Sydney's 1 For All gets fan-funded long-form special

Sydney production outfit Deerstalker Pictures has released a longer-form special of its fantasy comedy series 1 For All, the first fan-funded long-form narrative for the YouTube franchise.

The new instalment, The Exorcism of Nixie, runs 50 minutes across two parts and expands a series that began as a one-off sketch before building a large online following. Inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, the show follows a group of adventurers known as The Awful Ones and has recorded almost 400 million YouTube views since launching in 2019.

The special centres on Nixie, a recurring character, and explores the pyromancer's backstory. Producer and Director of Photography Goldie Soetianto said the longer running time gave the team room to develop plotlines seeded in earlier episodes.

It was shot on Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro G2 4.6K and PYXIS 6K cameras, with DaVinci Resolve Studio used for colour correction and post-production. The production relied on a small crew, using the secondary camera for tighter multi-camera setups and in harder-to-reach locations.

1 For All has produced 85 episodes to date, including two musical episodes and a music video. The latest release marks a shift from short-form online comedy to a more extended narrative structure.

"The series started as a one-off skit, and now a whole world has been built around the characters. When we first started, we had high hopes that it would find a global audience that would allow us to do more. So we scattered clues over the years that hinted at a bigger, tragic backstory for Nixie. And now, with the extended duration, we'll finally be able to find out what happened to Nixie. With more screen time, we can tell even more exciting stories filled with jokes and endearing characters," said Goldie Soetianto, Producer and Director of Photography at Deerstalker Pictures.

The production also involved a large visual effects workload, including magical sequences such as chain lightning, walls of fire, and meteor storms. Soetianto said the team used high frame rates and high-resolution capture to give itself more flexibility in post-production.

Fan funding

The special was financed entirely through crowdfunding from viewers, reflecting the direct relationship the series has built with its audience. That model has helped a niche Australian web production turn a long-running online following into support for a more ambitious format.

Soetianto said the creative team includes both professional filmmakers and long-time fantasy fans, which shaped expectations around the project's look and tone.

"1 For All is made by fans for the fans, and the cast and crew are made up of not only professional filmmakers but also long-time geeks. Only the highest quality will do, and Blackmagic cameras give me beautiful images and the freedom to be incredibly creative," she said.

She added that the team had already used the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K across the series and on other narrative work, providing continuity as the production moved into a feature-length-style special.

"I have been using the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K for years, and it has the versatility and image quality to let us grow 1 For All into any format. I knew I had what I needed to shoot long-form narrative, as I've already shot a couple of features on it as a freelance cinematographer. It gives me the confidence to create episodes that can be watched on screens both large and small," Soetianto said.

Post workflow

Post-production became a major part of the project as the team worked around practical constraints on set and the demands of fantasy effects. DaVinci Resolve Studio was used for colour work and image clean-up, including removing modern objects from frame and creating atmospheric effects when practical options were limited.

According to Soetianto, tools such as Magic Mask and Cinematic Haze helped reduce the burden on the visual effects team. That approach allowed the small production team to handle more effects shots than would usually be expected on a crowdfunded online series.

"There is just no way you can plan for everything that can happen, or not happen, on a set, but there was never a time when I worried that DaVinci Resolve wouldn't be able to help save shots. Things like not being able to run a smoke machine on a set due to building regulations, but then being able to quickly create an amazing smoke effect with Cinematic Haze, were lifesavers," Soetianto said.

"DaVinci Resolve was a huge part of helping us complete an ambitious number of VFX shots for such a small team, including painting out distracting modern items in frame with Magic Mask, as well as plenty of lighting and glow effects. That gave me more control over the image in post than I could necessarily achieve on set," she said.