Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Hermetic Thriftology – J.Atlas




I'll be making a music video for J.Atlas in January for track 9. 1's and 0's. Please check out his music and tell me what you think. I have access to a green screen and am skilled at post production effects so the sky is the limit.

For more info on Thrifworks:

Monday, December 27, 2010

10 iPhone Music Videos

1. “Play” by BJSR

Shot on the 3GS, some clever motion panning helps this mellow little tune flow along nicely. This site has some great commentary on the production of this video.

Behind the scenes of Play by BJSR


2. “Nancy Lee” by Vintage Trouble


This gorgeous video was shot, directed and edited by Emmy Award-winner Alen Petkovic. It was filmed in one day in July 2010, with the vintage look matching the song to great effect. Incidentally, one of the iPhone 4s used in the shoot (still containing the footage) was stolen soon after filming and was recovered thanks to the Apple’s phone tracking functionality, but that’s another story


3. “This is the Moment” by Kevin Kaho Tsui


This iPhone 4 video keeps things simple, while the nice use of ambient light shows what the camera is capable of in low-light situations.


4. “Cascades” by Flakjakt


This fun video was a week-long “experiment” between the artist Flakjakt and Marty Martin. The song was composed especially for the iPhone shoot and filmed and edited in just three and a half days.

In the realm of iPhone music video's this one is my favorite. The shots are all steady and tripoded with interesting backgrounds and fantastic editing. I really like the multiple copies of him effect and how they brought life to the shots. The edits also brought life by quickly switching to other scenes with the same framing of the artist.

This video is a great example of a low budget music video, without plot, that holds the interest of the viewer all the way through. And it looks pretty good too for a phone camera!


5. “Love Love Love” by Reyna Perez


Filmed on the iPhone 3GS, this atmospheric video makes the most of the earlier model’s camcorder limitations.


6. “Live in Your Light” by R. Vaughn


“No budget? No problem. We have an iPhone 4,” says the team behind this video. Shot and edited entirely on the device, this shows the potential that Apple’s mobile has to create a quality music video with a bit of get-up-and-go, some time and a phone.


7. “Garosougil” by Wonsuk Chin & Yang Jinseok


Wonsuk Chin is a Seoul-based film maker. This video for Yang Jinseok’s song was shot on and features the iPhone 4. Be sure to watch until after the credits for some behind-the-scenes stills.


8. “Solace” by Rana June Sobhany


This is about as Apple-flavored as musical endeavors come. “iPad DJ” Rana Sobhany’s “Solace” was composed entirely on an iPad and the video was shot entirely on the iPhone 4.


9. “Sarsaparilla Girl” by Dr. Pants


This colorful video was shot in just 48 hours from concept to final product. It was filmed at “POPS,” just off Route 66, which offers more than 500 different types of soda and a rather unusual, bottle-shaped landmark.


10. “Beyond Belief” by The Turnback


All but four seconds of this video were shot on the iPhone 4. The band describes its creation as “true guerrilla film making” as, apparently during the five hours of filming, they had to contend with rainstorms, mud and some curious cows.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Wide Angle + Fish Eye + 8X Telephoto Lens Combo for iPhone 4G (Black) review

I have been very impressed with this lens kit. All the lens attach easily by screwing them onto the provided iPhone 4 case. The threads on the screw of the lenses are matel for the macro and fish eye lens, but the telephoto uses plastic and the case has plastic screw threads as well. It hasn't been a problem yet but I could see how wear could cause stripping of the threads.

Tripod and Mount
The tripod is solid metal with a spring clamp system. The clamp has a good amount of pressure holding the iPhone in place and it felt secure. The tripod also has a level bob that can changes the angle of the iPhone up to 90°. The mounting clamp attachment is compatible with any tripod unit.

camera-with-lensIMG_1132

8x Telephoto Lens
The telephoto lens is impressive, but must be tripoded to get clear photos. There is a focus ring that racks the focus from 3 meters - infinite. It's made of plastic but still feels solid.

8x-zoom
w/o lens

w/ lens

IMG_1119

Wide Angle/Fish Eye Lens
This is my favorite lens. It produces an intense fish eye effect when close to objects and a nice general wide angle when further away. The angle of this lens is 180° and I noticed this to be true when shooting I had to watch out for my knuckles showing in the shot from gripping the iPhone.

fish-eye-lense-180
IMG_1120
IMG_1121
IMG_1130

Macro Lens
Great little lens for getting really close to your subject. It's a .68x wide macro lens that allows you take photos at 3"-4" distance.

macro-lens
IMG_1124
IMG_1126

Video dollying with fish eye lens on skateboard
For the next few weeks I'll be working on a music video that will be entirely shot on the iPhone 4 using these new lenses. This is a test shot for the movie. The iPhone 4 is noted for having tracers when shaking or bumping the frame. This video looks good but is far to shaky. The skateboard is just a placeholder for the track system I'll have set up.



To see more photos shot with these lenses, check out my Flickr at:
Flickr.com/photos/crimsonmotion

To purchase the lens kit go to:

Pick of the Week:


Eskmo 'We Got More'

Video directed by Cyriak Harris: http://www.cyriak.co.uk
Additional footage of Eskmo by http://trevortraynor.com &
http://duganoneal.com

The shock value this music video brings is fantastic. Cyriak's edit's are spot on with the beat and the effect of looping video clips is not only interesting but in sync with the music. The video connects video and audio seamlessly and with style. A relatively simple effect that captures the viewers interested, putting them in anticipation of what is next, like watching fireworks build up to a grand fanale.






Thursday, December 23, 2010

Creativity has been "quoted"


To begin this blog I'd like to point out that all thoughts I may have already been said by one person or another. I feel it's impossible to have a completely original thought with the amount of things that have been said in all of time and by so many people of our human existence. But I will try to have original thoughts!

That being said...


Crimson Motion is the movement of an idea. Crimson is simply my favorite color, but something so simple is the starting point of design and the best thought is always your first one, your instincts, your gut feeling, everything else is just influence. I've learned that influence is what keeps your work at a high standard. To create new can work sometimes, but if you want to function at full all the time you need to draw from something that has been tested before.

"Creativity is knowing how to conceal your sources." ~ Albert Einstein


BIG Question is "Where does original creativity come from?"

The simple answer is... emotion. When trying to get to work the hardest part is getting myself in the right state of mind. To do this I start by cleaning my work space. This is a personal thing of mine, maybe OCD, but I would call it tightness for happiness.

"A clean home is a happy home."

Next step is music. I find a style that matches the mood I want to be in. Multiple playlist in different genres helps to make this task faster or Pandora. But to listen to music I cannot just hear it, I need to feel it, let it influence my emotions and rock out, laugh, cry, or go all emmo and write a poem!

"Music is what feelings sound like."

Once I'm in the groove of emotion I grab my sketching pad and just unload the ink. Unrestricted creativity is the best way to find something new. Finalizing an idea before it's anything can kill the first step, so holding nothing back and just letting random ideas find their way to the page is the best way to get multiple ideas down in one session. Beware of the rabbit holes, they'll be time to revise these ideas later. This part should feel more like mental vomit directed by emotions. I like to keep my focus on subjects, themes, shapes, movements, stories, concepts ect.

Mental vomiting is not easy. It takes daily practice to make improve. The mind always wants to analyze before committing. This is the time to turn that side of the brain off and just let emotions run free.

"Don't get it right, get it written" ~Mike Russel