Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1013519
www.postmagazine.com 25 POST AUGUST 2018 and his Website (www.ryanparma.com) is filled with dance videos and music video projects. "In this new age of social media and online content, bud- gets are way different than, say, full-out record label mu- sic-video budgets," he says. "Most of the time, you are having to wear multiple hats in order to be able to do the job with the budget that's given to you. I am a one-man band, but my passion, and what I want to be known for, is directing. For me, I don't consider myself a cinematographer or an editor. I consider myself a director who happens to film and edit most of the things that I direct [laughs]." Parma owns a Sony a7S II and a Ronin M stabilizer. "Those have basically been my 'bread & butter' for the majority of my freelance life," says the director. "Before I had a Sony, I had a Canon. For me, I know it's a way to get 4K content, and I am going to be able to make it look very professional, regardless of the budget. For this particular video, I knew I only had a budget enough for me to be the one doing the directing, the filming and editing, so I was going to use my camera." The video has the feel of a multi-camera shoot, all focusing on the graceful movements of a single female dancer. "I want it to feel like it was one take, but it wasn't," he notes. "I am a dancer myself…so I have a particular way of looking at dance and way it is to be seen on camera. For me, it's all about enhancing and improving the dancer and the choreog- rapher's steps without making [the viewer] notice the camera is there. I think the power comes from enhancing the move- ment that's on-screen, rather than creating an excitement or different feel with camera moves." In addition to the dancer, lighting plays an integral role in the video. Three strong spotlights beam from behind, with another one shining overhead. For the edit, Parma plugged the SD cards with the 4K footage into his new iMac Pro, cre- ated proxy files and performed the cut and color correction in Adobe Premiere Pro. He spent a week on the initial cut. "There were only two rounds of notes, which is unusual," he recalls. Most of the changes were adjustments that revealed a more dramatic performance from dancer, Taylor Sieve. "I had to go through my shots and find shots that might have been more dramatic. There were a few areas where the choreogra- pher wanted to move edit a little earlier to extend a move in the wide (shot) so that we would see the move that I had cut to in a medium (shot) in a wide. The biggest note from Rozzi's end was, she's not too big of a fan of slow motion. We had some slow motion in the 'ropes' section, so we ended up removing the slow motion and putting it back in, in regular motion." Once the video is complete, he exports in 4K. "I am a 4K advocate," he says. "I just love the beauty of it. Most of the videos that I direct, I export and edit in 4K. It really depends on client — if they want 1080p? But YouTube allows you to upload in 4K, so why not?" HANNIBAL BURESS — TURO NEW YORK CITY — Editbar/Nice Shoes (www.niceshoes.com) recently posted a 1:36 music video for Turo, a new service for renting cars from local owners. The video features Hannibal Buress, who blends his love for burritos, beats and rides from Turo. Baby Panther produced the piece, with Kristian Mercado Figueroa directing and Matthew David Chavez serving as DP. The project was edited by Michael Reuter using Adobe Premiere Pro and given a color treatment by Phil Choe via a Baselight grading system. The video is set in front of a burrito stand, where Buress picks up a snack while showing off his ride — a classic 1980s Delorean. The "Turooooooo" lyric rings out beneath colored live-action footage, playful animation of burritos and the car flapping its gull-wing doors. "Kris had a very specific look in mind, and his lighting during the shoot defined the rich palette," recalls Choe. "Once I began working with the footage, I focused on retaining what was shot, emphasizing that richness and ensuring that Kris and Hannibal's vision was real- ized for this piece. I think it really stands out as a unique piece of marketing." A TRIBE CALLED QUEST — THE SPACE PROGRAM CULVER CITY, CA — Therapy Studios (http://therapystudios.com) assisted with post pro- duction on A Tribe Called Quest's new eight-minute video The Space Program. Directed by Partizan's Warren Fu, the video is from the band's latest (and final) album, "We Got It From Here…Thank You 4 Your Service." The Space Program has a science fiction feel, with members of the band living on a failing space station, often in zero gravity. Historic stock imagery of civil rights struggles is intercut, suggesting that the spacecraft is looking for a more promising future than the world it left behind. Cameos of Common, Erykah Badhu, Rosario Dawson, Alicia Keyes and many others appear, lending their support to the mission. The Mill provided VFX for the project, which was shot by DP Byron Werner. Director Fu co-edited the project with Therapy's Lenny Mesina. Sound design was created by Peter Lauridsen and Eddie Kim. Flame artist Geoff Stephenson contributed to the visual effects. Colorist Matt Osbourne graded the piece. Ryan Parma directed, shot and edited Uphill Battle. Turo's marketing piece plays like a music video. Therapy's Mesina co-edited the video with director Fu.