RECENT REALIZATIONS

As a video artist, I find that the beauty of video is that every project is different. Every visual commision might require you to employ all the rules in your arsenal, or throw almost all of them out the window. While video is still a service-driven industry, it is one of the newest and fastest growing mediums for communicating, so it is also completely creatively driven.

A recent fascination of mine, is vertical video. I was drawn to this because of a cinematographer I recently discovered and instantly followed on Youtube, Dale Roossein. He shared in one of his videos that he edited vertically for Insta Stories, from footage shot on his Sony A6500. I gasped, but immediately went and watched. To my surprise, I was taken aback by the beauty of the imagery, but also, this new challenge to work and edit strictly vertically. It’s a totally different visual experience.

Recently, I overheard one filmmaker ask another filmmaker if they ever shot vertically on their mirrorless or DSLR camera. They immediately said “no,” with such assurance that it’s something they’d never attempt. Well, that was confirmation enough to me to know that this untapped area of video was something I wanted to explore more. While IGTV and Stories has now made the adjustments for videos in landscape mode, I still find the scope of vertical video is left completely untapped. With that being said, see my Instagram for some short vertical videos I recently created (@powitskim).

There are a few things I’ve already learned from these three scenarios–

Be very attentive to where your subject is positioned.

Because vertical video cuts the amount of space you have horizontally, I noticed that some shots slightly needed to be more centered on the subject. It essentially becomes the inverse of giving headroom, so give “body-room." Because your headroom will be significant in any shot, your main focus is now on the position of the body in relation to the front and back of your shot.

Close ups still win.

When shooting landscape, I often tend to use wide angle cameras for a lot of medium or close shots, I just find the shot to be more dynamic, while still affording me the flexibility a wide angle lens offers. When I’m shooting full portrait (85mm and up), I love the shot, but I’m a lot more limited in the diversity of shots I can obtain.  The versatility of a wide angle lens is just unmatched.

Transitions. Transitions. Transitions.

Especially if you’re thinking about editing for Stories, which is the primary platform for vertical right now, consider even more so than usual, how you plan to transition shots. I would say treat every shot as a transition, because more than likely, it will be.

BONUS: Think about audio as points of transitions simultaneously. It makes it easier in the edit if you’re considering the soundscape as you shoot. I’ve linked here a video from the same night, only here, I shot traditional landscape, and decided to experiment with soundscape cuts instead.

Let me know your thoughts on vertical video below! 

APPS for PRODUCTIVITY

The age of the iPhone is something I'm constantly navigating. Having a phone in-hand at most times, it's easy to feel like we're overstimulated, or at the mercy of the technological distraction. However, when I realized my relationship to my phone was something that was only increasing, I decided to find ways to make my phone work for me. From reminding me to drink water, to answering emails, I now try to find a healthy balance with my phone, trying to both enable productivity amidst pleasure, and set my phone aside sometimes. 

Here are some of my favorite apps that promote productivity:

Minimalist.

This app is a daily reminder for me to be resourceful with my day, and get tasks done. Not only can you add tasks to a checklist, but you can also click on the task, and the app will prompt you to set a timer for completing said task. If you pick up your phone during the timed task, it will notify you to put your phone down, and focus. I love this app and I use it daily, from simple lists, to more tedious projects. 

Moments.

This app is a huge reality check. It clocks the time you've spent on your phone, daily. I've gotten anywhere from one to ten hours! It helps me see just how much I've picked up my phone each day, the time I spent on my phone. Mind you, I do often try to enable productivity on my phone, so if I'm answering emails, or writing a post, I don't count it against myself. However, sometimes there are thirty to forty minute stints where I know I just fell down an Instagram blackhole. 

Podcast. 

When I'm working, often times instead of listening to music, I'll catch up on one of my podcasts. I am currently listening heavily to The Mattie James Podcast, Q Podcasts, and The Red Couch podcast. All of these podcasts are super smart, and make me feel like I'm doing double duty, learning while working. 

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Notes. 

This app is my absolute favorite app. We have a long standing active relationship. I am quite sure I've written books in there by now. However, I do consolidate my lists, and try to email myself old lists as archive, if I know I don't need it presently on my phone. With the recent update by Apple, I now use it as a checklist of sorts for more long-term goals or thinks I'm thinking about. 

I'm always aiming to be more productive on my phone. What's your favorite app for productivity?

'Good Thing' by Leon Bridges

On May 4th, Leon Bridges released his second studio album. In the weeks leading up to the release of Leon Bridges’ second album, Good Thing, he had three pre-released tracks. Along with these tracks, came two endearing music videos shot by the talented Natalie Rae Robinson. While the visual narrative of these two videos teetered the line of experimental, Bridges seemed confident in the release of this project. My sense was that with this album, Leon was ready to experiment with a new kind of sound. While still referencing his first album, Coming Home, his second album offers variety of genres.

Bridges has cultivated a persona and sound that makes him immediately identifiable. He’s an artist that is truly committed to the preservation of an era where jazz and blues were birthed.

Coming Home was a timely sound. He was explicitly old-school, both lyrically and sonically. The approach was refreshing, and I found myself often re-listening to the album years after its release. Whenever I sought a more grounded album, Coming Home was my go-to. It was much more influenced by the 60s doo-wop and soul. Its gospel-like blues were captivating on tracks like “Smooth Sailin’” or more explicitly, “Shine;” a beautiful plea of salvation.

Bridges managed to create an excellent maturity in sound for this sophomore album. It’s a beautiful build on his debut work, as he gently guides us into a more current sound while remaining true to the historic musical references that he’s known for.

With Good Thing, we are in a slightly different era of sound. As the synths rise on the album’s opening track, “Bet Ain't Worth the Hand,” there’s a new sense of production quality. His sound is slightly more updated, with more jazz and R&B references layered on his older sound. My favourite unexpected interlude; however, is the funk moment that happens seven-tracks deep, on “If It Feels Good (Then It Must Be)” & “You Don’t Know.”

"Live from the funk. It's hotter than Texas."

However unexpected (as indicated by Slant), I do not mind the sonic switch. These two tracks still run the same gamut of pulling from "the different styles of R&B that he digs." Traditionally, funk is known to be a combination of elements that pull from soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues [source]. These tracks are simply just a new pace for Bridges. While the album is clear in its references, these moments add to its updated and experimental quality. From the new R&B sound we find on tracks like "Shy" to the symphonic sound of the closing track, "Georgia to Texas," Bridges is honing a new-found musical freedom. ©