The Colonie's Nathan Rodgers helped set the pace for Chicago rapper Towkio's music video, ‘Symphony,’ a new single dropped from the artist’s album, WWW. 

The project tapped the editor's broad range of skills. Rodgers worked with director Andre Muir on developing the finer points of the video, and was postproduction producer on the project. He also collaborated closely with the crew and The Colonie's VFX talent to ensure  a cost-effective, seamless approach to bringing Muir's vision to life.

Rodgers cut the video to the jazz-fusion inspired beat of the track using the music as a guideline, rather than letting it dictate the cuts. Selecting some points that didn't line up with the beat, the editor created an off-kilter synchronicity, adding to the unpredictable flow that gives the video a life of its own.

The storyline focuses on Towkio as he tries to get the attention of one particular girl who catches his eye, while still tempted by the other women in the video. The action unfolds in a hotel, as the setting  appears to be changing into a rapid succession of locations seamlessly woven into a cohesive visual story.  

"Bringing together these shifting environments without creating a jarring effect required precise planning and close coordination during every phase of the project," says Rodgers.

"This was a complex production, and ultimately the footage would end up in my hands,” he adds. "It was important that we stayed on top of every detail, caught potential issues early on and made the necessary adjustments, avoiding time-consuming and costly fixes in postproduction.”

Rodgers edited the music video at The Colonie on the Adobe Premiere Pro and handed off sections to the company's VFX artist, Ben Pokorny while they were still in rough form.  

"Ideally, greenscreen would be used for some visual effects, but sticking with a practical shoot was more cost-effective,' says Pokorny. "So instead, I experimented with different approaches on Flame Premium and Adobe After effects, created the VFX and then added them after the production wrapped."

"A large number of match cuts required the shots to be meticulously timed out," adds Rodgers. "Even with the close attention paid to every detail, occasionally I would work a scene up to the very end, only to find that the last few frames wouldn’t work and made it unusable. Sometimes this would result in a chain reaction that required changes that affected the whole timeline of the video." 

Rodgers was introduced to this editorial approach when the production company, Naked Gallery, first called on him a few years ago to work on some music videos for a number of artists, including Kami and Cody Varik. 

Nathan Rodgers recently came onboard as an assistant cutter at The Colonie, a  full-service editorial, VFX, and motion design studio best known for its work on commercials, social media and long-form content.

"The Colonie’s team has worked on quite a few music videos over the years," says EP and partner, Mary Caddy, "We appreciate the fresh perspective that out-of-the-box concepts bring to commercials and social media content and really enjoy working in the genre."

"Nathan Rodgers is a new addition to The Colonie's staff," says senior editor and partner, Bob Ackerman. "We were impressed with his fresh aesthetic and skill-sets as an editor the first time we saw his work. However, the scope of his contribution and the depth of understanding that he brought to this music video real wowed us." 

About The Colonie: 
The Colonie is an award-winning Chicago-based creative editorial, motion design, visual FX and finishing postproduction house with a seamless full-service approach to creating broadcast and digital content that engages, entertains, informs and move audiences. 

The company's client list includes a wide range of national and global clients, such as Toyota, Payless, BCBS, Facebook, Anheuser-Busch, McDonald’s, Nintendo, Levis, PepsiCo, and Bayer. 

For more information about The Colonie visit www.TheColonie.com, contact executive producer, Mary Caddy at 312-225-1234, or Sonia Reps, sales@Soniareps.com, 312-519-0911.

CREDITS: 
Product: Music Video: 
Title: 'Symphony'
Artist: Towkio
Featured vocals: Teddy Jackson

Record Company: American Recording, LA
Record Label: Republic Records, LA 

Production Company: Naked Gallery, Chicago
Director: Andre Muir
Director of Photography: Flynn Drew
Camera Operator: Dae Kim
Producer: Zach Moore; Cory Proctor
Associate Producer: Manny Caston

Editorial  Company: The Colonie, Chicago
Editor - Nathan Rodgers
Post Producer: Nathan Rodgers,Jack Williams,August Marron 

VFX Company: The Colonie, Chicago
VFX Artist: Ben Pokorny
 
Color Correction Company: The Mill, Chicago
Color Producer: Dan Butler
Colorist: Mikey Pehanich

Audio Post Company: The Colonie, Chicago
Mixer: Nathan Rodgers