Music Video: How would you light this?

OK I have a germ of an idea...I'd keep it for myself but I don't expect to be shooting any music videos in near future (famous last words):

Have a couple of lighting techs handholding small RGBW units like Apurture MC's on 2' long extension posts walking around the set during shots, creating moving lighting effects. Each light could be controlled via app by someone behind camera so you could switch to different presets for color, effects etc. for dfferent parts of the song. Imagine each standing on either side of the lead singer raising and lowering their lights alternating top to bottom as one look, or swinging overhead like a boom, sticking it inside the hole in the kick drum...with the right choreography it could be really fun (would work great as a one'r or series of long shots).

If it worked conceptually with the right band (maybe not this one as it sounds from Liam's description that they aren't too heavy on personality), the techs could be seen in shot, and could possibly be dressed "interestingly"...gorilla suits? hazmat suits? limitless possibitilies!

My inspiration for this was this chestnut from "Stop Making Sense. Everyone's favorite part is Byrne offering the mike to the guy with the Omni light at 4:00.

 
Joshua Cadmium said:
There are a lot of great bands out there with amazing music that are never going to get popular enough to be able to afford a big budget director.





With music videos, you as the director can have more free rein to do whatever you want. Because of that, you can create something that not only elevates the work but almost supersedes it. Michel Gondry and Spike Jones, for instance, created mini masterpieces with a lot of the videos they directed and they are not entirely dependent on the music to succeed.

This is a low fi masterpiece by Spike Jones (Fatlip - What Up Fatlip): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WotkQ6vFuGw

This is a high fi masterpiece by Michel Gondry (bjork - bachelorette): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNJv-Ebi67I

Music videos to me are one of the pinnacles of directing and cinematography, because of how many things are combined into one. You have the highest level of marketing for a product - the artist. It's in a lot of ways much more important than a simple commercial for a business. You're also given more runtime than you would normally have in a commercial to tell a story, but still not that much, so you need to have focused ideas. Then, because bands understand the artistic side of it, you have so much more space to collaborate on something unique. On top of that, you have the ability to make a statement that can have a far reaching cultural impact.

All of that is going to be delivered in a package that is easily digestible and has no barriers of entry to unpack it - music videos are short and free. More people can and are going to watch them more than most individual features or TV series.

I can easily point to the huge cultural significance of music videos like Beyonce's Formation and Sorry or Childish Gambino's This Is America. This music video for Kendrick Lamar's For Free? hits all of the right notes and is so powerful as a combined work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZTYgq4EoRo





Even if the music is not your taste, you can make something great. I don't listen to Die Antwoord, because their music doesn't work for me by itself, but I've seen all of their music videos because they are highly entertaining and artistic. (Although I will note that their videos do have differing levels of culturally problematic content, though).

For more examples, you probably won't like either of the next two artists (even if you are a seasoned metalhead like myself), but you can appreciate that they made something entertaining to watch.

King Diamond - The Family Ghost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGC2iP5ss6E (shutter angles galore!)

Candlemass - Bewitched: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3LNi-aPXuc (skip to 1:20 and watch about 20 seconds if you don't want to watch the whole thing.)
Click to expand...

I don't disagree with much of what you wrote. I think the difference is Liam has been intimating that he knows his band isn't so strong, which is why I asked if the song was good. Even in Abe's examples like OK Go, I wouldn't necessarily say their songs are great, they are adequate, catchy pop and their MVs definitely put them on the map. But you're talking about objective cultural relativism of a medium, I'm talking about what music video commissioners have told me in interviews and in bars after hours sharing a drink. What commissioners look for is an overall reel that shows an aesthetic, a style and an alternate way of presenting an artist or idea but if there are no great songs on the reel, it's much tougher. So I think your advice is good if you are interested in forwarding the medium of music videos, but my advice is more geared toward if you want to succeed AS a music video director or DP, your reel needs to contain snippets of sings that are objectively excellent. Not to my or your taste but to the taste of the people who might hire you.

Funny you bring up Die Antwoord, I don't buy or listen to their music but I have studied all of their videos and I think the MV for "I Fink You Freaky" is one of the most striking and interesting MVs ever created.
 
Last edited:
Along the lines of funny BTS shots in MVs, there was this unofficial video for Sail by AWOLNATION that cuts to the wide shot where we see the lady holding the garden hose for the rain effect. Actually a pretty amusing little no-budget video although the single set-up held my interest for only half the video:

 
I could tell watching the Sail video (back when it was just gaining traction, it seemed) that it was kind of a low budget video, but who cares? (I think) that song is awesome. Which is probably why it's been remixed and appropriated everywhere.
 
Off-topic but that video above reminds of this FS700 video which probably sold thousands of FS700s back in the day.

Maybe NOT SAFE FOR WORK.

I remember the video being such a big deal and I thought the quality for 240fps was insane back then. Looking back now, it's actually still pretty darn good for 8 years later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L59zkCTSvRA
 
Put RGB LED strips on the instruments, and light it only from that! Drumsticks! Guitar neck! Cowbell! Cover them all!
 
backlight and haze = good - if you can add some strobing batter.

you could do two light setups .. maybe yellow verses blue chorii.

I use cto and ctb a lot as they are complimentatry and already owned.

I think the green here is pure grade...

Im in a church crypt so hid the lights behind architecture, you could stack up some amps and do the same thing.

not read the whole thread but here is my jackknife

three redheads and a board, a redhead is brought in on a performer and a board flapped in front of the the light to create a strobing effect.

oh I guess my £30 smoker

manyly the 50 1.8 but also a bit of 80/2.8 mamiya freelensed.

id spin the room and use the black as the background.

take 1 - the band
takes one of each performer
two takes of the singer
1/2 hour of off synch with the singer (while the band break the kit down)
done

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kmK3LakkD0
 
Last edited:
Grug said:
Put RGB LED strips on the instruments, and light it only from that! Drumsticks! Guitar neck! Cowbell! Cover them all!
Click to expand...

This was a suggestion I made, though not on the instruments, just the monitor stacks. I still might go this route.
 
morgan_moore said:
backlight and haze = good - if you can add some strobing batter.

you could do two light setups .. maybe yellow verses blue chorii.

I use cto and ctb a lot as they are complimentatry and already owned.

I think the green here is pure grade...

Im in a church crypt so hid the lights behind architecture, you could stack up some amps and do the same thing.

not read the whole thread but here is my jackknife

three redheads and a board, a redhead is brought in on a performer and a board flapped in front of the the light to create a strobing effect.

oh I guess my £30 smoker

manyly the 50 1.8 but also a bit of 80/2.8 mamiya freelensed.

id spin the room and use the black as the background.

take 1 - the band
takes one of each performer
two takes of the singer
1/2 hour of off synch with the singer (while the band break the kit down)
done

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kmK3LakkD0
Click to expand...

Agree, Sam. I've got blackout drapes, my initial thought was hang those in the BG and stick a couple of hard lights in there.

What hazer are you using for £30?
 
hazers ae expensive and good.

this is a smoke machine which is cheap and bad.

I dont actually know it cost £30 its probably off amazon though - they seem to be bout £40 - 500w or so.
 
Ah, gotcha. Last time I hired a hazer it was £50 a day. I'll probably get moaned at for using a smoke machine during COVID but it's the only way I can see to make that horrid little space interesting. I can limit the number of people in there at any one time, but they'll just have to hold their breath on the wider shots...
 
Liam Hall said:
Ah, gotcha. Last time I hired a hazer it was £50 a day. I'll probably get moaned at for using a smoke machine during COVID but it's the only way I can see to make that horrid little space interesting. I can limit the number of people in there at any one time, but they'll just have to hold their breath on the wider shots...
Click to expand...

Liam, will you be moaning at yourself? From the "Safe Working Practices" thread, "Avoid use of hazers" - http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?367283-Safe-Working-Practices

I'm only joking but am interested to hear if there's any resistance/workarounds on your shoot.
 
NorBro said:
Off-topic but that video above reminds of this FS700 video which probably sold thousands of FS700s back in the day.

Maybe NOT SAFE FOR WORK.

I remember the video being such a big deal and I thought the quality for 240fps was insane back then. Looking back now, it's actually still pretty darn good for 8 years later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L59zkCTSvRA
Click to expand...

So we all have Thomas Worth to blame for starting the slow motion abuse torture? Every shot is slow motion. It's his fault, girls in bikini tops and water in slow motion, that was the epicenter for the slow motion abuse epidemic.
 
240fps is too fast...I hope you're filming all of your projects in 480fps.

And at least for 86%, maybe 87% of the shots...or what's the point, pure?
 
puredrifting said:
So we all have Thomas Worth to blame for starting the slow motion abuse torture? Every shot is slow motion. It's his fault, girls in bikini tops and water in slow motion, that was the epicenter for the slow motion abuse epidemic.
Click to expand...

Bill Totolo is also in the credits - "let's get him!"
 
I'm liking this thread, so many cool suggestions.

There is huge potential to use that ceiling to mount many things. Lightweight items can use scissor clamps.

For larger objects, check out these threads where Guy Holt provides a micro masterclass in rigging from similar ceilings:
- https://cinematography.com/index.php?/topic/68250-overhead-lighting/
- https://cinematography.com/index.php?/topic/77480-finchers-lighting/

Before someone says "that shoot had a grip truck/crew members", my point is if the scissor clamps are inappropriate, individual panels can often be removed. Sometimes a single pipe across the top is all it takes, or a simple "H" made from pipe will get you there.

As far as the look, I like the idea of small pools of lights, for example a dedo dlh4 with or without diffusion per person or "area".

You could hang several bare bulbs in the foreground too. I'd go for frosted bulbs over the clean glass where you can see the filament. Maybe festoons will get you there or you might need to go individual bulbs if you want more control over positioning.

For the set dressing, what about something other than black. Like those gray photo backdrops, which are a bit cloudy (is mottled the term?).

As well as the walls, maybe you could hire an interesting fabric for the ground, which will help if you need to frame out the ceiling as much as possible.

Look at the laser thin beams in this awesome video:


The light is a Sharpy by manufacturer Clay Paky. If they sold static versions of these, the film industry would go crazy. Perhaps you could stick a couple of sharpies in corners of the room and let them do their thing.

Disco ball may also be a no brainer.

Also, you could get a projector for the BG or directly onto them. For the projection you can play a music video that had a huge budget as a constant reminder throughout the day that you're doing it for the art.
 
puredrifting said:
I don't disagree with much of what you wrote. I think the difference is Liam has been intimating that he knows his band isn't so strong, which is why I asked if the song was good. Even in Abe's examples like OK Go, I wouldn't necessarily say their songs are great, they are adequate, catchy pop and their MVs definitely put them on the map. But you're talking about objective cultural relativism of a medium, I'm talking about what music video commissioners have told me in interviews and in bars after hours sharing a drink. What commissioners look for is an overall reel that shows an aesthetic, a style and an alternate way of presenting an artist or idea but if there are no great songs on the reel, it's much tougher. So I think your advice is good if you are interested in forwarding the medium of music videos, but my advice is more geared toward if you want to succeed AS a music video director or DP, your reel needs to contain snippets of sings that are objectively excellent. Not to my or your taste but to the taste of the people who might hire you.
Click to expand...


I get what you mean a little bit better. Initially I think you were trying to say, hey if the music sucks, don't worry about it too much because it's not going to matter - you're not going to be able to elevate crap. I really have a soft spot for music videos so I'm still feeling like, hey now, you still can make something great. (:

Part of what I was responding to was what you were saying about not being able to make a good music video because you don't have access to artists who make good music, mainly because their budgets are bigger. To me, it sounded a little circular and a little self defeating. My thinking is, there is just so much good music out there nowadays, you might just need to start smaller. I was thinking even finding bands that make music you like and cold calling them with inspired treatments. But if music videos aren't your cup of tea or don't pay the bills (it's a business first) than yeah, don't do that. For me, it really is a creative outlet first, so I am definitely coming at it from another perspective.

I can't argue with your experience, but it makes no sense to me to judge the merit of a Director / DP on things not just beyond their control, but that were set in stone way before they joined the project: they weren't in the recording studio. I've never thought that poor acting was the fault of the DP.

What is the success of an indie, for instance? It's not usually box office revenue. Coming from that perspective, I believe you can judge pure creativity even on the lowest of budgets. Even when the source material is not ideal. Obviously the way things should be and the way the world works is different, but I still strongly believe if you have loads of talent and tenacity you can and will shine through (especially in this Youtube age). We've all seen Directors / DPs that started with smaller projects that just oozed creativity. For instance, this is a lower budget short film by Michel Gondry and his creative vision is readily apparent: https://youtu.be/PfgA7xJfO1g (see especially the practical vfx at around 6:30).

It also seems to me that a lot of bands will find a director they like and just frequent them. A friend of mine was a big budget music video director in the 90's and was practically on retainer for a rap artist and his label. He also told me (and I haven't clarified with him recently, so this is going off of memory) that for other artists he would write treatments for songs and it was the band or a representative that got to pick which idea from which director they wanted. So his reel and reputation got his foot in the door, but he was still competing based on creativity.


puredrifting said:
Funny you bring up Die Antwoord, I don't buy or listen to their music but I have studied all of their videos and I think the MV for "I Fink You Freaky" is one of the most striking and interesting MVs ever created.
Click to expand...


I think "Fatty Boom Boom" is their best one. (Definitely culturally problematic parts, though.) So much craziness going on at once. Even the behind the scenes is super entertaining.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top