The Starving Artist's How to guide: Making a music video on a budget

 

Welcome back Starving Artists!

 

Time to make a video eh? Ok We can work on that.

 

Gather your band and park it in front of the TV and computer for a good day of video watching. I recommend if you are here in Chicago, check out a lot of the stuff that ends up on JBTV. Check out videos on your favorite bands website. 

 

The first choice you really need to make is a theme. Find a style you and your wallet can relate to. As where releasing live footage from the last show may be great and all, the sound quality normally sucks something fierce and its kind of a pain to go in and do all the editing to live footage. Many of the greats started with just a camera messing around in a spot that was secluded and cool and did a few band shots and then edited in some cameos of friends, people hanging out, fans interviewed in line etc.

 

You don’t need a Spielberg worthy production to get the point across. Besides if it’s truly independent, the less flashy and lower the production values the more street cred you will retain.

 

Location, location, location.

 

That old drive in movie place no one goes to anymore makes a great place to shoot as does the rooftop of someone’s apartment building at night. 

 

Have a fan or friend willing to lend their cottage for the weekend? Even better?

 

Hell, have a cool dive bar down the street that will let you shoot for a few hours?

 

Once you have figured out the general idea of the video and the where, then you can start to fill in the particulars of how the car full of girls just randomly run out of gas and break into the Denny’s to start dancing on your table while you spray them down with ketchup.

 

Ok so your ideas don’t have to be as inventive as whatever in the hell I just described above, but before you start to say “I have no idea where to find people to be in this thing or someone to shoot it,” check out your social networking page. 

 

See the smiling profiles? 

 

There are your stars of tomorrow. Most bands have casting calls for their fans to be in the videos which range from some selections where casting directors take applications and pictures to the easiest casting of “Whoever shows up gets to be in this here video where we are spraying the ketchup.”

 

Fine, you win. Enough with the ketchup. I’ve been watching horror movies all day so apparently I want to make like Splatter House: The Musical.

 

Finding a great camera man can be just as easy too, from “Hey anyone reading this with a camera want to shoot a video?” to finding a decent price on a professional.

 

Depending on the level of weird and or artsy, still photography is always an option too. Check out one of my favorites working with a lot of the local bands.

 

Worst case if no one wants to be the camera man, hook up a series of cameras with timers and just have a dance floor video with the fans rocking out and band placed between them.

 

Really no idea is too stupid, unless somehow you manage to lose the camera in the process like Nine Inch Nails did in an early video shoot where someone had the idea to tie the camera to a balloon and let it film the activity- only to have the inflatable tripod escape from the band to eventually be found by the public and grilled for its questionable content.

 

Do a few practice shots on your own. Find out what colors show well on camera, what is distracting and hard to see with whatever backgrounds you chose. Be sure to tell this information to anyone starring in the production.

 

You may have seen even on the tickets for talk shows and other live audience setups where they ask you not to wear certain garb, tell that to your public. You are the stars of this here thing, right Big Shot? Do you really want the girl in the day-glo shirt to be the only one the camera can see?

 

You may wonder why “professional” shoots take days, now you know.

 

While there is no once through and we are done video shoot, prepare yourselves and the cast for the long haul. Have treats on hand, water, especially if on location outside. Be somewhere with a bathroom.

 

If you have someone that’s taking care of hair and makeup, have a tent or somewhat of an enclosed area for the stylists to work. Remember, when makeup gets warm its going to melt all over the place so the stylists will need shade.

 

Especially if outside you and the band will need frequent touchups between takes.

 

It’s often discussed if there is no set costume for the shoot if you and the boys in the band should coordinate outfits. Where twin sailor suits would be a no, keeping somewhat of a theme so you look similar to each other is a plus.

 

You don’t want to have to kill the drummer when he thinks it’s cute to show up in the chicken suit and you are all wearing jeans.

 

If you don’t have a good video editing program and no one around you does either, or own a Macbook loaded with such gems, look online for downloads and find a program that fits your needs.

 

Sit Yourself and the Rock Stars of Tomorrow down and watch the clips over and over again and discuss during the editing process making notes just like in the theme selection. This way when the final product comes out you don’t have the bassist screaming he was only in two shots for three seconds as a side profile and your smiling mug was in the camera the whole stinking time.

 

Post the video so your fans can get an early peek and see what their feedback is.

 

Promote the video just as you would a new single starting with your online army. 

 

Never forget how quickly a fan blogging and posting your link can get around to the other side of the globe.

 

Do the leg work and find local video shows in your state and other regions with a similar music scene and send them the video along with the press kit and other information about your band.

 

Contact any media you come across and do the same.

 

Repeat steps as many times as needed.