What are your favourite effects/video filters to use in music videos?

[Ferret Lady]

I would love hear what effects you guys like to use in your music videos. I've always been partial to keeping it simple with basic cuts and a few cross disolves or dip to colour disolves but i feel like i need to expand here. whenever i go through all the video filters and test them out it just looks so cheesy. maybe if this were the 80's.. ha.. if only.

anyways it would be really great to hear what you guys consider your favourite or 'signature' effect to use in music videos!

anybody?

[Derkoi]

I never use obvious effects in music videos apart from perhaps B&W, but i wouldnt class that as an effect. I just grade the footage to something that both suits the music and the client.

Don't feel the need to add an effect just because you want to add an effect.

[Ferret Lady]

oh yeah, good ol' b&w. i use that sometimes too.

even color grading is an effect i would like to hear about.. i'm colour correcting some stuff in the fcp colour corrector three way right now so it looks nice, but sometimes videos really use the colour to set the mood and that's new to me... like i dont know if you've seen that new song with alicia keys and jack white, it's for the new bond movie.. there's some really good scenes in that , that are really dark and cool looking... well here's the linkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM5UJvnbbuY

not the motion graphics stuff cuz that's over my head but the dark stuff where they're like in the desert.. maybe they just crushed the blacks and pushed the whites to blue, i dunno...

i won't overuse things cuz i agree with you, u shouldnt use an effect just for the sake of having effects. but i'd like to use one or two because i've notice that clients get impressed when they see something a little different. even if i only use it in one or two scenes..

quick cuts, b&w, white flashes, whatever... would love to hear more!

[Derkoi]

Well, im no expert by any stretch of the imagination but 2 examples of music videos i've done are:

Here (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OenH3LKA0SA) - A cold looking video.

Here (http://www.sublevelmedia.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56&Itemid=59) - (click on "The Gang" music video link) - More colourful, as per the clients requirements.

Colour really (for me anyways) depends on the mood you're creating, is the music video for an upbeat song, or something dark like metal music?

Most colours can only be cold or warm, although try desaturating the footage some and crunching the blacks too.

[Ferret Lady]

cool man, actually i really like that song by the Gang!

this video is for an r&b singer, a girl from Jamaica.. we shot it mostly at a school using the indoor basketball court, a scene in a hallway with blue lockers, her on a white carpet, sitting in a purple chair with red curtains behind, etc... there's a lot of colours so i've really boosted the saturation and stuff (as requested by her as well, she said she wanted it bright and colourful)..

i'm new to colour correction but i think it's going well.. the vid probably doesnt need too much more.. there's a club scene where we had a fog machine and club lights and the result is somewhat grainy/noisy looking to me, that's the only one i'm worried about.. well, i'll attach a couple screen shots, see if you guys have any ideas.... the party scenes are what i'm most concerned about.. they are hard to fix ... but i'd hate to lose them at the same time... and i tried a few effects like 'dazzle' but it just came off cheesy...

Derkoi, in that gang video, when the video bumps to the bass, was that the earthquake filter or something? just curious..

http://www.getfamousproductions.com/images/dvx1.png
http://www.getfamousproductions.com/images/dvx2.png
http://www.getfamousproductions.com/images/dvx3.png
http://www.getfamousproductions.com/images/dvx4.png
http://www.getfamousproductions.com/images/dvx5.png
http://www.getfamousproductions.com/images/dvx6.png
http://www.getfamousproductions.com/images/dvx7.png
http://www.getfamousproductions.com/images/dvx8.png

[Derkoi]

Hey,

For those shots, personally i'd add a little diffuse glow and then contrast it up slightly.

For the rumbles, yes i used a plugin called "Earthquake 2" for Adobe After Effects, i wasn't going to put much of it in, but when the client saw it, they wanted more of it. lol

[Ferret Lady]

hahah see that's what i'm talking about! it seems like when a client sees ANY effect they're like "oh! i like that!'... heh..

i have after effects but dont know how to use it.. i have Motion also and am slowly, slowly learning it... i've used Motion in this video to make a few slow motion clips and stabilized one scene...

i'll try your suggestion of diffuse glow and contrast up.. another friend also suggested maybe a lens flare... i'll see what i can come up with, thanks for the advice!

any other effects clients like?????? let's hear more!!!!!

[Ferret Lady]

i'd also like to know what transitions people like best!!!!

and i tried all those suggestions on the club scene, didnt help... maybe i should cut those shots.. hm..