film – Rafi And Klee Studios

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Artist Rafi Perez — 2 Comments

Why Do I Have A YouTube Channel

Some of you know that Klee and I have a YouTube channel where we talk about life, art, tips for aspiring artists, and other goofy content. We even have a small following that seems to be growing every day.

Now anybody that has done any filming and video editing knows how much work goes into producing a well edited short video. If you don’t, it’s a lot of work, like you can hire a team to do it and it would still take time. Considering that I’m pretty much my team with the occasional technical assistance from Klee, it begs the question, why do it?

Rafi and Klee On YouTube — My makeshift solo filming, that’s right, there is no camera man.

Admittedly, I’ve had to ask myself the same question. I mean, I can be creating art instead of videos, and that would make me more of an income than the videos ever will.

But, I just can’t help myself. There is something about the whole creative process that I love. I love the writing, filming, lighting, sound, content, editing, Klee and I bouncing off one another and most of all, I love the creatives who follow us on YouTube.

Our 2018 goal is to release 2 videos a week by streamlining the process. Well, that’s the plan at least.

I plan on introducing new segments as we figure out this whole video side of Klee and me. We want to make sure we remain true to ourselves and that what we do in our videos is stuff we truly enjoy, and not something that doesn’t make sense for us.

We also have huge plans in place for art projects this year, from specific pieces to series. Klee’s has also been working on music, and getting the perfect picture.

I guess the reason I have a YouTube channel is because just like my paintings and sculptures, it gives me the opportunity to connect to people… And I love people.

I think when you are a creative person, you want to connect with people through your creations… And if you are us, you have a lot of expression coming out of all the places.

(No, that was not a fart reference…)

Posted on October 7, 2016October 8, 2016 by Artist Rafi Perez — Leave a comment

Can You Boogeyman Boogie?

You’re probably like, what on earth are you even talking about Rafi?

I’m talking about a multimedia art installation idea, but I need your involvement… I am talking about the boogeyman boogie challenge!

Several years ago, when we first arrived in Pensacola, Klee and I wanted to do something fun for Halloween. So after some brainstorming, Klee’s sweet dance moves, and recording of some epic kazoo music, the Boogeyman Boogie was born.

Boogeyman Boogie at Cordova Mall. We got in trouble for dancing in the mall, then we danced some more so I could film it… Mall security was not happy.

I’ve been thinking of doing a video for a multimedia art installation in the future, and I figured a project like this would be a lot of fun. This year, we want to Boogeyman Boogie with you, watch this video to find out more:

How to submit:

Download the Boogeyman Boogie music at https://soundcloud.com/kleeangelie/boogeyman-boogie
Film yourself dancing to the music, a small clip is all I need (you can wear a costume, not wear a costume, sing along, be ridiculous, what ever you want to do, just have fun)
Send it to me (if you follow me on Youtube, just send a video response) or send me an email. If you post it on Youtube or any other place, label it #Boogeymanboogie (If you have a hard time getting the file to me, don’t worry, just contact me and we’ll figure it out.)
That’s it, I’ll put the video together and release it Halloween morning. Then use it for an installation for a future art exhibit.

Rafi and Klee Boogeyman Boogie in the studio

So, if you think you have what it takes to boogeyman boogie, take the challenge, and send me your clip. Can’t wait to see your sweet moves, and remember… Have FUN! #boogeymanboogie

Posted on November 14, 2011November 14, 2011 by Artist Rafi Perez — Leave a comment

Special Effects and Filming on a Low Budget

So you are making some videos and sharing them with the world. You want to take it the next level and use special effects to enhance your viewers experience.

What do you do? What program do you use? How do you get it? How do you learn to use it?

I’ve been making videos for a while now and that counts for something but not too much when it comes to the advances in technology in video editing.

I use Sony Vegas for film and Video Sound Editing. I use Adobe After Effects for Special Effects and picture quality rendering (Due to the fact that I use a very cheap camera for the moment) I also use Sony Acid Pro and Audacity for music production and sound effects.

So on a low budget, how do you come across all these programs? Well, Audacity is a free sound and music editing program and you can find it at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

The other program are a bit expensive, I reached out to a lot of people and was constantly on the look out for a bargain. I found the programs I was looking for at the Flea Market in a box of stuff that belonged to a kid who had gone off to college and his parents were cleaning out his room and converting it into an office. The interesting thing was that once I found the programs a bunch of people let me borrow their copies.

The next step was learning the programs, I can only speak for myself but the best way I found for me to learn something is to actually play with it. I spent a month filming and playing around with both programs, when ever I wanted to do something specific I looked it up on Youtube… In fact I still look it up when ever I think something up that I don’t know how to do. I think that is key, stretching your abilities by dreaming something up that might be a stretch for you and then making it happen, either way, it will be a learning experience.

To be honest with you, the key to filming something on a low budget is to just do it… Creative ways of doing it usually pop up in your mind once you’ve already started the process of filming. I spent a long time dreaming things up and not taking action on them because I didn’t have everything I needed. This will make your filming experience dull and you may not enjoy the process… In my opinion, why film unless you enjoy making films.

So, if you are a filmmaker and you have no budget, don’t think to yourself that someday you’ll be able to do it… Just do it. Borrow equipment, find good deals, be creative and stay optimistic… And have fun!

Some of the best films I have seen had virtually no budget but a lot of creativity… You can’t buy that, and sometimes necessity breads ideas that are creative and brilliant simply because you were forced to think outside of the box.

Also, display your work… If you watched it more than once and you enjoyed it, put it out there, you’ve got nothing to lose. So, if you are a filmmaker, then make films, and stop using not having a budget as an excuse to not make films… Happy shooting!

http://www.rafiwashere.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/RafiwashereUS

https://www.facebook.com/Rafiwashere

Posted on November 5, 2011February 10, 2012 by Artist Rafi Perez — Leave a comment

Attacked By Aliens

In This skit Klee and I are “parking” and I was totally going to get to second base until we were attacked by aliens.

This was filmed at night, so there was a lot of moving lights around involved and the challenge of keeping the auto-focus from going crazy.

One funny thing about filming this skit is the fact that the alien who is played by my cousin Erik is supposed to be a tiny scary Alien who just sort of appears. Well, the challenge is the fact that Erik is a big dude with wide shoulders.

Erik had to stand on his knees to reach the small alien stature, yet you still see some of the widest shoulders you could ever see on an alien. He was a great sport.

I have to applaud Klee in this skit. Her performance was amazing, and her terrified screams are convincing… When I was editing I had to lower the volume because our dog thought I was killing her every time I played back a scene. It turned out great!

http://www.rafiwashere.com

https://www.facebook.com/Rafiwashere

http://www.youtube.com/user/RafiwashereUS

Posted on November 3, 2011February 10, 2012 by Artist Rafi Perez — Leave a comment

What is Rafiwashere Productions?

Chances are if you live in Pensacola Florida you’ve seen a crazy looking truck with the words Watch us on Youtube painted all over it, or maybe you ran across one of the videos by Rafi Was Here on Youtube.

Rafi Was Here is a small (Very small) production company that is focusing all it’s efforts on creating fun and original content on Youtube.

Armed with a cheap camera, an old computer and creativity we decided to see how far we can go and how many people we can make laugh.

In 2009 Klee and I (Rafi) left Chicago Illinois and traveled the country in a customized 92 Ford Explorer. We decided to hang out in Pensacola for a while and focus on filming. So far so good. This Blog will be used for production notes and tips Utilized by us during our filming efforts on a shoestring budget… Luckily we can get pretty creative.

http://www.rafiwashere.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rafi-Was-Here

http://www.youtube.com/user/RafiwashereUS