Si Supieras is a treacherous love story that rejects the traditional music video structure which states that there should be a performance setup inter-cut with a story line. In this video, the performance scenes and the storyline blend. To complement Dennis Fernandez's musical style, which takes a traditional form of music and infuses it with modern sounds, the video seamlessly crosses from a mid 20th century era to modern times.
The bar scenes were shot at PAX, Downtown Miami. Color was removed in-camera for some of these scenes because we were absolutely sure we wanted Black and White as the final product. Shooting B&W in-camera allowed us to better judge what the final product would look like by being able to monitor tones and contrast levels accurately.
Because in B&W colors become tones of gray, it was imperative to see the B&W picture when judging wardrobe and make-up due to our lack of experience with the format. I envisioned using the stage lights as props, but I was worried they would look dull in a B&W picture. We decided to rent a star filter kit from Carousel, which added the streaks to the lights when the lens was pointed in their direction. We felt this would make them more interesting but opted for the lightest filter so the effect would not become distracting. This streak effect is also commonly accomplished in post-production, but I find it to be a mistake.
My advice is consistent; if an effect can be achieved in-camera it will be more convincing than when achieved in post. I think most cinematographers and directors would agree, while some very talented post-production artists might not.
We positioned several china balls above the audience that allowed us to control a very soft and even ambiance lighting. China balls are a great tool because they are, in my opinion, picture friendly. It’s always a great advantage when you don't have to worry about hiding lights or keeping them out of frame. One of the reasons we opted for this location was that above the bathroom area there is a storage mezzanine that we used to set up our film lights so that they would always be above the frame. I usually thrive for soft lighting but we wanted it to look as if a spotlight was lighting Dennis, which would be the most common scenario if he were really performing live. We decided to use a 2K Fresnel and cover it with opal diffusion so that it would still be somewhat harsh but nevertheless complementary to our on-camera talent. 
We designed a shot that would transition our B&W 50's bar into a modern venue. We understood there would be some post-production work involved in the execution of the shot, but once again, we undertook as much as we could in-camera. We laid 16' of Matthews straight track and set the camera on a doorway dolly. With the camera still set to black and white we trucked along the track. We placed the lovely Aileen Armas in front so that she would partially cover the lens when the dolly would pass her. Once we felt we had a good take, the camera remained locked down and the exact spot Aileen had been standing in was marked. As far as lighting, we didn't change much except for adding CTS (Color Temperature Straw) gels to our film lights. If you are unfamiliar with CTS, it’s similar to CTO (orange gel specifically used for hot film lights that will turn Daylight color temperature lights into Tungsten color temperature lights) but with a light yellow tint. I'm a big fan of CTS and often use it instead of CTO, for no reason other than personal preference. If the location had been small enough for my hazer (smoke machine) or if I had had the budget to rent a more capable one, I would have used it for the modern bar scenes. The haze would've softened the image a bit, and also accentuated the streaks of lights from the 2K key-light and prop stage lights.
Once the turnaround was complete, we repeated the same shot. The main challenge was that the camera would have to be covered by Aileen at the exact same moment in the song. During post we combined both shots in After Effects, and created an alpha mask that we panned along with Aileen passing the frame. You can see the shot at exactly 01:49.
For the house scenes we scouted several locations and I was impressed by the vast amount of possibilities Gio Fernandez (Dennis's manager) presented me with. Unfortunately, our visions were different. He took me to several mansions that were visually appealing but I felt did not complement the humble nature of the story line. I wanted the average viewer to connect with the story being depicted on screen and I thought a mansion would put Dennis in a world unlike most of ours. To their surprise, we decided on Dennis's own house, which we repainted and redecorated to make it picture friendly. A friend of Dennis’s donated use of the exterior of his house, which depicted the mistress’ house. I thought the double glass doors at the entrance which allowed us to see into the house, accentuated the sense of broken privacy the mistress would be feeling during this scene.
3-Ton Grip Truck and 50kw Generator rented from Unique Producers Service. Canon 5D and Carl Zeiss Prime Lens kit provided by Julien Diaz of Merge-Studios.
Director: Randy Valdes
Assistant Director: Arianee Andollo
Directors of Photography: Julien Diaz, Elvis Suarez & Randy Valdes
Gaffer: Ricardo Ruiz
Key Grip: Francisco "Paco" Moises
1st Assistant Camera: John Llambes
Make-Up Artist: Iris Montoya
Behind The Scenes Photographer: Larry Lacayo
Dennis Fernandez "Si Supieras" BTS, a set on Flickr.
I think that till this day i haven't meet a better production company in Miami. You Rock guys
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