New Rock Music Video (HVX200/Letus Extreme)

[RyanT]

Hey guys, I finished up a music video quite some time ago, but it's taken a long time to actually finish the sucker off. Check it out here, on vimeo...

http://www.vimeo.com/1845342

The password is dizzy

I was director/DP and we shot it on the HVX/Letus with a set of Nikon Primes...along with my coveted peleng 8mm.

Some select production stills:

DVXuser and 2nd AC Huy Vu chillin' with our friendly PA Caitlyn Durkin by the tinsel curtains.

AC's hanging out by camera. Fun.

Gettin' our Mickey Rooney on

I have no idea why, but one of my grips felt like goggles were a necessary addition to every grips tool bag. People laughed, so hey, why not!

Now, if you're at all interested, my semi-horror story.

The members of the band are all friends of mine from high school, so I agreed to shoot a video for them for free. Hey, they've got good music, they've got a chance, so I figured why not? It'd be fun. Production went alright, they didn't give me any time to prepare as they wanted the video for this "open for coldplay" contest. Fair enough. We get an idea, start prepping, then the night before we shoot, as we're prepping the location, their producer calls. He insists they don't enter the contest, it's a terrible deal for them if they win. Not surprised at all on that.

We decide to do the video anyways. Best decision ever. We shoot. Everyones estatic about how it all went. I'm even sort of happy. I'm never happy.

A month or two later, they show it to their manager, who I guess came in a bit late to this whole party. Maybe just after we finished shooting, he started managing them. He watched it, liked it, but then said they shouldn't release it. It'll hurt their chances of getting a record deal, he said. Apparently for a band that's just starting out, it doesn't do them too much good, it's something a record label would rather do for the band. Is this true? I have no idea. There are a few issues that we were going to try and fix with pickups, but when he dropped that bomb, pickups were no longer an option.

So here I am. Showing you guys a password protected version of it on vimeo. Oh how the world works sometimes....

Anyways, enjoy! As long as someone sees it, I'm happy!

 

[DM_rider]

That was awesome! I loved that video. It would be a shame if they got signed and shot a new video for that song, because yours was as good as it gets in my opinion. It was fun, light hearted, funny, and the song is great as well. The only thing I would do would be to take out the cheesy dirt on the lens effect, that was very distracting for me. The video has a very nice, clean and polished look and the fake dirt just draws your attention away from that fact.

Great video!

 

[RyanT]

Hah, It's not fake

We were using Huy's letus on our shoot and halfway through it started breaking and that pesky spot of dust appeared. If they did release it, I'd get it out...otherwise...I don't think I could stomach clone stamping it out now.

Thanks though. I appreciate the comments.

 

[DM_rider]

Hah, It's not fake

We were using Huy's letus on our shoot and halfway through it started breaking and that pesky spot of dust appeared. If they did release it, I'd get it out...otherwise...I don't think I could stomach clone stamping it out now.

Thanks though. I appreciate the comments.

oh damn man that sucks. I feel bad now, haha.

 

[RyanT]

Ha. No worries. For a while I tried to talk myself into the fact that it makes it feel a bit more home made, but I doubt that's the case at all.

Huy ended up getting his unit replaced free of charge though, so we got out of that situation just fine. If anything it was for the best.

 

[RyanT]

Anyone else care to take a look?

 

[JonathanLB]

Hey, it was nice, a fun little video.

I think this manager has no idea what he's talking about. A music video is a huge component to helping a band on its way to getting signed. It's not that the record label thinks, "Oh, great, they have a video, well crap let's sign them," but it does give them a sense of how they can perform, it lets them know at least they've DONE a music video, especially if it's very professional and polished, so they know if they shoot a video with this band these guys at least know how it works and have some experience with the process. If it's a very good video, I mean not a band friend with a handicam recording them at a live show, but a real music video, then it does give the label an option of putting out that video immediately and promoting them faster than having to make their own for a first single.

Every band I have spoken to really wants a music video when they're coming up with a new CD or a demo CD, etc. The problem is they can never afford one, so they end up having to hope someone will do one for free. Us filmmakers are such nice guys, after all Not like we have bills to pay or any of that. I've spent about $15,000 now on three music videos for indie bands, haha, and 1 out of 3 of those videos is useless because that band lost 4 of its 5 members and I worked again with the remaining member, but he can't use the first video we shot for him since it doesn't promote the current band and it's too awkward to explain, "Oh, yeah, the whole band is gone but me," haha. Ah well that's what happens.