SHOT BREAKDOWN - KEYS
When you’re behind the camera you put thought, care and intent behind even the simplest shot. In a music video you’re not only matching visuals to the song, but also trying to add information, whether that’s through direct storytelling or setting a mood and tone. In this article, I’ll break down the decisions I made when shooting this particular shot for the music video Keys.
As always, I shot with my Sony a7S II, in this instance handheld with my workhorse 24-105mm f4 lens. I key lit Pepper with one LED panel, and let the available light from the bar and fairy lights behind her fill and add some interest to the rest of the shot.
Once I set the length of my lens and focus, for that first part of the shot I would just drift back and forth. This technique lets the subject fall gently in and out of focus. Then, when it feels right or when I’ve drifted into an entirely new framing I just manually re-focus and start again. You might notice throughout the video that I used this technique a few other times; I really enjoy it because it’s easy and forgiving, but I also like the quality of the focus drift compared to a manual focus pull (which of course I also use a lot!)
In terms of framing, I wanted to position Pepper on the extreme edge or even a bit out of the frame to symbolise her emotional distance as the subject of the song and to make it seem like she’s already halfway out the door. I think the corrugated iron, fairy lights, and lanterns fill the frame really nicely. I wanted to shoot her really close up to force you into her emotions – I want it to feel almost uncomfortably intimate.
Check out how the shot fits into the rest of the video below. I can’t wait to make another music video!
