personal property." Almost no one is against the right to own things. That's personal property. Private property in this sense refers to someone generating wealth just by owning things. A CEO taking in the money his workers generate even while they sleep is private property. Bo's camera and lights are personal property.

[@VinOnline]

That's a great definition.

[@anarchopal481]

@@VinOnline The socialist movement tends to use words in unorthodox ways that, while not serving the purposes of say, running a business very well, are much more useful for the purposes of discussing social revolution.

[@Ciph3rzer0]

Property is different from possessions. You can look up Thomas Paine "Agrarian Justice" where he talks about the immortality of people owning land.

[@EternaMusicProductions]

Glad I didn't have to clarify but I did anyways lol thanks man

[@EternaMusicProductions]

@@Ciph3rzer0 everything is property it's just a matter of personal/private public/communal abandoned/unoccupied unowned/claimed

[@BookshopWitch]

The light Bo is using during Welcome To The Internet is actually a super simple, super cheap 'galaxy' light you can get on Amazon! They're usually terrible bluetooth speakers too. They're very popular with TikTokers (I own 2 or 3 of them) and they have a little lazer in them, and them a dome shaped light to do the softer coloured 'galaxy' lights. It's possible he did something else, but the effects look indentical to the light I have, right down to the colour combos of galaxy lights. So simple, yet so cool looking and effective!

[@DavidLerman]

Any chance you could share which model you think it is? I've found a few that are close, but not exact (esp when his stars occasionally "shoot")

[@tuckertota]

I believe somebody posted a link in the comments. I remember it was not an Amazon link.

[@DavidLerman]

@@tuckertota Thanks! They did indeed. They gave a shoutout to Blisslights, which is very close but doesn't have the shooting stars. And there's an Amazon link in another comment to a product no longer available (404 error). Oh well!

[@ICantStopMakingNoise]

You can also get very similar lights at big box stores after Christmas, often for very cheap (75% off, even).

[@Azureflame20]

I'm pretty convinced on "that little feeling" that he recorded it all as you see it. Electric-Acoustic guitars have a specific tone that you can recognize when they're plugged in that picks up certain tones. The audio also matches where the fingerings from chord to chord get a little fumbled around in moments - There's definitely moments he's messing up the guitar parts slightly, but he just masks it pretty well and makes it sound more intentional to the audience. Also, It's a possibility he has it with a cordless setup as well and he might have a mic setup facing at a guitar amp off camera or something. As for the goodbye song I think he might have just had the idea for the intro chords and likely had it differentiate from there after the first little bit. There probably was an older version he made near the beginning, as songwriting can definitely be that way sometimes. He very likely could have just taken video from the old version and used audio that he recorded near the end of the special and almost dubbed it right. There wasn't any more footage of shorthair-short beard bo after the intro to the song. All the audio I can only imagine was recorded at the end of the whole process Just some possible thoughts

[@ajilpappachan]

I thought so too. Because the short haired version is just singing about saying goodbye after the show. So it's safe to assume he had that idea when he started working on the project. And then the more grown version shows up and keeps the song going with references to the other songs he made throughout the entirety of the project. I felt that the goodbye song is something that just grew along with him working on the project. And I find that somewhat beautiful. And I think to me what makes it so heart wrenching is the idea that he started the project for some escapism but he knows in his heart from the beginning that he will have to end that one day.

[@ChuckBrailsford]

Gonna throw my opinion in here. I think he's just phantom strumming the guitar. If you look closely, it doesn't look like the strings are vibrating. Matching the fingerings and strumming pattern wouldn't be too hard, especially compared to the rehearsing required for the other bits in the special. I think the original recording of the guitar is pretty raw, and I agree that he probably left mistakes in intentionally (probably to give it that campfire guitar solo feel), but I think it was pre-recorded and he's just pretending to strum. I would guess he's holding his fingers like he has a pick but isn't actually holding a pick. As for reasoning, probably to avoid bleed between the vocals and guitar mics? Or maybe he was limited on number of mics?

[@BBAACKE]

All ♥️, but it’s ‘That Funny Feeling’.

[@leandroalves4159]

shit I meant to watch like ten minutes of this and accidentaly watched the whole thing on one sitting... zero regrets

[@andrew20146]

48:07 Andrew Wehde was the cinematographer on the 2018 movie Bo wrote, 'Eighth Grade'. Marc Janowitz was the lighting designer for Bo's 'Make Happy' special as well as the Chris Rock special Bo produced, 'Tambourine'. I would guess that they both gave him advice as he was working on this, or merely he learned/was inspired to up his cinematography and lighting game working with these two individuals.

[@rafaerushonchisei8514]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaOvk4CMobR7lc0 I just found this and amazes me at how much attention he gives to the lights

[@RebelinGames]

Very interesting, thanks for commenting

[@mattrman3]

So right here you can see that his skin stretches when he talks, this happens because his skin is somewhat elastic, which is a really common trait in humans, so…

[@ozharms]

You can hear that he takes a breath here. This is because as a human being, Bo Burnham requires oxygen to live, and breathing gives him said oxygen. It’s neat attention to detail.

[@Lionman44]

Pretty sure the "spotlight" he uses is actually a slide in a power point with just a white circle on a black screen. When he hits the remote to switch from the spotlight to the image of the sky in the first scene he's just skipping to the next image. Good trick to easily switch between what might otherwise be complicated and possibly with some latency.

[@Lionman44]

For this I'm specifically talking about the first song. He uses an actual spotlight later on.

[@untildecember17]

While definitely a possible solution, based on the rest of the lighting I doubt that is the case here. Even high end projectors leave a gray background when showing black so you would see a full rectangular outline the size of the projection field if this were the case.

[@Joelbaileysmith]

I LOVED THIS. so many videos on here are just focusing about the emotional aspects of the special. A huge part of my obsession with it was the technical aspects. you just scratched SO MANY ITCHES dude. SUBBED

[@BenMarriott]

Loved this breakdown

[@BenJaded]

ayyy fancy seeing on of my inspirations on a video about one of my favourite comedians

[@PlanetComputer]

ok

[@skakee10]

Same insides my favorite breakdown too

[@ZSpieg]

hey i watch u

[@hermanoeljr]

I see what u did there

[@kaleidorainbow]

"he's missing a screw here on his mic plate, a little annoying". sure, it might be annoying, but it was intentional to gives more meaning--he has a "screw loose"

[@parkerlikespie]

Do we know this or are u being an English teacher

[@anudeepk7579]

I think he's just missing a screw on that switch bro...

[@GlobusTheGreat]

@@parkerlikespie How would we know it? Real English teacher knows there is no objective way to tell whether he intended any meaning behind it, so why not decide that it conveys additional meaning

[@yotamfriedman9898]

OMG

[@Miskamouskamikumouse]

Sure... english teacher

[@Yamartim]

47:54 I bet that without the legal team the Jeff Bezoz songs would've sounded very different

[@ScottBoydUX]

Schmeffrey Schmezos!

[@shamelessmash156]

Bo didn't film for 3-4 months because he had to write the songs, hence the change in hair length. It is very possible he knew the opening shot early on, supported by the fact he also wrote the beginning of the ending song early on. The timing makes sense from a creative POV.

[@luciferhashbrown]

in regards to the last song, I think he really did film the clip where he says "possible ending song" and starts singing at the beginning of shooting because he likely recorded little tests of a lot of songs as he was writing them before he even started shooting the special, and the others had no reason to make it in. Like he says in the beginning he had been testing lighting and filming for a couple of months already, and that would be why his hair is shorter than the rest of the clips. To light it and film it would just be good practice for him to see how its going to work to record some music live etc, and its totally plausible that he knew he might like to tie back to this early clip of the song in the end of the special even if he didn't know where the special was heading at the time. Plus, it is actually really hard to cut hair into a grown out cut as even though its shorter there it's still pretty grown out and shaggy hahah

[@lilypilly2290]

I agree. He could have had bits of the song written at that point. Along the way built more into it, and was able to blend it all together once he realized it could work

[@Stucks_]

As someone who watched Inside and got inspired to improve the production quality of my own videos and buy a better camera than my iPhone, I really appreciate how you broke this all down. I'll probably refer to this video again in the future :) Thank you!

[@williamfoss6115]

Hi! Somewhat lighting knowledgeable here (roughly, very amateur not professional). Really great video you've put together here! I'll try to elaborate on some of the lighting stuff if you're interested... (Also I just had nothing better to do). At 5:22 if you're right about the pin spot model he's using later on then it appears he can use a remote to trigger it on/off (but you can tell it's cheap based on the quality of light bleed around the edges, which is not present when the nicer/much more expensive spot is used). At 7:36 I'm honestly not sure. Does seem like there's some light from in front of the table hitting some of the legs and going upward... I would bet that the "practical" (the table lamp, in this case) isn't actually providing a great deal of light itself for the camera to capture so it's being made to appear like it's the source when the actual lighting is out of frame and angled upwards. With the transition when he bends to the side after 7:45 but before 7:51 you can see that he is just using multiple cheap DJ laser fixtures. Pretty standard stuff you can buy online or at somewhere like Guitar Center. I think you're right about the lighting console he's using at 9:04 - seems fairly simple, and most of the gear is stuff you can order online without going through specific dealers. Most of it. Some of it is pretty nice (and then you have to go through an official dealer, buy it used, or rent it). A lot of the LED lighting panels are specifically for photography, but a lot of the other fixtures he's using are theatrical and/or concert/DJ fixtures. I don't see any conventional/Tungsten fixtures. I can't identify the LED panels specifically because I don't really work with film, but if I had to guess they're some of the smaller and larger Aperture panels - sometimes he's using them with barndoors, sometimes not. Most of the time they are on a C-stand or tripod of some sort. If he's using nicer Aperture lights, those definitely cost some money. The main spotlight is also very, very expensive - but I elaborate on that further. Some of the stuff at 10:10 - I'd bet that middle shot is actually done with the spotlight or one of the LED panels outside the window in order to cast that look (or with a specific gobo/filter that goes over the light to shape it in a specific way. I don't think that's a natural angle for "moonlight" that would be that bright. But like you said - pretty common stuff for a music video, they do that all the time. You were probably right about your guesses at 10:58. Regardless of DMX control he probably has them adjusted or set at those levels. Not sure if they are multi-color LED or if he's using gels, either would work. Not sure at 14:24 - it's possible he could be using a Source 4 mini or some other sort of smaller pin spot fixture. However, all of the spot sizes he uses can be created using the main Source 4 you highlighted first - ETC makes different size lenses for different beam angle sizes, and we can see them scattered around at various times during the shoot. I'm not great at predicting throw distance in a room that small, but I'd guess he has a 19 degree, 26 degree, and a 14 degree barrel maybe? Or if he has a 19, 26, and 36, which would be more standard, then he could actually be using the 36 as his colored wash in some of the shots to fill in and using the pin spot as his spotlight. It's also possible it's not a Source 4 mini... it could be that smaller LED PAR we see at 18:08 on the floor. The main spotlight is almost certainly either an ETC Colorsource Spot or an ETC Source 4 Series 2 Lustr. The actual difference is hard to tell on camera. The Colorsource is more budget friendly...but not by a lot. Great point at 17:26 - that's how headlights on cars work too, bouncing the light can work a lot better. Great for wash lights in a room too, you bounce onto a wall or ceiling to fill the space with that color without blinding people. Also the same way that lights mounted to flown battens or truss is used to wash light onto cycloramas for theatrical/live event type work. Another great point at 21:56 - depending on the size of the room he might've actually had to buy a special lens for the projector to get a throw that large from that distance. I'd be interested in seeing how he did this all himself, it's very well done. Or maybe a much nicer projector, like you mentioned earlier in the video. 23:02 - Yes! Haze or fog or smoke are some of the best tools in lighting, really brings out the beam shape and defines it to the audience or camera. Almost all stage shows have some form of haze/smoke, even if it is very subtle and the audience can't easily see it. 24:15 - Spot on (hahaha). I think those are two of the smaller LED PARs we saw earlier. Not as easy to shape, and not as bright or as versatile as a spotlight, but fairly cheap to buy (especially when lighting a small room like that). Into 24:35 that's a small LED panel, battery powered, Aperture makes one for film/photography purposes that has become quite popular. Then into 24:46 yeah, I think those pedals send MIDI signals. These are pretty common for smaller bands that may not have large lighting rigs or a dedicated lighting designer/operator. Or, alternatively, they could literally just be turning power on/off to the fixture since I don't see any DMX data cables ran to them. The fixtures might be Bluetooth compatible though, or some other form of non-wired connection, which is becoming more common, as generally you don't turn LED fixtures on/off, only the LEDs themselves (and the power cord seems to have power running through it the whole time). If I had to guess, the pedals send MIDI to the laptop which sends a Bluetooth command to the lights. But not 100% sure. The pin spot at 30:00 is activated by remote and/or phone app, assuming it's the model you identify later (just based off the Amazon page). The console also accepts MIDI signals, so it's possible it could be the thing receiving and sending all the data. Moving into the song at 30:37 pretty much, most lighting consoles at least have the ability to record a few looks/presets. The LED bar we saw earlier in a "behind the scenes" shot is being used behind him on the wall - you can tell because of the multiple colors at the same time, all with pretty much the same throw distance next to each other. Might even just be a standard effect on the fixture itself. I agree at 32:00 - I assume it's a combo of some DJ light(s), maybe the disco ball we saw near the beginning, etc. He had a variety of some cheaper moving head/effect features, like the small laser fixtures at 7:45. For 32:28 it's either something like what you've shown or he could just be using the projector itself with pre-recorded video/effects. I'm just as confused as you are at 34:00. Absolutely no clue at that point whether it's a fixture or the projector. I suppose it could be a combination of both? But then I'm not sure what the remote is talking to... And then yes at 35:25 he's just turned the color of the spotlight green - it's an LED spot (and a very, very nice one) so he can just adjust the color. Definitely agree with the pin spot choice at 39:17 - it's cheap and seems to do everything it does in the show. Almost all of the fixtures he uses are much cheaper than the bigger ellipsoidal (even used, that bigger spotlight likely goes for $1500-$1800 depending on whether it's a Colorsource or Lustr. Brand new would add even more onto the cost). I'd bet the ellipsoidal is the most expensive part of the lighting setup, by far (literally probably worth more or equal to the rest of it combined, depending on how many fixtures he got). Not sure if the LED panels are high quality or not (I don't know film/photography fixtures nearly as well). At 40:25 - another channel I watched pointed it out, I didn't realize it before they said it - the camera recording doesn't have a time-stamp on it. It's possible that he's recording a time-stamp free version, while a time-stamp is being sent to the projector... But more likely is that it's actually a separate camera above or below the actual film camera so that way its settings can be different for the room versus the recording without running into any issues (and allowing the time-stamp to be mirrored onto the projection). Not sure how the pick-up is done then...maybe clever editing. Or I'm just dumb and the camera can record without the time-stamps while mirroring it with them to the projector at the same time. The battery level dropping I'd guess is because of multiple takes maybe. I'm not sure about the blue... might have been both setting the small LED panel to blue, then either putting a blue gel in front of the projector or messing with the projector's color balance - or just done in post. It's hard to tell... The outside lights at the end through the door might be fake, that might not actually be sunlight. But once he's outside it's definitely the spotlight. Very clever camera & projector matching for that zoom out where he's trying to get back inside. All in all, I love your analysis of all the different shots and techniques! Definitely some interesting stuff to think about. Sorry if my comment is a little disjointed, I went back to edit things throughout and not sure if it all makes sense now or is in order. Thanks for creating this video!

[@andrew20146]

7:36, I think it is just a glass topped desk, with a light put inside shooting up. You see the glass desk in many other shots in the special. Pretty simple, I think. 40:25, I think the battery going from full to empty was deliberate and maybe a metaphor. I think the outside light is artificial in the ending scene as well. Probably also the light coming through the window in the game streaming scene, too. It's a little too on the nose to be natural, I think.

[@williamfoss6115]

@@andrew20146 Ahh that makes sense, glass topped desk. That would explain it. Thanks! I agree, the game streaming scene was a little too uniform/on the nose to be natural.

[@Myless]

In regards to the timestamp talk at 40:25 most cameras have an option (Usually not on by default) for a clean HDMI output and the recording is done completely cleanly by default, it may have been an artistic choice or not I'm not that familiar with S1H's

[@williamfoss6115]

@@Myless Good to know! Thanks!

[@TylerRostedt]

Haha! I started writing out a lighting clarification breakdown but then I found your comment. Good job!

[@abigailmcneely5314]

I think it's easy to forget how often he wrote music that would involve him getting the timing completely right because part of it was recorder and part of it was done live. It happens in all of his specials. In "what." the intro switches between prerecorded and live bits. In "Make Happy," he does this MULTIPLE times in multiple bits. He's a wizard at timing. It's not surprising that he was able to do a lot of this by himself, especially in Comedy and How the World Works. He's literally done it for years.

[@ThePoushal]

The shot where he opens his laptop is the video game character and the streamer appears for a split frame.

[@Thehouseofmemes]

Holy shit

[@Twinspinner]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that immediately noticed the blinking time on the stove. Perhaps he did that on purpose so people didn't see what time he was recording the take for some convoluted continuity reason, idk

[@BelindaShort]

Bo did a fantastic job with this. I've been performing in various ways online for 18 years and I have some background with tech and music and being able to bring the sound/music/videography together like this just blew me away. Every time I watch it, I learn something new and see something I missed before. My boyfriend is a videographer and he watched it and said it's definitely a manual zoom. I think it may be a foot pedal. When I watched it again and there were zooms like this, his foot could have been on/near something we cant' see. Most of the LED lights you get now actually come with remotes, which can get tricky if you have a bunch. that LED spot probably came with the remote, but if it didn't there are power switches you can add a remote to. RE: Knowing when things happen- His stage shows are like this, some of them timed to the second so it makes sense that he'd just know when to do things, especially if he can see the screen that is playing the music. You can read it/see it. Watch the beginning of the video carefully- that ENTIRE desk covered in mirrors, that's what is illuminating his hand. I definitely noticed the custodian thing, I'm like- He had to buy a squeegee and everything. When I started camming, I often had to do full prop/costume setups for my photoshoots, it can be fun but it gets to be a lot to really set a scene. The things that seem annoying are actually what make it that much more realistic. That is a guest house that he doesn't live in I think so the stove not being set makes sense. I think that the camera has the mic on top to pick up all of the room stuff when he's moving things around. In the 'all eyes on me' he's got in ear monitors, you can see them in the projection. The Producer is the money.

[@mattbrauner8529]

I’m no expert but I’ve recorded myself singing before and it’s very hard to get that quality of audio while also moving/performing, so I’m pretty sure none of the vocals are live. He just set it up to look like it is because he’s Bo. Art is a lie nothing is real

[@slitbodmod5555]

Great video, I really liked this in depth explanation and found it very informative. It really goes to show how far some simple creativity can get you. One small technical error I could spot is at 12:28 you pointed out that Bo Burnham's equipment was "private property" whcih would contradict the song when in relation to what Bo Burnham is quoting it would be more accurate to call it "personal property" as it's not frozen assets owned by a private company for market value. Great video man!!!

[@MaxRovensky]

4:44 I think he did. Netflix requires creators to use "true 4K" cameras, so he shot at least at 4k, but with how much cropping in he does throughout the special, it would make sense to shoot 6K

[@jordan11752]

I’m 100 percent sure he’s playing guitar live on Funny Feeling. Not a Bo stan, but I’ve played guitar for a long time and his finger movements are spot on, including the really subtle mistakes. I don’t think someone who plays at his level would be able to fake it that well. Plus if you look really close in some moments you can see a cable from the back of the guitar, which is recorded with direct audio, not a mic, though the guitar probably picked up on the vocal mic a little bit.

[@cocorico128]

that detail of the AC set to 69 for "sxting" shows how much effort he put into this special. good eye btw.

[@NoliMeCalcare86]

I was constantly wondering how he timed the slow zooms and it makes so much sense that it would be in post. Love the observation that the objects would change in relationship to each other with an actual movement through the space.

[@echotube3111]

Incase you're still wondering, I'm pretty sure Andrew Wehde is a cinematographer who helped with Bo 's other movie Eighth Grade, and Marc Janowitz is a lighting and production designer who helped with Make Happy (great video btw)

[@autumagicallyupdating6778]

at 34:00 for the confusion between the laser rotating green lights and the galaxy cloud light, it's the same light and the same remote with different settings. I have a similar one where I can turn on just the lasers, turn on just the galaxy lights, and turn on both. There's similar lights that control both lasers and color lights on amazon. The one that comes to mind, that I do not own, is blisslights, which is speculated on reddit that Bo used for this shot.

[@dustinharker1311]

Why is no one talking about the disco ball changing directions exactly in sync with the music?!

[@SadSmash547]

I still can't decide if that was accidental or not.

[@vitalepitts]

when it shows him winding it up it almost seems like he's counting the number of rotations.

[@wulpeswulpes9574]

@@vitalepitts yeah I think he rehearsed it like crazy

[@vooduh]

@@wulpeswulpes9574 Yeah but that would be almost impossible to time. I think he just got lucky with one of his many takes and used it.

[@Atomic_Haggis]

@@vooduh You would be surprised. He took 365 days to get this whole thing right.

[@mertinho]

19:21 wonder if that "drake" folder is the project name for the song "five years" from the outtakes he uploaded recently, definitely sounds like a drake song lol

[@emetheletter5732]

Great video, some remarks: -Regarding the singing, most of the songs are playback, but it's not a sham, it's just standard practice. -The iPad color lights could be the Aputure Nova P3000C, because the app looks a lot like the Sidus Link App. I think I caught two of them during one of the songs. -He did record in 4k, the graininess is because of the low light performance. The camera was probably chosen because its one of the cheapest Netflix approved cameras, but they require raw footage to be in 4k. -The mic he uses during Jeffrey Bezos is the Electrovoice RE20 -The (good) projector looks like it is the LG HU70LS -The Rode VideoMic is used for a/v syncing.

[@mattdavisgames]

Fantastic video! I also noticed something fun: In the video game section, I'm pretty sure the light coming through the window is fake, because the shadows from the blinds aren't parallel. So I think he shot it at night, and put the spotlight outside to shine in through the window.

[@peacewithin4355]

This video made me realize I wonder about a lot of these things subconsciously whenever I watch any type of recorded media and it turned out to be a lot more enthralling than I first anticipated! From finding someone who came to a lot of the same conclusions as me, to also gaining some insight into other things, it wrapped up to be a very entertaining watch. I appreciate the time you put into making this and sharing it with us :)

[@martinhollas5874]

33:10 With the release of "Inside: The Outtakes" we actually see (among others) several tries on how Welcome To The Internet was shot

[@mandy]

He 100% shot in 6K because the minimum resolution is 4K for netflix and he used digital dollies

[@mandy]

@@thehallwayconversation7354 The Lumix SH1? No, I almost bought it in 2019 - It is a lovely camera, and definitely top of the market till late 2020 (still one of the top ones to be fair), but super happy I held out for the A7SIII. I don't need 6K myself currently, as I don't really shoot myself and I am a cinematographer

[@DingleFlop]

Export resolution and recording resolution are not the same thing

[@mandy]

@@DingleFlop Thank you, as a cinematographer, I am highly aware

[@LavenderDahlia5274]

@@mandy this gave me joy.

[@mandy]

@@LavenderDahlia5274 the mansplaining be real though hahaha

[@electrichimp]

The lenses are sigma art lenses for the L mount, they don't cost 10k. More like 800-1200 bucks.

[@injustflash3885]

This is incredible, I've seen countless videos analysing the message of this special but never seen one analysing how the special was made. Interesting to see how much work he put into this. Never really thought about how much was "faked". Great video dude

[@voltcorp]

12:26 private property is distinct from personal possession in marxian economics. don't sell socko short, give it a chance.

[@marygreenway485]

Based and Socko-pilled.

[@castandspear]

Links to gear mentioned: 1. Neewer 2-pack Dimmable 5600K LED Video Light With Tripod: amzn.to/3zcpOy4 2. Panasonic LUMIX S1H: amzn.to/3BrAESK 3. Neewer Upgraded 660 LED Video Light: amzn.to/36JwRlx 4. Neewer F100 7 Inch Monitor: amzn.to/3xQkJv0 5. Electro-Voice RE20: amzn.to/3ioAUsT 6. AMKI Party Light Stage Laser: amzn.to/3ksMmX7 7. AQool Spotlight: amzn.to/3z6hboo Thanks for the insightful breakdown! Hopefully, some of this gear will help improve the lighting in my videos.

[@MichaelVBitoyStory]

15:54 I'm most certain he just recorded his rant on an iPhone separately and airdropped the video to his computer and that's what he was watching. That way, you don't have to dismantle or move your camera and lighting setup. You also get to react to your "previous video" in real time. That's how I'd do it. We can't even see what he's watching on the screen anyway. 😉 Great analysis by the way. Very educational. 👍🏼

[@thevictoriawood.]

I’d love to see another video about the outtakes

[@Divyanshu-on8uz]

We def need Netflix to drop some behind the scenes and Bo just talking to camera which i feel he actually did sometimes. I also think the camera drop might be intentional.

[@JasonJBrunet]

FYI that's not what Socko or other leftist articles of clothing mean when they talk about private property.

[@theductductgoose]

personal vs. private

[@selfishturtle767]

Was looking for this exact comment lol. Based and Socko-pilled

[@JasonJBrunet]

@@selfishturtle767 Also, Socko....and Vanzetti???

[@Jordando323]

what?? am I missing something? I'm confused if you could explain a weeeee bit good sirr 👌

[@ChestersonJack]

@@Jordando323 Seconding this not because I’m confused (I know the concepts) but I would not be able to explain it if I tried and hope someone can put an explanation here (or maybe a link to an explanation) for future reference

[@MikeySThompson]

Not sure if it's been pointed out but during Welcome To The Internet he's using a galaxy light. They're like $50 on Amazon and remote controlled. They have the laser pointed green dots as "stars" and then project the whirling galaxy haze as well. You can have them both on at the same time or project each independently. Pretty neat little device.

[@operationthc]

Great video. Honestly I've been watching everything to do with this special I love it so much

[@TheSeelOfTime]

I actually think that the camera falling over after "Problematic" was fake. It's similar to what he did in what., dropping the water bottle intentionally and playing a track about dropping the water bottle twice intentionally. You can see him quickly look back towards the camera when he grabs the monitor to see if it fell.

[@RiotGrl416]

He has said in the past that all of his shows are extremely planned out to the word and movement. So, I imagine that he doesn't have to listen to the music to know how long he has to sing.

[@bethanysingleton9986]

thank you so much for breaking this aspect of production down! i was trying to explain to my friends how unbelievable it was that Bo directed/shot all of this himself, but wasn’t able to explain why it was so incredible, but your video does. much appreciated! :)

[@noteventhatreal]

someone else has probably already said it but That Funny Feeling is probably being recorded live because the mic wouldn't pick up the guitar, like you said, and the guitar is being recorded from a direct out, which wouldn't pick up any room noise (including Bo's voice and any reverb). Most acoustic guitars don't have it but ones called acoustic-electric guitars have the same output jack as electrics so they can be recorded with a mic and/or with the direct out. i'm also pretty sure he did do it his way because you can see the cable coming from the bottom left of the guitar move when he moves the guitar around and the tone is exactly what the direct out of an acoustic usually sounds like. it's kinda strange because acoustic strings and weird and they don't have time to resonate in the body before the sound is recorded. i don't know if you can see it because he's very good at facing it away but in the part of the top curve in the body that's facing away there is probably a little panel with some knobs and a screen that act as eq for the signal and a tuner. i can also tell he's doing it live because you can see him hitting the hammer-ons and pull-offs (literally hitting the string on a fret and pulling it as you let go) perfectly in sync with the audio.

[@amandalim693]

thanks so much for making this, & especially for using terms that anyone can understand! I was waiting for someone more technically knowledgable than me to make this video haha. feeling super inspired now!

[@yofomojojo]

Loved this vid. Those lenses are the Sigma Art series, by the way. Which was their answer to the Zeiss Otus line. Crystal clear 1.4 f-stop, full set usually available for $3-6K total.

[@saralynn3322]

okay but why doesnt this have more views!!! this is such a good video!!!!

[@tuckertota]

Thanks for all the kind words!

[@vegansausageroll6281]

Note from theatre lighting on the Cross in Problematic, definitely a gobo of some description (where you make a cut out and slot it in front of the light) - they're super easy to make and really fun but PLEASE DONT MAKE IT OUT OF CARDBOARD they get super hot and this will START FLAMIN' but u can use drinks cans and other types of metal really easily&affordably if u want to give it a go ☺

[@Clemeeeee]

I finally got around to watching this the other day, and I ended up watching it twice back to back. What a technical masterpiece.

[@harrisonwiltrout6424]

The intermission was like he was cleaning the screen of the viewer. I thought it was very creative

[@TomLube]

It also was, very much, the thematic turning point of the movie

[@DryEyeBuilds]

I watched the whole thing. Well worth my time, and everybody else’s if you’re reading this comment. I haven’t watched a youtube video this long in awhile and stayed so engaged. Great breakdown. I’ve been obsessed with Inside and now I am even more so.

[@homiebreadpill]

i love the analysis of the transitions between cameras because it's basically just tiktok transitions

[@HiThereImFootloose]

This is one of the best videos on the internet. Thanks dude.

[@mrschips]

Only 6 mins in and holy shit you've already pointed out something I've missed after watching this special like 4 or 5 times hahah. When he slips that remote in his pocket in the second song, I originally thought he was just awkwardly putting his hand in his pocket and then deciding against it lmao. I love knowing that little detail now. Can't wait to see what else flew over my head!

[@chrisgreen14]

I rarely actually laugh out loud watching these types of videos, but that glance after the final clock analysis… hoo boy. Perfect. Well done.

[@rachelvoong]

This video is so good, I love analyzations like these so much

[@responsibleregalia]

THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO I was taking major notes watching the special on his lighting design and this really helped me.

[@DrwPrry]

first off, thank you for this. had a blast watching you going through it. I did find a few things which I think were inaccurate so here's my thoughts: - this special is actually in 4K on Netflix (like almost all of their newer original content), so he most likely shot in 6K to have that extra zoom option. if he would've shot in 4K that means every zoomed shot would not pass Netflix quality checks. - "How The World Works" - I think the headset mic is only for visuals. when he starts talking to Socko you can tell he's a bit out of sync between his vocal and his mouth. if you go frame by frame you can tell. - The cross projected on the wall: I think it is the projector. you can tell by the color fringe on the edges of the cross. also, I think it was easier for him to setup the projector with an output from Final Cut Pro and then just resize the cross to fit the shot/wall. - Shot Projected on shirt: Seems to me like this was a "creative accident". he was trying to go for a nice cinematic shot when he first shot it, that's why there's so much headroom, and later on he thought of projecting it on himself. - "That funny feeling" song: This one is actually a full on live performance. the white cord you pointed out as headphones is actually the macbook charger. if you look under the macbook at his Focusrite 2i2, you can see 3 cables coming out the front. one on the left is headphones, one in the middle for the guitar that's plugged in and one on the right for the mic. also the guitar does sound like direct plug and not a mic'd up guitar. - "all eyes on me": Looks like he gave himself enough time at the start and recorded only his talking part, the rest is lipsyncing. Right after he starts singing you can see him stop for a sentence in the wide shot when it blends with the close up. - iPad click at the end: I believe that's the control for the camera. he clicks on it to stop the recording, but I'm not sure. - I think Post Production in general (audio and video) for this was done primarily to make sure it's up to Netflix standards. Thanks again, looking forward to more breakdowns like this. subscribed.

[@joshuaburke7606]

12:26 Hey btw when Bo is critiquing private property, he's not talking about the property like the socks in his drawers and the laptops and keyboard in his room, he's talking genuine property that you buy through real estate. "Private property is inherently theft" is true

[@Ciph3rzer0]

Housing as a commodity, factories, and the accumulation of capital by owners that workers are forced to "rent" or give up rights to use. Thomas Paine in "Agrarian Justice" talks about land as an exclusive right and owing rent to everyone else (in the form of a UBI) for taking something from the commons.

[@MyNameRearranged]

This is fascinating and a perfect answer to all the questions I had about his setup and execution. Good stuff. Thank you. :)

[@kylelabriola4237]

I'm glad you brought up the questions about the Goodbye song. The more I re-watch it the more I think that the short-haired Bo playing the piano is recorded AFTER the other ones, with a new haircut, and he's lying when he says "possible song, test, take 1." The alternative, which I suppose is also possible, is that he had the whole narrative of how he predicted he'd feel through the pandemic planned out at the start, and most of the songs written, and really did do it in the beginning. But in that theory, it also adds to the "fictionality" of the special bc it confirms the idea that he had pre-planned the emotional beats of the special from the very onset of the pandemic.

[@LostBassPlayer]

Really nice man, this is the only video I’ve watched on the special because it’s the technical info that I really wanted to know about, so thank you!

[@marinagimenezleal]

I would have never noticed the screw missing on the switch. Not after a million times watching it. Honestly dude, -you're a MANIAC- you pay really close attention to detail

[@medicwine]

The clock does not tell time in order to show that time does not pass in a void. "wow 2020 its crazy time just like means nothing right its wild" he was representing that by having there be no sense of timeframe throughout the piece.

[@jordanwalters9787]

Such an awesome video. Was in awe the entire time watching Inside and just wanted to figure it all out. So glad someone with that instinct and a wealth of knowledge explain it all! So many things I never would have thought to pick up on.

[@AronIngiGestsson]

Been waiting for this video since Inside came out! Thanks brother

[@louisrios5546]

Regarding the cost of equipment, lenses, wardrobe, etc, he could have just rented all that stuff. If he lives in the region around Hollywood, there are tons of businesses that supply those items to filmmakers.

[@SubBassX]

12:29 from a Marxist perspective that's actually personal property, not private property 😂😂 but i digress. I'm excited with the depth you went into in this analysis. Such an awesome example of what one can do in just a room with creativity and a few tools. Earned a new sub from me brother!

[@Turalcar]

Stuck in a room with his means of production

[@SubBassX]

@@Turalcar 🔥🔥🔥😂😂 you know what, i think you're onto something. I retract my statement 😏

[@hkoxnw]

i was gonna leave a comment like this one, couldn't help myself. a marxist like socko is PROBABLY NOT suggesting that we should all throw our dressers and video cameras in the trash because they're private property.

[@SubBassX]

@@hkoxnw exactly. Just wanted to clarify because the private vs personal property thing is a HUGE misconception for people who haven't studied Marxism or socialism. But, the "means of production" joke from the top commenter on this thread was still pretty 🔥🔥

[@EternaMusicProductions]

@@SubBassX your initial take was correct. It would be private property if it was on loan from Netflix.

[@xopurp]

34:40 i’d say he’s most likely using something like a galaxy starlight projector. i own one and you can toggle whether the foggy looking sky shows or the green stars or both with the one remote

[@elicious7574]

I am witnessing the making of a great channel, all the best to your future videos like these. Loved it

[@TheRedCyndaquil]

Excellent analysis, you deserve way more subscribers

[@dman6533]

What I took from this is that it was even more in-depth to make then I first had thought, which I thought was still incredibly hard.

[@Yossus]

I loved this technical breakdown! I like that you kept focused really sharply on the technical aspects, I imagine it would have been very difficult. Note on the ending song: I figured he spliced an actual early recording with the performance, and the later part of the song which references other tracks wasn't written when he did the first take. He probably wrote and recorded a bunch of songs to start with, then integrated the recording with the final version. It's very cool!

[@samkphx]

14:21 The spotlight that he's using is an ETC Source Four Series 2 LED which is pretty much the industry standard for LED spotlights. For the cross, he most likely used a gobo which is a pattern on a small metal or glass disc that is inserted into the spotlight. - A lighting designer who works in theatre

[@caitlinchapman723]

Thank you for this video, it was super interesting! I appreciate the technical aspect of Inside just as much as the themes and meanings, so it was great to hear you talk about this part of it. Really emphasised how much hard work was put into this special.

[@leanzadoodles5354]

Thanks for this breakdown, made me appreciate the special a lot more!