JonathanLB
Carbonite Member
I feel like I know a lot about music video production, it's where I started after all, but I don't really understand how you break into actual label productions. I'm not talking about trying to direct U2's next video or Foo Fighters or something. I'm talking the low budget stuff, let's say for a smaller label, something in the range of $8,000 to $20,000 videos. I have 3-4 contacts who do this type of work, people I've known, worked with, interviewed for this or that, etc. They've done work in that range, well one of them even an $80,000 video, but I swear nobody shares. Whatsoever.
You ask how they got in the door, they don't want to tell you. They won't be rude, they'll just conveniently sidestep it. "Well I just worked really hard and the right person noticed." That doesn't help me, obviously. They have contacts, they know how to do it, but there is no way in hell they want to pass that contact onto me, I suppose, because if I send them my work I could be a threat. I may end up getting work over them, I guess, that must be the assumption. I totally appreciate it's a cutthroat industry, I just wish that someone would say hey look, here's what you can do.
This really eludes me because I understand how you'd get a script noticed. You can easily get a script noticed if you enter it into enough solid festivals and competitions, the good ones, and you can get to the finalist category or win a few of these, that works. You can at least get your script read by someone. I understand that process at least somewhat.
The reason I never started looking into this more seriously until now is because I didn't feel I was really at the place for it. But now, I built my reel, I have 4 quality music videos (rock) that I'm happy with, two of them have been sent to festivals. They've been to 25 film festivals and competitions nationwide, I've won three times for Best Music Video and picked up other nominations. Budgets were between $2,000 and $15,000. So I certainly feel that I am qualified to do lower-end label video work, for perhaps a newly signed artist, for a smaller label, something along those lines. I know this work is out there, as I said, because I have known multiple people who do it regularly.
Before anyone comments, I fully recognize there is really not much money at all in music videos anymore. My sales lady's job is to find corporate work, and that is indeed my primary focus. I was just hoping that for fun, because I do love it, and because it's great to experiment, to create, that I could find a few music video projects per year, even if I wasn't making much money at all, just because it is something I enjoy doing. I wouldn't even mind if a label was like ok here's $15,000 and it turned out that we had to spend it all to get the video they wanted. Obviously I don't want to occupy a ton of my time doing this each year, but if I could shoot 1-3 videos per year it would be a great experience. Besides, I have the equipment, I'm fully insured, and I am able to do a project like that start to finish, I've shown I can do it many times before, etc.
So far, the ways I thought might work were naive, or just wouldn't work. Like hoping that one of these bands got signed. First, most bands I've worked with broke up. One has done quite well, for my largest video, and they recently finished 3rd in some big competition. But they're not signed yet. One member left their band, and he has contacted me about a possible label video later this year, because apparently they are close to signing. That'd obviously be the ideal "in" for me.
That being said, any advice? Do you send a letter with a reel to a bunch of labels and just hope for the best? Do you just send the letter with a link to my site and my work, then offer to send a reel if they'd like it? How do you go about this even? I really don't understand it.
You ask how they got in the door, they don't want to tell you. They won't be rude, they'll just conveniently sidestep it. "Well I just worked really hard and the right person noticed." That doesn't help me, obviously. They have contacts, they know how to do it, but there is no way in hell they want to pass that contact onto me, I suppose, because if I send them my work I could be a threat. I may end up getting work over them, I guess, that must be the assumption. I totally appreciate it's a cutthroat industry, I just wish that someone would say hey look, here's what you can do.
This really eludes me because I understand how you'd get a script noticed. You can easily get a script noticed if you enter it into enough solid festivals and competitions, the good ones, and you can get to the finalist category or win a few of these, that works. You can at least get your script read by someone. I understand that process at least somewhat.
The reason I never started looking into this more seriously until now is because I didn't feel I was really at the place for it. But now, I built my reel, I have 4 quality music videos (rock) that I'm happy with, two of them have been sent to festivals. They've been to 25 film festivals and competitions nationwide, I've won three times for Best Music Video and picked up other nominations. Budgets were between $2,000 and $15,000. So I certainly feel that I am qualified to do lower-end label video work, for perhaps a newly signed artist, for a smaller label, something along those lines. I know this work is out there, as I said, because I have known multiple people who do it regularly.
Before anyone comments, I fully recognize there is really not much money at all in music videos anymore. My sales lady's job is to find corporate work, and that is indeed my primary focus. I was just hoping that for fun, because I do love it, and because it's great to experiment, to create, that I could find a few music video projects per year, even if I wasn't making much money at all, just because it is something I enjoy doing. I wouldn't even mind if a label was like ok here's $15,000 and it turned out that we had to spend it all to get the video they wanted. Obviously I don't want to occupy a ton of my time doing this each year, but if I could shoot 1-3 videos per year it would be a great experience. Besides, I have the equipment, I'm fully insured, and I am able to do a project like that start to finish, I've shown I can do it many times before, etc.
So far, the ways I thought might work were naive, or just wouldn't work. Like hoping that one of these bands got signed. First, most bands I've worked with broke up. One has done quite well, for my largest video, and they recently finished 3rd in some big competition. But they're not signed yet. One member left their band, and he has contacted me about a possible label video later this year, because apparently they are close to signing. That'd obviously be the ideal "in" for me.
That being said, any advice? Do you send a letter with a reel to a bunch of labels and just hope for the best? Do you just send the letter with a link to my site and my work, then offer to send a reel if they'd like it? How do you go about this even? I really don't understand it.
