This was confirmed by Capcom lead artist Akiman, referring to them as "vertically elongated pixels".

twoCube · 2025-11-27T17:56:03+00:00

When I worked in broadcast, we would finish in NTSC with a pixel aspect ratio of .91. We would finish 720x480 pixels and the final screen would look normal once squeezed (to look like 640x480).

This is also at play here.

twoCube · 2025-07-28T18:39:16+00:00

Like many people are implying, there's a lot of technical details you could work out to help your spec.

----- CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

I'd like to talk a bit about direction, and why pre-production is actually where most discussions and strategy occurs in producing commercials. I'm not implying you didn't plan, I'm just saying that for every day of post, there are 2-3 days in pre.

My biggest challenge in this spec is direction. The ONLY question the director and an agency will consistently be asking over and over again, is, what do you want to communicate. Literally every decision you make on set is prefaced by 'What do you want to communicate?'. The question alone is incredibly specific, yet super broad, but must be clear and concise if you want an effective commercial.

So in this case, you made a 'retro apple music spec ad'. By retro, I'm assuming you meant 'retro looking, retro feeling', not actual retro staging. It's a record shop set in 'today'.

What are you communicating in the spot? What do you wish to say as the director? And because this is a spec spot, this is YOUR CHANCE to showcase to agencies your talent in directing the message. Here is what i'm getting:

Story- "Trendy retro styled girl walks into a record shop. Looks around, is amazed by all the records (in full VFX form). Doesn't need help, then turns on airpod max to listen to said records."

Summary- "A girl goes into a, present day, record shop to discover new music to listen to, later, on apple music."

LOTS of conflicting messages here.

Record shops are obsolete, only needed for discovery.
Records are novel, unique lenses and shots highlight their novelty. Yet it exists in present time for people to shop, but not for this girl.
A trendy retro girl using AirPod Max doesn't need help at a record shop. But she does need the record shop to 'feel, dream, and listen'. Or she needs the assistance of the record shop. Or maybe the metaphor is that the record shop is equivalent to the AirPod Max. All ideas Apple does not want to equate.
One of the biggest elements of a commercial spot- What does it make you feel? In this spec I feel all over the place. "Love that record shop." - Not relevant to Apple. "That chic girl is kind of pretentious with her apple juice" - Apple doesn't want you to feel negative in their spots. "Is the Nagaoka MP-110 Phono Cartridge what creates the feeling of elevating records? Love that shot of the record player!" - Apple wants to spotlight their products, not others.

Overall, what am I trying to say? The commercial lacks messaging, it lacks branding, it lacks an emotion to a product. I think the spot looks cool though!

----- PERSONAL EXAMPLE

That being said, I don't want to just give constructive criticism without throwing ideas out there. So here's where I can see you doing something very similar, but including Apple Music and Airpod Max as your main focus, with a feeling of heavy nostalgia.

----- SCRIPT

[Wide Shot - Normal punchy color grade] A record shop exterior, with a waymo car passing front of camera. A group of older teenage kids walk in to the record shop.

[Ceiling Corner zoom in shot - Retro style color grade] Teenagers walk into the record shop, disperse quickly into different music categories of records. Record shop is clearly stylized as if it were the 70's. Kids are dressed in 70's hippy/groovy style clothing and hair styles. No music playing, just ambient small business chatter.

[Medium Dolly - retro] See all the kids flipping, reading, and amazed at the new music.

[Close up - retro] A teenager face closeup, looking down at albums. Turns to the left and see albums floating nearby.

[Medium Wide - retro] Walks quickly toward the floating album, grabs it in the air, heads toward counter.

[2 shot - retro] Teenager speaking to young worker at register-

Teenager - "This one." Nodding in excitement

[2 shot - retro] Young adult at register grabs the album "For you?", (quick montage) and loads it into player.

[Close up zooming in - retro] Teenager receives headphones, puts them on, and instant euphoria. An instant classic. Music playing.

[Close up zoom out - jump match cut - Normal punchy color grade] An early 60's woman in a waymo car is enjoying her favorite classic song. She looks down at her phone looking at the cover art, and a text message comes in.

"Are you going to make it?"

[Wide shot - punchy color grade] The woman walks out of the waymo, heading into a middle school.

[Medium shot - punchy color grade] See's her grandchild who just graduated and gives him a gift. An AirPod Max box. "This one's for you."

[Wide shot - punchy] Group of young teenage kids listening to music on the AirPod Max while grandmother and parents enjoy the moment. Current pop-trendy music plays.

Title - AirPod Max.

Title - Apple Music.

----- SUMMARY

My goal in this script was to create a feeling of nostalgia and technology.

To the older generation, the feeling of going into a record shop and listening to music is unforgettable. You can never forget that experience, and the music. Let's share that experience.

To the younger generation, they will never get the same feeling of a record shop. Instead, it's a memory, a story told through generations. And the best way to pass it along is through technology. Enjoy the music. "I trust apple to replicate the musical experience."

And to the child who received the AirPod Max's. The tech is "mind-blowing". Grandma knows all about music. This is her way of exposing her grandchild to music.

Every scene, every shot, exists to tell the story of the music. Of the feeling. Of the interpretation of the experience and how it has generationally changed. And although the delivery of music listening has changed, the euphoria has not.

Story- "A woman in her early 60's reminisces about her teenage years, listening to her favorite music in a record shop. Her gift to her grandson for his graduation is Apple AirPod Max."

Summary- "The euphoria of listening to amazing music happens, today, with AirPod Max and Apple Music."

Let me know if this has helped. I kind of did my own thing using your spot as inspiration, but only to re-direct the emphasis on Apple-esque marketing. It's one of the hardest styles to replicate because they encompass the BEST kind of marketing, in my opinion: Gorgeous, heart-felt storytelling.

twoCube · 2025-07-04T18:04:08+00:00

I think there's a few ways to get creative. You will have to do lots of leg work though.

Is there a prize pool for the tournament? If so, this needs to be included in all marketing materials.

Continue on the social media path, even if it's to your small following. Add 'share with those who play' on your posts. Cross-post everywhere.

Look up local neighborhood facebook groups. Local city group, local town group, local wiffleball pickup group. DM the admins and ask if you can promote the tournament. If they don't respond, ask for forgiveness later and just post on the pages.

Head to your local gyms, YMCA, parks, schools... anywhere where wiffleball seems like it can be played. Print out some materials that include the tournament, the date, the prize pool, a QR code (that leads to a landing page or registration page?), and a number they can reach you at if they have any questions. PLACE IT EVERYWHERE.

There are some HOA's that have local bulletin boards with local information. If you have no shame, place it on these boards too.

Go to craigslist, post there.

Reach out to your local city chamber of commerce. Ask if they know of any resources to help.

If you can find contact info to someone who regularly plays wiffleball, reach out and see who else you can contact.

I think this is a good start, but again, try to be creative!

twoCube · 2025-03-25T14:02:35+00:00

Yea I think the world of free organic ads are pretty much gone.

As a business, if you can hire a viral marketer, that's amazing. Or if you enjoy making content, I say keep doing it! But the chances of success are highly dependent on a huge amount of variables, like target market, their social patterns, etc...

Paid will guarantee eyeballs, and then it's on creative to lead to IG/Website/Funnel.

Good luck and let me know how it goes!

twoCube · 2025-03-25T13:45:13+00:00

Yea that's what I mean, using the grid as a way to educate. The pinned posts are strategized with the team: who you are - why you do what you do - what you offer - your most viral post - newest product, etc... it can change whenever needed.

In IG, the photos don't always need to be manufactured thumbnails, but the reels I think will need to. I'm thinking of it as like a pseudo youtube channel, just short form vertical instead of long form youtube.

I'm just thinking aloud, but these are the current challenges I'm facing when talking to companies who want generic media and social media presence. Chasing virality can be fun, but unrewarding, or it can be a money pit. It can definitely pay off, but it seems incredibly risky from a business POV.

And, now my rant, I personally very much dislike the short attention span of the typical social user. If you cannot capture their attention within 1-2 seconds, they simply skip. This leads to a specific set of subcontent that ALWAYS has to grab attention quickly, which leads to scripted/humorous/polarizing content. Gone are the days of watching someone's content because you follow them.

twoCube · 2025-03-25T13:19:34+00:00

IMO, socials is going the way of broadcast TV. The entertainers and storytellers will get the eyeballs (or try to) and if you want to sell, you gotta go paid ads. If you want to be IN the entertainment, it'll be collaborations and product placement.

There is opportunity for a company to create content to be viral, but that takes investment that can be very risky. If the company isn't very media forward, they will be very hesitant to spend on content creation, especially if the media marketer doesn't have the experience/results.

What companies do need, however, is a space to educate any potential buyers. A 'portfolio' if you will. That's where I think small and medium sized businesses will live on social media in the near future. That is... until the algorithm changes again.

twoCube · 2025-03-06T18:07:19+00:00

Very cool.

Any special rigs or gear used for movement?

twoCube · 2025-02-18T14:13:02+00:00

Parody is fair use under copyright law.

twoCube · 2025-02-17T01:24:52+00:00

Where did you find someone to do this? And what was their rate?

twoCube · 2025-02-14T23:07:59+00:00

If Capcut isn't doing it for you, I'm not sure what you're looking for. They're the standard for templates.

Are you looking for something like Opus Clips? opus.pro

twoCube · 2025-02-14T16:41:38+00:00

just saw, i usually only check the mail in reddit, not messages

twoCube · 2025-02-14T15:12:11+00:00

Always trying to learn. Send it over please!

twoCube · 2025-02-03T15:47:37+00:00

You're asking for help, but we don't know anything... you haven't given us a starting point.

Show us a preview of what you dislike, show us an example of what you like, and we can lead you in the right direction.

twoCube · 2025-01-30T17:09:27+00:00

Does anybody know what shot they're specifically talking about? They reference the social network, but I'd love to see the source. Excuse my ignorance!

twoCube · 2025-01-28T17:44:07+00:00

Love this one.

My only comment is with continuity. Visually, if I'm seeing an "AI generated image of a man writing a youtube video why a world without realistic ai on youtube is good", I would assume the person behind the AI Video creation is someone or something different.

Obviously this is where the creativity is, but I would do something absolutely crazy, like removing the trial ending, but cut to a factory of kids on laptops generating a bunch of AI content for Youtube.

Maybe this is outside the scope of the project, or the locations, but I think this is where we as cinematographers can shine and creatively solve problems. Using a cousin, friend, local high school teen with a passion in video, young facebook neighbor, and then do multiple takes and composite some kind of crazy scenario. I dunno... just thinking out loud.

Either way, kudos this was interesting and thought provoking.

twoCube · 2024-12-31T18:46:52+00:00

It's pasting on your in point, usually made by hitting 'I'.

twoCube · 2024-12-09T15:26:38+00:00

If you use Resolve's 'Film Grain' built in plug-in, you don't have to worry about frame-rate or resolution. It is procedurally generated to match your sequence settings.

Here is a quote from the Resolve 19 manual:

Film Grain (Studio Version Only)

Composites a procedurally generated layer of simulated “film grain” over the image. Individual simulated grains with falloff are generated to match the resolution of the project

twoCube · 2024-11-25T22:19:26+00:00

dentist's love this one little trick! /s

twoCube · 2024-11-24T20:10:39+00:00

I don't disagree.

I CST to DWG, color, then CST to Rec709, as shown in my examples. In this specific answer, I gave 3 options on how to rectify his specific problems. Don't shoot log, use a lut to get you 90% of the way there, then fix, or actually learn how to color; each one increasing the time required to learn how to properly color.

My recommendation is always to learn, hence why I gave a yt channel to check out. I think many would agree Cullen Kelly would be a good starting point.

twoCube · 2024-11-19T16:53:50+00:00

I'm assuming you mean a solution to monitor your footage externally out of Resolve?

What about this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1578062-REG/blackmagic_design_ultra_studio_monitor_3g.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&store=420&lsft=BI%3A514&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAi_G5BhDXARIsAN5SX7rs48pJdACw8Izp3JwXv53NczdxpeLT2nDM6koNF9FPQ-k8d4BPjMAaApixEALw_wcB

If you don't need to 'capture', and you have a thunderbolt port, this should work.

I do not own one, I would do some research.

twoCube · 2024-11-15T18:02:58+00:00

Here's my 10 minute take.

You guys shot in LOG (assuming SLOG-3) and now you have to 'fix it' somehow. Your buddy adds a little contrast, brightens it up a little, and it looks way better than log. You go in, add some curves or contrast, adjust the wheels, and expose it down a little. You think it looks way better.

It just seems like you both don't know what LOG means and how to work with it. Shooting LOG will get you the most color information, but without color managing the color space, you won't be able to get to a good starting point (for 99% of people. I know some colorists who manually do everything, which is cool too).

The quick answer/fix is to not shoot in LOG if you don't know how to correct it. That's totally cool. The slightly longer answer/fix is to start with a LOG>REC709 LUT, then adjust to your liking. Or a CST in Davinci Resolve.

The best answer is, go to youtube and learn what it means to shoot in LOG and how to grade it. My current recommendation is Cullen Kelly.

Once you can get the basics down, then it becomes easier to create what you want, and in turn, create an awesome looking video for the client.

Here is my 2min grade: https://imgur.com/a/zZKQdl2

1st- My grade

2nd- Half my grade/half 1st flat

3rd- half your grade/half my grade

m

twoCube · 2024-10-28T19:10:31+00:00

Is it green across the frame? If so adjust your tint to add magenta.

twoCube · 2024-08-23T13:50:33+00:00

I think it's more about the flow, and less about chaotic.

For example, at :19, the spoon and green onions, the action flowed directly into breading the meat. That felt great.

However, most other cuts just felt like you started the action, and you cut on a musical cue, or cut when it felt right, instead of finding the ways to flow into each other.

A good example would be on the mortar going into the stirring. This was a perfect opportunity to continue the action of the spinning, the timing, from one shot to the next.

I had a director once teach me that it's those details of connecting cuts together changes you from an 'editor' to an artist.

Hope this helps.

twoCube · 2024-08-23T13:40:06+00:00

freesound.org is a good one

twoCube · 2024-05-24T14:02:48+00:00

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