The Coconut Radio video was a real pleasure to work on for the last year. Through the process I learned a lot about making videos. Let me share some of the experience and offer some tips.
The project was something I undertook alone. I had asked for some help from friends but realized early on that I didn’t need a government grant or anyone other than my star, the fabulous “Ulysses Castellanos,” to help me. I would go DIY. The process of “going it alone” means a few mistakes, a steep learning curve, and enormous satisfaction at the end of the process.
After discovering the documentary “Wild Men of the Kalahari” I knew I had the base footage for the video. I just needed to shoot some extra footage of Ulysses and cut back and forth. I needed a concept, and some gear. The ideas that came to me mostly involved “pirate radio” and iconic images like television test patterns and static. I wanted to the video to be about communication and culture and have a broken, frenetic quality that would match the strange spoken word that Ulysses dropped a couple year back at that now infamous session. I envisioned Ulysses in a dark, claustrophobic “studio,” hunched over a microphone as the beats rolled and the images of the bushmen were cut in and out.
Eventually we decided to use his studio and project images from “Wild Men” on Ulysses and a blank wall, a technique similar to that found in many early 1980s videos. I had bought a Canon HD video camera because I knew I’d want to do more video projects in the future. This was the only large expenditure. The camera cost $1000 and the software I went with was inexpensive but very capable (Sony Vegas which cost me about $130). The studio was hot and we spent about 2 hours on a dozen takes. Much of that footage made it into the final cut. Later I shot more footage of Ulysses and me in my bedroom with a white sheet as a blank backdrop.
I learned a little about editing during the process. I got a pretty hectic dynamic going in the first 45 seconds before I let it settle in and mostly focus on the bushmen and Ulysses. One great tool was the composite feature where one track sits on top of another. The effect of the projection in the first shoot meant I had multiple layers interacting all at once. To top it off I found a couple ways to tweak the contrast and colour, and I found the effect that really brought it all together – “Television Synch” which creates that erratic “vertical hold” effect I use a couple times through the video.
Aside from suggesting you check out cameras like the Canon HV30/40 which record HD, and editing suites like the affordable Sony Vegas, the other tips I can offer are:
1. Have a concept before you begin. Consider storyboarding, costume, lighting and colour
2. Be the “director” and push to get what you want. You have to be strong – insistent and persistent.
3. Be creative. You probably have very small budget so do something innovative. Make it look GOOD. these days even “lo-fi” can be “hd”.
4. Shoot from different angles and improvise some things. Some “happy accidents” will bring stylish, artistic results.
Good luck with your projects – let me know how they turn out!
Watch “Coconut Radio” at YouTube.com/mikooshka
