Overview
A weeks long journey into the unknown of Iceland’s landscape was the best location for my project called Glacial Ablation. On this adventure, I was set out to create a music video for my ambient music project.
The challenge was to be able to tell a story about the process of Glacial Ablation which is a process when a glacier melts and pushes it’s materials down a mountain, into rivers and finally into the ocean or a body water.
The goal was to reach an audience of artists, drone videographers and outdoor enthusiasts for collaboration.
Overview
A weeks long journey into the unknown of Iceland’s landscape was the best location for my project called Glacial Ablation. On this adventure, I was set out to create a music video for my ambient music project.
The challenge was to be able to tell a story about the process of Glacial Ablation which is a process when a glacier melts and pushes it’s materials down a mountain, into rivers and finally into the ocean or a body water.
The goal was to reach an audience of artists, drone videographers and outdoor enthusiasts for collaboration.
Overview
A weeks long journey into the unknown of Iceland’s landscape was the best location for my project called Glacial Ablation. On this adventure,
I was set out to create a music video for my ambient music project.
The challenge was to be able to tell a story about the process of Glacial Ablation which is a process when a glacier melts and pushes it’s materials down a mountain, into rivers and finally into the ocean or
a body water.
The goal was to reach an audience of artists, drone videographers and outdoor enthusiasts for collaboration.
Process
After two weeks of mapping on google earth, around Iceland’s hwy 1, my locations were chosen carefully. Preparation was important because there was only a one week window to complete the recording.
The vision was captured with a DJI cinema drone, with an allowance of roughly 30 minutes
of shooting time. Despite detailed location planning, each flight required improvisation. Afterward,
I created a storyboard of the footage to best represent the process of glacial ablation.
Process
After two weeks of mapping on google earth, around Iceland’s hwy 1, my locations were chosen carefully. Preparation was important because there was only a one week window to complete the recording.
The vision was captured with a DJI cinema drone, with an allowance of roughly 30 minutes of shooting time. Despite detailed location planning, each flight required improvisation. Afterward, I created a storyboard of the footage to best represent the process of glacial ablation.
Process
After two weeks of mapping on google earth, around Iceland’s hwy 1,
my locations were chosen carefully. Preparation was important because there was only a one week window to complete the recording.
The vision was captured with a DJI cinema drone, with an allowance of roughly 30 minutes of shooting time. Despite detailed location planning, each flight required improvisation. Afterward, I created a storyboard of the footage to best represent the process of glacial ablation.
Process cont.
Created some videoclips and started production of the music. The music starts
to build in my mind while watching the clips, then I set a metronome to get the bpm (beats per minute) and start building
a sound track.
Being sensitive to the motion and timing of the recording is crucial to capturing the tone of the music. Looking at the pace and contents of each frame help build the story. When the shots are good, they lend themselves to fantastic sound ideas.
Process cont.
Created some videoclips and started production of the music. The music starts
to build in my mind while watching the clips, then I set a metronome to get the bpm (beats per minute) and start building a sound track.
Being sensitive to the motion and timing of the recording is crucial to capturing the tone of the music. Looking at the pace and contents of each frame help build the story. When the shots are good, they lend themselves to fantastic sound ideas.
Process cont.
Created some videoclips and started production of the music.
The music starts
to build in my mind while watching the clips, then
I set a metronome to get the bpm (beats per minute) and start building
a sound track.
Being sensitive to the motion and timing of the recording is crucial to capturing the tone of the music. Looking at the pace and contents of each frame help build the story. When the shots are good, they lend themselves to fantastic sound ideas.
Process cont.
During the editing phase, I developed
a typeface for the video. Using a stack technique with two weights of Barlow helped achieve the delicate and heaviness of the landscapes in Iceland. In addition to the font choice, adding some detail by breaking apart some of the typeface in order to achieve ice breaking away from
an iceberg gave the typeface cohesiveness with the video.
Process cont.
During the editing phase, I developed a typeface for the video. Using a stack technique with two weights of Barlow helped achieve the delicate and heaviness of the landscapes in Iceland. In addition to the font choice, adding some detail by breaking apart some of the typeface in order to achieve ice breaking away from an iceberg gave the typeface cohesiveness with the video.
Challenges
Rain and overcast weather were major hurdles throughout the project. The only options were to wait for conditions to improve or drive to another location, and most of the time, patience was the best solution.
Another challenge was color grading the footage. Iceland’s alien landscapes have wildly varied hues that can be difficult to balance. After some research, I found LUTs (Look-Up Tables) specifically designed for Icelandic footage. I spent many hours comparing screenshots and fine-tuning colors to achieve the right look. Ultimately, the best results came from being patient and giving my eyes time to reset before making final adjustments.
Challenges
Rain and overcast weather were major hurdles throughout the project. The only options were to wait for conditions to improve or drive to another location, and most of the time, patience was the best solution.
Another challenge was color grading the footage. Iceland’s alien landscapes have wildly varied hues that can be difficult to balance. After some research, I found LUTs (Look-Up Tables) specifically designed for Icelandic footage. I spent many hours comparing screenshots and fine-tuning colors to achieve the right look. Ultimately, the best results came from being patient and giving my eyes time to reset before making final adjustments.
What was learned
The result was a solid attempt to capture my story, but I would do a few things differently on the next project. First, I would find a community of local drone photographers and get some inside knowledge on where to fly from. I felt I could have driven closer to some of the locations instead of flying the drone so far which wasted a lot of battery. Secondly, I'd reconsider the time of year because the spring can have more inclement weather.
What was learned
The result was a solid attempt to capture my story, but I would do a few things differently on the next project.
First, I would find a community of local drone photographers and get some inside knowledge on where to fly from. I felt I could have driven closer to some of the locations instead of flying the drone so far which wasted a lot of battery. Secondly, I'd reconsider the time of year because the spring can have more inclement weather.
