Designing Alex Boye’s “Warrior Track” DP West Webb

We both have never used such a tool before, so we weren't sure if it would be translated that day. This fear changed immediately when the set-up time was reduced by at least half and the execution of the look was almost exact.

Cinematography Database: How did the Warrior Song project come together and what was the original visual concept?
West Webb: The artist wanted to bring a bit of Marvel's Black Panther into the piece, so we tried to create a visual piece that didn't necessarily mimic what we saw in the trailers.

We wanted to create something that gives a powerful feeling, attributed to Alex Boye's voice and movements. It was my first time working with Justin Key, the former creative director at Big Machine Records. The first project was a Hard Rock Cafe competition. Alex Boyes "Warrior Song" won the competition and gave him a music video.

CD: How was the pre-production process with Cine Designer?
WW: I watched your tutorials for a few months and dreamed what it would be like to visualize a project in advance. I was always afraid of C4D for some reason, but when I finally decided to make the jump, I found that it was much easier than I ever expected. I went back to the beginning of the tutorials and just followed along.

CD: Did you share the renderings with the director and artist?
WW: I immediately shared the renderings with the director, who was surprised to see a representation of what the day might look like. We both have never used such a tool before, so we weren't sure if it would be translated that day. This fear changed immediately when the set-up time was reduced by at least half and the execution of the look was almost exact. The renderings excited the artist even more and we felt a kind of achievement before we even started filming.

What camera, lenses and lights did you use for the main show?
WW: We used the Alexa Mini with Cooke Anamorphics. I was very lucky to take photos with this package because this combination is extremely powerful and rewarding. I knew the equipment list, which consisted of 10 quasars, a jem ball, 2 source quads, and a standard 3-ton handle pack including a Fisher 10. We were limited in lighting, but were prepared based on the cinema designer. I knew what we were getting into.

CD: Did you share the renderings with the crew on the day of the shoot?
WW: I sent the renderer my renderings a few days before the shoot and he called me and praised the technology. He was very excited to work together and was really impressed with a visualization. The crew came from our Miami studio, so I couldn't know what it would be like to work with these guys.

In space, my 1st AC monitor and I compared it to my G&E team when we set up the quasars. Each crew member on my team had the images of the renderings on their cell phones, and the monitor and camera position doubled or tripled the speed that would normally have taken to complete this setup. We only had a gaffer, a key handle and a swing.

CD: How long did it take you to learn Cine Designer and create your first renderings?
WW: I started in late November and did my first renderings in the first week of December. Filming took place on December 7th, so it wasn't long before I got my way. I watched about 20 tutorials and then decided to become a bit of a villain and try my first design. I knew most of the dimensions of the studio and with your suggestions I was able to find a suitable 3D object of a throne.

I knew I wanted a character to represent Alex Boye, so I watched the Adobe Fuse tutorial and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to create a character and bring it into C4D. As soon as I had all the physical objects there, I brought the quasars and the other elements into my lighting package. The design immediately came to my mind. It became clear to me that I could solve so many problems in the program that I might encounter on the actual day of the shoot.

For example, I realized that the placement of my jem ball had to be a little bit forward and angled to a certain extent to achieve the desired look. If I hadn't discovered this in Cine Designer (which doesn't require any physical work other than moving my hand on the mouse, haha), I would have recognized my mistake that would have wasted time.

CD: Where can people find you and your work online?
WW: I moved to Los Angeles last summer and just started my own company, Legacy Content.
You can find my work at www.westwebbfilms.com / www.legacycontent.com