Filmworkers‘ Tyler Roth performed final color correction for “When a Woman Loves,” a stylish new video from Chicago born R&B singer R. Kelly. Directed by Jeremy Rall and edited by Red Car’s Tim LoDolce, the video appears in pristine black & white providing a fittingly classic look to support Kelly’s soulful vocals which harken back to Motown legends Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye.
Kelly appears in a trim, pin-striped suit on a spare theater stage and also in a television studio where his performance is captured with vintage broadcast gear. Later, the singer is presented in a limbo environment surrounded by dozens of microphone stands as his vocals reach their emotional peak.
Although the video has the look of a classic black & white film, it was not shot on film. Rather it was recorded digitally with a RED One MX and Roth pulled the color out in post production under Rall’s direction. “Jeremy showed me a number of photos as reference—he was going for a very sharp, high fashion black & white look,” Roth says. “In addition to desaturating the color, we put a hint of blue into the mid-tones, to give it an authentic, filmic look.”
While the look appears simple, Roth made many subtle manipulations to help shape the visuals. “We did a lot of shaping of the frame, highlighting and vignetting,” he explains. “We wanted to draw attention to Kelly without seeming to do so. The sets were minimal, so we wanted to highlight the things that were there like microphones and speakers—directing the eye through contrast, light and the lack of light.”
The resulting look differs from film in one respect, Roth points out, it lacks grain. “So it is a very crisp, clean, sharp image, but still has a film stock feel.”
Roth, who primarily works on commercials, says that he enjoys music videos because they often allow him to experiment with unconventional looks and techniques. "I work on all sorts of projects, feature films, short films, music videos," he notes. "I like opportunities like this that give me a fresh perspective and let me try things that I can apply to other work and make it that much more interesting."
Filmworkers is located at 232 E. Ohio St. Penthouse, Chicago, IL 60611. For more information, call (312) 664-9333 or visit www.filmworkers.com.
