When I first heard about this project, my mind immediately went to cyberpunk. I imagined neon-lit streets, futuristic vibes, and a city that felt straight out of a sci-fi movie. My first instinct was to capture Nicosia at night, where the tall, modern buildings could help bring that aesthetic to life. At the same time, I knew that shooting in LOG, a flat, low-contrast video format, would preserves more detail, giving more room to play with colors in post-production.
But there was a challenge, LOG works best with slight overexposure, which is tricky in low-light conditions. To make it work, I used a prime f/1.8 lens—an ultra-wide 11mm—perfect for the architecture-focused shots I wanted.
On the day of filming, I started with some practice shots around the UNIC dorms, just to warm up before heading to the city center. At first, I wasn’t completely satisfied with how they turned out. But the next morning, as I started editing, I realized those “warm-up” shots actually had potential. Instead of tossing them aside, I decided to structure the video into two parts: daytime (dorm shots) and nighttime (city center shots).
For the color grade, I leaned into a green and purple tone for the daytime shots, creating a subtle futuristic feel. For the nighttime footage, I focused on emphasizing the city lights, even adding a mist filter effect to create a diffused, dreamy glow. And, of course, no cyberpunk-inspired video would be complete without the right soundtrack. I carefully picked a track that fit the aesthetic and used sound design to reinforce the transition from day to night.
Looking back, I feel this project turned out even better than I expected. It pushed me to think creatively, experiment with new techniques, and see Nicosia in a completely different light.
– George Kuznetsov
If you are a student in the Communications, or Design and Multimedia Departments and want to become part of the Mediazone team, apply today!
Apply Now! Don’t miss this chance to make an impact in the audiovisual world and your future.
** Apply Here! **
Fall dates: Applications open-> First week of August until the last week of November of every year.
Spring dates: Applications open-> First week of January until late-June of every year.
