Music Videos 101

    Usually, I handle post production in video, because I'm not the best with a camera. However for this project, I need to get back with the camera. I need a little refresher on how to make a music video in general, and I found some videos that should help me. I'll tell y'all what I find here.

    The first video is about making a 0 dollar music video. Danny Gevirtz talks about how it's important to capture the essence and theme of the song. For shooting, it's important to get shots that require the most sun first, because it's going to go away faster than expected. The misc-en-scene elements all have to have a specific purpose. In post production, color grading is important. I'll have to do more research on that later, because I haven't color corrected a lot in my past works, and it's not the most essential thing to research this early.

Be resourceful! Gevirtz uses a white shirt (the one that the subject was wearing) to brighten up the subjects face.

    The next video is about filming without a crew. Karl Shakur talks about how important planning is, and how props and wardrobes can push a film to the next level. When filming, moving shots will be hard, so a tripod is best for static shots. I'll probably have to get a better one, since the one I used last year is being held up with duct tape. For lighting, I can use a flashlight, and place it from the shadow for the best lighting. In editing, try to make "visual nuggets", which are shots that look really cool for the audience to keep their attention. Sound design is often overlooked, and can change the tone of the video.

This is an example of a visual nugget. In this shot, the subject's face is being distorted with other people's parts of their faces flashing on screen.

    This video is about the basics of music video production. Damien Cooper says that the artist should be singing the song, as it makes it easier to line up shots with the music. Have multiple shots with the same music being played, as it allows for flexibility in post production. In post production, name each shot with "close angle with car". Make a multi cam sequence and have it synced to audio. This way, it's easy to replace one shot with another with the same music happening. I will have to research more on this in the post production phase.

How the multicam sequence looks on Final Cut. All the shots in the preview section have the same moment of music playing, and can be easily swapped with the shot playing on the right.