With a theme of smartphone addiction, this production surrounds the band with LED displays, shooting on ten iPhones with Blackmagic Camera to capture unconventional angles and looks.
Three-piece Japanese indie rock band Hitsujibungaku, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Moeka Shiotsuka, bassist Yurika Kasai and drummer Hiroa Fukuda, is known for their delicately powerful sound. Their popularity has grown recently, and their music has featured as the opening and ending themes for well known anime titles.
If you like 1990s rock, the most recent song from the band, featured here, will sound good to you. Called ‘Addiction’, its theme comes from Moeka Shiotzuka's personal experience of dependency on a smartphone. In fact, the music video for the song features scenes of the band members performing the song surrounded by LED displays, shot using ten iPhone 15 Pros with Blackmagic Camera installed on each one.
Under Control
Producer Takashi Sugai said, "From the initial planning stages, the members of Hitsujibungaku’s intention was to focus on smartphone dependency as their motive. We conceived the idea of shooting in a space surrounded by LED displays to convey the feeling of being controlled by smartphones. To emphasise that theme, we decided to shoot the entire video using iPhones."
Earlier on, the project's cinematographer Kaishu Kamotani had experience shooting a music video for another artist using five iPhones and the Blackmagic Camera app to record the entire film. "I applied the techniques learned from that experience to 'Addiction',” he said. “Since iPhones are affordable to rent, we could increase the number of cameras. Also, other staff members who were not camera operators could help us handle the shooting.
“Furthermore, using the official app developed by a camera manufacturer such as Blackmagic Design gave us peace of mind. Having shot with Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, the user interface is common between Blackmagic's cameras and the app, so I could understand how to operate the app quickly. I plan to produce two or three more projects using Blackmagic Camera by the end of the year."
Director Moto Nagasawa said, "Because the brief was for a music video featuring only performance scenes, I proposed several ideas in line with that, and from there, the concept of performing surrounded by LED displays was chosen. As for shooting, because we used iPhones and the Blackmagic Camera app, we aimed for unconventional angles not typically captured. The shoot took about eight hours, and in editing, we aimed for a nostalgic alternative rock vibe, emphasizing shots of the instruments and expressive singing."
Options
Blackmagic Camera app adds the Blackmagic digital film camera controls and image processing, and the same interface, to the iPhones. Once installed, a huge number of tools and settings can be accessed interactively through a heads up display (HUD) on the screen, from frame rate, shutter angle and white balance to ISO, timecode and tint. This meant the production could involve staff members in the shoot, who had no direct experience in cinematography.
For instance, the HUD shows status and record parameters, histogram, focus peaking, levels, frame guides and so on without users having to search through menus, and by tapping any item – ISO indicator, auto focus etc – settings can be instantly changed. It’s possible to shoot in 16:9 or vertical aspect ratios, and also shoot 16:9 while holding the phone vertically. With the Lens setting they could choose between the phone’s wide angle, telephoto and ultra-wide angle lenses.
Commenting on using iPhones and Blackmagic Camera for this project, Sugai said, "From a producer's perspective, the budget and on-set dynamics vary with each project, and there are both young and veteran directors to consider. Also, there are now so many options for shooting, from the combination of iPhone and Blackmagic Camera app to professional digital cameras, or even traditional film shooting. I realised I need to explore these possibilities further. Through my experience producing this project with iPhones and Blackmagic Camera app, I hope to create works that blend youthful sensibilities with a nostalgic feel." www.blackmagicdesign.com
