I'm shooting a music video for a band for the first time, any tips?

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RealJasonBourne

I put up an ad on craigslist saying I would shoot a free music video a month ago, and a band responded saying they needed one. They want to shoot it on a rooftop. The equpiment i have is a blackmagic pocket cam, a glidecam hd-1000, a shoulder rig, and a slider. Im probably gonna rent a jib.

Anyone have any tips for shooting music videos? I want it to look is professional as possible and I dont want it to look like another amateur music shoot.

Also who is supposed to come up with the ideas? I want there to be a scenario in between the band playing so it's not just a boring music vid.
 
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Practice Practice Practice.
Look at music videos and reference shots and styles that you like.
Meet up with band, and get both of your ideas together. and make sure they pull through, and you make sure you pull through with your ideas as well. I once had a client that was going to bring a piano to the shoot, along with a "mysterious man", so i planned my shoot according to that, and they didn't bring either. So my video turned out boring. So have a back up in case they don't pull through.

You seem to have all the right gear for a first music video, but don't be that guy that uses a glide cam and its not stabilized. The glidecam requires practice, so use it well. Exploit the slider as well to get different and creative shots.
 
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I believe the music should inform the narrative (if any) in a music video. So starting with the lyrics, and kind of music would be the best course of action.

Work with the band to come up with a solid idea. Don't be afraid to challenge their ideas and/or give them your opinion. Afterall, you're the "pro" that is making their video, but the burden of idea generation shouldn't be entirely on you.

What will you use for audio playback? The BMPCC won't let you do slow motion, so if you want/need any slow motion shots you'll need a second camera that is capable, and will need to speed the music track up the appropriate amount for playback on set.

If you have an ios device, the movie-slate app has some playback functionality built in for music videos.

Get LOTS of coverage, and lots of B-roll.
 
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the only input I'll offer, and this is based on the rooftop location that the band wants, so if that's a constant... maybe find a story where the rooftop becomes a location within the narrative. Maybe there's a party up there with people? Can you shoot at night and day? What's the song all about? Does the band want to play characters in the story?

This may help avoid the "Look! A band playing on a rooftop! then... Hey! A story taking place somewhere else!"

But if the band location is flexible then the narrative can be as well.

Good luck!

* or if there is a story that takes place elsewhere, maybe it ends up on the rooftop with, or without, the band...
 
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A story is good, but an idea is where this has to begin. In listening to the song, does anything pop into your head? A feeling? A specific shot? Does it remind you of a movie? I guess my point is, a story is the byproduct of some of that- so why paint yourself into a corner where you are thinking about where it has to go?

Next, these guys strike me as incredibly lazy- they just put an ad out asking for someone to work for free. You are putting your time out there for this. They didn't ask for a pitch, they want someone to make something, so own it. Come up with an idea and fight for it.

A good idea will bring good people along as volunteers.
 
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RealJasonBourne said:
I put up an ad on craigslist saying I would shoot a free music video a month ago, and a band responded saying they needed one. They want to shoot it on a rooftop. The equpiment i have is a blackmagic pocket cam, a glidecam hd-1000, a shoulder rig, and a slider. Im probably gonna rent a jib.
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Don't rent a jib, unless you know you'll actually be using it first.

Anyone have any tips for shooting music videos? I want it to look is professional as possible and I dont want it to look like another amateur music shoot.
Click to expand...

Have any links to examples of what you've done so far?

Also who is supposed to come up with the ideas? I want there to be a scenario in between the band playing so it's not just a boring music vid.
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If you put yourself out there to shoot a music video, I'd be expecting you to bring something to the table. But if they have some ideas, too, that's cool. It's a collaboration, no matter.

A potentially bigger question might be, who's paying for it all? Including lunch, too.

.
 
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Zensteve said:
Don't rent a jib, unless you know you'll actually be using it first.



Have any links to examples of what you've done so far?



If you put yourself out there to shoot a music video, I'd be expecting you to bring something to the table. But if they have some ideas, too, that's cool. It's a collaboration, no matter.

A potentially bigger question might be, who's paying for it all? Including lunch, too.

.
Click to expand...

No I dont have any stuff to show, thats mainly why Im shooting this music vid for free because I want to build a demo reel. Ill probably spend some money on this video so it has some production value
 
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Id say since your investing EVERYTHING and the band is investing NOTHING, then you are the boss. You tell them what your shooting, where it will be, when to shoot etc. If they want to call the shots then pony up all the money. Sure, listen to their ideas, but make it VERY clear. Its your time and your equipment and your experience, so its YOUR CALL. There are a million bands that want a free video.
 
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