Isaiah / MUSIC VIDEO
Sophia approached me to assist her in a music video production. Shot on a 16mm film camera, the idea was to 'elevate' the visuals by incorporating some 3D motion elements.
Based on the lyrics and the general aesthetics, we decided to design an animation of growing grass/flowers for specific shots. Below, you can see the result and the process
made in Houdini, Blender and Redshift.
The process
Since the video was shot on a 16mm film camera, tracking the raw footage has been challenging due to the heavy film grain and the absence of contrast points in the foreground. I ended up using the Blender tracker system, and after some trial and error, the track was good enough to start working on.
In the second phase, I imported an alembic into Houdini with some tracker points and basic shapes to block out the scene. The process involved a simple setup: a pyro source spread system controlling the scale and normals of scattered points. I then adjusted plant variations, pscale, and orientations, especially on vertical surfaces. I UV projected the video onto the blockout shapes to create a nice matte reflecting surface for the plants' GI.
In the third phase, during compositing, it was a bit tricky to mask those white curtains. I used tracking in conjunction with some fine-tuned luma masks until the result was satisfying.
Last but not least, the grading part. I tried to match the original Kodak 250D stock colors, and then I added some grain on top of the plants.
I hope you enjoy it.
ISAIAH from ‘NY/LON’ EP by Sophia Amato
STREAM NY/LON EP: https://sophiaamato.lnk.to/NYLON-EP
Sophia Amato Instagram,TikTok,Facebook:
STREAM NY/LON EP: https://sophiaamato.lnk.to/NYLON-EP
Sophia Amato Instagram,TikTok,Facebook:
sophiaamatomusic
Website: https://www.sophiaamato.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-it/artist/3cVQTQoXntc489KhMdcCDS
Website: https://www.sophiaamato.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-it/artist/3cVQTQoXntc489KhMdcCDS
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/artists/B07XGGHCN9/sophia-amato
CREDITS
Producer and Director: Sophia Amato
Production Coordinator: Jess Richardson-Smith
DOP: Ollie Craig
Loader: Oona Milka Eloranta
Gaffer: Jamie Patience
Set Design: Kate Sutton
Styling: Steph Major
MUA: Samanta Falcone
Hair: Sabrina Lefebvre
Editor: Grace Lambert
VFX & Compositing: Marco Londero
Colourist: Hannah Squires
Thanks to Shift4, Digital Orchard and Kodak Film Lab
SONG CREDITS
Written and performed by Sophia Amato
Written by Raphaella Mazaheri-Asadi
Written/Produced by Karl Zine
Mixed/Mastered: Jarrad Hearman
