COMMERCIAL BREAKDOWN
PLAYSTATION GENERATIONS
Description: This is the first of many videos where I break down the cinematography, lighting, and inspiration behind my shots. In this case, I was the director and cinematographer, so you will have a chance to see how I think when it comes to my creative commercial work.
As a child, I was inspired to take on quests and go on adventures after watching Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones or a young Josh Brolin and the gang in The Goonies. That childlike wonder and desire for adventure still hold a place in my heart and occasionally show up in my work as a director.
I was very excited to approach this project as cinematographer as well. The project was about finding a vintage video game system from over 30 years ago! This felt like a great opportunity to utilize a 4:3 aspect ratio, complemented by some vintage lenses, adding some film grain in post, and halation for a vintage look. But first, let's start with the lenses.
I chose my personal set of Lomo Super Speed lenses and paired them with the Arri Alexa Mini LF. I also used specialty lenses such as the Laowa T8 Full Frame probe lens, which prompted me to switch filming formats and capture portions of this piece in full frame. Utilizing the Mini LF gave me greater flexibility when I needed it. I also employed some additional cameras and lens options for specialty shots. I used a GoPro Hero 12 for two shots and a Sony A7S III for two others.
When it came to lighting, I wanted to keep it very natural. Remember, the inspiration for this comes from my love of adventure movies. When I think of Indiana Jones and The Goonies, natural lighting comes to mind. I made sure to complement existing light sources with some lighting by shaping it with negative fill and some accent or fill lights for the talent. If I used heavy lighting, it was to create the illusion of "daytime." The entire basement scene was filmed during sunset. There was little to no light in the basement during the time of filming, so we had to create our own.
If you haven’t seen the actual video to this project review, CLICK HERE
