music video help

Strobe Media

Strobe Media

Well-known member
So I told this guy i work with I'd shoot a music video for him free of charge because i want to get into music videos but i've never done one =X Should i still write a contract in case he decides to do anything with this, I get a cut?
 
I would. When I've done free music videos, which is actually my reel to this point, from fairly inexpensive to very expensive, I've always had the band sign a bunch of documents. For one, the right to display their images and likeness on the video, the right for me to display the video on any Website I now operate or ever start, in connection with my film business, and the written agreement that the video cannot be shown on national TV networks or placed on a record label's Website without being paid for, which is defined as cost-plus, the entire cost of making the video plus a fair market rate (which I establish at the time of shooting) for my equipment usage, and then payment for my time in line with the other people who worked on it. So a $9,500 video becomes a $15,000 video for them to buy. If they don't like it, that's ok, they can go shoot their own.

You know when you write contracts like this it's unlikely it will ever really matter, but it's always good to cover your butt. Especially with regard to making sure you have the written permission to use the video as you please. If I pay for the video, then I make sure they know I own the video and all rights to the video, then I grant them rights to it based on what they need -- public display, right to put it on any video sharing sites, their band site, MySpace, etc. I'm very liberal with what they can use it for, even I allow them to put it on a CD they sell, but just not sell it directly, by itself, without another agreement where I can get compensated.
 
a cut of what? the gig money he gets later on?
No need for contracts for favors. I seldom even use them when money changes hands.
Just have a great time and make something awesome so you can both benefit from it.
 
Contracts are a good idea for everything. I don't even take a piss without signing a contract. ;)

haha, j/k, but you should always cover your butt. And I never ask for a cut of anything with free music videos, I just want my money back if the band gets signed to a label and they want to use my video. If they DON'T want to use my video, that's fine, they don't have to. But I bet they can't make a video that good with that little money, especially not hiring some production company that pays grips $600/day. That's not how you make a music video. That's how you blow money needlessly, which they're great at.
 
grinner said:
a cut of what? the gig money he gets later on?
No need for contracts for favors. I seldom even use them when money changes hands.
Just have a great time and make something awesome so you can both benefit from it.
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no but i'm saying, if by some chance he gets signed, and the producer says, Gee, that's a good video! we want to use this and perhaps make money off of it, well i should get a cut of that as the maker shouldn't it?
 
That won't happen though. Networks that plat music videos have spacific requirements. The first is a record lable and the second is the video was shot on film, not video. You are simply getting your foot in the door with this artist adnt hey will think of you should they get a break later on. You'll have a music video on your reel to show the next time you are pitching a music video with a budget.
The only thing a lable would do with something like this is youtube it for viral marketing. Aint no moola changing hands there so even if you got half.... same break down.
Again, I'd not confuse this issue with any paper work whatsoever. Go shoot, edit your rump off. Make something you can shop around later.
 
grinner said:
That won't happen though. Networks that plat music videos have spacific requirements. The first is a record lable and the second is the video was shot on film, not video. You are simply getting your foot in the door with this artist adnt hey will think of you should they get a break later on. You'll have a music video on your reel to show the next time you are pitching a music video with a budget.
The only thing a lable would do with something like this is youtube it for viral marketing. Aint no moola changing hands there so even if you got half.... same break down.
Again, I'd not confuse this issue with any paper work whatsoever. Go shoot, edit your rump off. Make something you can shop around later.
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Where did you get this information? Lots of music videos that play nationally are shot digitally, are you kidding? That medium lends itself perfectly to digital, and nobody will shoot videos on film ever again in about 5 years, because it's too expensive for tiny budget videos. Wherever you got your information I have no clue, I have about 3 friends who have directed NUMEROUS music videos at the $8,000 to $20,000 range for record labels, stuff that played nationally on TV, and those videos were almost all shot on the HVX200, a few on the RED One, one on the F950 that I know of, etc. I don't think they shot film with a single one of them, way too expensive for those tiny budgets. And there are a LOT of videos being made on those budgets, actually.

The Killers music videos are like $250,000 now, and they are The Killers, one of the biggest bands around. That means little, recently signed bands, with small followings are not getting budgets above $40,000 most of the time, and often 3 times less than that. With that little money there's no other option but to film on something like the HVX200, cheap acquisition, looks good, and on TV and YouTube will be no different in quality than film. I mean you can tell if something was shot on film usually if it's on a 70 foot screen, it's not that hard, but on the average 40" screen or so you cannot tell if it was shot and lit PROPERLY with the HVX200, versus film.

I would say the odds, however, of shooting a video for a band, then having that video picked up by a label, are no better than 1 in 100 even if the band is really good. And I'd say much worse, probably more like 1 in 1,000. That being said I also know of it happening, friend of a friend, she did this video for a band that wasn't signed, they got signed about 6 months later, and the video is now airing on MTV2. So it does happen, but it's just not something you should by any means count on.

Also don't make the mistake I did, don't let some musician blow smoke up your butt about his amazing connections and how he's really THIS close to being signed, it's almost a sure deal, he just hasn't really sent the CD out yet, but he has interest, blah blah etc. Trust me these guys are often great at spinning a story like that if it means getting you to do a video for them free, or cheap, etc. Just politely say, "Sweet, that's awesome, well I'm sure you guys will make it eventually. I love the music," etc. Don't say, yeah, you're full of hooey, but don't get your hopes up either. I've done some pretty sweet videos now for indie bands and those bands to this point have not gone anywhere. Well, 2 of them (2 incarnations of the same band, actually) broke up shortly after the videos, another one lost their bass guitarist but they are still going strong, great band, and the other I don't think is particularly serious and the singer is past his prime, so they won't go anywhere, no offense. Great guy, but... I mean it's not going to happen. Another band that I was on the verge of working with, I mean I loved their music, loved this song, honestly if they were together I'd still be happy to make them a video for this one free because the song is THAT good (and I had a sweet idea for it...), they broke up recently and I never got the chance to do anything for them. It happens constantly.

I can't imagine how hard it must be for a band to make it, because it's hard enough for any individual to make it in film let's say, but a band involves all of these personalities and competing goals. The main problem I think is people in general do not have the proper priorities to make it to the top. If your priority is finding a girl, getting married, and all that stuff, it's pretty tough to compete with someone like me who puts career first and can give every second basically towards my goals. With bands, it becomes even worse, because now the drummer can't practice, his girlfriend wants to go to (wherever), or pretty soon the lead guitarist has to move 50 miles away because his wife is tired of living in (wherever they are), so then he can't practice more than once weekly. Or they just start getting older and think, ok, we need real jobs. Basically the odds are so stacked against musicians, god bless them for trying so hard anyway.

I swear I want to make a film like this, the Anti-Entourage film. They show Entourage and it's all so glamorous and when everyone looks at the entertainment industry they see glitz and glamour and fame and fortune. They don't see the reality, though. For every one person who makes it big, another 99 are busting their butts, living on lousy food in a tiny apartment, every day wondering if maybe they will get a chance to move up. They don't see that for every one person who gets to realize their dreams, 99 others are looking at shattered dreams, broken hopes, and a life in disarray. A lot of pain and suffering occurs for the public to have its entertainment. It's like the Coliseum in Gladiator ;)
 
This was the case at CMT when I worked there. If a lable doesn't send it, it's filed in the trash. If it came unsolicited, it's filed in the trash. If it's shot on video... same thing.
Perhaps have laxed there as digital video has gotten so nice in the last few years but no network is in the habbit of watching music videos that show up in the mail.
 
JonathanLB said:
With that little money there's no other option but to film on something like the HVX200, cheap acquisition, looks good, and on TV and YouTube will be no different in quality than film. I mean you can tell if something was shot on film usually if it's on a 70 foot screen, it's not that hard, but on the average 40" screen or so you cannot tell if it was shot and lit PROPERLY with the HVX200, versus film.
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i don't know about not being able to tell the difference between 35 and HVX on a 40" screen. That may be a little farfetched. I do agree however though that you dont have to shoot on film to get airplay. As long as its professionaly lit and shot, you should be fine. I say this because ive shot videos both on 35mm and numerous ones on HD and have gotten high rotation airplay with my HD videos.
 
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