Last week I directed and DP’d a music video in Brighton.
From Portugal.
Yes, you read that right. I was on set, giving directions, only I wasn’t there physically. And you know what?
The shoot went great. We got all the footage we needed, on schedule and exactly as we wanted it.
Now, how did we manage to achieve this?
Pre-production. A lot of pre-production.
The main issue here was how to tell the crew how to light every single shot while not being on set in the most efficient way.
The solution was using Virtual lighting and virtual sets.
There are a variety of programs such as cinetracer for example, for cinematographers and directors where you can virtually create your set, light it accordingly and see the result straight away.
For this time I used Set a Light 3D.
Since this was a studio shoot, Set A Light 3D was the perfect solution as I could choose and place the lights I needed to achieve the look I wanted.
Having the light set up and blocking I then discussed every single shot and set up with the camera crew. We discussed how high the lights should be, how the barn doors should be set; in short everything needed so that they could place everything on the day itself to achieve the result needed.
Working like that made that on the day itself I only had to do some minor adjustments to the light. And we were able to quickly adapt to changes and modifications during the day itself.
The AD had carry me around and show me the screen while it was recording so I could direct the singer. I was dropped twice. No physical harm was done to me, just a bit emotional scarring but I am fine.
Everything went smoothly, not only it was cost efficient as I did not have to travel to Brighton, but it was all quite fun to do. Of course it annoyed me a bit too as I am quite hands on and love to be on a set and play with the lights and camera. But in our current world, this is definitely a great way of working that opens a world of possibilities.
Here are two ungraded frames from the shoot. And the final result will be live soon!
