pop rocks | Annie Lowry's Blog

There are many different ways to add energy/excitement/craziness into film.

1) Jump cuts (two sequential shots of the same subject that vary ever so slightly) can give an effect of skipping through time because the subjects aren’t shown moving from Point A to Point B but somehow appear in a different position/location like a ninja.

2) Quick camera movements. These allow the audience to feel like they are literally running around in the scenes. It could be a fast pan of the landscape to give a wide horizontal view, or a fleeting zoom in or out to show many different objects. With either or these it gives the audience a sense of urgency to pay close attention because they may miss something of grande importance with one blink of an eye!

3) Fast-forwarding. Simple as that – there are so many important items to cover that the audience isn’t even given the liberty of experiencing it in real time.

4) And the opposite – slow motion. It builds up the audience’s anticipation for an explosion of awesomeness.

5) Crazy, excitable audio. Whether there is a song with drums playing an insane beat, a voice-over in a high pitched voice, or an actor who talks quickly like a New Yorker…any little audio detail can keep the audience’s eyes glued to their screen. Screaming, yelling, clapping, cheering also work here.

6) Many separate flashes of different shots. The camera isn’t just sitting on one object for a long time like a boring soap opera – it is flying around filming many different subject on the set like a bunch of pop rocks that have just been submerged in soda.

The Coca Cola video shown above has both fantastic camera and editing work behind the scenes. It is similar to the wedding video in one of my earlier posts as they both require watching more than one time to fully capture all the details and magic. Energetic productions are my favorite type of filming (ehhh well it is a close tie with the very teary-eyed sentimental videos).

You can’t tell me your heart rate didn’t rise while watching that video due to all the hype created from the camera movement and the speedy talent…or maybe from the Coke you are now drinking. (If it didn’t then I will just blame it on drinking an afternoon coffee which, for me, is very out of character.)

Shoes…shoes…shoes. Why is every girl obsessed with shoes? It was impossible to not become a tomboy growing up competing with an older and a younger brother, but I still managed to inherit the female trait of an undying passion for shoes.

My love for art directly correlates to my love for shoes. I am not talking about bright pink stilettos or colorful summer wedges (a 6’1″ girl rarely needs those), but rather a love for customized Nikes. My heart skip a beat when I see a pair of Nike hightops newly inked with an old school Mario and Luigi. If only they were all featured in neon colors….you can never go wrong with neon.

I have always wanted to start a customizing company alongside a video company (perhaps one day it will become a reality), and the images below are just a quick snapshot of what inspires me. I am a firm believer that an individual’s shoes best repressent their personality. Boat shoes = preppy / always prepared with a beer koozie. Crazy looking designer heels = high maintenance. Scuffed up shoes = unorganized / not worried about making a good impression. Sandals = casual / satisfied with a mimosa and a beach chair. Rain boots = afraid to get wet and let loose or just ultra-prepared. Custom Nikes = laid back / athletic / stylish / coolest person you know. I stereotyped everyone (didn’t mean to offend as I have worn them all) and obviously made my Nike category of shoes the most awesome but you see my point.

I love to celebrate the kid inside of myself as often as I can. These shoes bring me back to the good ole days of playing Nintendo with my brothers and eating pop rocks, not a discussion about politics or how high my rent is being raised next month.

I pulled all of these images from random sites I often visit. ENJOY! (and buy me a pair).