Show Day
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, a personal favorite band, performed in April 2024 at Southern Feed Store in Atlanta and FunkCity.net was there to enjoy and video the show. The band was on top of their game an put on an outstanding show.
For those that don’t know I use a pretty simple set up. In this case it was as follows:
Video:
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- Blackmagic Camera App
- Moment 1.33 Gold Anamorphic Lens
- Mounted on iFootage Cobra 3 monopod
- Rear Camera (focused on steel pans) Feiyu Pocket 3
Audio:
- Zoom MicTrack M3 32 bit float
- iRig XY mics plugged direct into Zoom F3 32 bit float
- Matrix prepped in Audacity
After the show, I told Jonathan I’d share the video and we’d decide how to handle.
Post Show Audio Mixing and Video Rendering
Both the video and audio came out well.
I synced the iPhone recording with the Zoom F3 and M3 audio files in DaVinci Resolve Studio. The video required with minimal color correction and it was rendered into 4K without the iPhone audio.
The Feiyu Pocket 3 was positioned over Jonathan’s right shoulder. It captures 4K but the audio is awful – the biggest gripe with this unit. Nevertheless, I synced the video with the Zoom F3 to match with the main video from the iPhone.
The videos from the iPhone and Feiyu were saved and sent them to Jonathan. He told me that he had some creative ideas for how to use them and I was pumped to see what he had in mind.
Video Editing and Compilation
I don’t know exactly how Jonathan edited and compiled the video but the result is brilliant. He took the main iPhone footage and repositioned it as if it were at least 4 individual shots – one zoomed in on E’Lon on bass, Maison on drums and himself in the center on pans and then the full wide shot of the whole band for four unique views. At times, he also positioned on 2 players or perhaps a slightly different angle on one to give even more perspective.
He also intermixed the rear Feiyu cam for a total of at least five perspectives. Most importantly, he changed perspective quickly from one to the other as only the composer can do. He was able to have the viewer see the music through his own eyes, emphasizing what was most exciting or at the forefront. He was even able to inject some humor into it. For example, when Maison was taking a solo, at one point Jonathan put in a quick shot of the empty pans as if to say “see, I’m not playing here, just Maison.” At another point when E’lon takes the solo, there’s a shot of Jonathan just shaking his head in amazement.
In all, the level of care and attention to detail is astounding. Judging by the length of the video and the frequency of the individual views that are cut in, I’d estimate that there are a thousand edits made (but of course I didn’t count). That’s some real effort and TLC put in!
For me, the end result is spectacular, and way beyond anything I’ve previously done. It really is inspiring and makes me want to up my game and think of more creative ways to get the most out of the shows that I shoot. Take a look at the video on his YouTube channel or mine — I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.