The United Colors of Amani

The semester is in full swing at USC's School of Cinematic Arts. I've started my internship with company, Panavision, as well as picking up a full course load for my third semester in my graduate studies. Hard work does not guarantee success, but success does not come without hard work.

That's why I'm really proud of the latest webseries I worked on, entitled The United Colors of Amani. The United Colors of Amani, created and produced by Amani Starnes, addresses many of the problems facing African-American and multi-cultural actors and actresses in Hollywood. It's been making a big, immediate splash with features on sites such as Jezebel and Tube Filter.

I met Amani during my first year of graduate school at USC. She played one of the leads in my first film at school, and we've been working together ever since. The webseries, directed by Max Faugno, the series gives a refreshingly entertaining look into an industry that oftentimes mishandles their interactions with minorities. I worked as the main cinematographer for the series, with episodes The Tryout, KC Callback, The Wire, and Shakespeare being four I was Director of Photography. I'm really proud of the work the entire cast and crew put together, and you should take out the time to watch every episode! 

Follow The United Colors of Amani HERE, then be sure to give my production page, Que The Lights, a like HERE. 

5 Hour Energy Hero

A few months ago a friend and I decided to partner together for a commercial competition sponsored by 5 Hour Energy Drink. We came up with the idea, 5 Hour Energy Hero, and based our commercial around the concept. It was one day shoot, three day post-production gig, but everything came out smoothly.

Taylor Stephens and I produced the commercial. Taylor directed and acted. I handled cinematography and editing. We didn't win the competition but I'm proud of the work we did.

I'm Alive

I'm moving ahead into my third semester at USC's School of Cinematic Arts this upcoming August. Finishing up my first year was quite an experience. For anyone who reads the blog and has questions on the subject feel free to contact me. 

Along with finishing my first two semesters, the music video I co-produced, DP'd, and edited, "I'm Alive," is available to watch!

The project started with musician, Matt Kabus. Justin Wood, a fellow Alabama alumni, directed. We started the production a year ago during the summer of 2012 in Atlanta. Matt watched one of my earlier demo reels, and devised an eclectic vision to accompany his song. Of course, production led to major revisions in comparison to Justin and Matt's original plan, but the finished product is phenomenal.

I want to direct, but I've realized cinematography has become a mainstay passion culpable to my penchant for stories. Honestly, isn't cinematography just visual storytelling when defined? 

I've received some amazing news on current projects I'll reveal as the summer moves forward, but I'd also like to share the story of a USC Alum whose realized the dream I'm pursuing. Ryan Coogler, Director of Sundance winner, Fruitvale, has been tearing up the festival circuit (and tear ducts) with his telling of the last few hours of Oscar Grant, an Oakland, CA native shot by the police in 2009.

I won't focus on the movie, it speaks for itself.  I'll focus on Coogler, a man who achieved a dream. This director found a story that resonated with his sensibilities, and brought a swath of raw emotion and talent seldom seen. I appreciate his story for one particular reason. He didn't grow up in films. He did not plan to become a director. When his life veered upon this course, he made sure to utilize his opportunities to the fullest. 

No individual's path to finality is identical. No one's success a mirror image. Still, his story gives me hopes that everyone retains the possibility to achieve. 

Superstar Revisited

Nearly a year ago I worked on a project known as Superstar. The music video is finished, and I couldn't be happier with the results.

You can click HERE to read my previous post highlighting the production and my work as Director of Photography. Gifted, the songwriter/singer has worked with artists such as Ne-Yo, Jagged Edge, and Bei Major. He's also performed beside Miguel, Brian McKnight, and Marques Houston. In summation, he's got talent.

This production pushed my knowledge to its full extent, but the experience helped me understand the importance of lighting. Soul, aesthetic, and opinion do not pervade the depths of a camera. It should not dictate the experience. A strong cinematographer does not rely purely on the strength of the camera. They intertwine a mixture of movement, lighting, and placement to capture the director's vision. A cinematographer is a visual storyteller. The camera is his workspace, but light is his foremost tool.

Check out the behind the scenes video to learn more about the cast and crew of the music video too.

Kevin McCall

The semester is approaching its end! In a few weeks I'll be finished with my first year as a graduate student at USC's Film Program. I'm still deciding my path for this summer. I need to make sure I'm being productive. As an undergraduate at Alabama, I quickly learned the majority of my education would not be in the classroom. This is not to say Alabama's TCF department didn't teach me. That is far from the truth. My best experiences were outside of class on projects with classmates, colleagues, and professors.

This is why I'm so adamant about productivity. You should always work on projects outside of your education. You will learn volumes. One of the biggest projects I've done since moving to Los Angeles, CA is my work with artist, Kevin McCall.



Hip-Hop fans will remember K-Mac as one of the featured artist on Chris Brown's "Dueces" music video. K-Mac was the songwriter as well.

Kevin Lamar McCall Jr. was born on July 25, 1985 in, LA Watts, California. He is the 2nd oldest out of 3 sisters and 1 brother. Kevin affectionately known to friends and family as “K-MAC” was introduced to music at a very young age by his family who noticed Kevin’s desire, talent and interest for music early on. Like many artist Kevin’s love of music stemmed from his time singing in the church choir.   

In his short time as a new songwriter and producer in the industry Kevin, has been fortunate to collaborate with both established and up and coming artist such as: Chris Brown, Keri Hilson, Tank, Trey Songz, Pleasure P, Keisha Cole, Kelly Rowland and Rich Girl just to name a few. As a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc, Kevin has created a name for himself on the college circuit from performances of his original songs and also songs he has written for his fraternity.

I was invited into the studio with K-Mac in between producing the first film of the semester and directing the second one. K-Mac was preparing for a show the next day, and his manager wanted a behind the scenes video to use as promotion. We ended up making two.

It's essential as a filmmaker to constantly produce work outside of short films. Everyone wants to be a director, but few are given the opportunity at the beginning of their career. The capability of producing work you may not be accustomed to is beneficial. This isn't my first music related video or promo, but without these previous experiences, I may not have been prepared to produce work for a high-profile artist. 

While you're reading be sure to check out what else I've been doing!

Featured on Blerd Nation. Read HERE

One of my most popular articles on Tumblr HERE

Read up on my Black History Month Spotlight HERE.

I've been busy in California, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

USC School of Cinematic Arts - 2nd Semester

It has nearly been two months since my last post. It has been an unbelievably stressful time as a graduate student at USC's School of Cinematic Arts.

Currently, I'm working on my second semester graduate film project, Magic.

Actor, Tristan Bailey, plays the lead role of Austin Gray

The second graduate semester at USC's School of Cinematic Arts is considered the hardest semester you'll face during your tenure as a student. It is known as the dreaded, 508 semester. In my follow-up post, I'll go in-depth on the first year graduate student experience at USC's Film School.

I'd like to say another big thanks you to everyone who helped me out so much during the Dr. Pepper Tuition Scholarship Competition. I received such an amazing amount of support.  I also entered a competition to be a part of this year's Oscars recently. I went to the second round, but was not chosen. Still, we ended up making a great mini-commercial explaining why I love cinematography. 

I'm going to try my best to consistently post on Que The Lights from this point forward. I believe a good amount of filmmakers would be interested in learning about my ongoing experience at USC's Film School, especially for those who want to apply sooner than later. 

Thank You Dr.Pepper

Click to vote here: http://www.drpeppertuition.com/entry/63

I have great news! Recently, I received a $2500 scholarship from Dr.Pepper. They called me a week ago to congratulate me for my Dr. Pepper Tuition Video, I Want To Be A Filmmaker.

I Want To Be A Filmmaker from Xavier Burgin on Vimeo.

Now, I'm in a contest with nine other participants to compete for a $100,000 scholarship. So I need everyone's help who has watched my films or supported me in the past. Please go to this LINK to vote for me. You have to register, but it's easy using a facebook, twitter, or social media account. Once you register just press the "Vote For Me" button and you've helped me!

You can also give me an extra vote by tweeting #TuitionForXavier. You can do both of these once per day. I'm only one step away from competing for another step towards fulfilling my goals. Please support! So vote HERE!

Vote for Xavier at http://www.drpeppertuition.com/entry/63

I Want To Be a Filmmaker

I'm now a little over half-way through my first semester at USC's Cinematic Arts Program. I can't even begin to describe how nerve-wrenching this journey has been. I finished up my first film project at USC  (which I'll post to the website at a later date), and I'm now working on the the second, and final project for the semester. 

Honestly, I've always known working within the industry is perilous. Individuals who consider film to be solely artistically driven or the realm of the idiot savant are sadly mistaken. It is a field with a myriad of technical positions and concerete assignments outside of the role of Director. USC vigorously instills an appreciation for all major positions from pre to post production. 

I'm getting a great education, but it's quite expensive. Tuition alone would render most students incapable of attending, but I've had the blessing of receiving support along with federal loans. I wouldn't want this to be the perpetual state of my existence at USC so I'm constantly scouring for potential scholarship opportunities. I came across the Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway Competition through my father. Once I found out the entry asked for a video, I knew I had to participate. Here is my entry, I Want To Be A Filmmaker. 

I Want To Be A Filmmaker from Xavier Burgin on Vimeo.

Let me know what you think of my entry! 

Lenovo Seize The Night: DO

It's been quite a hiatus for since my last post. The transition from Alabama to California was pretty grueling. Thirty-six hours and two thousand miles later I made it into Lancaster, CA. I'm staying with family until I can find a suitable apartment in the Los Angeles area. I'll also be driving into LA for my Funny or Die internship interview in a few days. This does not even factor in USC. I may have an opportunity to begin this fall instead of spring semester, but it is still uncertain.

This has been an amazingly, nerve-wracking transition in my life. I'm ready for a new beginning, but the uncertainty of my future always leaves me anxious to create achieve my goals. Good news is on the horizon nonetheless!

The Que The Light's Lenovo Seize The Night Alternative Ending Video is now up!

Screnshot from our Lenovo Seize The Night Alternate Ending Video

Campus Moviefest chose 15 filmmakers from their Distinguished Filmmaker's Network to produce Alternate Endings to Lenovo's Seize The Night Short Film. Lenovo is the 2nd largest PC vendor, and a powerful company rising in the ranks of technological relevance. 

They gave me under two weeks to gather my crew, actors, shoot, and edit the entire film. Thanks to the help of a great cast, crew, and The Telecommunications and Film Department at UA we were able to finish everything with time to spare. Check it out. 

Lenovo Seize The Night Alternative Ending - DO

The concept was inspired by the ongoing debate of Occupy Wall Street and the concept of The 99% and 1%. I wanted to convey the idea of dissemination of information enlightening those who are able to solve our current economic disparity. The original concept was too ambitious to fit into two minutes, so I decided to represent it through the virtual outspread of the word "DO." Do would embody the necessity of change in our society through whatever means possible. The main protagonists would virally spread this message of hope across the world while presenting to the kind of people who could fix it.

The entire video encapsulates the symbolism by highlighting the battery life beginning at 99% at the start of the video and ending at 1%. This would serve two purposes, highlighting the Lenovo Ultrabook laptop and further representing my original inspiration.

Let me know what you think. You can also watch behind the scenes production of the video too!



Be sure to share the video as much as possible! If I get the most views I can win $15,000. Wish us luck!

The Bridge

Que The Light is going to Sidewalk. During my last semester at Alabama I took a year long class known as, Documenting Justice. The course was grueling. It was the most challenging film course I took during my undergraduate. This stemmed from the gruff, yet honest nature of my professor, Andrew Grace.

Andy pushed us. He constantly emphasized humanity over mechanics. I came into class a prolific DSLR snob. I asked him to allow me to shoot with my own camera. I honestly thought I was ahead of my peers in this regard. Andy shot my down my proposal. He forced me to realize a strong film begins with a story,  not a camera.

After taking his class I came to the realization my camera was the conduit of my storytelling, not the creation. He made me understand I needed to get over my fascination with cameras, and appreciate my ability as a storyteller.

Along with fellow classmate, Greg Houser, we created a film known as, The Bridge. The film follows the life of JBS mental health authority, Tashee Dunsmore, who uses her experience as a former consumer of mental health services in Alabama to help current consumers transition to the community.

The Bridge from Xavier Burgin on Vimeo.

The film premiered at the Bama Theater at the end of our one year program. 

Now it has been picked up to show at The Sidewalk Film Festival this upcoming August. I'm excited about our acceptance into the film festival. This will cap my final piece of work within the TCF film department before I graduated. It's awesome to end on a good note, but I've learned from experience what you've done in the past must take a backseat to your ventures at the moment. 

Tear It Up

Hard work does not guarantee success, but success does not come without hard work. 

It's been a busy month for me. I'm currently working as Director of Photography on a movie known as Doobie Sampson, I finished my role as DP for The Gifted Music video a few weeks ago, and I just finished shooting a music video as DP for singer, Matt Kabus. I've never been one to rest. I won't be starting anytime soon.

I have been shooting a large amount of music videos, but I haven't been sharing them as frequently as I should. One of my most recent videos was for rap duo, Controversy and Big D. I shot this a few months ago, but never got around to sharing it.  

Controversy and Big D hail from Alabama and currently attend UA. Controversy came in with me during the Fall of 2008. It's been a long time since freshmen year. I would've never begun to imagine I'd shoot a music video for one of the better known rappers around campus.

One of the other reasons I'd like to share this is due to the progression I can see in myself. I'm proud of the work I did on Tear It Up, but I'm proud to say my skills have exponentially risen after shooting the upcoming music videos for Gifted and Matt Kabus.

You can find Controversy and Big D on twitter. You can also find the music video for Tear It Up on youtube.

Superstar

Mission accomplished once again everyone. 

"Gifted Johnson"-Photo courtesy of Sumerlin Photography

I recently finished working as Director of Photography on the music video for R&B artist, Gifted. The guy is an eccentric fuse of positive energy, catchy lyrics, and superb beats. Gifted's songs emanate experience. He has a lengthy songwriting credits, the most notable being Ne-Yo, Jagged Edge, and Bei Maejor. Point being, he understands how to make a hit.

Gifted has performed on staged with Miguel, Brian McKnight, and Marques Houston so his experience within the music industry is extensive and rich with stories of high-profile meetings and hobnobbing with the famous. He has been around the block. After writing and performing for those who have gained notoriety, he wants to build a cult of personality all his own.

The song is called, Superstar. Produced by Bei Maejor, the song retains a flirtatious, and upbeat spirit. It sounds like a song you would constantly turn up when you're listening to the radio. This is where the music video comes in.

Friend and colleague, Micah Russell, pitched the idea. He wanted a music video with influences from a notable amount of current artists including:

Kanye West

Miguel

Fitz and The Tantrums

Usher

Micah's treatment (a write-up of a creative idea for a music video) revealed an interest in mixing various eye-catching colors during performances of the song within a studio (Miguel, Fitz and The Tantrums, and Kanye) while interlacing narrative style imagery from outside locations and clubs (Usher). It became my job to create an atmosphere worthy of each of these scenes.

The first thing I began working on was lighting plans (a floor plan detailing the movement of talent and where lights will be placed to illuminate them) for the entire music video.

These lighting plans encompassed the entirety of the shoot for each day. I set up floor plans for various scenes such as within a club or studio style lighting.

Photo courtesy of Sumerlin Photography

The experience was amazing. Now that my job is done, I'm looking forward to seeing what the editor brings together. Until then, check out this Behind The Scenes video highlighting me as well as my director and other individuals who made the project come together.

University of Alabama Graduation 2012: The Last Greek Stepshow

It's been a month since I graduated from The University of Alabama. Honestly, it feels like it's been much longer. The transition from being a full time student to free-lance working as a photographer/videographer hasn't been as rough as I imagined.

Currently, I'm working as the Director of Photography on two projects. The first is a low budget feature film named "Doobie Sampson." The film is definitely out of my area of interest as a writer or director, but taking the role as DP fits me pretty well. The biggest reason why I applied for the job is to prove to myself if I'm capable of shooting a feature length film (1:30 to 2 hours) at my current level.

The second project is a music video for R&B artist, Gifted. The singer has written for Ne-Yo and Jagged Edge as well working with Def Jam and Atlantic Records. He's looking to start a solo music career, and professor of mine contacted me about my interest in the project. The song is called Superstar. It's actually really good and if you're into music you've probably heard of the producer, Bei Major. Click on the link above or HERE to listen to it.

Now, one of the traditions I've kept up during my tenure at Alabama is photographing or recording graduations at Alabama. Since I was graduating as well, I decided to get friend and colleague, Kevyn Bryant of K.Bryant Images, to help me.

We decided to capture each Greek organization graduating and create a promo video featuring the idea of "The Last Greek Stepshow" since your graduation step is the final event you'll do as a Greek undergrad.

Along with making the promo video we put together a video for the organizations with graduating members. Here are a few. 

Omega Psi Phi

Yes, that's me for once.

Delta Sigma Theta

Alpha Phi Alpha

Phi Beta Sigma

If you'd like to see more of the videos you can find them on my youtube playlist UA Graduation 2012: The Last Greek Stepshow.

Finally, we are only three likes away from 1,000 followers on the Que The Lights Facebook Page! Take out the time to LIKE us if you've enjoy any of my work over the past few years at The University of Alabama!

AKA: Welcome to The Mafia

I've you haven't noticed by now I've done a lot of mob related films since I started Que The Lights.

There was my early (very early) work for the my fraternity. Afterwards, I shot a mob themed video for Que-Delta week at The University of Alabama. Now, I'm coming back to tested territory and I wanted to make sure I utilized my past knowledge to make a video far in tune with my growth as a filmmaker. now The Theta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is looking to bring the mafia back.

The AKAs wanted a Citizen Kane/Strangelove film noir look for their video. It would be reminiscent of the old black and white detective films where lights and shadows played an integral part in setting the mood. For this venture I enlisted the help of my editor, Douglas D. 

For this explanation I'm mainly focusing on the shots seen starting from 00:50 or the Round Table Scene.

This video was shot using a 3 camera set up. We used a Canon 5D MK II along with an Arri Lighting Kit ,six C-Stands, and six silk flags. 

For the master shot we set up a 650 Arri to the front right shooting towards the table (mainly on the girls in all white on the left). Next, we set up the 300 Arri to light on the left of the frame shooting towards the girls in all black. I wanted to illuminate the all white dresses (giving a more pristine look), while leaving the darker dresses to somewhat blend in with the darkness behind them. Finally, we took the 150 Arri and set it in the foreground to lightly backlight the girls in all black. Finally, to block off all of the extra light (turning all of these lights on would completely overexpose even the darkest room) we set up silks on the 650 and 300. We left the 150 bare.  We then took a lamp and set it right behind the head woman at the table to give her a backlight and illumination. We wanted to emphasize her importance as "The Don" of the table. 

For the singles (close up shots of each person) we set the camera on a pile of magazines (I know, very professional) so we could strong close up without moving the table out of the scene. For each single we took the 150 Arri light and positioned it towards the actor to better illuminate her face during her single. 

For the medium shots where we focused solely on each side of the table we kept the lighting identical to the master shot save repositioning the lights to better illuminate that side of the table for a moment. 

We shot this all in one night. It took around 4 hours, but I consider that very expedient because of the amount of preparation we took testing preparing each light set up. Of course, the master shot took the longest to get right. Once we had that together, everything went smoothly from there. 

So, if you'd ever like to ask me a question about lighting or cameras in general feel free to contact me. 

I hope this quick behind the scenes post gave you some insight on how to light a proper Black & White scene. 

Also, be sure to check out my latest feature on website, I Am The Nu Black. I recently wrote a post entitle Journey of a Student Filmmaker detailing my time as a filmmaker and my decisions on graduate school for film school. Click the banner below to check it. 

New York University & BadStick

So I'm in New York at the moment. Awesome!

Tomorrow I'll be interviewing for a position in New York University's film program. Everything has been coming to fruition. USC admitted me for Spring 2013. UCLA called me back for their second step which is sending them your online portfolio (out of the five schools I applied to they are the only one who asks for an application with no visual attachments, only your personal narrative and ideas). I'm still waiting to hear back from The American Film Institute and Columbia University.

I talk about this a lot, but it's good to know the dreams I spoke of when I first started this site are the ones I'm living now. I feel like I'm cementing a future for myself, rather than allowing life to ease past me. I hold to a simple mantra; I want to live, not exist.

This wouldn't be an appropriate Que The Lights post if I didn't speak about a project I've finished as well. I'd like to introduce you to BadStick, a band running the bars around Tuscaloosa. I was approached by their drummer, Colin White, to shoot a promo video for them.

For most productions I'll link up with my usual crew, but everyone was busy so I decided to give a few of my students a try at shooting. This semester, I'm working as a T.A. (Teacher's Assistant) in our department's advanced videography class. I informed the class that anyone interested in getting hands-on experience with DSLRs are welcome to work with me. Two students got on board.

They did a great job. I stayed on the ground with the Canon 5D shooting a constant wide-shot while I allowed them to free-lance across the stage with a Canon T2i. 

It's pretty dope to be a teacher. 

The Business

When it comes to my work, as well as my proclivity towards featuring videos on the site, I tend to lean more towards my creative side. This doesn't mean my work ends with projects I direct and shoot for my own purposes. On the contrary, the majority of my work is business oriented. Between my own projects (which usually span a good amount of time), I shoot a good amount of videos for The University of Alabama and clients who contract me.

One of the first videos I shot for The College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Alabama was Tanglewood. The video featured a bevy of heavyweights from The University at a dedication of new land bought by the university for scientific purposes.

The next video I produced and directed was The Paul Jones Art Gallery Dedication. The video featured faculty from The University of Alabama and close friends of the late Paul Jones, a well known artist in the Alabama area.

Outside of working for the University, I also shoot freelance jobs for clients interested in working with me. The most recent being the cover of Quang Do's spoken word piece, Knight in Shining Armor. 

I've even had cases where, instead of being the main shooter for a piece, I was instead given the artistic license to envision the concept. For this Fade2Black promo (which unfortunately did not pan out) Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity allowed me to come up with the concept for the video. I then worked with my editor (Douglas Dillingham of ZombieSquid Pictures) to bring the idea together. 

This is really 80% of my work. Shooting or creating ideas for Alabama or clients. In between I shoot pieces exclusively for my own purposes. I was once told if you're good at something, get people to pay you to do it. I'm proud to say I make money doing work that I enjoy. 

Few people can say such. 

FStoppers Behind The Scenes Contest: Broken Reality

Photography by Kevyn Bryant of K. Bryant Photography

It's been an unbelievably eventful day. A plethora of pure awesomeness has made me once again realize how much I love being a filmmaker. 

This is a behind the scenes video for the 2011 FStoppers video contest. I directed and shot the video while Doug D. did the edit. 

Photographer, Kevyn Bryant, decided to make a set of photos dedicated to the memory of the devastation that hit Tuscaloosa, Alabama on April 27, 2011. 

Kevyn and I both were in Tuscaloosa when the tornado hit. The tornado bypassed us, but hurt many other people. It also destroyed hundred of homes in the Tuscaloosa area. 

Our FStoppers challenge then became the best way to convey the devastation Tuscaloosa endured in a creative and powerful manner. 

We put our heads together to figure out what theme would best suite this assignment. We decided on Broken Reality. In Tuscaloosa, there is a new normal. People have gone back to their regular routines, but all around us we can still see the ramifications of the tornado. Many individuals live in an encampment of disillusion and disbelief. You never think the tornado will hit you, until it hits you. 

Once we figured out the theme and how we would go about making it, we needed three things. 

-A first location to use for HDR images

-A second location to shoot our model

-A model (duh)

I knew a house near the main intersection of Tuscaloosa. It was on a field where hundreds of houses use to sit before the tornado hit. By this time, the majority of the houses had been plowed down, but this specific house still stood. 

I used it on a short film I shot recently, and I suggested we use it again for the HDR images. After we finished up at the house we needed to find another location to shoot the model we would use. Kevyn contacted Rae Marshall, a photographer and artistic model we knew at school, and I talked my friend, Sarah, into letting use use her apartment to shoot Rae. 

We put this all together over the span of two weeks. We finished all of the main grunt work in Tuscaloosa, and shot our behind the scenes interview in Montgomery, Alabama (Kevyn and my girlfriend live down there and her birthday was coming up, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone. Yes, I'm terrible). 

Once we gathered all the footage I stored everything on my Laci Harddrive and took it to my editor, Doug D., along with an outline of what we wanted. 

Four days later, we had a finished product. Best of all, we were featured on FStoppers main page after submitting our video. 

To see the feature click HERE. 

Along with this awesome news I found out Que The Lights was The Black Weblog Award's Judges Choice for Best Video Blog and Best Photography in a Blog. 

This has been an amazing day. I hope yours was just as memorable. 

Alpha Kappa Alpha Fall 2011: V.A.N.I.T.Y

It looks like I started another buzz at The University of Alabama.

A little over an hour ago I posted the Fall 2011 probate video for The Theta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Needless to say, it caught some buzz. In under an hour the viewcount jumped to over a thousand on the host site, vimeo. I didn't expect it to generate this much buzz, but when my editor, Doug D., showed me the finished piece, I knew we had something special. 

I took inspiration for this video from an earlier individual who shot a probate that completely blew my mind. This individual was John Ledbetter and his work is on point. I knew I wanted to make something as visually compelling as his piece, and when the AKAs hired me to videotape their probate I knew this was my chance. 

I hired three other camera men for the job, one of them being my photography friend and mentor, Kevyn Bryant. With three camera men (including myself) we put together our gear and set up a floor plan for the event. 

Gear: Canon 5D MK II (2), Canon 6D, Canon 550D

50mm Ziess f/1.4, 28mm Ziess f/2.8, Canon L 35mm f/1.4, Canon USM 50mm f/1.4

Audio: Zoom Audio Recorder, Shotgun Microphone

I set up Kevyn as my master shot setting him all the way in the back. Two camera men were placed at opposite sides of the stage ( I was one of the two), and I set up a side profile master shot to the right of the stage as well. 

This allowed us to cover all areas of the probate. I set the Ziess 50mm and Canon 50mm on the two closest cameras which would be moving in and out for medium shots and close ups. I set the Canon 35mm L  and Ziess 28mm f/2.8 on the master shot cameras for the wider coverage of the ballroom we were set in. 

Shooting was excruciating. I had a shoulder rig set up on my camera the entire time. I allowed the second camera opposite of me to work with a monopod. I wanted my shots to be a little less dangerous (and steady), while allowing my third camera-man to have more of a dynamic range. Still, the rig put a terrible ache in my back throughout the show, but I knew I had to capture this no matter what. 

Afterwards, I sat down with my editer, Doug, and went through the entire probate from start to finish. I wanted him to understand the importance of each phase of the event so he could flow quickly and seamlessly throughout since I wanted a short version as well as a long version. 

Doug delivered! The final cut looked great. I got some feedback from Ledbetter and had Doug spruce up a few shots, plus design a sleek introduction and ending logo for the video. 

I'm happy with this one, but I'm ecstatic over the fact people are enjoying this and sharing it rapidly. It feels good to know as a filmmaker your work is appreciated and your team makes something amazing. 

A Year in Review

So much has happened this past year it's hard to believe we're only a few weeks away from 2012. The sheer amount of work I've put in as an artist and filmmaker is mind-blowing when I think about the strides I've made.

I've done a lot and I'd like to share it with you.

My newest DP Reel does not include Alpha Kappa Alpha Probate which I believe will be one of the strongest non-narrative pieces I've put together. 

Still, let me take you back in time and give you a review of everything that has led to this point. Last semester I won Best Drama at The University of Alabama's Campusmoviefest with my film Bottom of a Glass. 

This led to me being invited out to California to participate in the International Grand Finale for Campus Moviefest. Also, I was asked if I would like to make a 3D film the International 3D Society Competition being held through CMF. It would be the first ever student 3D film competition. 

I said yes immediately. As I worked on putting together my 3D piece April 27th tornado hit Tuscaloosa devastating it's population. 

This completely destroyed finishing all of the projects I was working on at the moment, but I was given another opportunity. CMF allowed me to use the 3D gear to shoot a documentary highlighting the storm that hit my town. The film, Portrait of the Storm: Tuscaloosa, AL, would go on to win at The International 3D Society Competition and I earned a $5,000 cash grant for my efforts. 

When I was out in California I met a plethora of other students doing amazing work.  Sparks and Tick Tock were two in particular that stood out. They would both go on to win top prize alongside Portrait of the Storm. 

While I was in California I visited some of the schools I was interested in attending for graduate school again. After review my list expanded to five schools: AFI, USC, UCLA, Columbia, and NYU. 

When I came back to Alabama I was overwhelmed with the amount of work I was asked to do, but I stepped up to the challenge. These are a few samples of the finished products. 

This does not even include the amount of work I did for The College of Arts and Sciences at Alabama.

Beyond all of this my biggest worry for the semester was the dilemma I had been tackling since I began this blog. It was time to start applying for graduate schools. I needed to pull all of my work together while shooting new pieces for my classes. I shot this piece, The 15th Lake, with a Sony HDV. I've always been a DSLR snob, but this made me realize the potential of alternative cameras. 

I sat down with Dr. Raimist, a teacher I have mentioned on numerous occasions, to go over my work as a filmmaker. She let me know, that with as much I have done, I still needed to do more. So I began planning to shoot my next short film which would exemplify everything I have learned so far. The product ended up being my latest work, And Goodbye.

You can also read my Personal Narrative as a filmmaker and my Mission Statement, two pieces I wrote to convey who I am as an artist, as well as inform the individuals who will be critiquing my work for admissions into graduate school.

This does not include the amount of photography work I've done over the past year (the biggest being my work for The New York Times), but you can find it in the archives of my blog as well as checking my Flickr. The path I've chosen has yielded some amazing results but I am nowhere near the level of competency I wish for myself. I'm still hungry to do better.

I'm looking to make this last semester at The University of Alabama amazing.

All I Do is Work

It's been a long time, but I finally finished up my work with Alabama rapper, Drama.



In my post, I Gotta Hustle, I talked about two rappers I met because of my affiliation with North Greene Records.

After sitting down to talk, both Drama and Trent showed interest in working with me. Trent actually came to me with the idea of working on a music video first, but Drama ended up being getting the process rolling.

Pre-production to post-production took around three months. I decided to downsize my role to Director and DP. I soon realized I was far too swamped with other projects to earnestly sit down and edit. Also, some of the stylistic choices Drama wanted were out of my editing capabilities.

That's when I decided to bring in one of my colleagues, Douglas Dillingham of Zombiesquid Pictures. Douglas' work speak for itself. When I first checked it out I was thoroughly impressed. The editing skill he displays at this level are far ahead of most individuals I know. Plus, I needed someone who could get the work done in an efficient and quick manner.

Doug definitely proved he was the best choice.



To contact rapper, Drama, you can DM him through his twitter page @MrNBADRAMA .You can also contact Doug for editing jobs through his website or by his twitter page @ZSquid.

Working on this project definitely taught me I'm more comfortable shooting over editing. I still love editing and I appreciate the necessity, but I'd rather be out in the world with my camera instead of sitting at a computer. I now honestly realize how important a good editor is for a production team.

When all you do is work, having a strong team behind you can make all the difference. Also, be sure to follow @QueTheLights and check out my updated portfolio page QTL Images.

11/22/11 Update: Music Video work featured on website This is Ham. Click HERE to see.