Music Video - "No One Sees You Like I Do"

Thanks guys... hi Chris! I always forget you're on here. (Did you get the script I sent you?)

Hey, to the threadstarter: how did you make the "photo-to-video" cuts. Single frame keyframes with a corner-tracker? Nicely done.
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There's really only two of these... the first is the very first transition from the montage to car interior, which was done with just a simple zoom/motion in FCP, actually. The second one is from the second montage to the shot of the boss holding the photos, and there's actually no trick at all here. It's a simple cut. But since the angle is similar it sort of appears like there was some trick. There's not.

dogcat, I did the video for the band directly in this case, but they do have a label. The band is plus/minus. Their label for this song was Teenbeat, but they've released their latest under Absolutely Kosher.

Nik, I agree that the video look is a little weak sometimes. Those night exteriors in particular drive me crazy. But I don't know how much more contrast you could put into it. I pushed the contrast pretty hard as it is (all color work was done in Color Finesse, which is an excellent low-budget package). I will pass your compliments on to my editor, who did most of the work.

Anyway, glad you all liked it!
 
In my opinion, the pacing of the visuals was waaaay off. It really just seemed like you shot a short and placed the track overtop, there was no unity to me, it just didn't seem to come together.

Cinematography wise, I almost felt like I was watching a security video. This is not HVX near it's best.

As stated above, that's just my opinion, and it is no more right than any of yours.
 
dvx_yaaaaaay said:
In my opinion, the pacing of the visuals was waaaay off. It really just seemed like you shot a short and placed the track overtop, there was no unity to me, it just didn't seem to come together.

Cinematography wise, I almost felt like I was watching a security video. This is not HVX near it's best.
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Thanks for the honest words. I don't know what to say about the first bit; there's a few bits that are maybe a little off that most videos would cover with performance. On this video I was a bit hamstrung by the precedent that is set immediately: the obvious times when stills are displayed and when video is displayed. That was at times a challenge, and sometimes it couldn't quite be solved. Overall, though, I can't agree.

I can agree with your second comment, though. Due to the small budget and schedule, I ended up shooting at least half the video myself in addition to directing. There was practically nothing available in terms of lighting and equipment budget. There was no time on set to deal with a lens adapter or anything like that. All of these were serious factors that result in the visual quality suffering a bit. It was a by-product of the ambition of scale... the sheer number of locations and actors meant other sacrifices had to be made. My next video will most likely be shot in one day at one location.

All that said, I'm pretty satisfied with it. I don't think it's the best thing ever done, or even the best thing I've ever done, but I'm happy. That's all you can do, really, is finish something within your means, learn something, move on, and hope the next one is better. Right? People seem to be getting something out of it, for the most part. I'm happy.
 
I think its good man, you had a strong treatment and you went out and did it.

I dont know how much time you spent with Colour (uk sp) Correction but I like the way you just kind of put it out and let it just be real footage without trying to jazz it up or hide what camera you were working with if you get me?
 
Don't get me wrong, the final footage looks quite a bit different from the original. But yeah, I agree. I see a lot of people always trying to push their color work as far as it can possibly go. Sometimes that's cool. But other times you end up with Domino and a headache. Not everything needs a green tint or a magenta-orange gradient treatment. I see people posting grabs of color correction work, showing drastically different treatments and asking "which is better?" Well, hard to say without knowing what your story is, huh?
 
Clever concept and execution. My only suggestion is about the photog and editor fight. Seeing their lips move in a long argument made me want to turn down the music and listen to the dialogue.

Way to tell a story though. I can appreciate the difficulty level of what you were trying to accomplish. Lots of pre-planning, locations, and post work matching video with stills. Also very natural blocking and character interaction.

Those angry about the look of the piece should take off their DP hats and pay attention to what you accomplished as a director. And personally, I think the story benefited from the video/LA tabloid feel.

Sometimes you have to serve the story, not your ego.
 
I agree with Nik. Video parts looked amateurish next to the great still shots. That's your problem. Those open your video, so all the other images will be held up their standard. And you set a high standard with the still shots (they really look great). i liked the video but admit that i was pulled out sometimes by the "videoish" look.

Congratulations with the finished product. Always envy someone who completes something. I mean that! It's not easy. :)
 
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