Motion picture film is anything but dead. These three filmmakers want to prove that shooting film is accessible to anyone who wants to use it. On location of the “Frames – Hell” music video. Image credit: Shane Scherholz When filmmaker Shane Scherholz reached out about some upcoming film projects actually shooting on film, I couldn’t resist finding out a bit more. Shane is part of a small production collective including D.P. Josh Echevarria and Derick Crucius, all passionate about shooting film. These three filmmakers have been working together for more than six years. I jumped at the chance to ask them about their experiences, plans and to share how (and why) they choose to shoot film even on limited budgets. We share some BTS of an upcoming music video, unfortunately the actual music video itself hasn’t been released by the record label yet. BTS on “Frames – Hell” music video. Image credit: Shane Scherholz Why Shoot Film? This is the biggest question on the mind of any filmmaker. For Shane, Josh and Derick, it comes down to the kind of productions they are usually shooting and the result they are looking for. For many music videos, and the visual style this trio are becoming known for, the intrinsic look of super 8mm and 16mm lends itself to the themes of the stories being told. For a music video, it really comes down to the song, and it may even be mixed with some parts shot on film, and others digitally. A desqueeezed anamorphic 35mm film frame from the “Frames – Hell” music video. Image credit: Shane Scherholz Of course there are ways to emulate the super 8, and super 16mm look in post, but shooting the real thing is the fastest and most surefire way to nail the look. Refreshingly, you’ll hear none of the typical film vs digital arguments from these three. The main concern that determines the capture medium is the story itself. When three young filmmakers with no ties to the pre-digital era start out learning digital video, and then decide to explore film, the result is a clear head and decisions that are not clouded by nostalgia. For Shane, Josh and Derick, film is another tool, a different canvas on which to paint. This is why many believe that film as an artistic photographic medium now has a solid foundation under it compared to its decline that started 20 years ago. Costs The next biggest question to be asked by any digital-first filmmaker with a curiosity to explore film, is cost. After all, technology and the evolution of capturing a better image aside, one of the biggest factors to shift production from film to digital in the 2000’s was simply cost. The cost of equipment, and rental, of crew and the number of crew required in a typical camera team, the cost of raw film stock, processing, and telecine or scanning all adds up to a point where it’s very difficult to justify not shooting digitally. While this hasn’t changed, and it’s still true today of 35mm, Shane, Josh and Derick were adamant to point out there are cost effective ways to approach super 16mm, and definitely super 8mm. One of the ways is not to shoot an entire music video on film, but to shoot certain sequences in a project. The A-camera may be digital, and B-camera may be film. Even if an entire project will be shot on film, it’s important to shoot as sparingly as possible. This might involve being conservative with coverage, and not letting the camera roll too long before and after takes. Processed reels of super 16mm film for the “Frames – Hell” music video. Image credit: Shane Scherholz Shooting for the edit is another concept we discussed at length. This doesn’t necessarily mean storyboarding and listing every shot, but knowing what the edited video will look like, and what shots are required can minimize wasting film that will never make the final cut. This is possible by getting as many usable shots on a 50ft roll of super 8mm (3.5 mins at 18fps), or a 400ft roll of super 16mm (11.6 mins at 24fps) as possible. This also comes with experience, and with developing a style that is repeatable, and which clients recognize, and employ you for. This is the approach being taken by these three filmmaking friends, who plan to start a more formal production company this year, although the events of 2020 have delayed these plans. More than with digital filmmaking, there tends to be a tighter community around those shooting film, and this extends not only between filmmakers, but also to the labs that service them. Large established, and smaller boutique film labs with full service facilities seem to be popping up again after many went out of business more than a decade ago. The labs are dependent on these filmmakers, and so it’s in their interest to be as supportive as possible. Having a good working relationship with a lab is one way to save costs. The better you know a lab personally, the more chance there is to negotiate pricing and deals on a project by project basis. Equipment A BTS photo from “Frames – Hell” music video, which was captured on 16mm and 35mm anamorphic, and scanned to 2K resolution for post. Image credit: Shane Scherholz Once you get your head around why you might want to shoot film, and that if you shoot sparingly, and deliberately you can control the costs, next up is looking at camera gear. Unlike used film photography gear, it’s possible to pick up a good super 8mm camera relatively cheaply. You’ll pay a bit more if you want to shoot 16mm, but camera gear is available at a fraction of what it cost new, or used when it was in demand. It’s important to know where to look, and also places to avoid. One key point that Josh and Derick brought up again and again is the importance of plugging into the local and regional analog filmmaking community. Derick and his Bolex H16. Image credit: Adam Peditto There has been a clear rise in interest over the past five years of filmmakers (and photographers… but that’s a different story) shooting film, as we’ve seen with Kodak strengthening its position and bringing back new motion picture film stocks (releasing Ektachrome E100 color reversal for super 8mm and 16mm specifically), and ramping up production across their range of motion picture products. In part this is in reaction to increased demand, but it is also driving demand as well, especially in the case of super 8mm. This has created active communities of filmmakers across different cities, and different regions, and countries, that are keen to share knowledge and resources with each other. This is one of the best ways to find quality equipment. You should look out for online forums, which may be on facebook or reddit, where filmmakers share and collaborate. Many times this can result in finding better camera equipment that you know has been maintained and looked after compared to buying blindly on ebay at inflated prices. Josh bought a Aaton XTR 16mm sync camera, and also has a 35mm ARRIFLEX 235, which is motor only sync (MOS), for a fraction of what this equipment cost new, and this is the basis for much of their work. Planning and careful camera setup before rolling go into not wasting film. Image credit: Shane Scherholz Planning I was surprised to learn that Shane, Josh and Derick don’t spend too much time planning every take of every shot down to the finite detail. More than storyboards and detailed lists, they shoot what they know they will need in the cut. However, other factors require planning for a film shoot compared to digital. Loading and unloading camera mags takes some time, and needs to be done carefully, marking every exposed roll. This requires a changing tent or bag and careful practice beforehand to learn how to load a mag by feel alone. Loading a super 8 cartridge is of course a lot simpler and faster but keeping track of exposed film and marking it correctly is the key to knowing what’s been shot on which rolls of film. As I mentioned previously, only parts of a project may be shot on film. So they will create some rough shot lists to help guide what is A-camera (digital) and what is B-camera (film). Shooting film requires more patience and discipline on location. Post When it comes to post production, once the film negatives have been scanned, the process is exactly the same as with digital. The lab takes care of scanning film to 4K ProRes, and these files then join the digitally captured clips in the edit. The film shots will need to be corrected a bit differently to the shots from digital cameras but in the end the same principles in color correction apply, and everything is matched up. 2K scanned super 16mm files are just as easy to edit with as video. Image credit: Shane Scherholz We joked about whether the guys intended to start cutting by hand on a Steenbeck, but decided that the evolution of technology is good thing. Even though film is enjoying a revival for image capture, there are some things that we’ve got so much better now. Having to rush (the origin of the term “rushes”) exposed film from location to the lab to be processed overnight, create color timed dailies prints, which are only viewed the next day. The whole traditional film post process involves syncing sound, and creating multiple generations of contact prints at various points throughout the whole process. It’s an inefficient and wasteful process we can safely leave in the past. Experimental Processes One interesting and fun aspect of shooting film is the very fact that it’s photochemical, and the results can be influenced in unexpected ways by so many different parts of the process. If you shoot by the book, motion picture film is very stable, producing consistent and accurate results every time. However, if you start to change how you shoot, or how you develop the film, you can create some incredible effects. Above is one of Derick’s hand processed experimental films. Hand developing motion picture film is one way that some filmmakers purposely add some instability to an otherwise highly controlled, lab perfected process. Derick has explored hand developing a number of films with some interesting and rich results. Hand developing is almost exclusively done with black and white film stocks, as the chemistry and control involved is much simpler than for color negative films. There are even alternative chemistries for processing such as Caffeinol, a developer made from instant coffee, vitamin C powder and washing soda. It is only suitable for black and white films, and is slow to act, so requires longer developing times. It’s still not exactly environmentally friendly, as silver deposits still collect in the developer and fixer. Any home developing method will require you to research the best way to dispose of your chemicals as the methyl chloroform, ammonia, and formaldehyde present in traditional developer can damage surfaces and shouldn’t be poured down the drain. Unfortunately, there’s no way of getting around the heavy metals involved in the chemistry of photography, even if they are only trace amounts. Checking with a local lab who can dispose of your chemicals properly is the best approach. A conventional developing process at a lab can also change certain parts of the process to destabilize or alter the results, such as bleach bypass, and cross processing, where you develop color negative film in chemistry intended for color positive film, or vice versa. All of these processes alter the look of the film in significant ways. What’s Stopping You? Shooting film is nowhere close to how complex, and inefficient as it used to be. In the digital era it’s just another capture medium. Once developed and scanned, it merges directly into your existing digital workflow. While the chemistry involved in both the production and development of film is not environmentally friendly, the process is incredibly streamlined and less wasteful than it used to be. There is only one generation necessary now. You only have to expose camera negative and develop it once. There are no more dailies prints, and married sync prints, or any intermediate inter-negatives or other contact prints made and developed throughout the post process, not to mention prints made for theatrical projection. All of these traditional processes in post and delivery required more film, more chemistry and more waste. It’s true that a super 8 cartridge or a 100ft roll of 16mm film is not cheap, and only affords a few minutes to be captured per roll. However, if you know what you need for the edit, 3 minutes is plenty to capture those shots. The process is different, and a lot of fun. Seeing your scans come back and playing them for the first time is an addictive experience. Super 8 is a great way to get started as quality cameras are available and affordable, and the cost of a few cartridges plus developing is far less than 16mm. Have you shot film in the past? Are you interested in making film part of your image capture process for personal or commercial projects? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

The Canon EOS R is available since October 2018, and while it is a solid, lightweight full-frame camera, the least that we can say is that public opinions are not unanimous about Canon’s RF new flagship camera. On a recent shoot, I had the opportunity to use it as a B camera along with a Canon C200. Here are my thoughts about it. Let me start by saying that this is not a comprehensive review of the video capabilities of the camera, but rather my personal impressions from a particular experience on a shoot. To read our EOS R review, click here! Blam’S – Donne Moi Tout / You can look out Canon EOS R shots during the bar scene (when the camera is attached to the artist). Also, the entire scene where he is laying on the ground (1:58 to 2:13) was shot using the EOS R on a Kessler Crane Pocket Jib Traveler. Disclaimer: Let me first say that I am not a Canon Ambassador. Like every other article on cinema5D, Canon or any other brand did not pay me to write this article. I rent the camera body with my own money, and this is my unbiased opinion. Also, this article is not a camera review, but just my findings on the camera when using it on a real-life job. Canon EOS R Features The Canon EOS R is probably one of the most commented cameras of 2018. The recently announced Canon EOS RP is following the same path, but it’s another topic. The reason why so many people hate on the Canon EOS R is that – on paper – the camera falls a little bit short when it comes to video recording capabilities. While reading the specs sheet, this is something I understand, as I was a bit disappointed too. Here are the main features of the Canon EOS R: 30.3 megapixels Full-Frame sensor. New Canon RF lens mount. EOS R Adapters available to mount EF and EF-S lenses. Only one SD slot UHS-II compatible. Video recording capabilities: UHD 4K 4:2:0 8bit at up to 25/30p (max 29min 59sec) MP4 with a 1.8X sensor crop in 4K / Full HD 1080p up to 50/60p, HD 720p up to 100/120p. Uncompressed 10bit UHD 4K via HDMI. Canon Log included. Dual Pixel CMOS AF. So for a 2018 camera – when comparing it to a Panasonic GH5 or Sony a7 III -, these are not impressive features. Also, the $2,299 price tag (body only) didn’t help. However, how does it perform in real life? The Canon EOS R on the Kessler Crane Pocket Jib Traveler with a Canon EF 24mm F1.4L Real World Test In January 2019, I had the opportunity to direct and shoot a music video for French artist Blam’S. I already made five music videos for him in the past. Back in the days, we started with low-budget indy music videos that did pretty well on YouTube. Recently Blam’S got signed in a music label, so we got a little more budget than usual to make this music video happen. For this shoot, I decided to go with the Canon C200. It is an incredible camera with RAW capabilities, a very “Arri Alexa” type of image/colors, and some pretty decent low light capabilities. Also, the budget was too tight to hire a 1st AC, so the Canon EF lenses combined with the fantastic Canon’s Dual Pixel AF were a no brainer. We only had one day to shoot this music video and needed to move quickly between shots, as our crew was limited. The Canon C200 was the perfect fit for this music video. Photo: Julien Strai While writing the initial treatment for this music video, I knew some of the shots we planned were a little bit tricky. For example, some of the shots required the camera to be attached to the artist. I decided to use a Snorrycam for these shots and did some test with the Canon C200. It was too optimistic, and I ruined my back doing a 2 minutes test. We needed something lighter. I initially thought about using my Panasonic GH5 as a B camera for these shots. The GH5 is a great Micro Four Thirds camera, but I was a bit afraid it wouldn’t match the Canon C200 C-Log footages – even with an extensive color grading. At the same time, a local rental house got a Canon EOS R, so I thought it would be a good time to test it. The perfect C200 B-Camera? For the Canon EOS R shots, I decided to go as compact as possible: the camera, an RF-EF lens adapter, and a lens. No external recorder, so all EOS R shots are shot in 4K UHD 25p 4:2:0 8bit. I set the camera to record in Canon Log. Working with the Canon EOS R is a real pleasure. The battery life is decent, the swivel touchscreen is a nice addition, and the camera menus are straightforward. Also, I am surprised the Dual Pixel AF works flawlessly even with EF lenses – I thought it would struggle a bit like a Metabones adapter for example. The real selling point for me is how close the Canon EOS R’s C-Log image matches with the Canon C200. If you use the provided Canon C-Log to WideDR or Rec.709 LUT, the footages are nearly identical. In my findings, the Canon EOS R image is slightly more magenta, so I merely added a bit of green in post-production. And that’s it. Photo: Julien Strai After using it, I find that all of the critics regarding the EOS R are a little bit rude. When recording video in 4K mode, the 1.8x sensor crop was not something I was limited by. The 12 stops of dynamic range – in a controlled environment – are enough for me. Unfortunately, I can’t speak about daylight scenes, as I did not test it. The overall image is pleasing with little to no work. The music label loved the final music video and was astonished by the global picture quality. The fun fact is that the scene where the artist is laying on the ground is the one that the music label liked the most. And it was shot using a “pretty cheap” 4:2:0 8bit camera. In the end, if you are a Canon C200 shooter, should you buy a Canon EOS R as a B camera? If you don’t own any other camera body, the short answer is probably yes. For gimbal shots, the Canon EOS R on a DJI Ronin-S, for example, is a time (and arms) saver. If like me, you have another DSLR/mirrorless camera as a B camera, I would probably wait. With some work, it’s always possible to make any footages color-match the Canon C200. The Canon EOS R ecosystem is pretty new. The RF to EF adapter with built-in variable ND filter is one of these things that change the way you use a camera. I have no doubt some new RF lenses and accessories will come pretty soon. Let’s look at the Canon EOS R as a first step. Did you already shoot with the Canon EOS R? What are your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comments down below!

As we discussed in Part One of this series of articles, art direction plays a huge role in a music video. It can be easy to come up with big ideas and tons of props when you are working for prominent artists. But how to still get a fantastic art direction when you are working with independent artist and less money? To gain more insights, I caught up with director Drew Kirsch who has directed videos for Lil Yachty, Valentino Khan and more. Could you introduce yourself briefly? My name is Drew Kirsch, and I’m a director based out of Venice, CA. In the past five years, I have heavily focused on music videos. I’ve worked with artists such as Lil Yachty, Blackbear, Gryffin, Louis The Child, Bryce Vine, Quinn XCII, and more. Have you seen a change in the music and music video industry in the past years? To be honest, I jumped in the music video game long after a big change in the industry. Back in the day before the internet took over (NAPSTER days), music video budgets were huge! We now get about a third of the budgets music videos used to get. Music videos also used to be huge on MTV and now they only really have a strong representation on Youtube. Other than the budget, what is different to work for a label vs. an indie artist? The difference is there are fewer heads in the kitchen with an indie artist. It’s just the artist and me making the calls. Also, an indie artist is usually still being developed so there is more room to be creative. A record label has multiple heads making notes about the video. There are so many restrictions with a record label, for instance, a legal team. A legal team has to flag certain shots, so they aren’t at risk in terms of copyright. I’ve had them flag something as dumb as a lamp because they are worried the designer of that lamp may sue them. They aren’t willing to take the risk, but an indie artist doesn’t have as much to lose. How would you define art direction and the importance of it in your job? When I pitch a concept, I usually tell the artist and producer “the most important aspect to me is the art direction.” I come from the art direction world myself, and I heavily rely on it. Pretty much like a painting, I want to make the image beautiful! I always make sure we put a certain amount of the budget aside for art direction. I am particular about color matching in my scenes, and little visual cues that I believe make an image beautiful. On set for “No Limit” – Photo courtesy of Drew Kirsch How do you work on a concept for a music video? Do you rely on the art direction of the artist (or the label)? The record label usually gives me a track, and I pitch a concept/treatment. A treatment is a PDF full of reference images that explains how the video is going to look. Inside the treatment, I usually have a page for art direction, describing how important it is in the film, and what direction it will have. Do you look at what the artist did in the past or do you treat every project as a blank canvas? Initially, I start with a blank canvas and try not to look at any past videos, photos, songs, etc. I want a fresh idea in my head. Eventually, I end up watching to make sure I’m somewhat in line with their brand. I usually take a risk and pitch something that’s completely different from their past videos. Where do you usually find your inspiration for the treatment? In the pitch, in the music, in the artist? Finding inspiration for a treatment can come from many different places. It can be inspired by the message of the song, the tone of the beat, etc. Sometimes it will just come right away, and other times it can take days. I’ve listened to tracks over 500 times before figuring out what I want to do. I drive or walk around in public with my headphones in, looking at people and places trying to find a lead. Once I sat inside a Costco for 2-3 hours in one of those massage chairs, until I finally figured out an idea. Photo courtesy of Drew Kirsch In your treatment do you insert pictures, text, or do you prefer drawing some of your ideas? Most of my treatments are full of images from the web used as references combined with detailed text. I don’t usually draw anything because I’m one of the worst sketch artists on the planet. I wish I were able to storyboard my treatments, but I typically don’t have the budget to do so. How do you choose your color palette for a music video? I choose a color palette based on the idea or theme of the video. Of course, I have favorite colors, and I try to use those as much as I can. I love warm colors so if I’m able to incorporate those I will. Again, it depends on your story or idea. What would be your advice to make sure your treatment is successful and gets you the job? It’s about the idea. Don’t stress how beautiful your treatment is, and focus on why your approach is different from the rest. If you could pick one music video you are really proud of in terms of art direction, which one would you choose and why? I really like “Fake Denim” by Quinn XCII. My chief art director, Aunny Grace, worked her butt off peeling 100’s of labels off mustard bottles for a scene. I knew from the start I was going to stick with a color theme, which in this case was yellow. After I made that decision, we moved forward with developing aesthetics around the color yellow. Luckily, we found a location that fit in the same color scheme. I always wanted the camera to be moving because it matches the energy of the song. The scenes don’t have a ton of movement or action in them so moving the camera helps the video flow in my opinion. The lighting was a decision by my amazing DP Joe Butler. I told him I wanted “even” light and nothing moody or over the top. For this video, the point is to see the details in the art direction, so making sure everything is lit and not lost in the shadows was important. The editing was super simple for Fake Denim because I knew where I wanted everything in the edit before we shot. It was all mapped out beforehand and timestamped to the song. There aren’t any VFX or crazy editing tricks. It’s straightforward, minimal, and focuses on the performance. On the shoot, do you always stick to your treatment, or do you have room for improvisation? I mainly use my treatment as a blueprint, but there is always changes to the treatment on set. I’ve always looked at filmmaking as problem-solving. Depending on how the day goes, you have to be flexible with your initial treatment. If you could choose one artist to work with because you love his art direction, which one would you pick? In terms of an art director, I want to work with a guy named Brandon Mendez. In terms of music artists, I want to work with Tyler The Creator, but unfortunately, he directs all his own videos. Tyler’s videos are A+ when it comes to art direction. Photo courtesy of Drew Kirsch This second article is the last part of the “art direction in music videos” series. I personally want to thank Cole Walisser and Drew Kirsch for taking some time to answer my questions. What was your most creative independent project? Did you find this article useful, and would you like us to do more of them? Let us know in the comments down below!

We watch and listen to music for hours every day, and music videos are everywhere. As content creators, some of us also film/direct/edit music videos, may it be for fun or for a living. I caught up with director Cole Walliser, who has directed videos for P!nk, Katy Perry, Laura Marano, and a bunch more. We discussed one aspect of a music video we don’t always think of: art direction. Photo courtesy of Cole Walliser A Quick Tour of the Music Industry Today it’s hard to really stand out as an artist in the music industry. New songs and new trends come and go, but music is now a consumer good. You listen to an artist’s album and just move on to another artist on a daily basis. Also, it’s difficult to draw attention without a video to go with a song. With YouTube being the second most popular search engine after Google and one of the biggest music streaming platforms in the world, new music videos pop up every minute. Of course, it’s amazing because you can now easily discover new artists and new music. With these new content marketing needs, an entirely new era of young directors came out. At the same time, a new “trend” also came in with all the cuts in budgets allocated to music videos. Thankfully, technical costs, i.e. film equipment for making a music video that looks “cinematic” also dropped drastically. It started when Canon introduced the DSLR revolution in 2008, thanks to the Canon 5D Mark II. The production costs continue going down, and the technical possibilities are still expanding. It’s an amazing time to work on music videos. Photo courtesy of Cole Walliser What It Takes to Make a Good Music Video I ask myself that question a lot: What distinguishes a good music video—one you’ll want to watch over and over—from just an average one? Of course, there are a lot of aspects involved and also personal tastes. The number one factor is probably the concept or story behind the music video. But for this article, let’s just focus on the more artistic part. So you wrote your treatment, and everyone is happy with it. The day of the shoot, you have a lot of things to think of, especially with small crews, because low budgets usually mean fewer people on set. You are on set, and you try to focus as much as you can on your lighting because as everyone knows, it can really make or break a music video. It goes the same way with camera movements, acting, editing, color grading, and so on. But there is one thing we usually don’t think of because we are too much “into it.” And I have found that all those components—lighting, camera, editing, etc.—have one thing in common: art direction. Photo courtesy of Cole Walliser Why Art Direction Is Crucial Personally, I think the art direction is one of the most important parts of a music video. When I talk about art direction, it’s not just a color theme or some outfits for the artist. It’s a comprehensive package that will drive you through the entire project. You have to think about it in the early stages of your project & treatment, and your proposal about art direction should definitely be in your treatment. If you have doubts about your type of lighting, your choice of gels, your camera angles, or how your editing should look, you can always come back to the art direction that you defined at the beginning of your project. But again, that’s just my point of view. In order to gain more insights about it, I asked Canadian director Cole Walliser what he thinks about art direction in general. Could you introduce yourself briefly? My name is Cole Walliser, I am a Canadian director living in Los Angeles. I’ve directed videos for Pink, Katy Perry, Tinashe, Laura Marano, and more. I work a lot in the beauty space and also direct commercial and digital content for CoverGirl, Pantene, Almay, Revlon, and others. For you, what differentiates a “good” music video from an average one? That’s a good and very subjective question! Typically, videos that I find “good” are the innovative ones. They do something a little different. That’s probably why I think videos by the Daniels are always so amazing, but I also find myself liking very simple videos that just hit the nail on the head as far as tone and style that match the music well. You don’t need to be all fancy and crazy—if the visuals match the emotion of the song, I find I’ll label it as good. Have you seen a change in the music and music video industry in the past years? Absolutely! The advent of smaller and cheaper digital cameras changed no other aspect of filmmaking more than music videos. Suddenly everyone is a director, and everyone has a music video. I actually view this as a good thing (despite budgets also getting smaller and smaller). Photo courtesy of Cole Walliser How would you define art direction and the importance of it in your job? For music videos, it is paramount. A music video can be called good with zero story but amazing visuals. The same cannot be said for films, TV shows, or even commercials. Defining art direction is a little harder—it’s anything that denotes what the video should look and feel like. How do you work on a concept for a music video? Do you rely on the art direction of the artist (or the label)? It varies with every job. Sometimes labels or artists have a very specific vision, and it’s up to you to repackage that vision into feasible and creative production. Often it’s very loose, and they want you to interpret it. (We want an unconventional love story, or strictly a performance on a beach, for example.) And then sometimes they just give you the song, and you gotta come up with it all! For you, what aspects of a project art direction are most influential? Camera and lenses selection, lighting, camera moves, editing, color grading, or all of these? Personally, I view art direction more like the overall look and feel and production design. It can involve lens selection (if there are specific shots that pertain to the concept’s creative direction). It also can denote the choice of a camera: maybe the idea is to creatively shoot a whole section on 16mm. It all boils down to this: if the visual idea denotes what camera, editing, or color need to be used in order to execute that concept, art direction can dictate what those should be. Do you think new directors should focus more on art direction nowadays to improve their work? I think directors can do a lot of things to improve their work! Not that I think we are generally sub-par in any way, but because it’s always an evolution. You are always learning as a director, so I would say art direction should not be excluded from that, but it’s just as valuable as any other aspect of production. If you are asking specifically about music videos, though, I would say it’s marginally more important, as MVs lean heavily on the art direction. Photo courtesy of Cole Walliser Do you give tips or insights to artists who are just starting out in the music industry about the art direction they should follow? I really love having these conversations with artists, and especially new artists who are defining themselves for the first time or redefining themselves. The only tip I have, really, is to look at the big picture—how does one want to be represented? Think about what makes an impact and will last, not just about what’s hot today. If you could pick one music video you are really proud of in terms of art direction, which one would you choose and why? I think it would be the first Tinashe music video I directed. She was just starting out as an artist, and we had very little money. We bought a bunch of Home Depot lights to recreate Maxi-Brutes and shot a dance video in a single warehouse location. Tweaked the color a lot in post-production. I thought it came out really dope! If you could choose one artist to work with because you love his art direction, which one would you pick? Hard to say! I love working with women artists because I feel like you can do more with them. They can be bright, dark, strong, soft, beautiful, fierce, etc… For better or for worse, the range can be so much more dynamic for female artists these days, and with that said, I’d say of course Beyonce. One last thing you’d like to add? Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts about art direction… I’m going to go think about it a lot more on my next projects now! Photo courtesy of Cole Walliser Part Two is coming with another interview and more insights about art direction in the music video industry. Do you work on the art direction treatment at the early stage of your project? Did you find this article useful, and would you like us to do more of them? Let us know in the comments down below!

The folks over at Red Giant have teamed up with alternative rock band They Might Be Giants on a new music video contest. Make their next music video and you could win cash and a ton of nifty Red Giant production software. All the contest details are below:  The contest is asking for unique music videos to highlight the track I Left My Body. Take a listen to the song below: Follow the link HERE for more contest details. Red Giant software has long been a fixture on set and in post-houses because of its user-friendly interface and useful tools for first-time filmmakers and professionals alike. There will be 3 winners: $3000 + the complete set of Red Giant Tools to the Grand Prize winner (Total Prize Value: $6,694) $1000 + the complete set of Red Giant Tools to two other winners (Total Prize Value: $4,694) The complete set of Red Giant tools includes: Trapcode Magic Bullet Universe Shooter Keying Effects So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start creating. All entries must be submitted by March 1st, 2018 for consideration. 

My name is Colin J. Mason and I’m from the Northern VA/Washington DC area. I am a director, photographer, musician, and I co-own the independent studio Mirandum Pictures along with my lifelong friend and business partner Mike Powell. Our people have done film work in 15 countries on 5 continents since 2006 and we work with amazing craftsmen from just about every discipline to bring our creations to life. Name and age: Colin J. Mason, 32 years old. Currently based in: Northern VA/Washington DC area. Language(s) spoken: English, Spanish. Occupation: Director. How did you get started in our industry? My business partner Mike and I always joke that we were film nerds with big dreams and then suddenly the internet came along and we had jobs. We were scraping along, trying to get work wherever we could and making cheap films in the early 2000s with the Panasonic DVX100 (remember that one?). When YouTube and Vimeo really took off and more and more people were getting smartphones and faster internet connections, suddenly the demand for quality video skyrocketed. Like many young filmmakers, we were right on the cutting edge of that revolution and have been benefitting from it ever since. Current assignments: I can’t talk about all of them, but we’ve been handling a lot of mini-documentaries at Mirandum Pictures, including one about Flying Dog Brewery and their Raging Bitch IPA controversy, as well as some fun music video projects we have coming up. What types of productions do you mostly shoot? Things are pretty diverse at Mirandum Pictures, which is how we stay in business. Like most directors at our level, we do lean on commercials, music videos, and mini-documentaries. The dream, as with all of us, is to eventually move into more short films and eventually feature filmmaking. What is your dream assignment/job in our industry, and what are you really passionate about? To be the director of a major motion picture whose story I’m deeply committed to. As a result, any client project that even resembles that always makes me really excited. I love doing music videos or narrative short films for that reason, and I’m always really excited when one of my clients commits to doing something truly creative. In the work that you are presenting us, now that it is done, what would you have done differently throughout the production? That’s always tough for a filmmaker to answer. In this case, I’d have loved to have more time. We only had two days to shoot a tremendous amount of material under very difficult conditions: either in historic buildings, or outdoors in rural areas at night with no access to power or facilities. We didn’t have the budget to bring on the lighting equipment we really wanted for the outdoor work, so there was a tremendous amount of stress involved in doing the setups in the grave-digging scene in particular. More time would have helped a lot. In connection with that, I would have most likely spent some of my own money and brought on at least one HMI light for the outdoor scenes, instead of relying on multiple tungsten sources, which provide beautiful light but just lacked the firepower we really needed. This would have saved us a massive lighting headache and it would have been well worth the expense. What current camera, lenses and sound equipment do you use? What camera I use entirely depends on the project and the DP I’m bringing on.  We’ve shot everything from RED cameras to GH5 to GoPro – it entirely depends on the client’s needs or the story we’re trying to tell. As I’ve moved from operating my own cameras to the director’s chair, I try not to become married to any particular system, and rather allow the needs of the project to dictate what tools we select. In this case, we shot on the Blackmagic URSA Mini with two XEEN cine prime lenses: a 14mm and a 35mm. The URSA has a crop factor of 1.4x, which effectively turns the 14mm into about a 20mm, and the 35mm into about a 50mm.  We also used a GlideCam 2000 for the motion shots since they were simple enough not to require a motorised gimbal. Nothing in the video was stabilized digitally. All the sound was recorded onto a Zoom H4N through a Sennheiser MKH416P48, since there really wasn’t that much sound work (we only recorded audio for the opening scene in the prison and even the majority of that is design and ADR). For larger projects we use a combination of shotgun mics and wireless lavaliers from Sennheiser. You chose to shoot your project with the URSA Mini. Can you please describe why you chose to use it, what was your workflow, were you happy with the results and will you ever go that way again? We chose the URSA because the budget for this video was tight, and URSA is a more inexpensive option than the RED, while remaining surprisingly robust. This video’s DP, Jacob Schwartz, has a lot of experience with the URSA Mini, especially on motion rigs, so that was another deciding factor. This project was intended for release online with minimal VFX, so we were comfortable shooting in 4.5K ProRes instead of RAW. We also love the precise over/undercranking options the URSA offers, as we were doing a lot of work in this project with in-camera frame-rate tricks.  The performance portions of the video were either shot in 48 fps to a sped-up track of the song, or shot in 12 fps to a slowed-down track of the song for the jerky dance portions. Even a lot of the action was slightly overcranked to give it just a little more weight without the motion seeming overly slow. At Mirandum Pictures, we work on custom-built high-performance PCs, which provide more bang for the buck than Macs. The whole studio works off a common server and each project has its own hard drive. We edit on Premiere CC and used the proxy functionality to generate lightweight footage proxies to make the fast-paced edits easier. Once the cut was locked, the VFX were done by Anthony Pilon, a really talented VFX artist and animator who handled the gunfire and bullet hits. For VFX work we always export ungraded PNGs from the locked Premiere project and all VFX work is rendered back out as PNGs before being added back into the project. For the gunfire, we had a little 150-watt ARRI light that we rapidly flagged and un-flagged to to create the practical strobing light effect. Anthony added muzzle flare, shell casings, bullet hits, and some smoke in After Effects, before doing additional rendered smoke in Blender and adding that to the After Effects composition. Sound design was done in Sony Vegas 13 and Adobe Audition. I did the color grade using Lumetri in Premiere, starting with a Kodak Elite Color 200 LUT and a 35mm Fuji medium grain overlay before the final project was exported as an H.264 for upload to Vimeo and Vevo. What’s your favorite light equipment and why did you choose that kit over other solutions? Lighting equipment is so project-specific it’s hard to pick a favorite. I try to stay mentally flexible and not get too attached to any specific lighting solution since we handle so many different kinds of projects. However, I will say that I have had good experiences with ARRI lighting in general.  We used two ARRI T1s on this project with some modifiers and were able to handle the vast majority of the lighting that way. For the outdoor scenes I would have loved to have a Joker, but the T1s did fabulously for most everything else. I also brought on two Quasars and was able to take care of a lot of the supplemental lighting that way. Quasars aren’t really appropriate as key light for most projects, but they are flexible secondary lights and can serve a lot of functions. On this video we used them to illuminate the doorway of the church in the grave-digging scenes, and they provided the soft warm glow coming through the door in the kitchen table scene. Do you use drones or gimbals in your productions? If so, what is the most effective way you’ve found to deploy them? We use both drones and gimbals in our productions at Mirandum Pictures, particularly gimbals because of my love of wide moving master shots. I think that modern filmmaking often relies too heavily on cutting, and wide moving masters give the actors more freedom to stay in the scene and work with each other. On this project we used a GlideCam 2000, but for work of any complexity we use the DJI Ronin 1 with a wireless follow focus and director’s monitor. A good 1st AC is essential for that setup but the results are really rewarding. For drones, I try to only use them if the story calls for a stronger sense of place, usually for locations that have strong visual interest. They can provide some production value but oftentimes they are overused, so I can find them to be distracting. When we need work we hire a fantastic local operator named Brandon Habuda (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3027573/) who has worked on projects like Birth of a Nation and Burning Sands. What editing systems do you use? I edit in Premiere CC. Jacob works in Resolve and has been working on me to switch over – I’m a bit of a curmudgeon when it comes to changing editing systems. I probably will when their editing capabilities become more robust. It’s hard to beat Premiere’s integration into the rest of Adobe’s products, as well as its systems for file management and proxy-rendering. How much of your work do you shoot in Log and what is your preferred way of colour correcting? We shoot everything in LOG. One of my least favorite things about the URSA is that it shoots in its own flavor of LOG that’s roughly similar to Sony S-LOG, but we have a LUT that converts that LOG space into C-LOG. I have a library of film LUTs that are specifically designed to work in C-LOG, so we always need to either shoot in that color space or convert into it using another LUT. How frequently do you travel, and do you have any tips when it comes to packing your gear? We travel frequently for Mirandum Pictures, particularly to foreign countries. My main tips for packing? Pelican cases and packing foam. Don’t skimp on your packing materials and cases unless you enjoy having broken gear in a strange place. That, and that just about everything can be made to fit into a smaller space if you’re motivated enough. To see more of Colin’s work at Mirandum Pictures, head over to mirandumpictures.com.

In this part of our talk with music video director and producer Ben Griffin, Ben tells us about how he adapted his workflow to change with the times. The evolution of the music industry during the past couple of decades meant that big artists were no longer spending millions on their music videos. In order to adapt to the times, music video producer, director and DP Ben Griffin saw the necessity to streamline in order to reduce costs and be able to offer his work at a competitive price. In a time when most music videos were still being shot on film, Ben saw an opportunity in the emergence of the then brand-new RED One. Although many were skeptical of the new era of digital filmmaking, Ben Griffin was one of the early adopters of the technology, which allowed him to offer an image comparable to film, but at a fraction of the cost. This very same drive to stay ahead of the curve by streamlining logically led him to initially wear many hats on his productions, taking the roles of director, DP and producer. However, upon moving to LA, he would soon discover that, while this method of working may have worked in the smaller filmmaking industry of the Bay Area, things were done very differently in Hollywood. Please visit our sponsors’ websites to keep new episodes of ON THE GO coming! Kessler FUJINON G-Technology Schneider-Kreuznach Watch previous episodes of ON THE GO (& On the Couch) by clicking here. Visit our Vimeo and YouTube playlists, and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!

For this round of cinema5D ON THE GO, we welcome music video filmmaker Ben Griffin. Ben Griffin is a director, producer and DP originally from the San Francisco Bay area, but who is currently based in LA and focuses on producing music videos. He shares with us how he developed a passion for the filmic medium from an early age, as well as a taste for MTV music videos. Ben’s interest in the industry led him to being involved from a young age, eventually deciding to study at the Academy of Art in the San Francisco Bay area. Having to leave education due to personal circumstances, Ben continued working in the industry as a PA, and later as an editor for what he describes a “straight-to-Blockbuster feature”. After starting a later venture in DVD production for car shows, his shooting style was recognised by record labels and members of the music industry, which opened the door to his first forays into these kinds of productions. In the standard-def, pre-YouTube era of Myspace, Ben found his style in using 35mm adapters for video cameras and, armed with a Panasonic HVX200, he went on to create videos that really drew an audience. As his work evolved, it became clear what the next logical step was: to start a professional music video production company. Stay tuned to cinema5D ON THE GO for more about Ben’s career in the music video industry, and some pretty hilarious anecdotes! Please visit our sponsors’ websites to keep new episodes of ON THE GO coming! Kessler FUJINON G-Technology Schneider-Kreuznach Watch previous episodes of ON THE GO (& On the Couch) by clicking here. Visit our Vimeo and YouTube playlists, and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes!