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WORLD MUSIC www.postmagazine.com 26 POST AUGUST 2015 MPC PARTIES WITH THE MATERIAL GIRL Madonna clearly just wants to have fun at a star-studded penthouse party in Bitch, I'm Madonna, her third single from the Rebel Heart album. Directed by Jonas Akerlund, with post production by MPC NY, the video for the elec- tro-pop track includes cameos by Beyonce, Katy Perry, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Chris Rock and Alexander Wang. MPC NY engaged early on with the director, Madonna and members of her creative team to crystallize her vision for the ultimate party in the ultimate location — the renowned Standard High Line boutique hotel in New York City's meatpacking district. MPC NY VFX supervisor Marcus Wood, who previously worked on Madonna's Ghosttown and Living for Love music videos, attended the shoot and consulted with Madonna's editor Danny B. Tull. The action was shot in one night over three floors in the hotel tower, including the famous Boom Boom Room and rooftop terrace. A number of the celebrity cameos were shot around the country and composited into scenes with other partygoers. For the most innovative cameo, Nicki Minaj was shot on a greenscreen, composited against graphic back- grounds provided by Madonna's creative team, and tracked into a flat panel carried by a dancer. Wood led the MPC NY compositing team, which used Autodesk Flame 2015 supported by Autodesk Flare and The Foundry's Nuke. Lengthy takes combined with the confined spaces and the flow of action meant changes in lighting and exposure were a constant challenge for post. MPC NY colorist Adrian Seery, using a FilmLight Baselight system, performed multiple grades, which were selectively integrated by the 2D team to reflect the look and feel of the track. "Madonna is very much the artist at work in everything she does, and to collaborate with such a huge talent once again was a privilege and a pleasure," says Wood. "With such a history of groundbreaking projects behind her, she fully understands the process and is involved every step of the way." — BY CHRISTINE BUNISH Chioreanu used images of "link fences, barbed wire, chains, pieces of withered meat" to illustrate the captive theme. "There was no camera used, just photos animated by some effects," he says. "I worked it by thinking of it as multi-layered action. I put the photos in motion and controlled the video effects that were applied over them in order to respect the band's aesthetics and the idea of the entire song." There was no clear line between production and post. "I just threw the pictures I needed into Sony Vegas Pro 10.0 and started to manipulate them and animate them until I got a result that pleased me at all levels," he explains. "After that, I rendered it and presented it to the band and they liked it. I didn't use any tools other than Sony Vegas." Chioreanu chose "a complex font fami- ly" for the lyrics that was versatile enough to mirror both the quiet and bold sound of the vocals. "The way the lyrics appear is driven by the dynamic of the music and the way the vocals are taking shape. Every word was treated manually. I decid- ed on the font I should use by analyzing the band's general visual approach." He "played a lot with shades of gray" in the clip. "The video is animated at some unexpected levels, and the intensity of the black and white, plus the tone of gray are also important. There may be things that are not hyper-visible or appear to be not so important, but which actually amplify the 'magic.'" Twilight 13's Chiorea- nu (inset) created the all-graphic Slave video for Leprous.