Rootclip

Alright all you production geeks! Check out this video from Les Lanphere (a.k.a. killerrobotninja) about how he used a green screen and the tracking tools built into After Effects to make this beautiful one second shot. Was it really worth it? You tell us!

Les was also gracious enough to entertain all of us at Rootclip with a quick Q&A session that we set up over Instant Messenger. We hope to make a habit of these interviews to encourage creativity and knowledge sharing in this filmmaking community that we are building. Here is the transcript from that interview...

Rootclip: How long have you been working with film/video?

Les: Over the past few years I've been learning After Effects and video. I've been fairly obsessed with motion graphics, and visual effects, but the idea of making a film never really sparked my interest. Once I really saw what goes into filmmaking, I saw how artistic it really is, and started trying it out. I'm hooked. It's so much fun to shoot something and edit it together to form a story.

Rootclip: What sort of things have inspired you in your video work? What are you drawn to?

Les: I love Scorsese and Tarantino (sans "Kill Bill", I wasn't feeling it). I watch their stuff and study scenes shot by shot and ask myself why they chose that angle, or that lighting. I sort of allow them to be my film professors and I'm constantly learning. I also love to study the edit, how exactly is my mind being tricked into seeing these pieces as one story. When i see an error in the edit (items switching hands etc.), I feel like i get a glimpse behind the scenes. I think "they probably had to go back and re-shoot that shot". Things like that are cool.

Rootclip: Speaking of "film professors", did you actually go to school to learn anything that you know about film or video editing, or are you self-taught?

Les: I did not go to school, but self-taught is an ugly phrase. You don't learn anything by yourself. I'm a student of the Internet and watching others' work. Creative Cow forums are a great place to learn. Andrew Kramer, Jerzy Drozda, Aharon Rabinowitz, these are my teachers. Although they've never seen me, they sacrifice their time to teach upcoming visual artists, like myself (for free).

Rootclip: Let me ask you a bit about your latest submission to Rootclip. What kind of equipment did you use when you created "Underworld"?

Les: We used equipment owned by the website I work for, TCPalm.com. We used a Panasonic DVX100 equipped with an M2 Redrock DOF converter (to get the narrow depth of field). I edited in Adobe Premier and did visual effects, color correction, and reframing in Adobe After Effects. We also used Belton extra glossy spray paint for the graffiti. Other than that we improvised to make dollies, and tried to get creative with the green screen.

Rootclip: Hahah! That graffiti was a nice touch. Was there any significance to it, or was it sort of an afterthought and an excuse to show some creativity?

Les: Actually, the graffiti consists of my name with the thumbs up icon that your website uses. In essence, saying "vote for killer robot ninja". I also went subliminal with the mob family name "Votero". Just the word "vote" loosely Italianized. But I lost, so perhaps it was too subliminal

Editors Note: No buildings were harmed in the making of Underworld. The graffiti you see was done post production using After Effects.

Rootclip: Lets talk about your actors? The other two guys in your video looked pretty comfortable. Were they professionals?

Les: Neither of them had ever acted before. When I did my animated short, "The Persian Connection", Joe was one of my biggest supporters and showed interest in helping out if I needed him. So when I wrote "Underworld" I wrote the part of Joe specifically for him. He surprised me with that Curly voice, and I loved it. Then I found myself typecasting Italians in the office to play the part of Sonny. My friend Bob Moore graced us with his acting, but his walking pneumonia showed through a little too much (but the last 2 shots that show Sonny's back are still Mr. Moore). So I asked another (Italian) coworker, Rob Alfieri to play the part, and all I can say is, He nailed it!

Rootclip: Well, thanks for taking the time to do this quick interview with us, Les. Can we expect to see more from you in the future?

Les: Absolutely! I have to balance my family with my obsessions, so maybe not this round but, (Schwarzenegger voice) i'll be back.

If you're interested in checking out more of Les' work, you can visit his personal website at KillerRobotNinja.com.