Macromantics- Moments In Movement (2006)

In late '06, I had a chance to work with Romy Hoffman, otherwise known as the Australian rapper Macromantics. A friend of mine from Melbourne had mentioned he knew her, and that she was interested in a music video. She'd just been signed to Kill Rock Stars here in the states, and was ready to start a tour in the US. I was excited to direct the video, but little did I know it would become on of my biggest dissapointments.

We talked on the phone and she told me she'd be in town for just the weekend. We met at a Halloween party that she was slated to perform at and talked ideas. She'd just flown in the day before with her DJ (DJ Amy) and manager. We were set to shoot her against a blue screen the next day, after which they were off on a flight to New York that night.

My friend Davon Ramos, who produced the shoot, and I put together a makeshift blue screen in his basement. Davon was dubious it would work but I pressed ahead. They showed up the next morning on time and we shot her in front lip synching.

Romy was a real sport and performed numerous takes for us, and we wrapped it up in 6 hours. It was my first time working with a blue screen and wasn't at all prepared for the challenges that lay in post. We said our goodbyes, and I set to start on the animation that would encapsulate the live footage we'd shot.

First off, the footage didnt key as well as we;d hoped. The footage ended up being pretty low-res, and we seeing actual jaggedy edges on her performance.

I was determined to finish, and forged ahead. The idea was pretty vague, but I knew I'd wanted to incorproate some 3D with some classic cut out imagery. With other deadlines looming, and time running out on this project, the finished product just never seemed to come together. Sometimes letting a project stew for to long can cause it to never quite jell. While it was big learning experience of what NOT to do, I regret not producing the kind of video she'd deserved, especially for such a great album.