I’m excited to see this video released! I’ve worked with Mackenzie in the past, but this time I worked as the DP and VFX Artist while Trey Morrow led as Director. Trey’s team created a world of mirrored walls that surround the artist with disorienting copies of herself, trapping her in a deceptively expansive void, hall-of-mirrors-style.
Here are some of my favorite images from the video:
Mackenzie has outdone herself and really refined her sound, and the creative direction on this video is distinctly Trey’s, giving us a really fresh look. It was really cool to bring Trey’s concept to screen on this one, challenging me to use color and composition in ways I haven’t before. Coupled with the logistics of lighting around mirrors, this is the most challenging cinematography I’ve been tasked with to date.
We had gorgeous Hair and Makeup by Megan Alexandra Grubbs, and set design by Andrew McElvery, so when I framed the shot and got the lights in position, everything came together in camera. I cannot emphasize enough how big of a role HMU plays in polishing the look in this type of production. Camera and makeup collaborate to draw your attention to the face, to the eyes, and Megan crushed it. I love those little rhinestones she placed around Mackenzie’s eyes.
Some of the tech details: This was my first time out with my Nanlite 300’s, which were far more power than necessary for this setup. Since we were walled-in by mirrors, I placed lights really close to talent and narrowed the beam as much as possible. Any stray light would hit a mirror and revisit us tenfold, or bounce into the shadows and flatten the look. On top of that, I was on the Fujinon MK 18-55, wide open. So we were only running the Nanlites at like 1/10 power most of the day. Powerful lights! Shot on Sony FS5 at 30fps and 60fps, slowed to 24fps for the final look.
P.S. We even did a little behind-the-scenes chat discussing the project.
