Phil Morrison - The Red Rocket (updated version now avail.)

King Monkey · Post by **King Monkey** » 31 Mar 2006 09:58

Streetstyle Productions presents Phil Morrison - The Red Rocket, New Zealand's secret weapon. Since busting onto the scene in enviable style (ie. straight onto Flipsider.com's MASSIVE section), footage of Phil has been just about the rarest thing in footbag. Until now.

Filmed at the Australian National Championships 2006 in Melbourne, this video showcases the aggressive style, brilliant form and phzzzat tricks that make Phil one of the most exciting freestylers to watch and one to keep an eye on in the near future!

NOTE: Original video has now been replaced with fixed version. Enjoy!

http://v.footbag.org/media/600/Phil%20M ... 0fixed.wmv

.WMV format, 5min 25 seconds long, 85 megs.

PS: I used this project as a means to learn more about Adobe After Effects and other programs, and have a go at some new effects and editing styles, so please let me know what you think.

jon · Post by **jon** » 31 Mar 2006 10:13

thanks for this video!

phil is awesome! such variety and both sidedness, he style is so sharp!

save.cullen · Post by **save.cullen** » 31 Mar 2006 11:03

Rad footage with great editing. But, I must say that I busted out in laughter by myself when I saw the rocket near the end.

Thanks for the video

krawallier · Post by **krawallier** » 31 Mar 2006 11:37

g'day!

cool that you managed to fix your audio problems!
shit, phil is good!

since too few people criticize my videos i'll start criticizing others so they'll do it too me!!!

what i liked:
the intro and outro writing effects are phat.
it is all really good on the music, i also like the fforward on the fast dnb.
the effect around 1m30, when the bag leaves a glittery trace is nice, though i first didn't really get it but really nice actually
all the footage you had was good - no tripod stuff - i like that
the red rocket was hilarious!!! loved it!
i also liked the 16 rounded squares of footage in the beginning, looked nice, and with rounded corners it doesn't look as cheap as those multiple shots often do.
i liked the sync from different footage of the same trick bs. that was nice
the overall length was good, intense 5 minutes! better than good 10 minutes. i have to learn that!
can't go wrong with dnb...

what i wasn't crazy about...
thought nearly all footage was overexposed. premiere and aftfx is really good at fixing up footage. it is quite some fiddling, but it is really worth it! you can get out the color and make your pictures look like they were shot with a much better cam...
i said i liked the fforward, but i thought you overdid it a bit, i thought it 'd been nice if you had fforward, then rewound and then played it at normal speed or something...
the same problem i have often - too much fish eye - it is the most convenient way of filming, but i think for the finished video it is much nicer to have many different angles and shots, so mabe take off the fish eye once in a while

also i found that the fast cuts fit the dnb really well, but i thought it might be good to have fade in and outs between some shots,
the font where it says nz phil morr in red in the beginning i thought didn't fit the font you used before, and that stripes wipe in from both sides is a no-no

really! it doesn't fit the rest - and that is a compliment for the rest!

you know i was telling you EVERYTHING i noticed - so it sounds much worse than it is meant to be! i like your video, but i would be happy if more people would really critcize everything they didn't like... thats why i do it now...

so now all the europe footage!!!

thanks for an nice video!!!

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 31 Mar 2006 11:45

Cool!
After Effects looks really fun!!!
I didn't really read your post before I watched the video, but it was really clear that you had just got the program

I found a lot of the editing got in the way of the amazing shred, but one thing that I really loved SOOOOOO much was when you had his feet on fire during the last CRAZY repeat combo!!

Thanks so much for sharing the Phil footage and for putting a lot of work into making it look good! The music was good too. (And I agree with the rocket comment :p)

shredzilla · Post by **shredzilla** » 31 Mar 2006 12:03

(8^ O)

professor · Post by **professor** » 31 Mar 2006 12:45

Awesome editing and awesome shred.

I think we all can agree when I say we need more Phil footage.

habitat · Post by **habitat** » 31 Mar 2006 14:27

wow, very good! I liked everything, so no need to talk shiz on it

Phil is very good. I like how he busts hard moves in the middle of his shred. His blenders though seem waaaaay too easy

Awesome job man!

btw, wheels is in almost all of his circles, I think he has a crush on the red rocket ...

qphox · Post by **qphox** » 31 Mar 2006 14:38

krawallier wrote:since too few people criticize my videos i'll start criticizing others so they'll do it too me!!!

Words of wisdom!

Yeah, I was very impressed with Phil's game. It's the kind of thing where everyone says he's good, and you generally know that he's good, and then you see his game and find that he is better than you thought.

As far as editing goes...I think the opening effects on the writing were pretty cool, but it was difficult to read in one go when there were two lines of text.

The glowbag / firefeet were neat, but I think they had too much...(in audio, you'd call it release...idk)...length? If they died out faster I think it may be less distracting. The computer screens thing was quite cheesy.

I've never been a fan of having to watch more than one thing at a time. I'd rather have everything get the individual attention it deserves.

As far as what I really LIKED, I think you did a fantastic job of matching audio to video. So many videomakers forget about that, and it makes your video so much more captivating. I definitely didn't get bored at all.

Overall, good work. I'll need to talk to you about Aftereffects...I'm looking into that as well.

- Kevin Regamey

RawSko · Post by **RawSko** » 31 Mar 2006 14:58

that was some MAD editing... I LOVE it!! Massive shred too.
Super-duper props!

mentor · Post by **mentor** » 31 Mar 2006 15:03

Damm Ian...you're just as hot in the editing process as Phil is with a bag! Big compliments to both of you on an amazing performance. I’d like to give a solid review just as Max did, but for now I really only have 2 minutes to spare.

I really appreciated the few short clips I have seen with Phil in the past. This time it was super nice to watch a complete production with the Red Rocket. His game have always amazed me and even more in this vid!

Confident and good work with the new effects and editing styles used, as well as cool music fitting to the shred! In terms of a balanced vid with few disturbing elements and focus on filming, this is more a journey in effects and “shred-editing” It make the vid rad and pretty outstanding.
On the other hand I believe it reflects that you had fun learning all about cool software such as after effects etc. Your framing during filming is getting better and the settings are cool. I prefer focus on ultra close-ups & moving shots mixed with dynamic filming, but who am I to tell what’s right? Lenses can be a great tool for some angels especially when mixed with clean shots. Do you have several lenses to choose from and what cam are you filming with these days?

Anyways I really enjoyed this journey in pictures and music, and great you have such skilled shredders in New Zealand for the youth to learn from. I really hope to see both of you in Europe this summer for the big events!

Take care down there & thanks again for a cool production.

HooD · Post by **HooD** » 31 Mar 2006 15:04

Pretty much everything what Kev said. I have always been a huge fan of Phil's game since I've seen it years ago. Music like that can only go well with great game and intense play, so music was well chosen. I loved all the tempo changes with the audio/video, really well done ! You had lots of different locations and angles to keep it really interesting. The quality was so good it almost makes me mad it's on the internet, I want to see some more DVD's come out, lol.

Anyways , what I wasn't crazy about was some things I thought was a bit much. I thought the sparkles around the feet was a bit thick. The monitors that came out a bit excessive, and the red rocket...I don't know what was up with that. It looked alright...but I just thought it was out of place.

I really liked though how you put a lot of time into piecing everything with the music and used some unique ideas too...you don't see that very often. Your vid definitely stands out of the crowd. Props.

sampotter · Post by **sampotter** » 31 Mar 2006 16:16

Phil is awesome!! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: so much like Paakkonen!

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 31 Mar 2006 17:06

I thought like Mulroney - but I guess a bit of both.

Awesome vid Ian - Props

James - yeah I enjoyed playing with Phil - not often I get to play with somebody of his level

BalinorNZ · Post by **BalinorNZ** » 31 Mar 2006 17:44

professor wrote:Awesome editing and awesome shred.

I think we all can agree when I say we need more Phil footage.

You're in luck, there is much more to come

...

Thanks for the video Ian, though I am a little dismayed you got your's out before mine, one of us had to steal the other's thunder

.

There was a lot of it I liked, like the sweet text and the slomo on big moves during strings, but i'm not a big fan of having several clips in one picture.

The music fitted well with Phil's style I think.

I would really like to know though, how many hours did this production take you? I could see myself spenting 20 or 30 hours on something like that with ease.

I must say, even though I have an hour and a quater of good phill strings clogging up my computer right now, I still find it quite refreshing and exiting to watch him play.

Lazytowner · Post by **Lazytowner** » 31 Mar 2006 18:50

Man, that vid was really nice. Loved the background track - what is it? I love his style too, I hope I end up with a style similar to his >.<

setman · Post by **setman** » 31 Mar 2006 23:05

editing was very good, his agressive style is awesome, same with tricks.
i love him. i wanna have kids with him. hahaha

i'm waiting for nic's video.

BalinorNZ · Post by **BalinorNZ** » 31 Mar 2006 23:56

OHHHHHHHHHH! BURN! IAN!! Lol!!!!!!!1

I just noticed that on the intro where it says (so fast you can't read it) PHIL MORISSON, AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND, it is WRONG!

Lol Phil is from Christchurch not Auckland! What in insult :p haha it was so fast I didn't see it till now.

King Monkey · Post by **King Monkey** » 01 Apr 2006 01:54

EDIT2: I just realised a massive shitty mistake i made in the very final compiling. There is supposed to be another quote during the 16 squares screen build part, where it says 'If you are not ready or did not know what to do, it could hurt you in different ways.'
Im so fucking angry right now. i really liked that intro voice.

EDIT: Sorry this little treatment is so big. Please sift through it to find responses to your questions/comments.

BIG THANKS to everyone for watching and replying so soon, i really appreciate the positive and negative comments. The problems people found with it were generally what i expected; when i finished the video and watched it a few times i was kind of disappointed. It sorta lacks the level of aggression and overwhelming intensity i wanted, but its my first video at this kind of pace. I was aiming for something in the line of Kevin's Hackrifice video (you know the one hehe

) and i dont feel i reached it, though i think in some respects the music track let me down in trying to emulate it.

Incidently the track is called '20 20 (Chase and Status Remix)'. Thats all i know. Its actually the 'Red Rocket edit' because i had to move some shit around and cut the audio up a little bit.

I didnt like the rocket bit so much in the end, although it took sooooo long to rotoscope and get it presentable that i just had to include it. Im disappointed that i came off as so 'hilarious' as that wasnt the intention, but it looked too cartoony and slow. I really like the smoke trail though so i was keen to include it. i had a more effective idea originally but that also was taking too much time to pull off. That was one of the scenes which was only really there to see if i could pull it off. I think if the rocket moved much faster it would have been more effective.

The glittery bag thing is a glow bag effect, ala SICK03. I didnt think people would have difficulty identifying that but there you go.Its a bit overkilled however and the trail doesnt fade well, and it totally didnt fit with the rest of the style of the video at all which was the worst thing, but the program didnt have too many plain ones to work with and i couldnt be bothered, at the time, creating one. This video took a serious amount of hours to put together due to the lengthy motion tracking and rotoscoping of masks etc. I would say easily more than 30 hours. Whether that was worth it in the end isnt really clear...im sure some things that i did could have been faster if i was properly trained in this kind of thing.

I have to admit i really love the flaming shoe effect though, i think its totally badass.

The 'several clips in one shot' thing i think can be effective, but i agree that i used it too many times in this production. I think it was 3 or 4. It does make things harder to watch but for the opening 'multiscreen build' it wasnt important to watch the content of the screens, and in the 'monitor foldout' (the 3 screens where he is doing consecutive stuff) was to teach myself keyframing and motion graphics techniques. It was one of the first effects i did which may also explain its strangeness...

Also the part where there are tricks on a 'split screen' style, one trick is better than the other by one element (Vertigo and Blurtigo, Void and Morpheus) Again though, having split screen does make it difficult to tell this on a first viewing. I kind of justified it in a way that it makes you watch it several times

I guess that can also be a bad thing though, because essentially the film should convey pretty much everything the director wants it to convey to the audience, on the first viewing.

It was kind of hard with this project juggling between what people want to see. In the community we have the purists who prefer raw shred with basic editing, and then others who like to see wicked effects and footbag pushed outside the bounds of what is real. Also, and i think this is where i was most disappointed, i was trying to use the video as a learning project, while at the same time produce an intense short video that hit reasonably hard, and ALSO present Phil Morrison to the world. To do that people want to see long strings and variety, whereas the music and length really demanded shorter strings and combos and tougher cuts between shots. This was probably the wrong video to test out these effects and stuff on.

MADS: Im just usingt a JVC DV camera, its less than 1 CCD and not very good, id like to invest in a new one, preferably 3CCD or something. Ill see how i go. I have a 0.3 semi fish eye detachable lens which i did use too much, i think there is only 2 or 3 shots in there that didnt use it. I love fisheye for footbag though! hahah but definitely long and very close up shots are much better without it and should have been used more in this case.

The font i used for the 'Phil Morrison... new zealand' bit in the title really didnt fit the video and i regret using it now. I originally planned to have his name appear in firey handwriting across the screen but this was taking too long and the effect wasnt working for me so i just came up with something quickly.

Oh and Nic, I knew that the Auckland thing was wrong when i compiled the video but had extreme issues with audio syncing in Premiere and it was random that i was able to get it out at all, so i didnt want to change it. I had thrown Auckland in as a guess when i was building the sequence.
His name also changes spelling part way through that, if you watch closely. I have no problem reading all the text in time though? maybe cos i wrote it however...
Not to sound rude dude, but maybe next time just saying 'i spotted a spelling/info mistake' would have been nicer than a multiple-lined, shouting post drawing the error into a huge spotlight.

So yeh overall i think its failings where a combination of too much time and effort spent on it, resulting in me being extremely bored and fed-up with the project, and also rushing to get it completed and uploaded at the end and not going over it properly to clean up any mistakes. I really wish it had come off alot better than this.
Definitely a learning experience, thankyou all for your comments that fueled this massive breakdown of the video i just wrote.
Keep em coming!

BalinorNZ · Post by **BalinorNZ** » 01 Apr 2006 03:05

Lol! I'm just playin with ya bro :p it's not that big of a deal, nobody knows what the city's are called in NZ, most don't even know where it is!

You did a great job and I can easily see how that would take more than 30 hours! Props for sticking to it for that long to make it that sweet! It looked really flippin awesome and you should be damn proud of that man! It's a big deal making a project of that calibre and you learn an hell of a lot which is the best part, just remember everything you make in the future is likley to be better than than! So ur setting a very high standard for yourself

.

Speaking of high standards, I now have to produce my Melbourne video in the next few weeks, and now you have so conviniently set the bar so high, I have a huge amount of work to do to avoid looking like a complete shmuck come release day :p lol thanks man!

Anyway major props again on such a fantastic piece of work

hopfully I will be seeing much more of these from you in days to come!