I have spent the last week putting the finishing touches on a music video I was coerced into producing. (Actually I took the gig willingly. It just sounds funnier that way!)
The first “music video” I’ve worked on since the late ’80s (yeah, I know, I’m old), the editing process was a harsh reminder of a few no-brainer shooting principles I had unfortunately forgotten until now. Many of these principles relate to any video assignment, but some are more specific to the “music video” genre. In my mind, all music videos fall under two categories:
#1: pre-produced, story-boarded, staged, scripted, shot, scrutinized, edited, re-shot, re-edited-to-perfection style.
and
# 2: non-planned, no-budget, go-for-it style.
One usually involves an abundance of time, budget, and professionals. The other, regardless of experience- involves a lot of chance, skill, and luck. Each has its own list of caveats and expectations. Since I seem to attract clients with little or no vision, preferences, experience, or money, I tend to shoot the latter style. Seasoned Veterans will give you a slew of valuable tips for producing, shooting, directing, and editing music videos. But since I’m essentially new to the game all over again, I’m remembering them all as I go along. Here are a couple things I wish I’d remembered before this last project, in no special order:
1. Shoot as much footage as humanly possible! These days video cameras, tape, and SD cards are relatively cheap. Pull a Trent or Bon Jovi and hand a couple to the crowd (assuming there is a crowd) to shoot from their perspective. Just don’t forget to get them back! No crowd, you say? That’s what tripods are for!
2. Related: Shoot everything. Loading/unloading of trucks, fans, groupies, band members smoking outside, random passersby, traffic, an abandoned shoe on the ground… No, really. After all, it’s all about getting as much video to work with as possible. You never know what will come in handy!
3. Shoot three different versions of the video. You’re not actually shooting three different versions for the price of one, but if you go into it as if you were, this should give you plenty of content to work with in the editing stage. When the client has not expressed any preferences (which is common in “no-budget” scenarios), its up to you to envision and produce the completed product, which could be any number of possibilities, depending on your vision. If you’re anything like me, halfway through the editing process you think of a totally different “version” of the video you wish you’d had footage to create. By shooting different “versions”, you have a variety of content you can put together for a more interesting final product. It’s not like no one has put out a fragmented, hard to follow, music video of seemingly random cuts before, right?
4. Don’t take it personally when the client doesn’t like the final product. As long as the contract does not say “client must be satisfied with final product before payment”, they’re paying you for a finished product, not something they like. However, most of the time, when the band doesn’t express a preference or is paying in six-packs, they’re usually happy to get whatever they can get.
5. Get the music ahead of time. Listen to it 200 times. After hearing the song 200 times, you should have an idea of what you want the video to look like even without a storyboard, or clearly described concepts. If not, perhaps you should stick to weddings.
6. On directing: Don’t be afraid to be a dick. In a no-budget scenario, the band/client usually has no clue what they want or how to shoot, perform, etc. Just tell them what to do and don’t feel bad about it. It saves time and stress, and makes you look like you know what you’re talking about. You can choose to explain “why”, answer questions, and even take suggestions if that’s your personality type. But unless someone else is “THE DIRECTOR”, that’s your job (one of many). Own it.
7. It’s all about the B-plot, baby. This concept is little difficult to pull off in a non-scripted, no budget music video, but always a good aspiration. “What’s a B-plot?” you say? Ever notice that every episode of every TV show (drama, comedy, documentary, or whatever) has two story lines going on? Yeah, think about it. I’ll wait. Writers do this on purpose. There’s a literary term for this technique but since I’m not a writer I can’t elaborate on it. The point is, somewhere in your unplanned, unscripted, video shoot, look for that “other story”. Capture it, and try to squeeze that into the finished product.
8. Contracts. Love em or hate em, you need one. Even if the contract is written in Sharpie® on a Denny’s 
receipt, the contract is a friend to you as well as your talent. You don’t necessarily need a $1000 lawyer to write one or purchase pre-written contracts off the internet for $400 to cover yourself. A clearly stated agreement of services, products, and fees should keep you out of court 90% of the time, if not simply for the scare tactic alone. Note: I am not any where even close to being qualified to provide any type of legal advice! I’m just sayin…
9. Love Your Job. Despite the perceptions, until you hit big time, you’re probably not making much money on shooting music videos. Solution: Don’t do it for the money. If you enjoy working with others, exploring your creative side, pushing your boundaries, learning something new, and leaving the house now and then, this should be enough motivation/satisfaction to offset an ulcer from working ’til 3 in the morning to meet a deadline on a product you’ve basically lost money on when you calculate man hours spent. (Don’t worry- I’ll discuss “how to charge for your services” in a future post!). Conversely, if you discover you don’t enjoy the process, find a new gig. Seriously.
And finally, perhaps the most important principle of all…
10. NO FREE LABOR!! I repeat: NO FREE LABOR!!! Geez- I can’t express this enough! Even if your talent doesn’t have a budget, they should be able to compensate you *SOMEHOW*. $100, 50, 25 bucks? Dinner? A twelve-pack? An old, punk rock patch covered leather jacket? A carton of smokes? (if you’re into that). Anything. Whatever- just don’t do it for “free”. Because people do not value free. You’ll thank me later.
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As a “trained professional”, I’m sure I knew most of these principles at one point in my pre multiple-mountain-bike-wrecks life. After time and many contusions later, I forgot half of them until recently. But now you can go into your next project with these suggestions to ponder. Got any additional tips? Share the love in the comments below!
