Music video directing

bass4christ27 · 11-04-2006, 01:56 PM

Does anyone here have any experience with filming or directing music videos? Its something I would love to get into, like making videos for some local bands. What kind of equipment would I need?
>thanks

**H.M. Murdock** · 11-05-2006, 02:25 PM

Honestly?

A camera. Nothing extremely fancy, but really any camera above a handycam or somesuch will cost a fair chunk. If you're going to spend a lot, look for one that goes straight to digital. Then edit on computer. Be careful about what software you use- you've paid a lot of money thus far to get that footage, so get the best out of it. At the same time, don't shell out a lot for a crappy program.
Things not to do:
Use special effects. Seriously. Don't.
Use text. You can spend thousands on a video editor without getting good text capabilities. Stick with the absolute essentials.

Beyond that it's experimentation, thorough planning, good communication and cooperation from the bands involved.

bass4christ27 · 11-05-2006, 08:41 PM

Thanks, but I don't mean just filming the band play. I mean adding a story to it in additoin to filming the band play. How much money would I be looking at for one of these quality or semi-quality cameras?

concertphotozin · 11-06-2006, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bass4christ27

Thanks, but I don't mean just filming the band play. I mean adding a story to it in additoin to filming the band play. How much money would I be looking at for one of these quality or semi-quality cameras?

That's really wide opened without knowing what "semi-quality" means to you.

I would suggest finding videos by unsigned bands that you like the look of and asking the band what equipment was used to make it.

**H.M. Murdock** · 11-06-2006, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bass4christ27

Thanks, but I don't mean just filming the band play. I mean adding a story to it in additoin to filming the band play.

Okay, good. Because just watching a band play in a video is boring as all hell. *wink*
Sit down. Listen to the song and just talk. Get the ideas out. Visuals, concepts, stories. I do this a lot with a friend- we will just play a CD and alternate- I'll talk through one song, he'll talk through the next. It's a good excercise for him as a future filmmaker, and also for me as a generally creative person who wants to go into an industry that touches music, film, writing and art in a very real way.
Then you'll want to write out your concept. How you write the script will be up to you- experiment and figure it out. You want to have concrete ideas on what scenes you want. Scout locations, keep notes, and just generally transfer your thoughts to paper.
Beyond that, it's based on how well you can actually do this, and how innovative you are with what you don't have.

Quote:

How much money would I be looking at for one of these quality or semi-quality cameras?

Bare-bones? For being able to record video that you can access and actually edit without a great amount of knowledge and excess equipment, we're talking $680. And that's for a relatively "low-quality" camera.
However, this is not to say that the Sony Handycam series is not good, especially for someone on a limited budget. A buddy of mine is used to walking around with high-end professional grade equipment, and he was impressed with my mom's Sony Handycam, which is a good three years old and just records to tapes.
In terms of equipment, this is often just a flourish. To be honest, all you need is a camera and a band. Negotiate through your settings for superior lighting. If you really want to get into it, check out a light meter. If you were to be recording sounds as well as video, you would need a mic, but since this is a music video, you don't have to worry about good quality in the sound department aside from having a good music/video match.
If you want to get the good stuff, you're talking about viewing $3,000 as petty cash.

zekthedeadcow · 11-09-2006, 11:35 PM

It depends on what your end product will be. If you're just screwing around , then a couple hundred dollar handycam will work.

If you want it to eventually end up on TV then it has to be atleast 16mm or HD

If you want something a local band wouldn't be ashamed to sell but doesn't expect to be broadcast then a "prosumer" level camera is necessary... basically a DVX100a, XL1, XL2 or better.... so about $3k+ plus an edit system...honestly it could be done in iMovie or Windows Movie Maker...but harddrive space is a big thing... you'll want (not exactly need) sata drives... so atleast 2 harddrives in the computer...one for OS and programs and one for data...just like a recording computer.

My system is ugly...

I use a retired ENG (news camera) with a studio adapter which feeds an analog to digital converter which goes straight into a computer. ...minus the computer it cost about $1000... You arn't actually capturing sound so sound equipment isn't necessary.

but basically you need a camera, and editing computer, and a monitoring system for when a band needs to play in sync with their CD... and the habbit of thurough planning... draw storyboards before you shoot... time each shot... understand tempo and how it relates visually (like walking) pretty muich know exactly what it's going to look like before you shoot it.