videoClubfeet 'Everything You Wanted' by Josh Thomas
Here's an ingenious one-shot video for Aussie synth-pop outfit Clubfeet's Everything You Wanted by Josh Thomas at Melbourne's VFX hub Oh Yeah Wow, which is all the more satisfying for being able to see the trick coming a mile off...
Clubfeet singer Yves performs the song while walking down a road - towards a still image of himself, and then 'matches' the image as he reaches it. And that process is repeated ,in more complex ways and involving other band members (and ultimately, umbrellas) during the duration of the video. Not only is it a compelling effect, Josh reveals that everything in the video derived from a single take.
"The raw footage was shot on the Red Epic at 5k resolution, all in one take, at 50 frames a second - No multiple passes were used," Josh explains. "The effect was achieved by masking out each still pose or element and then tracking it backwards in 3D until it leaves frame. Some of the still elements were manipulated and distorted to reduce the flatness when closer to camera.
"The trickiest part was the choreography of the band on the day. It was shot at twice speed, so the band were moving much faster than they seem to be. Every pose had to be timed precisely to beats in the song and it took many takes to get it right. We ended up using the last take of the day. The lead singer was getting very tired and the umbrellas kept breaking. Nine umbrellas were killed in the making of this video..."
Thankfully, those brollies did not die in vain...
David Knight - 31st Jan 2013