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MUSIC VIDEOS www.postmagazine.com 30 POST MAY/JUNE 2020 The Aces — Daydream LOS ANGELES — The Aces recently released a new music video for their track Daydream, garnering more than 40K views in its first week of release. The play- ful-yet-cinematic production was directed by drum- mer Alisa Ramirez, and features the all-female band on the open road, where they steal a convertible and get into trouble while showcasing their sisterly bonds. The band is managed by Roc Nation, and consists of sisters Cristal (vocals/guitar) and Alisa Ramirez, McKenna Petty (bass) and Katie Henderson (lead guitar/vocals), all of who've been friends since grade school in Provo, UT. Alisa has directed a number of videos for the band in the past, but says Daydream has the highest production value to date. Music videos, she says, complement the music, and The Aces have always been very passionate about making them. For Daydream, the video begins with singer Cristal, who is hitchhiking in the open desert. After getting picked up, she ends up stealing the Mustang and regrouping with her crew at a vintage diner, and later, a motel, with The Aces leaving a trail of trouble behind them. Alisa wrote a treatment for the project, but made a few concessions during its development. Initially, the band was going to ride motorcycles, but that was changed to a convertible as a more practical execution. The project was shot on a ranch in Pomona, CA, using an Arri Alexa Mini equipped with an anamorphic lens, helping to create the cinematic, widescreen look. Mike Spagnoli edited the project from his home studio in Venice, CA, coming up with a final edit that runs just over two minutes and 30 seconds. Alisa worked closely with him on the edit, providing a shot list that defined the video's narrative. "I sat in on the entire process," she recalls. "I write my treatments and write a shot script, so it's all written out. We sat for two days and sequenced it out. I can see final edit in my head." The video was cut using Adobe Premiere and then went on to Gabe Sanchez, who gave it its color grade. "It turned out almost exactly how I wanted it," she states. The Aces appear on Redbull Records. Arri's Alexa Mini was used for the Daydream shoot. Taiya — InstaFamous NEW YORK CITY — Taiya's new music video com- bines Apple iPhone footage with 3D elements creat- ed in Autodesk Maya. Directed by @CeoQDisney, the InstaFamous video features footage of Taiya, captured on her iPhone at home, along with iPhone footage of Souljaboy, shot in his home studio, and video of Jbar in his Atlanta studio. Video elements appear in a vertical format and were composited onto 3D animated iPhones, which move to the music, showing off the track's different contributors. Additional 3D elements, such as luxury SUVs, fill the background. According to @CeoQDisney — who also edited the piece, as well as created its visual effects — the project came to- gether in Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects and Maya. "In Maya, I built and sculpted 3D models of iPhones, and projected the footage from each artist onto the screens using a handful of different animation techniques." Taiya's InstaFamous was shot in a vertical format.