By Jin Lovelace; team writer, videographer, and fashionist

It’s really hard for me to believe that I have followers who like my cinematography.

No seriously, I can’t believe it. Granted, I take pride in my works and the art I’ve embedded on my YouTube channel, on this site, and my own site — Twilight Touch. But to see such comments on how awesome my work is, to creating the best fashion videos on Home, sends me the chills.

Chills because I’ve never felt that my work was heavily lauded in that manner. I may come off as a bit insecure here, but I personally feel when I create a video piece, I do it and feel good about it, or just unsure of it and edit it anyway just to see what comes of it. Nine times out of ten, it’s always the “unsure” ones that garners the best results for me.

“Endless White”, a piece which was lauded by NorseGamer himself (and the many that viewed the video), is my primary example of this. I wasn’t so sure about my direction on the piece because the basic premise was to feature all white clothing. Even from the start, with the Angel outfit “Lumina”, I had a bit of an idea on where I was heading with the project.

 

 

What I didn’t count on or what threw everything off was the experience I felt during the entire production. What I mean by the experience was the euphoria hitting me twofold when I was playing the song, “Endless White” by Flying Lotus, throughout. It’s a brilliant, tranquil piece that needed a listening ear at the time because I needed some form of peace to my mind.

From there, I was in a trance. It was as though I was some puppet being pulled by the strings of the music, from start to finish. No takes, re-shooting, nothing. Everything was spot on from start to finish. Believe it or not, the production of that project — including editing — took no more than 45 minutes to complete.

I was unsure of the end because the project ended so quickly, but I left everything up to the viewers to decide from there. Looking at it now, it’s something of solace and one I learned how to appreciate over time.

So when I was challenged to write about what goes through the mind of Jin Lovelace behind the camera, though beyond flattered, the feeling of inclination kicked in and I accepted the challenge. Maybe it was time for me to step out of the shadows a bit and actually talk about what goes on in my head when it comes to my cinematography and fashion.

What started it for me was this picture and the feeling it captured. Granted, it’s a still picture, but nevertheless I was inspired by it. I was moved, essentially intrigued. The challenge to capture the essence of this piece was daunting, yet feasible. As an artist, it was enough for me to try and decompose the photo to recreate the structure of the enchanting world the model was captured in. I felt inspired to try to replicate it into the virtual world that we all dwell in.

The problem with this was that I had little to no experience with filmography. Granted, there have been movies that I’ve watched over the years that provided some inspiration to my work. And other inspiration was found while growing up, watching the latest fashion shows that aired on TV. However, translating this into Home was a bit arduous to me at first.

But the perseverance behind what I desire to do for the fashion community on Home was more than enough to activate the LOOT Active Camera and start filming. It was right then when LOOT announced that the commodity was able to record, and I challenged myself to create an actual fashion video that didn’t present the following…

- Trendy music that had nothing to do with the settings of the video

- Fashions that didn’t make any sense artistically, and design-wise

- Forefront models for egotistical purposes

And as of this paragraph, and much attempts to suppress the sensational cringing feeling I’m enduring, this video presentation was my first attempt with the camera.

 

 

Yes, this was my first ever video with the LOOT Camera. At that time, I was really happy with what I had done. I wanted to feature the Billabong fashions and put a unique spin to what was going through my head. Again, the insecurity came into play when I blended the still pictures in the machinima, since lacked the confidence to play with dutch shots or any birds-eye views, terms which I thought only existed in comic books.

The results were me having fun and achieving moderate views and feedback from the people that enjoyed it. But looking back, sweet mercy… I don’t even know if I can finish this sentence without overwhelming embarrassment. I’m saying this because there were a lot of mistakes made in the video, which shows you that I didn’t know anything at all about filming.

But it didn’t stop me from creating what I desire to see on Home: quality fashion works from the mind of Jin Lovelace.

I didn’t care at all how many views I received or how many comments, ratings, puppies, chocolates, or babies were being thrown my way. All I cared about was writing and filming fashion for all to see. Home is my canvas and I just wanted to compose a picture for the art gallery. Whoever could analyze my piece and see what went on in my mind to grasp any sort of modicum of what was produced comprehended that it’s the simple nature, and structure, that builds this house.

And from my understanding, fashion is about many artistic styles, with acquired tastes to suit one’s palette and body. How it looks and feels on one’s frame is an added bonus.

In a virtual world where flashing lights boost egotism and narcissism, and fashion equals out-of-place music and special effects that you can only find in such movies like Resident Evil and The Room, I wanted to simply tell a story through the fashions of Home and convey what I feel about them. It’s artistic expression; that’s how I believe it should be.

Though this was something I’ve mentioned many times in certain articles (including this one), music is the most important aspect to my videos. Much like if you were to hear birds singing outside your house with beautiful sunlight glaring into your window, it’s evokes a vivid feeling of being in the world of the video, and sensing what it has to offer.

 

 

Much like the Kotobuki (Furisode) Kimono presentation here. What drew me into creating this piece was the sheer beauty behind the meaning of the Japanese gowns and the history behind them, along with the Tea House setting. I wanted to capture the essence behind every glare beaming through the trees, and the hues of the cloth draping my avatar, and to seize every moment through the lens, all complete with a captivating track to blend highly well with the feature.

Now, imagine featuring a rap song or a heavy metal, techno track to tell a story like this.

This is what goes on in my mind and behind the camera. There are two worlds that we live in: the one we stand on and the one that we create. The one that we mold with a story, and the one we wish to escape from. The utopia that we shape and conform into our bidding comes with a hefty learning curve, where the other already has an easy button ready for you to push.

For me, behind this camera I felt I wanted to pave my own way and convey a realm where anything is possible, through intrigue, stimulation, experience, and sheer accessibility. Most would think I simply create these videos for popularity, whereas it’s the complete opposite: I do it because I love it. It’s a thrill to create and share, much like any artist that composes a painting and has it featured in an art museum.

Perhaps, this is what I consider HSMagazine to be: an art museum that features my creativity and artistry.

But that’s me; behind the camera.

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One Response to “Behind the Camera”

1. Godzprototype says:

   May 19, 2013 at 11:13 am

   I have always enjoyed your work Jin. Personally never been into fashion that much, but the works you create really do convey artistry on many levels.

   I am glad you have shared them with HomeStation, and Home. And look forward to seeing your growth as a film maker continue. Keep at it.

   Reply