It’s been a while since our last conversation Isaac, also known as Aphrow (Afro) a long-time Realm of the Mad God creator whose edits and trailers have left a lasting impression on the community. We caught up to talk about what’s changed, what excites him now, and what goes on behind the scenes of his creative process.
It’s been a while since your last interview. What’s changed for you since then, as a creator and as a player?
I was pretty apprehensive about the idea of fully exalting every character back then. For a long time, I only really wanted to play robe classes. Nothing else appealed to me much.
With all the modernizations that have happened, though, I’ve completely changed my tune. I’ve been loving the updated Ninja, Assassin, and Kensei, and the upcoming Necromancer rework is especially exciting to me. Necro is easily my #1 class.
I’ve also become an avid Shiny farmer, so throwing myself into 60 Shatters runs doesn’t feel nearly as daunting anymore.
What has been your favorite project or edit you’ve worked on recently?
My favorite project is probably the Snowfall Part 1 Trailer. I experimented with a lot of techniques I wasn’t entirely confident with and took some real risks. I’m genuinely really pleased with how it turned out.
You can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDtegf4Pbao
I also had a lot of fun working on a project for old RotMG YouTuber GHZD. That one was especially enjoyable to put together.
How did you shape your editing style, and how is it evolving now?
I’ve moved away from trying to make flashy motion graphics purely for the “wow factor.” These days, I’m much more focused on creating a pleasant viewing experience through storytelling, pacing, and making sure each project has a clear sense of progression.
That often means revisiting my timeline multiple times, reviewing footage, and swapping things out until everything aligns with how I see it in my head. This shift really took place during my hiatus from Realm content, and I’m hoping it translates well when I make a formal return to the aphrow channel.
What part of creating RotMG content still excites you the most?
Despite RotMG not being the largest community out there, it’s kind of crazy how much momentum content within the community can have.
I still get messages about my old series “So You’re Looking to Exalt.” Players tell me they exalted Bard because of my video. That’s an insane time investment, so hearing that is genuinely really sweet.
Has working with the community influenced your videos or the way you approach content?
Honestly, I’ve taken huge inspiration from everyone, OGs like Henez to the current day with entertainers like Sebhcoof. I will always credit YinYarn as one of the players who really made me realise how great realm content could be with enough preparation, passion and references to niche pop culture. Outside of the RotMG space, channels which shaped my writing process and sense of humour would be the likes of Exurb1a, Casually Explained and videogamedunkey.
Impersonation is one of the most endearing forms of flattery, especially when done right. I’ve always seen techniques from other people’s content and taken it into my hands, of course tweaking it seems a bit more… myself. It’s honestly a great way to learn, as long as you are using it as a learning experience and not just blatantly copying with minimal effort.
On a different note, in recent times I moved away from Adobe After Effects and have started doing the bulk of my Motion Graphics in Premiere Pro, god bless Film Impact and the amount of time it has saved me.
What’s a behind-the-scenes moment from your editing process that people wouldn’t expect?
If you aren’t familiar with editing, I’m sorry in advance.
For the Snowfall Part 1 Trailer, I needed some kind of snow particle overlay for the Internal Cards. Searching for “pixelated snow greenscreen” wasn’t giving me the feel I wanted. Then it clicked. The Ice Citadel has a snowy effect on the sides of the screen.
I entered cinematic mode using Ctrl + Shift + Z, zoomed all the way out, stood in a corner where the snow fell against a clear black background, recorded it, imported it into Premiere, masked out the remaining obstructions, set the blend mode to Screen, and boom.
Outside of RotMG, what other creative work or hobbies are keeping you busy these days?
Honestly most of my time nowadays is spent commuting in and out of London. My natural habitat has become the Greggs at Liverpool Street Station.
Though I work from the comfort of home for editing projects, I also have work in the city, which eats a ton of my time…also causing many… many scheduling conflicts and awkward last minute decision making.
You’re no longer a student. What’s your background?
I graduated in 2023 with a degree in Editing & Post Production. o7
As someone who’s seen the game evolve for years, what are you hoping for in the future of RotMG?
A few features I’d really love to see:
- Item hover overhaul. Not being able to see full item properties drives me insane.
- Rare loot callouts in chat, ideally optional.
- A non-third-party DPS tracker.
- An outline around bags to indicate the highest-rarity item inside.
What advice would you give to newer creators who want to get involved in RotMG or editing generally?
I know this is low-hanging fruit but just make sure you’re having fun with what you’re doing, don’t be afraid to be a little bit cringe, I am in no position to really give some insightful editing advice, there are some absolutely stellar editors within the community, however something that I wish I knew when I started out was… often times the best parts of a video are planned before the editing has even started. You can’t make a masterpiece on a rotten foundation.
Anything fun you’d like to share with the community right now?
This absolutely generational hate comment.
Business Enquiries: apheditingwork@gmail.com
Thank you for reading <3