Recently I was asked to speak to a group of fellow filmmakers about some of the things I have learned from experiences in the industry. It’s always a challenge when speaking to one’s peers to present them with new information, so I decided to talk about what I know best.
Emotion. I have found that the most critical element in story telling is the ability to generate emotion. It is vital to making every project successful.
If you are shooting a commercial, your task is to cause an audience to get emotionally invested in a certain product. If you are producing a corporate image piece, you are probably trying to sell employees on the quality of their company and get them emotionally invested in it. Even in a movie, you are trying to get an audience to care deeply about make believe characters.
So, how do you do it?
These are just a few things I’ve learned along the way, and hopefully they will benefit you in your projects.
#1 Reaction is More Important than Action.
The power of reaction amazes me. You can have all the big explosions and car chases you want, but if you want to hit people at the gut level, show people’s reactions to these events. You can see this demonstrated perfectly in the images of the 9/11 attacks. Some of the most powerful images taken on that day weren’t of the impact of the planes, but of the shock of the people looking into the sky.
When telling your story, take a moment to think about how people might react to your event. And while you’re at it, don’t forget about how animals might react. Remember the shot of the hissing cat at the beginning of Aliens? Once you saw that, you knew there was trouble.
#2 Delay the Resolution
If you have ever studied music, you will understand this concept. If you want to have a big emotional release in your chorus, then build a lot of dissonance in the verse. And the longer you delay the resolution, the more pleasant it is when it comes.
When I am editing projects, I pay close attention to this. If it’s an interview, sometimes I’ll purposely make cuts in between sentences just so I can delay the end of the story. The result is that the audience that is dying of to know how the story resolves.
#3 Think With Your Gut
I cannot stress this one enough. If you are writing a scene, or are looking for that story to tell, don’t try to make it unless it really moves you. The story should hit you on a deep level before you even start filming. If you feel that lump in your throat as you are writing the scene, then you know that the same result will happen when people watch it.
If, on the other hand, you aren’t feeling anything for the story, then one of two things must happen Either find a way to connect to the material (many times, using one of the tips above can help this), or find a different story to tell. Weather you like it or not, if you aren’t feeling your story down deep, it will show on the screen.
I recently completed a job for Spokane Regional Health District in which I reconstructed three intersections in the city of Spokane in a virtual world. You can view the spots here:
Such a project is quite involved; since so many people ask about the creation process, I decided to blog about it.
The first step in the process is visiting the location and paying close attention to every surface. Every side of every building, every tree, shrub, parking meter, and chunk of pavement has to be rebuilt in the 3D realm. I took pictures from every conceivable angle.
The next step is an exercise in patience. Every object in the picture needs to be isolated. Objects composed of mostly straight lines, like buildings, are easy to isolate. But if you have a lot of trees in the shot, you’re going to be in for a long day. With the picture of a tree, for example, you have to carefully cut around each individual leaf.
Cutting around every leaf in a small tree will test your resolve.
I recommend playing a good podcast or a bad movie in the background to keep you occupied while you work. (Suggestions available on request.) I’ve been told that cocaine is a great drug to take for doing tedious tasks, but it might affect the final outcome, not to mention your pocket book.
Also, some buildings are very long and you simply won’t be able to fit them into one photo. In this situation, I took multiple shots and composited them together using Photoshop. You’ll get very familiar with the “perspective” and “distort” tools while doing this.
The key here is details. The more details you add into the shot, the better the final product. In the pedestrian spot, I noticed that the addition of the gravel in the parking lot, and the meters on the street really made the scene jump off the screen.
Phase3 of the downtown convention center
One very important consideration is to make sure that the images aren’t too large, especially if you have a scene with a lot of detail. I try not to go over 1200 pixels in height. I made this mistake on the Tracy Jewelers Engagement commercial. The images were so big that as I was trying to render the scene, I kept running out of memory and the program would crash. In the end, I rendered it out one frame at a time. . . and THAT was a long day. You can see the final spot here:
Once you have all the images processed, downsized, and turned into .png files, import them into After Effects. This is where the fun begins. I found that the best way to build these intersections was to use an image from Google Earth as a template. This showed me how big the buildings needed to be, and made sure that everything was at the proper scale. Once the street was in place, I could add the elements bit by bit.
Convention Center - Phase 1
Here is the intersection of Washington and Spokane Falls Blvd. The ground is the Google image, and I began with adding the front and side of the convention center. There was no need for a roof, since the camera never saw over the top of the wall. I also included the sculpture in the front for perspective.
Convention Center - Phase 2
Next I added streetlights, a few trees, and a long brick wall. I also made a temporary background to make sure my images weren’t getting lost somewhere.
Convention Center - Phase 3
Things are really starting to take shape here. I replaced the sky with an actual picture of clouds, added the clock tower on a separate layer, and started replacing the cement and parking lot elements.
Convention Center - Phase 4
Another big tip in making this look real is the use of depth of field. I kept the DOF fairly wide, but I wanted to make sure the background faded out of focus the farther away it got. I wouldn’t add this until you’re nearly done since it is uses so much memory.
Also, I recommend revisiting the actual location before you finish. I realized that my clock tower was too small and far away compared to real life. In this picture I adjusted it to match.
Convention Center - Phase 5
The final step was just adding in tiny details like layers in the bushes, a few more trees, some shadows and a bit of color correction. I also added a tree in the foreground to give us a little depth in the shot. You’ll probably notice in the spots, a lens flare on the screen. I did this on purpose to add a sense of realism. As the camera moves, so does the sun, and the rainbow flare slides around to compensate.
I used the same approach on the other spots. Here are images of the progress:
The final spot was my favorite, but the most complicated to build because several of the buildings were curved. If the camera gets close to the buildings, the only way to make them look right is to break the walls down into smaller pieces and bend them around the curves. Here is a shot from above:
Screen shot from Adobe After Effects
You can see on the lower right, the curve of the Spokesman Review building. I split the wall into several pieces in order to accomplish that. The clock tower in the background of the Spokane Falls Blvd. spot is also split into pieces, but because the camera is mostly far away, I only used four parts to make the circle.
One thing to consider if you want to attempt this is to play around with different lenses for the camera. I found in the final spot that a wide-angle lens really accentuated the curve of the building. However, I switched to a longer lens on the over the shoulder shots to help throw the background out of focus. Try playing with that and different apertures to get the depth of field that you want.
Just make sure you go outside once in awhile. Don’t forget about the rest of us in the real world.
In the meantime, be sure to check out the official website for this project – www.StickmanKnows.org/ and let the nice folks at Spokane Regional Health District know you stopped by.
Perhaps one of the most challenging things about working for hire in the arts is when your creative vision is directly opposed to your client’s desires. As a melancholy artist, I make a lot of my decisions on an emotional level. I know a project is working when I feel it in my gut. If I look through the lens and I see a glint in the actor’s eye that tugs my heartstrings, I know it’s going to translate to the audience. I make most of my creative decisions this way.
This works fine if I am building a project just for me, but bills need to be paid. In fact, more often than not I am required to build something that satisfies both my creative desires and my client’s needs. Inevitably there will be conflict. Many times I hear clients make outrageous requests that I know will castrate the project. So, what to do? Dig in your heels and fight for the artist’s vision, or cave to the almighty dollar and do whatever the client requests?
The answer begins with putting aside the ego, and letting the client speak their peace. Make every attempt to listen to them. I find that if I do this, I can usually detect what the deeper fear is. Many times, the client’s knee jerk reaction to a concept they don’t understand is to pull the plug, revert to a tired and overused concept, or worse – get a new vendor.
I had this happen on a project last year. I created an “out of the box” commercial concept for a government agency that was radically different from the testimonial videos they had used 100 times before. Their initial reaction was very negative. They threatened to pull the plug and walk away, but I made an effort to listen. As it turns out, what they were afraid of wasn’t the concept; it was the racy humor and edgy characters I had scripted. Being a government agency, they simply can’t do things like that. After all, the governor’s name is technically on the final product and if anything can be viewed as racist, sexist or ageist then it can’t be used.
It made perfect sense. I went back to the script, re-shaped the dialogue and characters to be family friendly, and viola! They loved it.
And, to be honest, this conflict improved the final product.
So, I ask you, my fellow artists, to set aside the ego when your client is unhappy, and take a serious listen to what they are saying. Keep an open mind and try to work with them, not against them. If you still can’t come to an agreement and they are insisting on radical changes, well, then give them what they want. They are the ones who need to be happy, n0t you.
If you find your creativity is stifled, then go shoot your own project on your own time. It worked for me.
I just had the opportunity to shoot a commercial for the state of Oregon in which we featured several holiday characters working out in a gym. Santa, Easter Bunny, and the Leprechaun were just a few of the crazy icons we featured. To say the least, it was a crazy shoot, but it gave me a great opportunity to work extensively with makeup and wardrobe: collectively known as “Beauty.”
Leprechaun stretches Santa, while Jason Satterlund coaches
I enlisted the help of Amber Arpin and Angelique Paull, extemely talented makeup and wardrobe people, respectively.
From left to right: Amber Arpin, Jeff Hime, Eric Newsome, Angelique Paull
I learned so much from this experience that it is difficult to put it into a brief blog. To keep things simple, I will reduce my new found knowledge to one subject: Color.
When I wrote the commercial concept, I had envisioned a gym with a gritty, real life texture, and I was planning on treating the spot with a desaturated look with a bluish hue. After my first conversation with Angelique and Amber, I quickly realized that this would be a mistake. They launched directly into the color pallet with which they were planning on using for each character. I was amazed at their attention to detail.
For example, they produced several different Santa suits and showed me which ones would work best for camera. Some of the satins would bounce the light in an obnoxious way, while others would look richer and more natural. Further, they chose colors that looked complimentary. They knew from the script that Santa and the Leprechaun would be in a lot of scenes together, so they made sure that Santa’s red and Leprechaun’s green worked well together.
Leprechaun gives Santa the stretch of his life
These are details that true professionals pay attention to. When you have the right members on your team, they will enrich your project in ways you never thought possible. This is the beauty of film, and this collaborative effort is what is so intoxicating about the job.
To further illustrate this point, take a look at each of the characters and notice the careful attention to detail. Tooth Fairy (below) is featured in a sky blue dress with matching wings. The scrunchies in her hair were color coordinated to her outfit with opposing, but pleasing colors. The tooth tiara and matching earrings were hand crafted, fillings and all.
Mercedes Rose as Tooth Fairy
As I mentioned above, Santa’s red suit was carefully selected to look pleasing on camera. His beard was also chosen to make sure it had the right curl. His character was supposed to look tired, so the flow of the beard was important. Amber added darker circles under Santa’s eyes to illustrate this. It was also decided that Santa was working out, so he wasn’t wearing his coat. Instead, he is donning a white henley, suspenders, and black workout gloves.
Eric Newsome as Santa
Easter Bunny was by far the most extensive. There were several conversations that asked the question, “Is this a guy in a bunny suit, or is this actually the Easter Bunny?” It was determined that-more or less-this was the actual Easter Bunny. So, a fake nose was chosen and altered, his face was airbrushed, and whiskers were added. What surprised me about this costume was the workout wear. I was envisioning just the white suit, but Angelique came up with the idea of putting him in pastel yellow shorts, a complimentary pink top, and a green visor. We elected to leave his glasses on. I thought it was a nice touch to suggest that Easter Bunny needs corrective eyewear.
Kevin Cooke as Easter Bunny
Thanksgiving was one of the more challenging costumes. If you have ever taken a look at a turkey, you’ll quickly realize that they are truly hideous creatures. The parts from this outfit came from several pieces. The body was a standard turkey suit, but it only came in brown. Angelique added every colored feather by hand to bring some color into her costume. It didn’t come with any kind of hood, so the original plan was to do her hair to look like turkey feathers. At the last minute, they found a chicken hood that matched perfectly matched the body. Amber added the beak (which is actually for a chicken) and built a snood to hang over the top of the beak. I wanted to see a lot of Ayanna’s face and see her mouth, so Amber was careful not to choose something that hid too much of her. What you can’t see in the photo are the turkey’s legs. The feet of the suit were a bit beat up, so Angelique removed the sleeves from a thrift store sweater and converted them into leg warmers. This not only hid the wear and tear on the turkey feet, it also added dimension to the costume.
Ayanna Berkshire as Thanksgiving
Cupid was one of my favorite characters. I was thinking that it would be one of the easiest, since there is so little to Cupid. Yet again, I was surprised by beauty. Amber found a wonderful Afro wig to go with Cupid’s disco look. They inserted a gold hair pick, built a custom quiver, and found a toy bow for him to play with. Angelique built Cupid’s heart necklace by hand. . . using only a glue gun. Amber added a heart tattoo on his shoulder, and what you can’t see in the photo is my favorite addition: Red high-top Converse with knee high socks. Truly an original.
Jerry Bell as Cupid
Finally, we have the Leprechaun. I was really blown away by this costume. The only costumes available for rent featured full suits with tails, but since Leprechaun was working out, we had to go a different direction. Angelique found a green hat, added the green flower, and enhanced it with the stripped headband in the colors of the Irish flag. Amber made the beard. . . strand by strand. . . by hand, with the assistance of Jessie Blanchard. Not seen in this photo, is his red pony tail. Since he is the workout coach, Angelique put him in a snug fitting gold top with fingerless gloves, adorned with a four leaf clover. My favorite addition is the gold tooth.
Jeff Hime as Leprechaun
All photographs in this post were used courtesy of Levy Moroshan. I hope you enjoy the fantastic portraits. Be sure to visit his website at www.levymoroshan.com.
There are so many other things I could talk about on this shoot, such as the handy work of my DP, Sam Garr, my gaffer Steve Waters, and others, but I’ll save my praise for another post.
