Shadow Work, The Search for More

This video was far different from anything I've made in the past and really tested my organizational skills since creatively, I really just plan as I go along. Because Vincent needed me to deliver a heartfelt message, I knew that this video would require a thorough plan, especially with his astonishing delivery on the music side of things.

Vincent wanted to practically rebrand himself, which was one of the pillars of messaging found in his album JAZ. As his album represents the death of his younger self, a message to which I could also relate, we began brainstorming a story that could best relay this message through visuals.

Prep Work

Originally, we were set on filming in Malibu since I was living in Ventura and Vincent was in the valley and Jericho, another creative who played a large role influencing the project, was in Burbank. It was December 2024, and we went together to scout various locations in Malibu to determine which suited the theme best for Shadow Work. Since we had a camera with us, we conveniently took some demo shots.

Shortly after, in January, the Palisades fire began spreading along the coast and bordering the valley. Due to the fire, Interstate 1 was closed, removing the primary route to our designated spot in Malibu. While that was a setback, the big concern was that we didn't want to stay in an area that was clearly in distress, especially when people have lost so much. We decided to take a break and pick up at another time when we feel it's right.

March 2025, we regrouped and brainstormed some new concepts, some that stuck, and some that didn't. Though many ideas didn't make the final cut, it was nice knowing that we had plenty of ideas to pick and choose from. Below are some screenshots of the many documents we made for brainstorming and planning.

We ended up splitting the locations between Encino and Long Beach, since Jericho and I were back at CSULB.

Action!

We figured that the video should be a balance between performance shots and shots which make Vincent appear to be on the, "search for more".

Directing Vincent turned out to be quite easy since he was already quite the performer. He knew exactly how to exaggerate his movements and enunciate his words when lip-syncing. Contradicting my usual shooting style, I had to pick very purposeful framing since a good amount of shots were just stills. This meant that I couldn't compensate lack-luster framing with diverse camera movements. We did a lot of walking on shoot days.

The equipment used for our shots weren't complex at all. It was mostly just the camera and a tripod. Even then, I hated carrying around the tripod since I like keeping a light amount of gear on me, but the tripod was essential.

After shooting, I got everything and sent it all to Vincent, where he then splice up clips and created short videos to post on all his socials.

Later he designed different mock ups of the "JAZ" logo, and later the "Shadow Work" definition card that was used in the video later in the process.

Editing Bay

The editing process for me is fairly straight forward. I start by syncing my clips so that all of them are matched. Then with Final Cut Pro 11, I'm able to have multi cam-clips, which makes cutting between takes very easy. Next, I color correct the entire project, trying my best to make it true to life. During this process, I will also add any miscellaneous effects that I feel will enhance the process. Its also important to note that at this point, its only the performance shots. When that's all said and done, I'll start inserting my b-roll, transitions, and visual effects.

Here's a look at the finished timeline.

Roll Credits

This project was a blast and was very fun to be apart of. I was able to try out a lot of new things, especially transitions and effects I thought I'd be able to pull off. Looking back at the process as I'm writing this, there were plenty of lessons learned. This project left me with the knowledge to be able to tackle the next one with improved precision on executing ideas. Still, I think that a lot more work could've gone into the planning process, especially with crafting a story. Overall though, we were able to execute a polished project, and I'm proud to present it to the world.

Here's Shadow Work.