Blizzard has taken time to sit down with one of the most beloved and famous figures in the StarCraft 2 world - Sean "Day[9]" Plott. In an extensive interview, Sean tells the story of his work as a shoutcaster and gives advices for the enthusiasts out there.
Sean talks in large about his duties as a commentator and the man behind "Day[9] Daily". The young brother Plott explains how preparation is a crucial part of this enterprise of his.
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For the daily, I study and prepare in advance to create a focused, educational theme. I try to avoid just hopping in and saying "Hey, let's analyze a game," and instead lean more towards watching a couple of replays and selecting the appropriate ones that fit the daily's theme.”To further share his knowledge and experience on doing a StarCraft show, Sean talks about how he generates idea for the daily, the software he uses to catch them on screen and the process of setting the general theme of each episode.
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Sometimes, I want to see how a matchup is evolving. Other days, I want to talk about how to crack a certain strategy. I will end up spending a while watching through a few replays quickly to narrow down on a clear set to use on the daily. If I am just going to focus on one specific game, I will re-watch it and sometimes compare it to other games.”Sean then proceeds to share valuable tips to all the new, enthusiastic shoutcasters that are just currently building their reputation or are in need of improvement, giving them a guided start.
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You have to play. A ton.Playing StarCraft: Brood War for 12 years will train your eyes to spend most of the time staring at the minimap, not the main screen, so that makes it much easier to catch everything going on in a match.
The experience I have in StarCraft II as a player will also help remind me of things: "Oh… he has X amount of sentries right now, zerg should probably have Y roaches out by now."”
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The most important thing is to keep doing it. Don't try to hide in the shadows "carefully sculpting your craft." You have to iterate tons and tons and tons. Improve publically, not privately.Yes, playing the game and studying will help, but the best way to do anything is to just DO and not worry so much about it.”
After some more important advices, Sean's memories go back in time to remember his most favourite match he has casted and the dearest "Day9 Daily" episode he has ever put to life.
You can read the whole interview by following the source link below. Furthermore, you can visit Sean "Day[9]" Plot at Day9tv, where he stores the full archive of his dailies. Also, check out the video spotlight of one of the most informative of Sean's dailies.
Links
Battle.net - Source
Day9tv - Archive
