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theserpentandtheshadow
10-24-2006, 09:23 PM
Hey everyone,
I'm been a lurker at cgtalk for a while and finally have something to contribute.
I sing and play guitar in the band The Serpent and The Shadow, this is our latest music video for Desert Skies that I co-Directed and Produced, was VFX Supervisor on, and matte painted/composited.

Click here to view (Quicktime 7 required, 480x270 H.264 file) (http://theserpentandtheshadow.com/musicvideo/480x270.mov)

http://theserpentandtheshadow.com/musicvideo/ds_still2.jpg
http://theserpentandtheshadow.com/musicvideo/ds_still.jpg
http://theserpentandtheshadow.com/musicvideo/ds_still3.jpg
http://theserpentandtheshadow.com/musicvideo/ds_still4.jpg

We shot the live performance in Death Valley, California using Super 16 reversal film.
The film was cross-processed and scanned.
The animation sequences were shot on a greenscreen stage in Hollywood using HD.
Al of the backgrounds were painted in Painter and Photoshop, the spider was created in Maya and rendered in Mental ray, Shake was used to composite and color-time, and Final Cut was used to assemble the video.

What's really great about this music video is that we were able to create a full HD Master from a shoestring budget. The most expensive part of this video was renting the camera equipment and gas.

Please check out the video and if y'all get a chance to visit our myspace page you can listen to our EP. If you like it, we're on iTunes where you can buy our songs (see my signature below). We will be playing in Hollywood very soon and hope to see everyone.

-Joseph
theserpentandtheshadow
10-25-2006, 06:31 PM
Anyone check out the video?
I notice a lot of full 3D works here and not enough film integrated stuff.

If anyone has any questions about how we shot anything...ask away.

And to be clear, I've worked at ILM, Imageworks, Digital Domain, Rhythm and Hues, Warner Brothers Feature Animation, and Asylum as a Senior/Lead Compositor.
Last big show I worked on was Pirates of the Carribean : Dead Man's Chest at ILM.
I freelance in LA, currently at Asylum.

Thanks,
nikolas1977
10-25-2006, 07:58 PM
Well... I like it.

I like the music and I like quite a lot the video as well.

I enjoyed the "animation" (as in the old 30s ways) feeling I got from the shots! And the girl was really nice as well :D It is however an aesthetic that does not really go well wit hthe music. They seem to clash (animatio nadn music I mean)... something to think about I guess...

Other than that lovely. And will check the band later on...

Nikolas
theserpentandtheshadow
10-26-2006, 12:30 AM
Thanks for the compliments!
I was going for something more playful than serious for the story in the animation.
The song is about abandonment and dis-illusionment and although a darker motif would've suited the video, we felt having a different contrast thematically kept the video interesting.
I didn't want people to expect the obvious from the style of music we play.

In some ways I agree, keeping things visually consistant with the nature of the music would have worked...but I also think creating something entirely different within a theme is much more fulfilling and original.

Its a dark song by itself, but with the video its almost humerous...like a black comedy.
crazyCG12
10-26-2006, 04:25 AM
I dig the style!
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