Creativity is Often in the Details
Frame One Media has recently produced a music video for hip-hop artist Hill Harris and his upbeat track “GO.” This project also happened to win an award for Design Rush‘s August 2021 Best Video Production competition. We were excited to have the chance to enter and be showcased for our work, and especially for this particular project.
Hill Harris, aka Chris Harris, is a long-time friend and colleague of mine. I’ve watched his rise from college party rapper to internationally licensed artist with a proud grin on my face throughout the years. Coming out of the main chaos of the 2020/2021 pandemic, he came to us with an idea: to create a music video for “GO” that encompassed some single-shot scenes, high-energy action and cinematic imagery. As the title of this blog suggests, the creativity wasn’t just in the way we shot and edited the video; it was also in the logistics and minor details of making it a reality.
We partnered with Hit Your Mark Productions to help coordinate the day and attain many of the needs, such as extras, vehicles, food and locations. We had one day to pull off what should have been a multi-day shoot, at several locations, with dozens of extras and lots of props. Since the song was being used in promos for the Top Gear America show, he was insistent on highlighting cool cars and motorcycles for that particular audience. We had our work cut out for us.
The day went as smoothly as one would hope, with only a few minor hiccups, which are always padded into the plan. Our extras were on time, willing to do what was needed and bring the right energy to the shots. Our bikers and drivers were very accommodating and even helped us plot out certain aspects of our scenario. And of course they were more than okay letting us show how awesome their vehicles were. Erron of Hit Your Mark Productions put out every fire and helped us dodge every bullet throughout the day. And of course, Hill Harris brought the attitude and positivity that drove every shot.
By the time we got into edit, we felt that most of the work was done. The filming on that day made every shot easy to work with, each take obvious to choose and every added element part of the cherry on top. Creativity can be so many things. It’s not always making a beautiful composition or editing with dazzling effects. It’s often times running a schedule that allows for overlap and troubleshooting, while juggling multiple things simultaneously. It’s doing all of these things while keeping on eye on the end product.
Design Rush choosing to highlight this project has helped validate the hard work and effort put into the video, even before any editing was done. Sure, the edit made it what it is now, but the creative manipulation of resources up front is why we’re so proud of what we accomplished.
