Spirit Hoods - Snow Leopard

[jambredz]

this really looks great...loved the colours....the girl is beautiful. I will agree that after a while it got a wee bit boring but damn she's beautiful...so yah

I have 2 questions.
a. what was done for the colour(picture profile and post)?

b. for something like this...what kinds of directions do you give to achieve this. I mean its easy if the girl has that natural kinda character....but maybe for someone who isnt naturally inclined to be all "girl next door...but i'm totally beautiful in an unassuming unintimdating playful kinda way" lol

edit: one more. why that high an ISO in the sun?

edit: my bad...i just really realized most of it is in the shade or inside...for some reason the exterior shot with the blue car seemed to stick with me. so forget the ISO question.

 

[Kholi]

this really looks great...loved the colours....the girl is beautiful. I will agree that after a while it got a wee bit boring but damn she's beautiful...so yah

Haha, definitely. Can't wait to shoot actual material versus test footage. If the narrative is the only "problem", and this is test footage, then I"m good.

I have 2 questions.
a. what was done for the colour(picture profile and post)?

Since the wee beginnings of the D90 Days I've always shot with a neutral profile.

Sharpness all the way down
Contrast two clicks from all the way down
Saturation three clicks from all the way down.

Shooting straight flat doesn't help anything unless you've got a real colorist behind you.

The major trick, however, is to get white balance as accurate as possible for skin color/tone so that people look healthy when you shoot them. No matter which camera you shoot with, if skin looks awkward it registers subconsciously.

White balance is more important than shooting flat, by far. Orange or Salmon Pink skin isn't appealing.

b. for something like this...what kinds of directions do you give to achieve this. I mean its easy if the girl has that natural kinda character....but maybe for someone who isnt naturally inclined to be all "girl next door...but i'm totally beautiful in an unassuming unintimdating playful kinda way" lol

Even if your talent has a natural inclination toward a specific state of mind and being, direction is still very important. Fine-tuning performance goes a long way.

This is a great question, though: It all starts with what you're looking for, of course. In this, even though it's just test footage, I stepped out with two thoughts in mind. Primarily, I wanted to see if I could capture the spirit of a domesticated pet without being on the nose.

Meowing, licking, purring and pawing. Those are all things that I think you would naturally gravitate toward when you first think of a "house cat". I'm not a fan of on the nose, so I took a few minutes while setting camera up to think of the larger subtleties of a feline.

Reservation and Lethargy came to mind. To that point, while shooting, I would just guide her toward sort of "being" both reserved and lethargic, yet not tired and lazy. The world around her still matters, it's interesting, but she's not going to really jump at anything or the camera.

The second idea is that once she's out of the house, it's playtime. So, naturally, when she's out, she's more curious about surroundings that she rarely gets to play in. You sort of guide the talent, in this case, to keep up the first personality and at the same time, break away from it in a cautious fashion.

Like, if you were to go out to a club or bar and you're not very social, but you want to be. So, every so often you'll flirt or say "Wuzzup?" to a stranger to test your own boundaries. Same deal here.

Teresa's very intuitive, it's one thing that I constantly commend her for as far as being an actress. It's still up to me to guide her to where I want her, as the relationship between Director and Actor/Actress is told.

It's obvious, but, just figure out what you really want and how you can do it without words. I think the best Charades players can do it well! haha.

edit: one more. why that high an ISO in the sun?

edit: my bad...i just really realized most of it is in the shade or inside...for some reason the exterior shot with the blue car seemed to stick with me. so forget the ISO question.

Actually, everything is around 640 ISO or above, even the broad daylight stuff. For that, I used all of the NDs and the Polarizer to keep the material high ISO. I'm not sure where I get this notion from, and I can't scientifically prove it, but I am set on the idea that Higher ISOs look better when there's plenty of light to shoot with.

If I were to go into an interior shoot, for example, I would push for 640ISO or so and if I'm overexposed, use NDS before lowering ISO.

That's just my workflow.

 

[jambredz]

very interesting take u have there on the ISO thing.

And very good answer about the direction...i totally see all that in her performance. Had to chuckle to myself also cuz i've had cats all my life (except presently) and definately know their behaviour. Your talent takes direction quite well.

 

[Kholi]

very interesting take u have there on the ISO thing.

And very good answer about the direction...i totally see all that in her performance. Had to chuckle to myself also cuz i've had cats all my life (except presently) and definately know their behaviour. Your talent takes direction quite well.

I've actually never owned a cat and, in fact, am allergic to them. They generally hiss and spit at me when I come around; sort of like how females are around me.

I'll pass on the word, I'm sure she'll appreciate the compliments.

Thanks for watchin'!

 

[Scott F]

One thing that I don't really like (and there's something I don't like about everything I shoot) is that it still doesn't feel like a "spot". It's got the photograph feel to it, almost behind the scenes and I think it's simply because there's no story vehicle at all. Or, perhaps it's because there aren't any wides?

Any thoughts or considerations? Naturally, as I go into a real concept, there'll be plenty of narrative for a thirty and sixty. Just reflecting on the test footage so far.

I think you've said it all here. I agree, these two cuts are missing some wide shots. And as mentioned by Maximus, it would be nice to see some shots with more than just one model.

I really like your music choices in these two videos and also the one shot on the Red.

Great colors & look. Post up more when you can.