Captain Disillusion Explained

Captain Disillusion
Birth Name:Alan Melikdjanian
Birth Date:13 April 1980
Birth Place:Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
Years Active:2007–present
Occupation:Independent filmmaker, YouTuber
Website:
    Channel Name:CaptainDisillusion
    Genre:Visual effects, comedy, education
    Subscribers:2.5 million
    Views:263 million
    Silver Button:y
    Gold Button:y
    Stats Update:August 7, 2024

    Alan Melikdjanian (;[1] Russian: Алан Меликджанян; born April 13, 1980), known by the alias Captain Disillusion, is a Soviet-born American independent filmmaker and YouTuber. Melikdjanian has been active in the founding of video-sharing sites Openfilm and Filmnet.com, and is the creator of the webseries Captain Disillusion, which focuses on critical analysis of visual effects and video editing while promoting critical thinking and skepticism.

    Early life

    Melikdjanian was born to Soviet-era circus performer parents, and is of Armenian and Russian descent.[2] His father, Vilen, was a well-known performer. Alan toured the Soviet Union with his parents until he was six years old, after which he lived with his grandmother while attending school. During the summer, he would resume touring with his parents.[3] In his youth, Melikdjanian spent most of his free time trying to copy the styles of Disney animators.

    His parents defected to the United States in the late 1980s; he joined them two years later, attending the William H. Turner Technical Arts High School in Miami, where he studied video production and 3D animation. He graduated from the International Fine Arts College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film production.[3] [4]

    Career

    FilmNet.com and Openfilm

    Melikdjanian was the co-founder and creative director of FilmNet.com,[5] and was the co-founder and chief creative officer of Openfilm. Both were intended as alternatives to popular video-sharing site YouTube, but for serious amateur filmmakers who "don't want to place their work alongside YouTube's mediocrities."[3] [6] [7] Openfilm closed in August 2015.[8]

    "Captain Disillusion" YouTube channel, 2007–present

    Italic Title:no
    Genre:Education
    Comedy
    Creator:Alan Melikdjanian
    Presenter:Alan Melikdjanian
    Voices:Alan Melikdjanian,
    Penn Jillette[9] (1 episode)
    Country:United States
    Language:English
    Num Episodes:Regular – 48
    Quick D – 23
    CD / – 9
    VFXcool – 3
    Other – 17
    Total – 112
    Editor:Alan Melikdjanian
    Runtime:Varies
    Channel:YouTube
    Last Aired:present

    The "Captain Disillusion" YouTube channel has approximately 2.5 million subscribers and 261 million views .[10] [11] On the channel, he debunks viral and paranormal "hoax" videos, among others, with a heavy focus on visual effects.[12] He edits his videos using software such as Avid Media Composer, Adobe After Effects, Blender, and Da Vinci Resolve.[13]

    In his videos, Melikdjanian wears a vintage 1980s tracksuit, with the bottom half of his face being covered in metallic paint.[3] He uses a wristband gifted to him by James Randi.[14]

    Melikdjanian described how he designed his superhero costume:

    He reviews videos which are "too good to be true," utilizing his expertise in digital editing to break down the video and show how the result was accomplished. He often recreates effects from the videos he debunks. His videos contain the motto "Love with your heart. Use your head for everything else."

    DVD

    In 2011, Melikdjanian released a DVD of his Captain Disillusion series, entitled Captain Disillusion – Fame Curve Collection. It contains the first 16 episodes remastered with optional commentary and additional bonus features. He debuted it at TAM9, and later made it available for purchase online.[15]

    Recognition

    Melikdjanian's work has gained recognition from The Huffington Post,[16] Kotaku,[17] Russian TV International, Phil Plait,[18] the James Randi Educational Foundation,[19] Fortean Times,[20] Home Media Magazine,[6] and Sun Sentinel,[21] among others. He has also received thanks from people for debunking videos they had shared.[14]

    Interviews

    In 2008, during an interview for The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, Melikdjanian describes Captain Disillusion as a YouTube web series that tackles paranormal and illusion videos uploaded by others on YouTube.[22] He started this effort as a blog entry on Myspace but later saw these items as ready made scripts for short videos. He notes that Penn & Teller were instrumental to his current interest and eventually found the skeptical movement involved in similar work. He finds that his followers like to learn about the illusions. It is not his intent to spoil legitimate entertainment or a current performer's work. His intent in showing how video illusions are created is to clear up misconceptions. Melikdjanian describes the basis for Openfilm briefly, saying it "was formed for film makers. The goal is to provide higher quality product and a group of serious content creators."

    During an interview for The Skeptic Zone, in 2010, Melikdjanian describes Captain Disillusion as a superhero. And in a following 2011 interview, he describes that his work as Captain Disillusion is done "in the maximum fun way possible".[23] He describes his work with James Randi, Randi calling him to participate in The Amaz!ng Meeting and his video work with Randi in a later project. During an interview by Susan Gerbic for Skeptical Inquirer, he states "I think it's best to focus on what you know—something you're already an expert on outside of skepticism—and explore the ways in which it's connected to skepticism. With Captain Disillusion, I connected a random thing—visual effects—to skepticism in a way that people seem to find engaging. I'm sure that can be done with many other fields in different ways."[24]

    In a 2017 interview with Richard Saunders from The Skeptic Zone, Melikdjanian described the video effects editing process, saying, "You know, the tools change but the methods really don't. It's all about making things look questionable and kinda crappy and low quality and then you can pretty much get away with anything." In replying to a follow-up question regarding believing what you see on the internet, he said, "When I started out, people just kinda believed everything. It was like shooting fish in a barrel, but these days, people are just really asking me 'is this fake?', 'is this fake?', 'is this fake?', and half the stuff they show me is just, you know, a juggler juggling a lot of balls. They can't conceive that that could be real. People just don't believe anything anymore. I guess that's good for me because I get to explain lots of stuff but I wish people could finally strike that balance where they're not too credulous but they also know not to just dismiss everything out of hand."[25]

    Credits

    Filmography

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: 2015-01-29. A Patreonizing Announcement. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150825211319/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_LLMAZ8hGs. 2015-08-25. 2021-01-01. YouTube.
    2. News: February 10, 2018. Captain Disillusion's Escape From the USSR. H3 Podcast. h3h3productions. live. February 11, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180618014224/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaDz0FCxzR8&gl=US&hl=en. June 18, 2018. YouTube.
    3. Web site: Thorp. Brandon K.. December 24, 2009. South Florida superhero Captain Disillusion talks ghosts, superpowers, and skepticism. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140201180347/http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2009-12-24/news/south-florida-superhero-captain-disillusion-talks-ghosts-superpowers-and-skepticism/. February 1, 2014. January 27, 2014. Miami New Times.
    4. Web site: About Amelik . Amelik.com . Melikdjanian . Alan . January 27, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140219120017/http://amelik.com/about/ . February 19, 2014 . dead .
    5. http://www.filmnet.com/users/FilmNet/ourteam/ Our Team
    6. News: Openfilm Gives Cash Reward to Filmmakers . . January 29, 2009 . April 2, 2016 . Billy . Gil . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065538/http://www.homemediamagazine.com/electronic-delivery/openfilm-gives-cash-reward-filmmakers-14452 . March 4, 2016 . mdy-all .
    7. News: Openfilm Rewarding $500 to Indie Filmmakers . Podcasting News . January 29, 2009 . January 27, 2014 . Elizabeth . Lewin . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20131211211417/http://www.podcastingnews.com/content/2009/01/openfilm-offers-500-prize-to-filmmakers/ . December 11, 2013 .
    8. Web site: 2015-08-18 . Open Film Online Video Platform for Filmmakers & Film Festivals. Short films contests . 2024-01-28 . http://web.archive.org/web/20150818011438/http://www.openfilm.com/ . August 18, 2015 .
    9. Web site: CD . Off Screen . Captain Disillusion . June 5, 2010 . January 27, 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20111006005144/http://captaindisillusion.com/category/off-screen/ . October 6, 2011 .
    10. Web site: Captain Disillusion: About. YouTube. January 8, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170623150416/https://www.youtube.com/user/CaptainDisillusion/about. June 23, 2017.
    11. Skepticism in the Video Box . Walters. Christian . Skeptical Inquirer . September 2012 . 34.
    12. Web site: Farley. Tim. Tim Farley. Skepticism via YouTube. November 2009 . Skeptical Inquirer. January 27, 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407065711/http://www.csicop.org/si/show/skepticism_via_youtube/. April 7, 2014.
    13. Web site: Captain Disillusion. Heroic Feats of YouTube Debunkery – Live at QED 2016. October 30, 2016 . YouTube. November 1, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170103020324/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQrzcwsGYy8. January 3, 2017.
    14. The Skeptic Zone #477 . . December 10, 2017 . Richard . Saunders . February 1, 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180117131428/http://skepticzone.libsyn.com/the-skeptic-zone-477-10dec2017 . January 17, 2018.
    15. Web site: Captain Disillusion: Fame Curve Collection. July 14, 2011. IMDb. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170211190344/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2009442/. February 11, 2017.
    16. News: Watch Captain Disillusion Debunk The Viral Ping Pong Knife Act . . November 8, 2013 . January 27, 2014 . Barness . Sarah . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20131116071704/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/08/miss-pong-debunked_n_4241909.html . November 16, 2013 .
    17. News: Surprise, Viral YouTube Smash Is A Total Fake . . November 8, 2013 . January 27, 2014 . Luke . Plunkett . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140205065348/http://kotaku.com/surprise-viral-youtube-smash-is-a-total-fake-1460513114 . February 5, 2014 .
    18. News: Captain Disillusion is Amazing . . Bad Astronomy . June 19, 2009 . January 27, 2014 . Plait . Phil . Phil Plait . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20121020042033/http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/19/captain-disillusion-is-amazing/ . October 20, 2012 .
    19. News: Captain Disillusion – Fire Angel Debunk . . Latest JREF news . February 28, 2008 . January 27, 2014 . Wagg . Jeff . November 9, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131109002409/http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/jref-news/168-captain-disillusion-fire-angel-debunk.html . live .
    20. News: Captain Disillusion. . . January 27, 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20130121175504/http://www.forteantimes.com/community/links/1314/captain_disillusion.html . January 21, 2013 .
    21. News: Soviet Block Party . . January 23, 2002 . January 27, 2014 . David . Ratterman . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120915015346/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2002-01-23/lifestyle/0201220384_1_soviet-republics-soviet-people-russian/2 . September 15, 2012 .
    22. Web site: Captain Disillusion – Skeptic's Guide #160 . . August 13, 2008 . January 11, 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20131222114127/http://www.theskepticsguide.org/podcast/sgu/160 . December 22, 2013 .
    23. The Skeptic Zone #146 . . August 6, 2011 . Richard . Saunders . January 24, 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140220124427/http://skepticzone.libsyn.com/the-skeptic-zone-146-29-aug-2011 . February 20, 2014 .
    24. Web site: The Man Behind the Makeup: An Interview with Captain Disillusion – CSI. Gerbic. Susan. Susan Gerbic. July 18, 2016. www.csicop.org. Skeptical Inquirer. July 20, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160719140429/http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/the_man_behind_the_makeup_an_interview_with_captain_disillusion. July 19, 2016.
    25. Web site: Saunders. Richard. Richard Saunders (skeptic). The Skeptic Zone #477 . December 10, 2017. The Skeptic Zone. Podcast. April 17, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180417062715/http://skepticzone.libsyn.com/the-skeptic-zone-477-10dec2017. April 17, 2018.
    26. Web site: Full Cast & Crew of Sin neudachnika. IMDB. February 18, 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180706145526/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0791647/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast. July 6, 2018.
    27. Web site: The Debunkathon. April 8, 2020. YouTube. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200408133354/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX-Ra4nrVj0 . April 8, 2020 .
    28. Web site: Coming in March . Twitter . 3 May 2023 . en.
    29. Web site: "Caught on Camera" Viral Videos: How? What? Why? (TV Episode 2012) - IMDb . IMDb . 3 May 2023.
    30. Web site: Caught on Camera : MSNBCW : March 11, 2012 5:00pm-6:00pm PDT . Internet Archive . 3 May 2023 . 12 March 2012.
    31. Web site: "Caught on Camera" Viral Videos: Bogus or Bona Fide? (TV Episode 2012) - IMDb . IMDb . 3 May 2023.
    32. Web site: Caught on Camera : MSNBCW : November 25, 2012 5:00pm-6:00pm PST . IMDb . 3 May 2023 . 26 November 2012. The episode name "Revolution" is attributed to this archive in its description, but that is incorrect.
    33. Web site: Could You Survive Ghostbusters?. October 21, 2019. YouTube. July 29, 2022. July 29, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220729011830/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA0tOcNE4IY. live.
    34. Web site: Salad Mug - DYNAMO DREAM, Episode 1. YouTube. May 26, 2021. August 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230813084101/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsGZ_2RuJ2A. August 13, 2023. live.
    35. Web site: May 6, 2019. Captain Disillusion WINS Best in Weird Shorty Awards 2019. live. YouTube. https://web.archive.org/web/20190507103750/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmoWz5JGHkg . May 7, 2019 .

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