Editing for dubstep.

Donald Ong

Donald Ong

Well-known member
As title suggest. I'm doing a music video for a dubstep producer for his release which will be in about 2 months. Problem is I haven't a slightest clue how to do a dubstep music video? It'll be mostly time-lapse footage synched to dubstep but how would you go about editing it? I don't really know as most dubstep 'music videos' aren't videos at all. Mostly just a picture graphic.

I'm thinking pointless over-editing..But i'm guessing that isn't the case...
 
why would editing a dubstep video be different from any other video.

Oh, yeah, right. I remember:

http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/338821-dubstep

Seriously though, you dont have to edit it like somone having a seizure just cause the music sounds like a fat malfunctioning robot farting as he has a seizure.

Check out this skrillex video, just looks like a video to me. Some of the edits follow the beats, like all videos do, but its not skipping and wobbling that much more than any other video from any other genre in the same tempo. Im guessing you want to have edits that feel like they are skipping or wobbling, and you can do that, but every single shot in the video needn't be like that.
Its a video, some edits follow the ones/downbeats some quarter or half beats uuuugghhhhh dubstep sucks so hard.

here you go- do some slo mo, wiggle the camera, youre good:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t2TzJOyops&feature=relmfu
 
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nycineaste said:
why would editing a dubstep video be different from any other video.

Oh, yeah, right. I remember:

http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/338821-dubstep

Seriously though, you dont have to edit it like somone having a seizure just cause the music sounds like a fat malfunctioning robot farting as he has a seizure.

Check out this skrillex video, just looks like a video to me. Some of the edits follow the beats, like all videos do, but its not skipping and wobbling that much more than any other video from any other genre in the same tempo. Im guessing you want to have edits that feel like they are skipping or wobbling, and you can do that, but every single shot in the video needn't be like that.
Its a video, some edits follow the ones/downbeats some quarter or half beats uuuugghhhhh dubstep sucks so hard.

here you go- do some slo mo, wiggle the camera, youre good:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t2TzJOyops&feature=relmfu
Click to expand...

Oh gosh I hate Skrillex. Probably the worst dubstep composer ever. Why are they so popular?
Anyway, It'll be mostly timelapses...So i guess post shakes and anamorphic flares are in order? I can have a couple of twixtored shots too, i guess.
 
nycineaste said:
hey dont let my hatred of dubstep influence your passion for the project- good luck on your video!

wubwubwubbawubtikitiktikiwubwubwubba!
Click to expand...

Haha. That skrillex video was ridiculous. heh.
Anyway, this is the first time I'm even going anywhere near dubstep for a video so I'm quite unsure. haha
 
dubstep is pretty crazy sound - it needs some crazy cut too in my opinion...
throw the song in your projects timeline, set markers where the beat changes and use the heavy beats as reference for your cuts...
i would also try to intercut the time-lapse shots with slowmo shots, playback it back and forth and so on...

think of the intervals of your TL and try to match them to the music - a detailed concept will make it easier

i wish you good luck!

regards Steve
 
stefanhuberfilms said:
dubstep is pretty crazy sound - it needs some crazy cut too in my opinion...
throw the song in your projects timeline, set markers where the beat changes and use the heavy beats as reference for your cuts...
i would also try to intercut the time-lapse shots with slowmo shots, playback it back and forth and so on...

think of the intervals of your TL and try to match them to the music - a detailed concept will make it easier

i wish you good luck!

regards Steve
Click to expand...

Because the song will have a slow build up before the full-on dubstep wobwobwobs come in. I'm thinking of putting the timelapses during the slower parts and the twixtored slow-mos for the hardcore dubstep parts...or should it be the other way round? And what kind of slow-mos should I film? (No crazy acting like in the skrillex videos)
 
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haha thought exactly the same... hmmm, the faster timelapses would keep the people away from getting bored in the slower parts maybe.. but the slowmo will not match the fast wobbles i guess... very difficult to decide, i don't want to point you in the false direction.

ask your client what the song is about and what he want's to tell with it, what he feels when he is listening to the song - maybe you'll find something to go on with...

idea: in the fast part - let the slowmo footage run for p.e. one second then cut and go on with the same footage, but 15 frames later or speed up the slowmo during the wobbles and then slow it down again...
 
stefanhuberfilms said:
haha thought exactly the same... hmmm, the faster timelapses would keep the people away from getting bored in the slower parts maybe.. but the slowmo will not match the fast wobbles i guess... very difficult to decide, i don't want to point you in the false direction.

ask your client what the song is about and what he want's to tell with it, what he feels when he is listening to the song - maybe you'll find something to go on with...

idea: in the fast part - let the slowmo footage run for p.e. one second then cut and go on with the same footage, but 15 frames later or speed up the slowmo during the wobbles and then slow it down again...
Click to expand...

Yeah i'll probably ask him when the song is done.

But yeah, i like your idea..though it does sound like a lot of work :) heh. But I guess its all fine and dandy if he likes it.
basically he wants something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjKRNVf_BwY
But as that isn't really dubstep, he wants the needed arrangements to be made. But in general, the idea of the video should be quite similar. I'm not sure what kind of slow-mos to do as he mentioned not to include faces due to legal issues with the release.

*ps: You're from innsbruck? wow. Love that place. I'm an aviation lover too, so you can imagine my fascination with innsbruck kranebitten :P
 
hehe timelapse and twixtor are always time consuming... god i am so impatient if i do timelapse... what camera are you going to use? maybe you can do some tilt-shift post production to blur out faces?

yeah it impressive to land so close between the mountains :)
 
stefanhuberfilms said:
hehe timelapse and twixtor are always time consuming... god i am so impatient if i do timelapse... what camera are you going to use? maybe you can do some tilt-shift post production to blur out faces?

yeah it impressive to land so close between the mountains :)
Click to expand...

I'll probably be getting a new camera soon and that's what I'll use. It'll either be a 5dmk3 or the sony EA50 if it doesn't turn out to be a huge disappointment. I've been needed to upgrade to a new camera and have been eyeing this two. Both seem to be the best bang for under US5000... I actually also really like the panny AC160...but its a small chip camera and as I'm currently shooting with small chippers, i really want to go large sensor. Is small chip still viable? Or will they be obsolete soon?

ha, I'm fine with timelapses, but hate doing twixtor...basically takes like an hour render several minutes of twixtor (not that I'll be doing that much twixtoring, but still).. and it lags the crap out of vegas... But when i see the footage, its always worth it :)
 
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i dont know if its easy to do but super-retarded-exaggerrated slo mo is really in style now.

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

Ive never done a video but my undersanding is that you might do 4 or 5 different "things" and then intercut back and forth between them..for example:

1. Time Lapse stuff
2. The artist performing in somewhere halfway interesting, tweaking buttons.
3. Abstract light nonsense (wiggle the camera in times square on low shutter speed?)
4. super slo mo of a skateboarder wearing mouse ears. (dont ask just made that up)
5. A chick dancing, wearing something interesting, somewhere interesting

I dunno I would think you would need lots of material for a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUSZWwnoVj0

then again you could go minimalistic and do very little:

while you're there you can learn the difference between good and bad electronic music- compare this gorgeous, epic, uplifting slice of heaven to anything done by skrillex. no contest. I love you, underworld:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHs8LxPepKU
 
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Music like this is typically exclusively about style and emotion beaten to the brink of death, so just listen to the song, pick a style, pick an emotion, and beat them to the brink of death. At least that's how I'd do it.
 
Well thanks,

But he's looking for a more conservative video...without the skrillex type cheesy, over the top acting.
And those Skrillex videos are horrible... heh
 
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