"Aquamarine" video - please watch! (Patreon)

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Aloha, Patrons!

I proudly present an artistic piece that is the culmination of my journey over the past few years, from San Francisco to the shores of O'ahu. 

Please enjoy "Aquamarine": https://youtu.be/JWh6m6Eq1xY

I often ask you all to click through to YouTube, give it a thumbs up, and post a comment.  For this kind of video, a purely artistic video for my original music, your feedback matters even more.  Original music needs extra support to break through all the covers and tutorials.  Thank you to everyone who has already shared their support for this video and for my original song! 🌊🧜🏽‍♀️😊

And if you're so moved, watch it again, and share with someone who would appreciate the blissful scenery and soothing island vibes.  Thank you!!

Learn my arrangement

I taught "Aquamarine" to the Patrons for our Live Lesson back in Sept 2020 - Patrons of all levels ($1+) have access to the "Aquamarine" Lesson + chord chart.  We worked on the tab intro as part of our Intermediate bossa nova lesson with guest teacher Abe Lagrimas, Jr., accessible to Intermediate-level Patrons ($20+).

Please do tag me when you cover this song, I love to hear it!  I am thinking about some sort of "Aquamarine" challenge so more folks can learn to play the song.  Let me know if you're interested or have ideas for the challenge, stay tuned! 

Behind the scenes of the "Aquamarine" video

Music videos are much more time-consuming to make than cover videos, and I wanted to share some of the process and challenges.  If these details are interesting to you, please let me know (any specific feedback is welcome)!  If you have follow-up questions about the making of this video, feel free to post below.  I can collect the questions and perhaps make a video to share more details.

While my trio U3 was in town for the 'Ukulele Festival of Hawaii 2021, I organized the production of this video (and the "Wave" video) with my frequent collaborator, Robert Gomez Hernandez of Alumiere Media.  As is true of so many of the projects I take on, I didn't know how ambitious I was. 😅  But that's why I do these projects - to push myself in learning how to create and produce, to turn my visions into reality.  I'm grateful to Robert for nurturing my visions and guiding me with his filmmaking experience, while patiently keeping the production on course and giving it his signature polish.  

I started with a storyboard, which is a visual layout of images and scenes that I was picturing with the lyrics and music of "Aquamarine."  We needed cameras on land, in the water (which required special housing), and in the air (drone capture by my partner!).  We needed a cool-looking paddleboard that could fit all three of us - thank you to Rich Montoya, an O'ahu-based Patron and 808 Uke Squad member, who brought the board and kept us from drifting away with the current during the shoot!  Lenny brought the three Kala Watermans that we used as paddles.  The shoot day was a blast, an unforgettable day.

Then comes the hard part: the editing process.  Surveying the footage from each camera source, deciding what goes where and how to tell the story.  Cutting great footage that didn't flow with the other scenes.  Color-grading so that the colors match across the various footage.  

I'm very happy with the final video.  Is it what I initially imagined?  Kind of.  When you're creating something from a vision in your head, it's important to stay flexible to what's inspiring and what's workable.  As an artist and creator, my sense of accomplishment comes from process vs product - this video marks an important step in my journey as a music maker and video producer.  Watching the video brings a smile to my face, and I hope it brings one to yours as well.  

xo cynthia. 🌺