American Cinematographer — Short Takes — February 2013
Pushing Boundaries with Marilyn Manson

“Slo-Mo-Tion,” the second video from Marilyn Manson’s latest album, “Born Villain,” released last year on the Cooking Vinyl label, utilizes artistic motion effects captured in-camera to create a visually dynamic look that pushes the boundaries of digital cinematography.

The five-and-a-half minute video, shot primarily on the PS-Cam X35, the motion effects camera from P+S Technik, is a literal realization of the song’s refrain, where Manson chants, “This is my beautiful show, and everything is shot in slo-mo-tion.” Manson directed the project, working closely with cinematographer, digital film artist and visual effects supervisor Alan Lasky to create the video’s complex motion effects, many of which depended on sophisticated motion vector analysis and complex mathematical algorithms.

With an undergraduate degree in cinematography from NYU and a masters degree in media technology from MIT Media Labs, Lasky has consulted for a number of camera companies over the years, including Dalsa and P+S Technik. A veteran of music video cinematography, Lasky first met Manson in 2006 while he was filming the as-yet unreleased Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll, and went on to collaborate with him on “No Reflection,” the first video from “Born Villain.” (Read full story…)