karenxcheng
Karen X
387Following1MFollowers12.7MLikes
Director 🎬 Sharing my creative experiments Business: team@karenx.com
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Replying to @Apocrypha Sacrifices were made for this video
Shot w/ @insta360 Flow
Here was our process for making this:
Traditional stop motion uses a sequence of photos. This method is cleaner and higher quality, but I chose to take a video instead so that it would be faster to shoot. The tradeoff here is that it will take longer in the edit - as you have to extract the frames one by one from a video file.
We used the @insta360 Flow gimbal to stabilize the shots, and then @ryanchriscreates further stabilized in the edit (for the tutorial, search “Motion Track After Effects Stabilization” on YouTube) . Then we added speed ramping and motion blur to make the shot feel more dynamic. As a final step, I did a load of laundry at the end.
Director @karenxcheng
Client @insta360
Editor @ryanchriscreates
Shot by @austingumban
Producer @jonathangaurano
BTS @noellexms
Sound @likuidaudio
Shiba Inu @svijnris
Shot w/ @insta360 Flow
Here was our process for making this:
Traditional stop motion uses a sequence of photos. This method is cleaner and higher quality, but I chose to take a video instead so that it would be faster to shoot. The tradeoff here is that it will take longer in the edit - as you have to extract the frames one by one from a video file.
We used the @insta360 Flow gimbal to stabilize the shots, and then @ryanchriscreates further stabilized in the edit (for the tutorial, search “Motion Track After Effects Stabilization” on YouTube) . Then we added speed ramping and motion blur to make the shot feel more dynamic. As a final step, I did a load of laundry at the end.
Director @karenxcheng
Client @insta360
Editor @ryanchriscreates
Shot by @austingumban
Producer @jonathangaurano
BTS @noellexms
Sound @likuidaudio
Shiba Inu @svijnris
How I get around town. Shot with @insta360_official Flow
This video took a while to make… I’ve been working on it on and off for the past few months
It’s been nice since I took the pressure off of myself to post so regularly, that I’ve been able to take more time to play and noodle on things
It started with playing around trying test shots for the @insta360 Flow gimbal. Many of those tests didn’t make it into this video, so I ended up repurposing into a tutorial (my Sep 13 video)
For the scenes that did make it in, we shot and reshot them so many times. I kept wanting to redo them for various reasons…. choreography, location, lighting, weather
One of the scenes, the first one, I just couldn’t decide on which one I liked more. So I’m posting both versions of the video on TikTok. The videos are the same except the first scene is different. Curious which one you prefer... and which one the algorithm ends up amplifying.
We were able to get the shots quite stable by using the gimbal, and then @ryanchriscreates worked his magic and further stabilized the shots in post. Shoutout to @likuidadio for the incredible sound design
I’ll share a more in-depth behind the scenes tomorrow
Director @karenxcheng
Client @insta360
Editor @ryanchriscreates
Shot by @austingumban
Producer @jonathangaurano
BTS @noellexms
Music “Caution - GOOD Remix” by @skrxllaa
Sound @likuidaudio
Artists who inspired me for this video:
Winga
@hscholfield
@cache.bunny
@paulbcummings and Tony Fiandaca
Everything Everywhere All at Once
This video took a while to make… I’ve been working on it on and off for the past few months
It’s been nice since I took the pressure off of myself to post so regularly, that I’ve been able to take more time to play and noodle on things
It started with playing around trying test shots for the @insta360 Flow gimbal. Many of those tests didn’t make it into this video, so I ended up repurposing into a tutorial (my Sep 13 video)
For the scenes that did make it in, we shot and reshot them so many times. I kept wanting to redo them for various reasons…. choreography, location, lighting, weather
One of the scenes, the first one, I just couldn’t decide on which one I liked more. So I’m posting both versions of the video on TikTok. The videos are the same except the first scene is different. Curious which one you prefer... and which one the algorithm ends up amplifying.
We were able to get the shots quite stable by using the gimbal, and then @ryanchriscreates worked his magic and further stabilized the shots in post. Shoutout to @likuidadio for the incredible sound design
I’ll share a more in-depth behind the scenes tomorrow
Director @karenxcheng
Client @insta360
Editor @ryanchriscreates
Shot by @austingumban
Producer @jonathangaurano
BTS @noellexms
Music “Caution - GOOD Remix” by @skrxllaa
Sound @likuidaudio
Artists who inspired me for this video:
Winga
@hscholfield
@cache.bunny
@paulbcummings and Tony Fiandaca
Everything Everywhere All at Once
How I get around town. Shot with @insta360_official Flow
This video took a while to make… I’ve been working on it on and off for the past few months
It’s been nice since I took the pressure off of myself to post so regularly, that I’ve been able to take more time to play and noodle on things
It started with playing around trying test shots for the @insta360 Flow gimbal. Many of those tests didn’t make it into this video, so I ended up repurposing into a tutorial (my Sep 13 video)
For the scenes that did make it in, we shot and reshot them so many times. I kept wanting to redo them for various reasons…. choreography, location, lighting, weather
One of the scenes, the first one, I just couldn’t decide on which one I liked more. So I’m posting both versions of the video on TikTok. The videos are the same except the first scene is different. Curious which one you prefer... and which one the algorithm ends up amplifying.
We were able to get the shots quite stable by using the gimbal, and then @ryanchriscreates worked his magic and further stabilized the shots in post. Shoutout to @likuidadio for the incredible sound design
I’ll share a more in-depth behind the scenes tomorrow
Director @karenxcheng
Client @insta360
Editor @ryanchriscreates
Shot by @austingumban
Producer @jonathangaurano
BTS @noellexms
Music “Caution - GOOD Remix” by @skrxllaa
Sound @likuidaudio
Artists who inspired me for this video:
Winga
@hscholfield
@cache.bunny
@paulbcummings and Tony Fiandaca
Everything Everywhere All at Once
This video took a while to make… I’ve been working on it on and off for the past few months
It’s been nice since I took the pressure off of myself to post so regularly, that I’ve been able to take more time to play and noodle on things
It started with playing around trying test shots for the @insta360 Flow gimbal. Many of those tests didn’t make it into this video, so I ended up repurposing into a tutorial (my Sep 13 video)
For the scenes that did make it in, we shot and reshot them so many times. I kept wanting to redo them for various reasons…. choreography, location, lighting, weather
One of the scenes, the first one, I just couldn’t decide on which one I liked more. So I’m posting both versions of the video on TikTok. The videos are the same except the first scene is different. Curious which one you prefer... and which one the algorithm ends up amplifying.
We were able to get the shots quite stable by using the gimbal, and then @ryanchriscreates worked his magic and further stabilized the shots in post. Shoutout to @likuidadio for the incredible sound design
I’ll share a more in-depth behind the scenes tomorrow
Director @karenxcheng
Client @insta360
Editor @ryanchriscreates
Shot by @austingumban
Producer @jonathangaurano
BTS @noellexms
Music “Caution - GOOD Remix” by @skrxllaa
Sound @likuidaudio
Artists who inspired me for this video:
Winga
@hscholfield
@cache.bunny
@paulbcummings and Tony Fiandaca
Everything Everywhere All at Once
5 shot ideas with @insta360_official Flow gimbal - which shot do you prefer?
Shooting & Editing Tips
1. Leaf Blower
- Set phone to selfie mode. Use face tracker on Insta360 Flow app.
- Walk forward while filming
- Speed up the footage in editing (around 5x-10x)
- Stabilize face further digitally (Search "Motion Track After Effects Stabilization" on YouTube)
2. Running Man
- When shooting, use the face tracker on the Insta360 Flow app
- In the edit, we sped up the video 150-200% to make it look like he was running faster
- Stabilize face further digitally (same tutorial as above)
- Add motion blur & color grade
3. Choose Your Character
- Keep an even distance from the subject, use the basketball court markings as a guide
- Have the subject change poses after each circle
- Use the tracker to lock onto your subject in the Insta360 Flow app
- In the edit, add speed ramps in order to make the orbits around the subject more dramatic
- Add motion blur and color grading
4. Follow Me
- Extend gimbal legs for tripod mode. Track subject, pausing for stop motion poses. The gimbal will auto-follow movement.
- Extract frames from each stop motion pose during editing
- Stabilized face further digitally
- Rotoscope subject, and apply motion blur to background only
5. Robot Arm
- Subject should keep body still, but turn head towards camera. Use the face tracker in the app.
- Move around the subject, getting a variety of angles and distances
- Edit with speed ramps, digital face stabilization, and motion blur
Director @karenxcheng
Client @insta360
Editors @ryanchriscreates @motokimaxted @karenxcheng
Producer @jonathangaurano
Featuring @austingumban @noellexms
Shooting & Editing Tips
1. Leaf Blower
- Set phone to selfie mode. Use face tracker on Insta360 Flow app.
- Walk forward while filming
- Speed up the footage in editing (around 5x-10x)
- Stabilize face further digitally (Search "Motion Track After Effects Stabilization" on YouTube)
2. Running Man
- When shooting, use the face tracker on the Insta360 Flow app
- In the edit, we sped up the video 150-200% to make it look like he was running faster
- Stabilize face further digitally (same tutorial as above)
- Add motion blur & color grade
3. Choose Your Character
- Keep an even distance from the subject, use the basketball court markings as a guide
- Have the subject change poses after each circle
- Use the tracker to lock onto your subject in the Insta360 Flow app
- In the edit, add speed ramps in order to make the orbits around the subject more dramatic
- Add motion blur and color grading
4. Follow Me
- Extend gimbal legs for tripod mode. Track subject, pausing for stop motion poses. The gimbal will auto-follow movement.
- Extract frames from each stop motion pose during editing
- Stabilized face further digitally
- Rotoscope subject, and apply motion blur to background only
5. Robot Arm
- Subject should keep body still, but turn head towards camera. Use the face tracker in the app.
- Move around the subject, getting a variety of angles and distances
- Edit with speed ramps, digital face stabilization, and motion blur
Director @karenxcheng
Client @insta360
Editors @ryanchriscreates @motokimaxted @karenxcheng
Producer @jonathangaurano
Featuring @austingumban @noellexms
I made this using photoshop generative fill, painting one frame at a time. I learned this effect from @Paolo who has some great tutorials on his page
Shot & edited @karenxcheng
Produced by @Jonathan Gaurano @noellexms
Fruit scene @colette.peri @noaproductionstudio
Cyclist @ brooks
Sound design @julianb_rd @likuidaudio
Painting effect @Photoshop @Adobe Generative Fill
Shot & edited @karenxcheng
Produced by @Jonathan Gaurano @noellexms
Fruit scene @colette.peri @noaproductionstudio
Cyclist @ brooks
Sound design @julianb_rd @likuidaudio
Painting effect @Photoshop @Adobe Generative Fill
If life was a painting
Tutorial:
I made this using @Photoshop generative fill, painting each frame one at a time. I learned this effect from @Paolo , who has some great tutorials on his page
--
Hi if you're reading this
i took some time off,
i haven't posted in a few months.
i was tired, really tired
my body was exhausted. my mind was exhausted.
i found myself getting easily overwhelmed by the smallest things
what was wrong with me?
why couldn't my body keep up?
and I realized, I've been pushing my body all my life
overruling it to serve my goals
and finally I needed to listen to it
so i took some time off to rest,
to take extended breaks from screens
and it's been good for me
A while back, @Jonathan Gaurano told me about this quote:
"In a world where we feel the need to be constantly visible —
for visibility these days seems to somehow equate to success...
Don't be afraid to disappear for a while
and see what comes to you in the silence"
- Michaela Coel, in her Emmy acceptance speed
And I think content creators are so afraid to disappear because algorithms penalize us for it.
If anyone who works at IG, TikTok, or YouTube is listening:
My wish is for the algorithm to be designed in a way that supports and encourages content creators when they take breaks, instead of punishing them.
Social media companies have gotten successful by making them as addicting as possible, but this has real costs on society. I hope we're at a tipping point where tech will be designed more mindfully in the next few years.
--
A few books that helped me on my break:
- Molecule of More (taught me about dopamine addiction)
- Stolen Focus (how technology affects us)
- Issues in your tissues (for burnout, stiff muscles, back/neck pain)
I'll be taking more breaks. I don't know how long, or how often, or when the next one will be, but I'm going to keep taking them as needed 😌
--
Shot & edited @karenxcheng
Produced by @jonathangaurano
Fruit scene @@colette.peri @noaproductionstudio
Cyclist @ brooks
Sound design @julianb_rd @likuidaudio
Painting effect @Adobe @photoshop #generativefill
which I learned from @paolomarkthree (see his page for tutorial)
Tutorial:
I made this using @Photoshop generative fill, painting each frame one at a time. I learned this effect from @Paolo , who has some great tutorials on his page
--
Hi if you're reading this
i took some time off,
i haven't posted in a few months.
i was tired, really tired
my body was exhausted. my mind was exhausted.
i found myself getting easily overwhelmed by the smallest things
what was wrong with me?
why couldn't my body keep up?
and I realized, I've been pushing my body all my life
overruling it to serve my goals
and finally I needed to listen to it
so i took some time off to rest,
to take extended breaks from screens
and it's been good for me
A while back, @Jonathan Gaurano told me about this quote:
"In a world where we feel the need to be constantly visible —
for visibility these days seems to somehow equate to success...
Don't be afraid to disappear for a while
and see what comes to you in the silence"
- Michaela Coel, in her Emmy acceptance speed
And I think content creators are so afraid to disappear because algorithms penalize us for it.
If anyone who works at IG, TikTok, or YouTube is listening:
My wish is for the algorithm to be designed in a way that supports and encourages content creators when they take breaks, instead of punishing them.
Social media companies have gotten successful by making them as addicting as possible, but this has real costs on society. I hope we're at a tipping point where tech will be designed more mindfully in the next few years.
--
A few books that helped me on my break:
- Molecule of More (taught me about dopamine addiction)
- Stolen Focus (how technology affects us)
- Issues in your tissues (for burnout, stiff muscles, back/neck pain)
I'll be taking more breaks. I don't know how long, or how often, or when the next one will be, but I'm going to keep taking them as needed 😌
--
Shot & edited @karenxcheng
Produced by @jonathangaurano
Fruit scene @@colette.peri @noaproductionstudio
Cyclist @ brooks
Sound design @julianb_rd @likuidaudio
Painting effect @Adobe @photoshop #generativefill
which I learned from @paolomarkthree (see his page for tutorial)
