The Template

Whew! Feels so good to have this step done! All we are doing from here on out is mapping to this template and stitching together images and clips to make our projection video. Oh, and of course there is still the filming of the actual music video.

Things to keep in mind while watching the template:

• Yes, I know it looks ridiculous as is because none of Kevin's movements make sense. They will make sense when there is a projection.
• Pay no attention to the shakiness in the beginning, the weird lighting, and to the moment when he goes out of focus. None of that was important for the template because nothing we shot is actually going into the final cut of the video. We just needed to mark his placement, his movement, and the box structure in time with the music.

So here is it is! 

I am honestly and truly ecstatic with the shape it is taking. It's been very challenging and time consuming thus far, but seeing it come this far has been totally worth the stress and frustration! These next 2 weeks are going to be a doozie.

Production Stills #2

100 boxes and 2 rolls of shipping tape later...

Genesis. Hoping against all hopes that this will be worth it.

Commence assembly!

We actually had a really great system going.
Years of working for an engineer doing tedious work prepared me for this night.

Mission Control

The smallest boxes were the worst!

If only 7 year old me could see me now, she would say-
"What are you doing?! Why are you not making a rocket ship fort?!"

Commence Stacking!

We may have taken advantage of the projector and put Scrubs on while we set up.

My 2D model for this monstrosity. I am really glad I did this beforehand because it would
have been a logistical nightmare figuring this out with the actual boxes.

Almost there! I was getting rather giddy at this point because of how awesome it was looking.

A result! We played a 16:9 video clip that was on my desktop to see how it would look. Matt and I were stoked on how it looked! Definitely worth the hours of set up. 

Proof of Concept #2

This is the Magnifying Glass Test. I will have you watch the video first, then I will explain our process and what we need to do differently:

How we did it:

First, I filmed the footage that was going to be projected, or what you would be seeing through the magnifying glass. So I made an acetate paper guide of a circle so I could better see what I needed to have inside my frame, and taped that to my display. Than I tracked from where the glass would be hanging up on the wall to in front of his face in time with the music. Then, we brought that footage into After Effects, put a mask over the footage so only a circle was peeping through, scaled that down to the approximate size it needed to be for the projection, and then animated it's motion from being hung up on the wall to being brought down in front of Matt's face. We then exported that clip and projected it onto the wall where Matt was doing the choreography that aligned with the projection. For a first attempt that happened really late at night, I am happy with how it turned out because it let us figure out the process that worked best for us and things that we need to do differently next time. Which are...

Things to do differently:

1. First film the actor going through the motions of the choreography without any projections so that we have a template for position and scale (This seems so incredibly obvious to me now I don't know how we missed this step).
2. Use a different lens that has a lower f.stop and therefore can do much better in lower light. 
3. Add a motion blur to whatever is animated so the movement seems much more natural. 
4. Use a better projector (I have an abnormal amount at my disposal) that has a refresh rate that matches the camera's so that flickering isn't there. 
5. Put the projector off the the side and adjust its keystone properties so that it isn't distorted on the wall and so the camera lens can be centered on and parallel to the wall. 

Now that we have the our basic process structure down, the rest of the month will be more storyboarding and proof of concept tests until our week of filming in April. I am also quickly realizing how grateful I am that I have Matt's help. This would quickly be a disaster without him and having his expertise has saved me many tears of frustration. Cheers for progress and successful collaboration! 

Proof of Concept #1

This effect will be used either at the part in the song or in the verse before it. This test has nothing to do with projection, but this effect will be used in conjunction with projected images. To imply that time is just keeps on passing him by, without using something as obvious and kitsch as having a clock fly by, I want to have the actors motions sped up, but have his mouth still moving in time with the song.

So, to test this out I slowed the song down to 50%, gave my hands something to do, and hit record. I then brought the footage into FCP, sped it up to 200%, and linked it to the track that was playing at normal speed. It's fairly rough, but it was mostly a test to see if it work/if I would like it, and success! This will be making it into the final video (but of course I won't have him crocheting, haha)

Production Stills #1

So whilst setting up to film the magnifying glass test and get our feet wet with projection mapping, we went on a 3 hour detour due to reflections! Matt happened to catch an incredible occurrence that was happening against a screen that was lying against the wall. I had my reflector out and the light from the projector was bouncing off of it and creating the awesome effect! We had a lot of fun exploring and manipulating the way the light played against the screen depending on what was being projected and what surface was doing the reflecting. We are planning on incorporating the footage we captured into the final cut. 

Proposal/ Treatment with an updated Production Schedule

“Looking for Love” by Kevin Martin
A Music Video

This is a music video for those a fan of the San Diego music and film scene. It will feature a song by local artist Kevin Martin (known for his work in the band Get Back Loretta) and the directorial work of up and coming video artists, Kristine Kirchmeier (myself), and Matthew Unwin who are both interning at Cal State San Marcos’ Office of Communications producing videos for the school’s home page. The goal of this music video is to explore storytelling through the use of video projection mapping and to help get the work of these artists out into the world.

According to the Bio section on Kevin Martin’s website:

“Kevin’s style of music is what he calls “Throwback Pop” - which takes his modern flair for performance and combines it with his love of vintage piano-pop stylings.

Meet Kevin Martin - a solo pop-rock songwriter with a sound that’s described as “Burt Bacharach meets Queen and Elton John.” A San Diego native, Kevin got his musical start in taking classical piano lessons after his parents overheard him singing. He started writing songs at age 12 and played his first bar gig with a band at age 16. In high school he honed his vocal skills and won multiple awards for his stage performances in a variety of musicals, and by senior year was voted “Most likely to be on MTV.”

While Kevin is technically making his debut as a solo performer, he is a seasoned veteran of performing in rock bands - most notably playing keyboards and co-writing for established San Diego pop-rockers, Get Back Loretta. The band has won a total of six San Diego Music Awards while Kevin has been part of the band. With Get Back Loretta, Kevin has played notable venues such as The Casbah, Belly Up, House of Blues, and the Warfield in SF to crowds of 3000+.

To create his self-titled album, Kevin Martin paired up with local music producer Lauren Scheff (Scheffxp.com). Lauren’s pop production and arrangement skills alongside Kevin’s upbeat melodies have created an album with a sound that is hooky as ever for the masses, while still maintaining that indie sense of creativity and originality. The album was released in May of 2012.

Music your mom will listen to.”

I am going to produce a music video that reflects his “modern flair for performance” and “love of vintage piano-pop stylings” by using his background in musical theater and combining it with modern video art techniques. Video projection mapping is a relatively new technique so there are still plenty of untapped ideas out there just waiting to be discovered, and that is what I plan on doing.

The song that I am producing this video for is a personal song for Kevin about his never-ending search for love. It’s about the routine and monotony of days that never seem to produce results that he wants. As depressing as that sounds, the overall mood of this song is actually quite hopeful and earnest. Even though he hasn’t found love yet, he knows that it only takes one second to meet the right person and until he does, he will keep looking.

To convey the feeling that he has been searching for years, I am going to use three different versions of Kevin in this song. The first minute of the song will feature Andrew James, a preteen musician who will be lip syncing the words to “Looking for Love,” while doing some minor blocking/choreography in relation to the projections. The next incarnation of Kevin will be played by Drew Bradford, a teenager who also has a background in performing and like Andrew, he will be lip syncing the next 60 seconds of the song while doing some blocking. For the last minute and a half of the song, Kevin will take over and play himself as the final version and will bring the viewers into the present.

The video will be filmed entirely in one location on one set. The set will be custom built by RQ Construction and will consist of an 18’x10’ white wall built to stand independently as well as a white box 4’x5’x2’ that will be placed on the left side of the frame that will add depth and interest. Additionally, there will be a hula hoop covered in white cloth that will be an interactive screen/prop and a bar mounted at the top of the wall where Kevin and his doppelgangers can hang from.

The idea here is to have Kevin and all the versions of Kevin be singing this song while walking around this mini stage interacting with the props, set, and projections. Depending on the line in the song, the projection will change, therefore visually changing the location and the prop. A box will change from a car to a bed to piano over the course of one verse because of what’s being projected and Kevin’s interaction with it.

For example, during the first chorus when Kevin is still a preteen, he will be singing the lyrics “I’m looking for love,” while pulling the cloth covered hula hoop off the wall and putting it in front of his face. As he is doing this, the projection will be focused on and tracking with the hula hoop. Once the hula hoop reaches his face, the image will be an extremely magnified version of his face singing the chorus. The effect will be as if he pulled a magnifying glass off the wall and is now singing while looking through it.

Another example of this interaction will be during the line “I’m waiting for the day when I can finally move away and start new.” Here, the teenage version of Kevin will climb on top of the box while a building is being projected on it. The background will have a huge bunch of balloons floating up toward the sky. Once the tails of the balloons are almost out of the frame, Kevin will jump off the building and “grab” the balloons as we see the sky move down past him. Of course he won’t actually be grabbing balloons, but rather he will jump and grab onto a bar strategically placed to make it look like he is holding onto a bunch of balloons.

As far as logistics and the process behind the production, the first order of business will be to construct the set so that we can get to mapping out our projections. There is free projection mapping software available online that is widely used and perfect for this sort of thing. It aids in creating a custom template that represents where you will be projecting so that you know where and how to insert footage. The projected footage will be a combination of original content and found footage thanks to the creative commons license on YouTube. After we have our projection mapped out, we will be set to rehearse with and record the actors on set lip syncing to the song and interacting with the stage. After that, the video will be ready for editing and distribution.

Upon completion of this music video, it will be submitted to the CSUSM Media Festival as well as the San Marcos Media Festival and will be on display on Kevin’s website.

The video will be shot using a Canon t3i with a fixed 50mm lens and a wide angle lens. It will be editing using the software Video Projection Tool 6.0 and Final Cut Pro 7.

The bulk of this music video will take place in pre production so here is the anticipated timeline for completion:

February 17-23

• Confirm with actors their role in the video.
• Final consultation with RQ Construction about building the set. Get blue prints.
• Production meeting with Matt to give him details about his role as Assistant Director and Technical advisor.
• Begin storyboarding the video.

February 24- March 2

• Give final approval for construction of the set. Have it finished by the end of the week.
• Final draft of storyboard
• Full prop list
• Costume list
• Decide on a location for the stage to go

March 3-9

• Take pictures of the set as a template and begin the mapping and stitching together of the projected footage. Whatever is not going to be found footage, make a plan to film it. Go film.
• Figure out logistics of the location (power supplies, feeding the crew)
• Confirm use of projectors

March 10-16

• Continue projection mapping and running tests to make sure we are on track.

March 17-23

• Continue projection mapping and running tests to make sure we are on track.

March 24-30

• Continue projection mapping and running tests to make sure we are on track.

March 31-April 6 (Spring Break)

• Rehearse/ film with actors. Matt and I will have completely open schedules since we won’t be in class and we’ll have a break from our internship. This will allow us to be much more flexible with our actors schedules and we won’t feel like we have to sandwich this in between other obligations.

April 7-13

• Edit together a rough cut of the video with the final audio track we will be using.

April 14-20

• Rough Cut ready to show Professor.

April 21-27

• Fix any major glaring issues.
• Reshoot scenes if necessary

April 28- May 4

• Submit second draft
• Make any necessary changes

May 5- May 11

• FINAL DRAFT DUE MONDAY MAY 6th
• CSUSM Media Festival Screening 5.10.13

BUDGET:

Gas for commuting actors: $50
Paying 2 actors: $150
Food/drink for 3 days of shoots for a crew of 5: $180
Set building supplies: $150

Bare Bones Production Schedule

FEBRUARY

• Nail down concept for video. 
• Storyboard two videos- the video that will be projected and the video that will be filmed with the projection
• Cast the little girl- give her the song so she can get to memorizing it.
• Establish a budget
• Find location(s)
• Make a prop list. Buy/find/make props
• Self teach video/projection mapping 

MARCH- FIRST HALF

• Establish the set up of where we will be filming and set up projection mapping software.
• Produce video to be projected. Combination of found footage and original footage. 

MARCH- SECOND HALF

• Rehearse with actress her choreography. 
• Shoot her in the location with the projected video. 

APRIL

• Edit edit edit!

*Subject to change

Research

“Looking for Love” Kevin Martin

Link to his music
LYRICS:

Mon. never brought the new.
Tues. only brings the blues.
Wed. it’s the same old thing.
All of my fears remain.

I’m looking for love. I’m looking for love

Thursday it’s a waiting game.
Friday almost never came.
Saturday just brings me pain.
Sunday starts it over again

I’m looking for love. I’m looking for love.
I’m looking for love. I’m looking for love.

What can I do but just follow it through.
The nights are always filled with toss and turning.
Ear to the ground but I can’t hear a sound.
I’m waiting for the day when I can finally move away and start new.

Monday I’m a better man.
Tuesday I’m apart of the plan.
Wednesday watching time go by.
Never knew the reason why.

I’m looking for love. I’m looking for love.
I’m looking for love. I’m looking for love.

How to make a music video

• A tutorial video from FilmRiot on how to make a music video. Although their instruction is geared more toward a traditional video with the band playing with cuts to a side story, there were some really useful ideas in there for process in pre and post production. Such as:
• Listen to the song until your ears are bleeding then listen to it some more. Have the song on repeat while brainstorming ideas. Also, talk with the artist to see what their meaning is behind the song and if they have any ideas of their own.
• Music videos are largely visual. Audio doesn’t matter on set, but still have the song playing in the background so syncing in post is a million times easier. Also, the artist can be right on cue with his music.

PROJECTION VIDEOS:
Projection onto two trees
Two dancers on a wall with projected images
Projection mapping
Incredible PM performance art

TOOLS FOR PROJECTION MAPPING:
PM software and tutorials
A blog dedicated to video/projection  mapping
Very simple projection mapping video tutorial

Developed Concept

The song "Looking for Love" by Kevin Martin is about a man who is stuck in the doldrums of his routine and wants to break up the monotony by finding love. Or is it? I think a really interesting take on the video and the meaning of it is for the video to be about a little girl who is looking for a family. Instead of featuring Kevin, a young girl will be the one who is “singing” about looking for love.

She will be living in her reality of loneliness at an orphanage, and projected around her are her hopes for what life will be like when she finds a family. Since it will be the imagination of a little girl, the projections onto her boring reality will be whimsical and exaggerated. This can either be done in a single room with white walls and minimal plain props that continually change depending on what is projected on them, or it can be done in a few different locations.

A slight variation on this would be for the little girl to actually be looking for romantic love. However, not in a gross way since she is a child, but in a cute playground puppy love sort of way. A perfect example of what I'm talking about can be found in the music video Tighten Up by the Black Keys. Also, since a man's voice will be coming out of this little girl, I imagine it creating an interesting tension because obviously, it is not the little girl who is actually singing about looking for love but someone else entirely. Instead, the viewer can imagine that the little girl is a way that the artist views himself. A manifestation of sorts.

Stay tuned for further fine tuning of this concept.

Logline & Synopsis

My hopes and dreams for my senior project revolve around producing a music video for Kevin Martin, a local musician. As of this moment, I do not have a 100% commitment from him, but I will write this logline and synopsis as if I do.

- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- -

I will be producing a music video for a local musician, Kevin Martin, that will be an exploration into the many creative uses for projectors.

A few years ago, I got a taste of filming projected images for a short experimental film I made for a class. Ever since then, the possibilities of projection have been nagging at me and swirling around in my head, just begging for a release. This music video is the perfect opportunity.

I want to play around with silhouettes and surfaces specifically. I like the idea of Kevin interacting with a silhouette, or interacting with himself as a projection. I like the dichotomy between a body in the flesh and an image of one interacting and having a relationship be it positive or negative. I also want to play with where images will be projected. In the video I mentioned before, I projected a short clip onto a burning canvas and filmed the burning. The result was rather splendid and I feel like I just barely tapped into the chasm of possibilities. I can project onto water, mirrors, fences, rocks, smoke, moving cars, or people. There are so many layers waiting to be explored!

There are a few of his songs I am interested in setting this too, but until I have a definite go ahead from him and his input for which song he would like to do, my planning hasn't become too specific.

I apologize for the brevity and generality of my synopsis. I am in an awkward situation waiting to hear back from Mr. Martin. I've decided that if I don't get a definite yes or no by next class, I am going to have to move onto Plan B. What is Plan B you ask? Well, you will have to be as curious as I am because I do not know.

This week will be stressful!