What Bo Burnham's 'Inside' Teaches You About Video Production
“I think Bo Burnham’s Inside is like a master class in DIY video production,” says Tucker Tota.
If you haven’t seen Bo Burnham’s comedy special Inside on Netflix, then what have you been doing for the past two weeks? The special was a one-man spectacular that Burnham wrote and filmed himself while under lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. The entire special focused on a range of people, emotions, and tropes that were laughable and heart-wrenching.
The funny and brutally honest special has been praised by fans, celebrities, videographers, and filmmakers alike due to the special's relatable content and raw footage of Burnham breaking down from the stress of life, internet culture, and attempting to make a one-man special.
In this reign of Burnham supremacy, Tucker Tota did a scene-by-scene breakdown on how he believes Burnham’s Inside was created and produced in an hour-long video. Check out the full break-down in Tota's video below:
Some viewers might have been watching closely on the BTS footage that Burnham provided in Inside and noticed how Burnham assembled the “Sexting” song in Final Cut Pro. Tota mentions that it was likely that the entire movie file was not being assembled, but rather just put together in the app and set to a full-screen preview to save time and effort on the creator’s part. For many of the songs that utilized the projector, Burnham hooked up his computer to the projector and displayed the premade video that was perfectly timed with the song.
Most of Burnham’s equipment could have been purchased online for under $100, including the tools he uses the most in the special. From the Panasonic LUMIX 50mm f1.8 that records everything to the LED lights and practical lights that illuminate the background and create killer silhouettes like the one in the “Jeff Bezos Song.”
The recording techniques such as digital zooms, timers, and software queues allowed Burnham to rant and react perfectly in time with music and lighting changes throughout the special. Most of Burnham’s unique scenes are using two main sources of light that are facing the wall to bounce light and create soft edges as he lip syncs to his songs. He also uses a projector that acts as the single light source with a little bit of color correcting in post.
If we learned anything from quarantine or Inside, it’s that we can create amazing projects on a budget. By knowing where to place your color-changing LED lights or painfully planning where your next camera angle is going to be, there are no limits to what you can create in a single room.
Check out Burnham’s comedy special Inside on Netflix!
What were some of your favorite shots from Burnham’s special? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Tucker Tota
