how make a music video with just one camera

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ultrab

Member
I'm supposed to make a music video soon with a d5000 and I would like to have some advice with what to do when you just have one camera.

Should i turn around the band performing with my camera? Or for beginning a overall plan of the band playing the complete song?

To give a idea i would like to have the punk band playing with some teens partying around.
 
You need to break down your shoot into all the shots you need. Make up a shot list...all the elements that the band wants. Let us know how much discussion you have had with the band on what they expect for their video. Once you have determined what shots you need then you will need to break down each of those individual shots into the specific lighting set ups, camera angles, etc. for each shot.
 
Kess is correct, treat it just like a movie, script, storyboards, shot lists.....

Here's something I just shot spur-of-the-moment for a friend...1st rough cut, no planning, no idea on what we're going to do with it. With one camera, I shot 10 different angles to the playback of the recorded track. Now we're going to figure out where we want to go with it and shoot other elements.

It was a fun 40 minutes...
http://www.vimeo.com/4902474
pass: elf
 
ultrab said:
I'm supposed to make a music video soon with a d5000 and I would like to have some advice with what to do when you just have one camera.

Should i turn around the band performing with my camera? Or for beginning a overall plan of the band playing the complete song?

To give a idea i would like to have the punk band playing with some teens partying around.
Click to expand...

Well the first thing you need to do is script it. Doesnt seem like your going for any backstory here and just revolves around the band at one venue with people jumping around. Still needs to be scripted.

You have to have a plan as to what you will have in your end product. Use the songs TC as your guide. I have no idea what the song your shooting is obviously. But really the script is about having a vision of the end product. In these cases your shotlist can be incorporated into your script. And in the case of the video your shooting you COULD script only some sections you want to shoot as stand out moments and your cutaways, depending on the song and then draw up a shot list of the other coverage you want to get.

Something like this for your standouts.

TC 1.20 Chris (lead singer) sits on the edge of stage and sings I love you baby but your ugly. CU on Chris, drummer in BG plays. 100mm.

Of course if you are going to shoot this yourself without crew, theres no need to really SB it.
 
Every video set I have ever been on or directed only used one camera anyway. Just like the others said. it's all about preparation.
 
Preparation is important, but I've never storyboarded anything, let alone a music video, and it all turns out fine. You just have to be able to communicate effectively and plan well. I always have a shot list, though, and know what I want to see.

With one camera it's tougher by far because I like to have about 16 to 24 different full run-throughs of the song, so if I have two cameras that means the band only has to perform it 8 to 12 times, plus a rehearsal or two for them maybe. But that keeps it manageable, right around 10, plus or minus a few. With one camera, I can't ask them to play the song 16-24 times, it's just too much, the energy will suffer and the final takes will be bad. So then you have to start editing on set and in your head more, knowing exactly what you want to see, with less playing room. So you have to figure if you have 10 takes, who is the focal point? In a rock group, usually the singer, and you want 4 takes on the singer probably, maybe one closeup, two medium shots, and a more full body shot with the singer still the primary focus. Then maybe you have a dolly shot of the whole band, a jib shot of the whole band, and with your four remaining you give one take each to the other 3-4 band members, or if only 3, do another jib shot, etc. It's just up to your personal style but that's what I usually lean towards. It kind of depends, though, if we have an amazing location I might want more wide shots if possible because I want to showcase that, and if it's not such a good location I'll keep it tighter.

I've directed four music videos. The first I sent to festivals (my 2nd) has been to 16 film festivals nationwide and won 2. The next one after has been to two festivals, but hasn't been sent to many either. Didn't send the 1st or 4th anywhere. But I love music videos! Lots of fun!

I just wish that someone would let me know how the heck you get in contact with the right people to get paid to direct record label videos, even tiny ones, because I have a few friends doing it but of course they wouldn't tell me as I'm their competition ;)
 
Multiple cameras could be a big help if you want to show a 'live' performance and cut from one angle to another, but frankly those are the most boring videos anyway
 
clang said:
Multiple cameras could be a big help if you want to show a 'live' performance and cut from one angle to another, but frankly those are the most boring videos anyway
Click to expand...

So true, god those videos suck most of the time. It's kind of painful...
 
Videos SHOULD have stories, if they don't it's just a waste of talent. I've done one without a story, it was fun but it's not intelligent, it's not like the artistic achievements you can pull off with telling a small story in a video. It's a beautiful thing being able to do that, and to waste that chance if you have the budget is kind of pathetic. Videos should have stories.
 
Most songs already have stories. I don't like them literalized or another story tacked on. There are plenty of intelligently and imaginatively constructed videos without stories.
 
One camera would be pretty tough to shoot any misic video with a band.

I would rent one, borrow one, or just wait until you get another to do this at a level that will make it easier on everyone. There was a shoot I was on yesterday that was planned out for a week, and went South after the lead singer and guitarist got stuck in a town 4 hours away.

This is the formula I came up with and set up for, might give you an idea, there are probably a lot better ways to do this.

Band plays through 4 times:

Very simple to with a band indoors without running through the story (script) of a song. This was using a DVX100B (with MTV Web Settings @ 60i) on a tripod, with the audio from the mixing board plugged into inputs 1 and 2.

The hand held unit was the Canon HV20, set for HDV @ 60i, TV, with a 1/60 shutter (good for the drummer's movements).

* No zooming - move forward or back with the camera, lots of pans.
* Set up audio and have someone monitoring the levels on the camera (headset), and record audio on EVERY shot.

1) Cam 1 (DVX) in front of band with a med shot. Band plays through entire song.

2) Cam 1 still in place, turned to catch the left side of the band with a med/close of the members. Cam 2 (HV20) gets footage (closeups etc.) of entire right side of band and out of the view of Cam 1.

3) (reverse) Cam 1 still in place, turned to catch the right side, med close, then Cam 2 covers the left side, out of the frame of Cam 1.

4) Cam 2 is in front, getting close ups, low and high angles, etc. for final run.
 
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