First paid job

Intergage

Intergage

Hey all,

Got a question that I'm hoping a few of you will be able to expand on and give me some more information about everything. :)

I have gotten an offer ( A fairly good one, $3000 to create a film clip for a metal band)
Now, I'm quite confidant I can do the job as I LOVE Metal and this is my Girlfriends brothers band and I get along with them very well.. There manager whats me to do it as they told him about me and showed me some of the work I have done before.

Now, what do I give in return for that $3000?
Do I give them a couple of different edits, do I give them one edit so on so forth. Just a bit confused as to what they are buying and what I am selling.

I have made them a film clip before but it was only for personal gain and they wanted something to link around to get known - It worked but got flagged from youtube haha.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
made them a film clip before
create a film clip
Click to expand...

What do you mean by "film clip"? Is that the term you use for music video? Or are they after a promo/interview piece?

Just a bit confused as to what they are buying and what I am selling.
Click to expand...

Me too, and I only know what you are telling me. :)


Intergage said:
I'm quite confidant I can do the job as I LOVE Metal and this is my Girlfriends brothers band and I get along with them very well
Click to expand...

While it can be useful to have people at ease on set, it has no bearing on your actual technical skills.

So what do they want for that $3000?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
As Zensteve is saying, you have to be a bit more specific. I'm guessing they want a music video, in which case you'd have to ask them and find out the direction they want the video to go in, and go from there.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
If it is in fact, a barebones music video, they give you food and Pepsi, an attractive, SINGLE, young assistant and cigarettes, then I'd say it's worth it. I've had jobs with all that, except the assistant. Just having someone to help out is nice. Interns always fail.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
$3000 is a lot of money to not be completely sure what the deal is about on both ends. You should meet up with these guys, sit down and discuss what they're looking for. That way you have some face time to discuss details. You can get a feel of the band personality-wise and of course, find out what they want from this video. Since nothing's set in stone, you could also treat it as an opportunity to see if this project is a good fit for you, and that you're a good fit for them. Good luck with everything!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Make sure that you sign a contract that delineates all of your responsibilities and the responsibilities of your client. Also make sure that the contract close-ended - that there are definite start and end dates.

For instance, are you supplying the playback system? Who is supplying transportation and food & drink? Is it a performance video, a narrative video or a combination?

If it's a narrative video who writes it? Who decides who is in it (band members or actors)? Who pays for props? Who decides locations? If it's a performance video is it at a performance venue like a concert hall or a club, or is it in an empty field or a mountain top? If it's outdoors what do you do in the case of inclement weather on the scheduled shoot date(s)? If it's in a performance video does the rental of the venue come out of your fee? Do you need an audience? Who pays for their food and drink? If it's in a performance video do you want to do a multi-camera shoot?

Oh, BTW, is it an original song or a cover song? If it's a cover song make sure that you are isolated from any possible litigation.

Who has final say over the editing/final cut? What is the delivery format of the video?

Put in everything into the contract that you can possibly imagine. The fact that the band is "related" to you makes a contract all the more important - it prevents arguments that could spill over into your personal life.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I read every ones replies and thank you VERY much! Heaps of info there, I'll try and answer every ones questions in one post.

I do mean Music video, and they are paying me $3000 to do everything, come up with the idea, plan the idea and turn the idea into a video. The manager said $3000 and we will talk about it - So it might go down it might go up, depending.

Also, the last clip I made for them is basically like every other metal music video you see.. Them playing at some random location and a couple of live shots and I just sync'ed it up with the mouth movements. I'll have to talk to them about what they want before I even accept it I know this, but I believe they want something like the last clip I made. I will be telling them about the story line kinda clip with a plot and ending and stuff but only because they are basically brothers in law to me.

They are local so I'll transport myself and supply my own food and drinks and this and that. Plus, most the time I'll be at home and get them out a little bit to do some filming. For some reason I like to film something, edit it a little then see if it looks good / fits then go out and film a bit more then edit that in.. Do it in sections not sure why but it works for me.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
If you film, edit, film, edit, that's a major waste of time. I've had shoots where I have only a day to shoot like all the state sponsored shows I've done. It's one shoot day, you can't go back. For the most recent one, for the RTC, State sponsored, I spent months planning, I figured out how many SD cards we needed, then doubled that, just for emergencies. I went on google maps, and I planned out camera placement for the race. Because of the planning, I saved the project when my crew of 20, some how turned into a crew of 9, (the other 11 were food poisoned by the cafeteria), and even with all that planning, the final product was 3 minutes and 16 frames too short. Still got paid. Still made DVD's but no TV. But here's where the planning helped. I set up a flowchart for which cameras transferred first, I got footage off of 7 cameras, 8 hours each, edited the final product down to 20:20:00 in less than a week. Huge time saver for a nightmare shoot where the NV DPS is staring down at you.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Intergage said:
For some reason I like to film something, edit it a little then see if it looks good / fits then go out and film a bit more then edit that in.. Do it in sections not sure why but it works for me.
Click to expand...

You have to take into consideration that if you go back to shoot more footage, you'd have replicate the same lighting, clothing, object/equipment placement, hair, etc. Remember that they're paying you money (pretty good money at that) so it's probably best if you just plan your shots well and manage your time even better. You can definitely shoot the performance and story parts in a day.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Congrats on the paid gig! Always an awesome thing!

Band wants a music video and wants to play you to do it. I've been on the other side of the coin; sometimes as a musician you don't know what you want the video to be, but you want to see what the song inspires someone to make. What I would do is brainstorm a bunch of ideas. Toss them to the band, see which ones they like and which ones they don't. Listen to the song, see what it inspires you to do. Some musicians (myself included) aren't necessarily the most visual of people, but definitely have a "we'll know it when we see it" (or hear about it) perspective.

Also, knowing musicians (and depending on their tastes), if you show up on the day of the shoot with a case of cheap beer (or six of something nice), you will be the coolest video director ever and gain LOADS of goodwill. This advice, of course, is null if they are straightedge or recovering alcoholics ;-) But, to run with the metal stereotype, cheap beer should be fine (and it's not like they'll have to actually play well, if it's a video they just need to look like they're playing).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
JoshL said:
Congrats on the paid gig! Always an awesome thing!

Band wants a music video and wants to play you to do it. I've been on the other side of the coin; sometimes as a musician you don't know what you want the video to be, but you want to see what the song inspires someone to make. What I would do is brainstorm a bunch of ideas. Toss them to the band, see which ones they like and which ones they don't. Listen to the song, see what it inspires you to do. Some musicians (myself included) aren't necessarily the most visual of people, but definitely have a "we'll know it when we see it" (or hear about it) perspective.

Also, knowing musicians (and depending on their tastes), if you show up on the day of the shoot with a case of cheap beer (or six of something nice), you will be the coolest video director ever and gain LOADS of goodwill. This advice, of course, is null if they are straightedge or recovering alcoholics ;-) But, to run with the metal stereotype, cheap beer should be fine (and it's not like they'll have to actually play well, if it's a video they just need to look like they're playing).
Click to expand...


haha beer:) i helped out on a music video once and we had more than just beer if you catch my drift:lol:I was looking like this dude by the end of the shoot ---> :rofl:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Haha, I'll be sure to bring beer..

About shooting in sections, I wouldn't shoot half a scene then go back the next day and shoot another half.. I would shoot one complete scene the go back.. But it all depends if It's some type of storyline I wont.. Because they ARE paying me I'm very hesitant to do this but it's just the way I have worked in the past.

Thanks JoshL I'm pretty stocked hey!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top