Captain Disillusion

*Captain Disillusion*
Captain Disillusion
Genre	Education; Comedy
Created by	Alan Melikdjanian
Presented by	Alan Melikdjanian
Voices of	Alan Melikdjanian,; Penn Jillette (1 episode)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	Regular – 48; Quick D – 23; CD / – 9; VFXcool – 3; Other – 17; Total – 112[citation needed]
Production
Editor	Alan Melikdjanian
Running time	Varies
Original release
Network	YouTube
Release	2007 –; present

Captain Disillusion
Captain Disillusion
	Melikdjanian in character as Captain Disillusion at The Amazing Meeting in 2011
Personal information
Born	Alan Melikdjanian; April 13, 1980 (age 44); Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
Occupation(s)	Independent filmmaker, YouTuber
Website	captaindisillusion.com;
YouTube information
Channel	CaptainDisillusion;
Years active	2007–present
Genre(s)	Visual effects, comedy, education
Subscribers	2.51 million
Total views	266.78 million
Creator Awards
	Alan Melikdjanian's voice Recorded October 2016
	Last updated: 26 October, 2024

Alan Melikdjanian (/ˌmɛlɪkˈdʒeɪniən/;^[2] 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.^[3] 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.^[4] In his youth, Melikdjanian spent most of his free time trying to copy the styles of Disney animators.^[4]

His parents defected to the United States in the late 1980s; he joined them two years later,^[3] 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.^[4]^[5]

Career

FilmNet.com and Openfilm

Melikdjanian was the co-founder and creative director of FilmNet.com,^[6] 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."^[4]^[7]^[8] Openfilm closed in August 2015.^[9]

"Captain Disillusion" YouTube channel, 2007–present

The "Captain Disillusion" YouTube channel has approximately 2.5 million subscribers and 265 million views (as of September 2024^[update]).^[11]^[12] On the channel, he debunks viral and paranormal "hoax" videos, among others, with a heavy focus on visual effects.^[13] He edits his videos using software such as Avid Media Composer, Adobe After Effects, Blender, and DaVinci Resolve.^[14]

In his videos, Melikdjanian wears a vintage 1980s tracksuit, with the bottom half of his face being covered in metallic paint.^[4] He uses a wristband gifted to him by James Randi.^[15]

Melikdjanian described how he designed his superhero costume:

When it came time to visualize him I just thought what do I have at hand? What can grab people's attention? And really, because it's supposed to be a superhero, what haven't we seen before? What do I have at my disposal that I can actually pull off in terms of attire and make-up? And that's what I had. I got some of this chrome colored make-up at the local party store and I had all those clothes and I would've done my whole face but it's too much work. It works out in terms of illusion revealing reality, and... which one's the reality?^[16]

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.^{[citation needed]} His videos contain the motto "Love with your heart. Use your head for everything else."^[4]

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.^[17]

Recognition

Melikdjanian's work has gained recognition from The Huffington Post,^[18] Kotaku,^[19] Russian TV International, Phil Plait,^[20] the James Randi Educational Foundation,^[21] Fortean Times,^[22] Home Media Magazine,^[7] and Sun Sentinel,^[23] among others. He has also received thanks from people for debunking videos they had shared.^[15]

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.^[24] 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.^[16] And in a following 2011 interview, he describes that his work as Captain Disillusion is done "in the maximum fun way possible".^[25] 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."^[26]

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."^[27]

Credits

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	The Realm	Director, composer	Mentioned in his "Cup Levitation & Train Track Rescue \| Quick D" video.
	The Monster Man	Editor
	Zelimo	Animator	Directed by Aleks Rosenberg, Won – WorldFest – Houston Gold Special Jury Award for Best Feature
2002	Sin neudachnika	Editor^[28]	Russian for Son of a Loser (television film)
2006	Citizen Mavzik	Director, writer, editor, composer	(DVD) Co-written with father Vilen. Produced by Vilalan Productions. Available in Russian and English.
2008	Director	VFX artist	Directed by Aleks Rosenberg. Starring American rapper Prodigal Sunn.
2010	Crimefighters	VFX artist, sound editor
2013	Whoops!	Digital effects artist

Additional work

Still Life (2009) (short), steadicam operator
The Shift (2013) (thanks), starring Danny Glover

Television/Web series

Year	Title	As	Notes
2007–present	Captain Disillusion	Captain Disillusion Mr Flare (voice) Himself (as Alan)^[29]	(Web series) Also creator.
2012	MSNBC's Caught on Camera	Himself – Expert	Episode: "Viral Videos: How? What? Why?"^[30]^[31]^[32] Episode: "Viral Videos: Bogus or Bona Fide?"^[33]^[34]
2019	Could You Survive the Movies?	Captain Disillusion	Episode: "Could You Survive Ghostbusters??"^[35]
2021	Dynamo Dream	TERD (voice)	Episode: "Salad Mug"^[36]
2024	Dynamo Dream	TERD (voice)	Episode: "Prepare for Execution"^[37]

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Result	Refs
2019	11th Shorty Awards	Best in Weird	Won	^[38]
2001	BFA Film Award (IFAC)	Best Thesis Film	Won	^[39]

References

^ ^a ^b "About CaptainDisillusion". YouTube.
^ "A Patreonizing Announcement". January 29, 2015. Archived from the original on August 25, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2021 – via YouTube.
^ ^a ^b "Captain Disillusion's Escape From the USSR". H3 Podcast. h3h3productions. February 10, 2018. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018 – via YouTube.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Thorp, Brandon K. (December 24, 2009). "South Florida superhero Captain Disillusion talks ghosts, superpowers, and skepticism". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
^ Melikdjanian, Alan. "About Amelik". Amelik.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
^ Our Team Archived December 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, FilmNet.com
^ ^a ^b Gil, Billy (January 29, 2009). "Openfilm Gives Cash Reward to Filmmakers". Home Media Magazine. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
^ Lewin, Elizabeth (January 29, 2009). "Openfilm Rewarding $500 to Indie Filmmakers". Podcasting News. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
^ "Open Film | Online Video Platform for Filmmakers & Film Festivals. Short films contests". August 18, 2015. Archived from the original on August 18, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
^ CD (June 5, 2010). "Off Screen". Captain Disillusion. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
^ "Captain Disillusion: About". Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2017 – via YouTube.
^ Walters, Christian (September 2012). "Skepticism in the Video Box". Skeptical Inquirer: 34.
^ Farley, Tim (November 2009). "Skepticism via YouTube". Skeptical Inquirer. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
^ Captain Disillusion (October 30, 2016). "Heroic Feats of YouTube Debunkery – Live at QED 2016". Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2016 – via YouTube.
^ ^a ^b Saunders, Richard (December 10, 2017). "The Skeptic Zone #477" (Podcast). The Skeptic Zone. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
^ ^a ^b Saunders, Richard (August 13, 2010). "The Skeptic Zone #95" (Podcast). The Skeptic Zone. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
^ "Captain Disillusion: Fame Curve Collection". IMDb. July 14, 2011. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017.
^ Barness, Sarah (November 8, 2013). "Watch Captain Disillusion Debunk The Viral Ping Pong Knife Act". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on November 16, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
^ Luke, Plunkett (November 8, 2013). "Surprise, Viral YouTube Smash Is A Total Fake". Kotaku.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
^ Plait, Phil (June 19, 2009). "Captain Disillusion is Amazing". Bad Astronomy. Discover. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
^ Wagg, Jeff (February 28, 2008). "Captain Disillusion – Fire Angel Debunk". Latest JREF news. James Randi Educational Foundation. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
^ "Captain Disillusion". Fortean Times. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
^ Ratterman, David (January 23, 2002). "Soviet Block Party". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
^ "Captain Disillusion – Skeptic's Guide #160". The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. August 13, 2008. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
^ Saunders, Richard (August 6, 2011). "The Skeptic Zone #146" (Podcast). The Skeptic Zone. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
^ Gerbic, Susan (July 18, 2016). "The Man Behind the Makeup: An Interview with Captain Disillusion – CSI". www.csicop.org. Skeptical Inquirer. Archived from the original on July 19, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
^ Saunders, Richard (December 10, 2017). "The Skeptic Zone #477". The Skeptic Zone. Archived from the original (Podcast) on April 17, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
^ "Full Cast & Crew of Sin neudachnika". IMDB. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
^ "The Debunkathon". YouTube. April 8, 2020. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020.
^ "Coming in March". Twitter. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
^ "'Caught on Camera' Viral Videos: How? What? Why? (TV Episode 2012)". IMDb. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
^ "Caught on Camera : MSNBCW : March 11, 2012 5:00pm-6:00pm PDT". Internet Archive. March 12, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
^ "'Caught on Camera' Viral Videos: Bogus or Bona Fide? (TV Episode 2012)". IMDb. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
^ "Caught on Camera : MSNBCW : November 25, 2012 5:00pm-6:00pm PST". IMDb. November 26, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2023. The episode name "Revolution" is attributed to this archive in its description, but that is incorrect.
^ "Could You Survive Ghostbusters?". YouTube. October 21, 2019. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
^ "Salad Mug - DYNAMO DREAM, Episode 1". YouTube. May 26, 2021. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
^ "Prepare for Execution - DYNAMO DREAM, Episode 1 pt2". YouTube. September 4, 2024. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024.
^ "Captain Disillusion WINS Best in Weird || Shorty Awards 2019". YouTube. May 6, 2019. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019.
^ Cup Levitation & Train Track Rescue | Quick D, November 30, 2016, retrieved September 9, 2023

External links

[YouTubeStatsCaptainDisillusion-1] "About CaptainDisillusion". YouTube.

[2] "A Patreonizing Announcement". January 29, 2015. Archived from the original on August 25, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2021 – via YouTube.

[:0-3] "Captain Disillusion's Escape From the USSR". H3 Podcast. h3h3productions. February 10, 2018. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018 – via YouTube.

[newtimes2009-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Thorp, Brandon K. (December 24, 2009). "South Florida superhero Captain Disillusion talks ghosts, superpowers, and skepticism". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.

[5] Melikdjanian, Alan. "About Amelik". Amelik.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.

[6] Our Team Archived December 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, FilmNet.com

[homemediamag2009-7] Gil, Billy (January 29, 2009). "Openfilm Gives Cash Reward to Filmmakers". Home Media Magazine. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2016.

[podnews2009-8] Lewin, Elizabeth (January 29, 2009). "Openfilm Rewarding $500 to Indie Filmmakers". Podcasting News. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.

[9] "Open Film | Online Video Platform for Filmmakers & Film Festivals. Short films contests". August 18, 2015. Archived from the original on August 18, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2024.

[10] CD (June 5, 2010). "Off Screen". Captain Disillusion. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2014.

[11] "Captain Disillusion: About". Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2017 – via YouTube.

[VideoBox-12] Walters, Christian (September 2012). "Skepticism in the Video Box". Skeptical Inquirer: 34.

[13] Farley, Tim (November 2009). "Skepticism via YouTube". Skeptical Inquirer. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.

[14] Captain Disillusion (October 30, 2016). "Heroic Feats of YouTube Debunkery – Live at QED 2016". Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2016 – via YouTube.

[skepticzone2017-15] Saunders, Richard (December 10, 2017). "The Skeptic Zone #477" (Podcast). The Skeptic Zone. Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.

[Skeptic_Zone_2010-16] Saunders, Richard (August 13, 2010). "The Skeptic Zone #95" (Podcast). The Skeptic Zone. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014.

[17] "Captain Disillusion: Fame Curve Collection". IMDb. July 14, 2011. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017.

[huffpost2013-18] Barness, Sarah (November 8, 2013). "Watch Captain Disillusion Debunk The Viral Ping Pong Knife Act". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on November 16, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.

[kotaku2013-19] Luke, Plunkett (November 8, 2013). "Surprise, Viral YouTube Smash Is A Total Fake". Kotaku.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.

[discovermag2009-20] Plait, Phil (June 19, 2009). "Captain Disillusion is Amazing". Bad Astronomy. Discover. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2014.

[randi2008-21] Wagg, Jeff (February 28, 2008). "Captain Disillusion – Fire Angel Debunk". Latest JREF news. James Randi Educational Foundation. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.

[forteantimes-22] "Captain Disillusion". Fortean Times. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.

[sunsen2002-23] Ratterman, David (January 23, 2002). "Soviet Block Party". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2014.

[24] "Captain Disillusion – Skeptic's Guide #160". The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. August 13, 2008. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2014.

[25] Saunders, Richard (August 6, 2011). "The Skeptic Zone #146" (Podcast). The Skeptic Zone. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2014.

[26] Gerbic, Susan (July 18, 2016). "The Man Behind the Makeup: An Interview with Captain Disillusion – CSI". www.csicop.org. Skeptical Inquirer. Archived from the original on July 19, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.

[27] Saunders, Richard (December 10, 2017). "The Skeptic Zone #477". The Skeptic Zone. Archived from the original (Podcast) on April 17, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.

[28] "Full Cast & Crew of Sin neudachnika". IMDB. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.

[29] "The Debunkathon". YouTube. April 8, 2020. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020.

[30] "Coming in March". Twitter. Retrieved May 3, 2023.

[31] "'Caught on Camera' Viral Videos: How? What? Why? (TV Episode 2012)". IMDb. Retrieved May 3, 2023.

[32] "Caught on Camera : MSNBCW : March 11, 2012 5:00pm-6:00pm PDT". Internet Archive. March 12, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2023.

[33] "'Caught on Camera' Viral Videos: Bogus or Bona Fide? (TV Episode 2012)". IMDb. Retrieved May 3, 2023.

[34] "Caught on Camera : MSNBCW : November 25, 2012 5:00pm-6:00pm PST". IMDb. November 26, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2023. The episode name "Revolution" is attributed to this archive in its description, but that is incorrect.

[35] "Could You Survive Ghostbusters?". YouTube. October 21, 2019. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.

[36] "Salad Mug - DYNAMO DREAM, Episode 1". YouTube. May 26, 2021. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023.

[37] "Prepare for Execution - DYNAMO DREAM, Episode 1 pt2". YouTube. September 4, 2024. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024.

[38] "Captain Disillusion WINS Best in Weird || Shorty Awards 2019". YouTube. May 6, 2019. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019.

[39] Cup Levitation & Train Track Rescue | Quick D, November 30, 2016, retrieved September 9, 2023

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Captain Disillusion

Early life

Career

FilmNet.com and Openfilm

"Captain Disillusion" YouTube channel, 2007–present

DVD

Recognition

Interviews

Credits

Filmography

Additional work

Television/Web series

Awards

References

External links

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