Disorganised record labels!

DArcyFD

DArcyFD

Active member
I was asked by a local band to direct a video for the first single off their debut album.

I went into the record label office this afternoon to meet with two of the bandmembers and their A&R guy.

We had a great chat about the video, they like one I did for another band and offered me a lot of money (not really, but compared to what I'm used to) to shoot it (that is, money to spend ON the video, not payment!)... so far so good.

I then ask the A&R guy when they need the video - he says 'four weeks at the latest.'

:furious3:

How the hell do they expect something half-decent - and up to broadcast standard! - in only 4 weeks? That means two weeks to get familiar with the song, develop a concept, put together a crew, preproduction and then shoot; then two weeks to edit and colour grade!

I've only done really small budget stuff before, so I don't really know how the industry works at the higher professional levels, but FOUR WEEKS?? Surely that's not normal?????? Is it?



PS. If you're a DoP based in Melbourne Australia and you're available on the 15th September, please PM me! (I can get you a small payment depending on your experience).
 
It doesn't strike me as particularly odd. They want you to churn out a product, not deliver "Titanic."

Now you see why most music videos are so bland and cookie-cutter.
 
i'm actually a music video commissioner and the last video I did was for Fall Out Boy.. In three days we developed the treatment and set it all up.. Rough cut was 2 weeks later and delivery was four days after that.. Just the nature of the biz.. they needed it yesterday.. but usually that takes into account that everyone delivers late..
 
Welcome to the world of music videos. You'll find plenty of posts on here about my rants on bad music video situations/deals. Like DVXguy said, it's the nature of the business.

I've learned now to just have some pre-conceived universal music video ideas laying around in the event that something like this happens, which it in fact did happen a few days ago, where I was only suppose to be the cameraman, but upon arrival to the first location, discovered that there was NO director, so I had to step up and pull everything out of my ass so I could get my money and pay my rent. Everything was LITERALLY made up on the spot. You might even consider this an improv music video. The following is the result:

http://www.greenbench.tv/Xclusive2.wmv

As you can tell, it's nothing flashy or creative, but it made them happy and got me another month in my apartment, and that was just a bunch of universal ideas I had laying around in my brain for emergency situations.

It is nice to have time though to churn out a music video. My favorite one was 4 months in the making and it turned out great. Only a few minor problems but everything ran smooth after that. Check it out below:

http://www.greenbench.tv/videos/Solcetfre.wmv
 
That reminds me of a project I worked on last year

Buncha kids right out of college landed a gig shooting a music video for an electronic artist in san francisco. This was the first single for his album, which was also the first release for the label he was signed to.

They promised the sun and decided to do the ENTIRE THING on green screen. Rented an enormous green screen and spent 3 days shooting the entire video in front of it.

It's been almost a year now and the thing was never finished. They never budgeted for compositors and there were so many shots that needed custom keying and work on multiple levels (and the fact there were so many MSs and MLSs didn't help) that they just gave up. No skin off my back, I was just the AC, but definitely a case of biting off more than one can chew.

Never heard from anybody involved with the project since. I'm still getting plenty of work, tho
 
dwnsthballer said:
Welcome to the world of music videos. You'll find plenty of posts on here about my rants on bad music video situations/deals. Like DVXguy said, it's the nature of the business.

I've learned now to just have some pre-conceived universal music video ideas laying around in the event that something like this happens, which it in fact did happen a few days ago, where I was only suppose to be the cameraman, but upon arrival to the first location, discovered that there was NO director, so I had to step up and pull everything out of my ass so I could get my money and pay my rent. Everything was LITERALLY made up on the spot. You might even consider this an improv music video. The following is the result:

http://www.greenbench.tv/Xclusive2.wmv

As you can tell, it's nothing flashy or creative, but it made them happy and got me another month in my apartment, and that was just a bunch of universal ideas I had laying around in my brain for emergency situations.

It is nice to have time though to churn out a music video. My favorite one was 4 months in the making and it turned out great. Only a few minor problems but everything ran smooth after that. Check it out below:

http://www.greenbench.tv/videos/Solcetfre.wmv
Click to expand...

What camera did you use for the xclusive video was it the dvx 100b or was it the hvx 200
 
If the song doesn't make an idea pop immediately into your head, then 4 weeks is not long enough to produce something worthwhile.

Nor 8 weeks. Nor 12 weeks. Nor 15 years.

But for something that uninspiring, 4 weeks is long enough. You might not get a silk purse, but polyester is probably all it deserves.
 
Just a DVX100B and my good ol' Glidecam 2000.

*Edit*

Just be lucky you don't have to deal with labels who want to use 10 crappy consumer HD cameras and try to mix it with your beautiful DVX footage. Then when you try to explain to them that this is a music video, not a news cast, they get all confused and can't grasp the concept that music videos are shot single camera style...

Go figure...
 
Last edited:
I've had one "client" who wants me to shoot the artist in the studio and then splice in nature footages that she already got from a who-knows-what camera.

And the kicker is? She wants the music video shot AT THE SAME TIME as the song is being recorded. The studio is a recording studio. I got out of that job in a hurry.
 
dwnsthballer said:
Just a DVX100B and my good ol' Glidecam 2000.

*Edit*

Just be lucky you don't have to deal with labels who want to use 10 crappy consumer HD cameras and try to mix it with your beautiful DVX footage. Then when you try to explain to them that this is a music video, not a news cast, they get all confused and can't grasp the concept that music videos are shot single camera style...

Go figure...
Click to expand...

If you don't mind me picking your brain, because it was a hell of a color grading job if you didn't use the hvx 200. What did you use to get your look so glossy. I'm only asking because I have been experimenting, but I just can't come up with that glossy video look which seems to be the nor. Oh yeah, please don't mind telling me step by step settings, lol
 
Hey, it's no big deal, I'll break everything down.

Frame Rate: 24pa
Shutter: 1/120 and 1/250
Master Pedastal: -8
Everything else factory setting

Editing:
Magic Bullet Suite:
Added some warmth (-5 in post category)

That was about it. I was only able to use lighting in one scene, which was the studio stuff. Everything else was natural sunlight/room light.

Hope that helps.
 
dwnsthballer said:
Hey, it's no big deal, I'll break everything down.

Frame Rate: 24pa
Shutter: 1/120 and 1/250
Master Pedastal: -8
Everything else factory setting

Editing:
Magic Bullet Suite:
Added some warmth (-5 in post category)

That was about it. I was only able to use lighting in one scene, which was the studio stuff. Everything else was natural sunlight/room light.

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Basically the same thing, I just never really got into magic bullet, and I normally edit with the artists' managers so they get exactly what they want. I make suggestions for that however they always want the bare minimum as far as video production. Anyway, let me ask you this. I see you use the shutter @ 120 and 250. I'm assuming that's for your slow mo settings. However, someone talked about not using the 250 shutter setting for slow mo in 24fp because it's not enough temporal info, I think. They said instead to shoot in 29 fp and slow the shutter to 250, then put it on a 24fp timeline and slow the speed to like 40%. What's your take on those shutter speeds. Your work is undeniable as far as quality, however what experiences have you had with those shutter settings.
 
dwnsthballer said:
Hey, it's no big deal, I'll break everything down.

Frame Rate: 24pa
Shutter: 1/120 and 1/250
Master Pedastal: -8
Everything else factory setting

Editing:
Magic Bullet Suite:
Added some warmth (-5 in post category)

That was about it. I was only able to use lighting in one scene, which was the studio stuff. Everything else was natural sunlight/room light.

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

Tried it with the magic bullet did the exact settings and I still can't replicate, so sda.
 
dwnsthballer said:
Also, the lighting makes a huge difference too. I used a 750w tota with an umbrella to diffuse the light.
Click to expand...
'

Makes sense, did you use the light for the outside shots to and also what about the settings for the high shutter speed in 24fpa, like I said, on this site previously they said that I guess it wasn't enough information I guess to process it without repeating frames. What has your experience been with the high shutter speeds in 24fpa.
 
Four weeks sounds good to me. I run a production company in Hollywood just starting out and we expect that four weeks is a reasonable turn-around time on a video from client contact and payment to finished product. I figure we need two to three weeks for pre-production, just a day or two for production, and we can have a rough edit within 3-4 days, a final edit by a week to ten days later. There could be more complications depending on the video but if a client said we absolutely must have this video in three weeks I'd say ok, and make it happen. It just means we'd scramble for a location, mainly, that would be the biggest hurdle. Attaching a DP, getting the equipment, etc., can all be arranged within an hour or two tops. We have the equipment and the contacts, so it's a matter of making a few phone calls. The concept could be developed within a few days, maybe one day, maybe three days, depending on where we are going with it. But four weeks, that's not disastrous.

If someone told me two weeks and they want a final product, I'd tell them we can do it but it's going to be cookie cutter and boring, and they should understand that, plus I want double the fee for that because there's no way to make it happen that fast unless you drop everything else.
 
Well,
I own a Protools studio and am a music producer and keyboard player and I can tell you this...

Depending on the style of music, you have a few choice:

1. an industrial setting
2. an upper middle class neighborhood where strange things are happening in the whole Disturbia vein; or maybe it's funny
3. colored backgrounds and gold chains
4. ranches, beaches, rodeos, or barns
5. Stages or small clubs
What I'm saying is don't forget about cliche. It works.
Plus there is more fun to have, what with the managers, or girlfriends, or roadies trying to call shots and tell you what coverage you need; it's as much fun as a frontal lobotomy through your anus, but without the warm feeling of satisfaction afterward.
 
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