Bands and their lousy videos....

EDV

EDV

Well-known member
I can't believe some of the stuff they put on their websites...

Here is one example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QNxscK4icU

here's another:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42pgD0qoEEM

now, here's what bugs me... these are not "garage" bands by any means.... both these acts have or are releasing Albums soon, and their studio tracks are professionally produced and costed them several thousand dollars to produce. They also are quite well known around the local scene, and believe me , it's VERY competitive out here in Australia.
Why then release such horrible quality videos?
Is this market worth even looking at? Surely if a mobile phone camera "does the job" for them, something like a HPX170 would be completely out of the question?!?
 
Actually, almost. The music video market in Australia is low rent except for the top dozen act in the country.
 
I probably should post other examples... one of them, literally taken with a mobile phone....then embedded on the webpage of the artist.. who I should mention was one of the top acts in Sydney and had toured and recorded internationally....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXeUm_slzAM

(she's had this "fan video" on her page for over a year!!!)
 
Last edited:
Starving musicians need all the freebies they can get. A friend/client of mine has a label deal with a subsidiary of a major label, and she still doesn't make much money and relies on good will of local filmmakers or videographers to get anything of reasonable quality.
 
The market defines the product. Their market, in general, doesn't care how well produced the video is. If anything, making it look cheap, sometimes shooting it on a cell phone, adds a realness that goes against how people like us work. We simply are not necessary in that world. It's not a question of 'looking good'; it's a question of cost vs benefit. In this case, the benefit has been determined to be not worth the investment of a high end video. People want to hear the music and see that it's the band performing somewhere; not see how creative the video is. Good videos certainly exist, even on the low end market. It's just the way they decided to approach the situation.

In terms of a professional market, music videos are worthless. It doesn't matter what country you're in. It should definitely be one of the things you're capable of shooting, and low cost or free productions can add to your reel, but that's about it. Remember how many people are capable of producing decent quality thanks to the new technology, and how many fans would love to do it for fun without pay. That's your competition, and unlike in events and corporate, they do it just as well as they need to.
 
With the continuing implosion of the recording industry it should come as no surprise that music video budgets are not what they used to be.

That many of them are being shot on cellphones now is not at all surprising.
 
Do you aspire to work in music as a filmmaker / videographer? Why do you care or why would you care what they produce and release?

Even at the highest levels of production for musical artists we struggle with unrealistic budgets and a lack of concern for the quality of the image. Bean counters and producers whose job is to maximize profit for the label (not the same as the artist) continue to squeeze every nickel out of production crews and the artists.

It's no surprise to say the music and production business for that matter has changed dramatically. But, in today's market the labels are scanning the horizon for anything and any artist they can grab early-on, present alongside some of their established artists and hope for the best. That's why you see "XYZ Artist feat: SomeBigName" videos. Artists are given a shot or two at the most to rocket skyward to stardom or they are tossed aside and poached for whatever revenue they did generate. It's a cruel and tough game.

Film / Video Production reflects the same cut-throat approach by the labels; they'll spend thousands on multiple suites at the Bellagio or Four Seasons for the label staff and cry poor that they can't afford to pay full rates plus OT for professional work.

As an example, last year I had a "green" coordinator call me for Steadicam on a Snoop Dog video and proceed to tell me the "standard rate for music videos is $250 for 14 hours". Yea right! She was convinced I was totally misguided! Not only is that not even close to my rate, music vids are so sketchy I require payment in advance BEFORE I unload the truck. Unless it's a union job going through an established payroll company it's COD and non-negotiable, I don't care who the artist or label is.

If your clients don't like your rates or don't appreciate your standards of quality you have no choice but to crank out crap or seek other clients.

Robert
 
robstar1 said:
As an example, last year I had a "green" coordinator call me for Steadicam on a Snoop Dog video and proceed to tell me the "standard rate for music videos is $250 for 14 hours". Yea right! She was convinced I was totally misguided!
Click to expand...

She was probably a 16 year old intern with stars in her eyes working for free at the big record label being told to say what she said.
 
robstar1 said:
Do you aspire to work in music as a filmmaker / videographer? Why do you care or why would you care what they produce and release?
Click to expand...

Good question. Well, to be honest for a while I thought music videos for indy bands would be about the coolest job in the world. So naturally, I started following a number of local bands to see whether it was a realistic market. I also kept an eye of what indy bands were doing in other states and countries. The trend for videos seems to be that bands do it themselves, get a friend student-filmmaker to do it for them, or even get anyone with a damn camera to do it for free! (especially for live concerts) A small section of the indy market would have their videos professionally done ( film crew, post, etc. ), without being famous or having a hit in the top 100. For these "lucky few" the rule "don't call us, we'll call you" seems to apply 99% of the time.
I do want to keep improving as a filmmaker / videographer, but I also want to make a living at this, and I don't think this market would realistically let me do that...
 
Cassius said:
...We simply are not necessary in that world. It's not a question of 'looking good'; it's a question of cost vs benefit. In this case, the benefit has been determined to be not worth the investment of a high end video. People want to hear the music and see that it's the band performing somewhere; not see how creative the video is. ....
Click to expand...
That might be true, but you would think that if the emphasis was on the music, there would be some attention paid to recording the performance properly. Not only are the images rudimentary and the production values of the videos haphazard at best, more importantly for a music video, the sound in the examples posted is completely attrocious. None of the videos referenced in the posts meets even the most minimal level of acceptable sound recording quality. The first one referenced in EDV's initial post is has such excessive levels that the meters on my playback were pinned against the top, the entire number clipped into pure noise. It doesn't add anything to the budget to look at the bloody levels on the meter while recording and turn the freaking knob down below 11 or to read up on where to put the damn mic! Budget is no excuse for incompetance.
 
I offered one of these bands a proper live recording with the HPX170 for $250 for 2 hours (normally I charge more and have 2 cameras) At the last minute they cancelled and had the performance recorded in one of those toy cameras.
 
Aside from bonafide live multi-cam shows set to record live audio as a primary product, all music videos are shot to a playback track; the audio recorded if any is a scratch track only.

It's a broad sweeping statement but with very very few exceptions "Indie" anything has little or no money in it that you can live or build a business on; whether it's music or filmmaking it had better be a passion of your heart. They are a good place however to practice and hone your skills but if you want to build a life for yourself the odds are against you by staggering proportions.

Unless you are wealthy, have a flexible day job or generous relatives, if you want to move up the ladder you can't linger very long in these lower tier markets. If you do, you risk going broke or you risk being pigeon-holed into being "the low budget guy" and its tough to break that branding.

I'm not here to piss on your parade, just giving you the straight 411 on the consequence of lingering or trying to push the proverbial "rope" in the lower tiers where your equipment and talents are neither appreciated fully or compensated properly.

All the best!

Robert
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top