The Colonie's Nathan Rodgers recently cut famed Chicago rapper Vic Mensa's hard-hitting short film, 'Machiavelli,' directed by Andre Muir. The project features three of the artist's music videos, each with sharply contrasting styles and tempos, while sharing an intrinsic theme. The editor wove together footage from the title music video, 'Machiavelli,' 'SC Freestyle,' and 'Rebirth,' with photography and graphic elements to create a cinematic-like experience. The soundtracks dropped with the release of Mensa's new EP, 'V TAPE,' out of Roc National Records.
Synopisis
The short film opens with the fast-moving, in-your-face track 'Machiavelli,' and then cuts to a spoken
narrative. A transition to the Jay-Z-sampling "SC Freestyle' follows, as Mensa raps a dark verse over flashes of ominous images. The video closes with a vignette from 'Rebirth,' an introspective parable that ends the film on a surreal note.
Rodgers came on board during the early stage of the project. The editor worked closely with Muir and his team to ensure an efficient approach to the project.
The Colonie, best know for its work in the commercial and social media arenas, collaborated on the project, providing additional color correction and visual effects services.
Production
The four-day production was shot on location on the streets of Chicago's South Side. Director of Photography Nathan Salter captured the live-action with multiple cameras. Digital and Film Photographers Angel Harrold and Flynn Drew shot over a thousand stills.
"This was a massive project, with a lot of moving parts," says Rodgers. "Portrait and street photography captured the feel of the live-action footage. Graphic Artist Paul Danhauser created a mix of elements from the static photographs, adding texture and dimension to the film."
Editorial
The initial footage was handed-off to Rodgers, who worked unsupervised for three days. The director, 
Producer Manny Caston, and Vic Mensa then joined the editorial sessions working collaboratively on the full project. Editing on Adobe Premiere Pro, Rodgers completed cutting the film over the next ten days
"I've worked with Andre on several projects over the years, including Chicago rapper Towkio's music video, 'Symphony,' says Rodgers. "Going into the job with the benefit of an established relationship made the editing process smooth and efficient. Having both the artists and the director sit in during the session was great. It ensured that everyone was on the same page, and as a result we were able to dig in and move quickly."
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Given the abundance of content, Muir decided to create a 'Director's Cut.' His short film integrates footage from the production with other content, such as visualizers designed for 'Vendetta' and 
'2Honest,' two of the tracks released on the EP.
Carbon worked on the visual effect and color correction of the full-length film. The Colonie's Jennifer Gaida color corrected the series of visualizers on Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve. Ben Pokorny created additional visual effects for the short film, and the director's cut on Flame Premium and Adobe After Effects.
The Colonie is a Chicago-based editorial and post-production facility providing top-tier motion graphics, visual effects, color grading, and finishing services in an efficient, one-stop creatively driven collaborative environment. We've earned a reputation as a cost-effective, high-end resource for broadcast commercials, social media campaigns, streaming content, short films, corporate films, and music videos that elevate a viewer's experience across multiple platforms. For more information about The Colonie, visit www.TheColonie.com or contact Executive Producer, Mary Caddy at 312-225-1234
'2Honest,' two of the tracks released on the EP.
Carbon worked on the visual effect and color correction of the full-length film. The Colonie's Jennifer Gaida color corrected the series of visualizers on Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve. Ben Pokorny created additional visual effects for the short film, and the director's cut on Flame Premium and Adobe After Effects.
The Colonie is a Chicago-based editorial and post-production facility providing top-tier motion graphics, visual effects, color grading, and finishing services in an efficient, one-stop creatively driven collaborative environment. We've earned a reputation as a cost-effective, high-end resource for broadcast commercials, social media campaigns, streaming content, short films, corporate films, and music videos that elevate a viewer's experience across multiple platforms. For more information about The Colonie, visit www.TheColonie.com or contact Executive Producer, Mary Caddy at 312-225-1234