Cover essay: Hit the right point within the camera frame

As is known to K-pop followers, K-pop is not simply pop music, but a sophisticated integration of music, choreography, and visualization. Being a photographer and editor in this cover video project, I realized how their contribution elevates the aesthetic value of K-pop products.

Photographer and editors contribute with different tools, but for the same objective of delivering the message effectively. No matter the message is a concept, or a story, it is the foundation for them to create artistic expressions. To understand it is the first step to take over a project. After that, they can play with their artistic expressions like scene arrangement, camera motion, effects, and color correction. In this project, in order to create tension when movement is relatively gentle, I learnt to use fast zooming, fast cutting, and cutting on action together with transition effects to create the atmosphere. Additionally, dark and cold color themes and vignette effect are widely used in color correction to express sadness and pain.

Actually, photographers and editors' contribution can be discerned from comparing focus videos and the original performance videos of the same live performance. The former video, in order to focus on only one person or one group, is usually a one-take video with editing limited to zooming effect and color correction. It allows audience to observe the complete details of the performers. Therefore, strengths and flaws are shown explicitly together. While in the latter video, scenes are carefully arranged based on choreography, and shots are cut skillfully from one to another. Even though the editing and shooting skills are limited since it's a live performance, it can still enhance the watching experience by highlighting detailed choreography, amplifying facial expression, and showing from different angles. Essentially, it guides audience' eyes through a series of key points rather than demonstrates everything without any emphasis.

Therefore, even though idols are hot, it is the camera that hitting the right point makes them hotter.