How to make a music video

1. Course Introduction : everybody. I'm Darren Doane and I've been directing music videos for 26 years. I've been able to make music videos for such artists as Jason Mraz, Zac Brown Band, Colby, Calais, Matt, Nathan Seuin But Cherry. If I blink 1 82 a day to remember Jimmy Buffett, Van Morrison shined down in the list is absolutely crazy on whom I've been extremely fortunate to make music videos for throughout the years. People have always asked me, How do you make a music video? What's a cost to making music? Video? How much time does it take? I mean so many questions that people are always asking. I've always wanted to actually bring all this knowledge and information to people, and now I have the opportunity to do that with the music video formula. What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna walk you through every single step of making a music video from preproduction. How to even begin to think about a music video. What are the things you should be thinking about? Two budgeting. How much should I spend that a lot? Is that a little? Do I hire people? Do it myself. What kind of camera should I use. Even if I do get something shot when I get there, What's the formula? What should I be doing? What's her toe angles? How much should I shoot? I mean, there's so many questions that people have always ask me, and I really want to share that with people now and then. Even when you do get video done, how do I edit it? What do I do when I'm done with it? These are things that I've learned so many tips, tricks, little pitfall secrets. I want to share it with you guys. I'm only gonna put you through on an understanding and actually walk you through. You know, the entire process. We're going to go on the set. We're gonna make a music video. You're going to see all the shots, how I'm doing it. There's always little things, and I'll give you one little tip. If you're in a band and you show up on a set to make a music video, A lot of people have even thought about lip sinking. Um, I really gonna lip sync. Well, what do you need to lip sync to actually sing? Do I stay silent? But move my lips. I mean, what do I do? And if I do Lipsey well, you better have a sound system that's loud enough so you can actually sing to sing over. And if you're in a band, you've got a drummer. When they have to deal with drums, that's a huge problem. There's so many things that I want to teach people and show you how to avoid again those pitfalls of things. Maybe you just never thought about are so many things. It's exciting. It's an amazing thing to Dio. And making music videos should be fun. It should be enjoyable. But if you don't know how to actually approach it, it could be a nightmare. And again, after 26 years, I've learned a ton. There's very few people in the world who have the experience and knowledge that I have. When it comes to making music videos and those who do have that knowledge, I don't know that they're actually willing to share that with people are with the next generation of artists that are coming up. So whether you're a singer songwriter, whether you're an artist, whether you're a filmmaker, maybe working a record company, I want to get into the music industry. The knowledge that I'm going to share with the music video formula was priceless. I really want you to check this out on. Just be excited by it. My videos have gotten over a 1,000,000,000 views on YouTube and that didn't come from this one. Big hit came from working with tons of bands going through lots of different experiences. Well, I want to do I want to share that with you. I want to make you guys music, video makers, directors, producers and the music video formula is what I've designed that to dio. So I'm so excited. Get fired up, get ready cause we're gonna start making music videos. 2. How I became a music video director: Theo. This is the music video formula. I'm Darren Doane and I've been directing music videos for 26 years Now has been my only job . That's it. In high school, I thought I was in a draw. Comic books. My, ah, my senior year. I got all my rejection letters. I had no plan to go to college. That wasn't even. I mean, my friends were taking the S A T. I'd even know what it was. I mean, I knew was a test for college, but I never even got invited, you know? So you sure to know if you're on the college track or not? Right? And for me, that was a good indicator that I was not going to college. And when I realized that I wasn't gonna be like, no one was gonna hire me, I was like, Well, what do I do? And I always had a camera in my hands. My generation grew up with a video camera. All of my friends were in bands. Everyone they knew growing up was in a band. So I kind of knew musicians. That's kind of who I was comfortable being around because musicians air weird you guys air weird. You're very weird people. And, um and yeah, because there's something going on with the musician. And so for me, growing up around musicians, um, going to shows with them, watching them go book a club show here or there are maybe drive across the state because they got a gig somewhere else. And, um, not getting paid by the promoter Or, you know, um, the van breaking down You start to learn about musicians and kind of the things that they, you know, go through. So I thought, Well, I love filming. I'll just start making music videos. And I was a music video junkie. I watched I watched every music video, um, every genre, every format. And I remember my, uh, around my senior year of high school. Um, And again, this is before the internet. So you actually had to go do research to find things out back in 1990? Um, I saw a video from Paula Abdul straight up straight up video. Paula Abdul when those, like, have animated. No, no, that's scat cat. Oh, he comes later. You know, straight up. Um, go look it up. Um, black and white music video, And I remember it was super grainy, like in this was this was the 90 slick polished, you know, um, and shoe it. And it was just black and white grainy. And they had wide shots where you saw, like, lights in the you could see them on the set and you and I was like, whatever it was, it it changed everything for me because I was like, I think I could shoot that music video. I think I could do that. You know, the little research. It was shot on a Super Eight camera, like your old Super Eight camera that your grandparent's had and, like, just put filming figure they could get together, get together. Yeah. Yeah, I was like, Now it turns out the video was directed by David Fincher, who went on to be like, the biggest director of all time. Um, whether we're talking Fight club or the curious case of Benjamin Buttons are we're talking about, um I mean I mean, it's it's David Fincher mean, he's he's the guy. And it turns out he was mounting, like 35 millimeter huge lenses on front of a Super Eight camera that that explained why when I went got a Super eight camera, it didn't look like three Paula Abdul video. But it changed everything for me because a couple wide shots and I could see what they were doing, and it just seemed doable. And every single shot was just straight on. It was just he was composing shots and I was like, I can compose shots. Um, and it's funny you think that it was a Paula Abdul video? Um, because most of my career in being with, like, punk rock bands and, you know, metal bands. But there was something about that. Um and so I just went pull into doing music videos, you know, graduated high school, started going to clubs, trying to convince people Hey, let me shoot a music video for you. Do you have any money? If not, okay, I'll pay for whatever. I mean, just hustling, grinding, going to clubs, beating bands, hoping to find a band that was on a record label. Because if I shot a video for them, at least the record label could take that video, maybe do something with it, right? Yeah. And you and you just you're just grind and you wanna get to know people. Bands want to get to do that. Right? Mean, musicians do this to you. Want to go on the road, meet somebody, maybe open up for somebody or just meet someone else gigging with you? And you hope, Hey, if you get a gig, call me, I'll call you. It's all about networking relationships and right down to making music videos the exact same thing and we're gonna talk about that. But music videos really became the, um It really became the art form that allowed me to connect with musicians. I always wanted to be in a band. I mean, who doesn't want to do what you guys dio? I mean, But I couldn't play any instruments, Couldn't sing. There was no auto tune yet, so that just was not an option. Um, but I wanted to be around the energy of being in a band. I just I loved it. And just to be on stage with the band, I mean, that's cool. I mean, to be on stage filming. It's kind of like you're in the band, you know, Um, so I love being around that energy. Ah, and it really was. It was a way for me to connect. Um, and I took every gig possible that something that I really want. I'm not just musicians understand. You may be a filmmaker out there thinking about this as well are. You may be a musician to turn that you start making music videos because of this course, and you might be music videos. And I mean lots of artists Crossover in the things we were talking last night. I mean, there's this guy's going to a 1,000,000 things. So I know that everyone's hustling here, you know, doing things and more skills we have the more options that that we have to, you know, do things. Um, but I loved I mean, I just I love music, videos and every chance I got. I don't care if it was 100 bucks. Somebody had $1000. Whatever. I don't think I've ever passed on a project because I remember, you know, even early on thinking, how am I going to get better as a filmmaker? How am I gonna get better as an artist unless I do it all the time? You can sit and play your guitar all day long and get better, you know, as a filmmaker, woman, just watch movies. You do it right And some people think that is how you do. And you have film geeks and films. Now they just watch movies come to everything but getting out on this set in doing it, it's totally different. So I took every job possible. I stopped counting at 400 using videos. I mean, so there's there's, there's there's not a genre I haven't worked in a particular kind of video I haven't made. Um and eventually I said, a formula begins to appear. You start to realize you are doing certain things. There are ways, even though you've got all these sort of, you know, arrows in your quiver. And you could you've had weird experiences and are tough scenarios that make you better. You know, it's like you. I mean, you you know what to do now on a string breaks live, right? Yeah. I mean, like you. You know what? To dio, right? You know, first time it's like a panic, right? You're like what? So, um, taking all those tips, all these tricks, that sort of formula that sort of formula and and also the approach. It's one thing to have tricks and tips, but you have to have a certain kind of approach. You have to have this certain kind of just what's my mindset going into this? And that's one of things that won the big things that I'm gonna be accentuating throughout this this entire process. So that's what I'm bringing to the table here, and I'm super excited. Well, this is the music video formula, and we're gonna go make a music video now, so let's do this. 3. On the set PT. 1: but you have to have a certain kind of approach. You have to have this certain kind of just what's my mindset going into this? And that's one of things that won the big things that I'm gonna be accentuating throughout this this entire process. So that's what I'm bringing to the table here, and I'm super excited. Well, this is the music video formula, and we're gonna go make a music video now. So let's do this. I think so. Like, I was saying we were just right over here on the stage. I mean, on the stage at the set here, talking. And then we kind of just turned around. And now we're just in the words in a space here, Um, and so I was about to get rolling, and Leah was the first thing that you said to me. You're like, Wait, Stop. Okay. I have a song, right? With an idea, right? Right. And you were saying, like, do I start coming up with, like, you know, creative things? I was like, No, no, stop. No, no, no. Look, this is Indy. We are just starting out. No, I don't have any ideas. Do do not do that. What you want to dio is say what's available to me. You stopping. Okay. I need to make a music video. I'm not gonna make some huge epic movie. What's available? Okay. And your garage garage is available. Um, living rooms are available outside is available. And so really, the the trick there is just really how we're going to compose things and how we're gonna look at the shots that we're going to do. We want to make this really, really simple. So the first thing you want to do, because it's the first thing I did, I want to make this project. I thought, Okay, I need to find a place. I knew my friends had a cool studio, you know, um and if you if you're already in the music industry, are you been gigging around? You probably know someone that's maybe got a recording studio somewhere. And those are always kind of cool in vai be Redwall somewhere. Cool. Blackwall. Somewhere you curtains. Candles mean, so just start thinking in terms of what's available to me. What's free? What is free. Okay, outsides always free. So that's you know, and working to that today as well. Um, so the main thing that you want to do with maybe come up with, like, 45 maybe six, max. Kind of like location ideas, But this is one of my little tricks here. Don't think that you're trying to make a music video just yet, Okay? Because something happens when you get a camera or your phone. And you started videoing. Um, when you go to take a picture, everyone's a photographer. Now, which is great. OK, but for some reason, you say, Let's do it. I'm going to a picture for instagram to get your picture phone out. You compose you this great image. You frame it like everyone becomes a photographer. And then, for some reason, they get their phone out of the video camera and they just, like, start filming. It's like Stop, stop. No, no compose. I want you to take pictures with your video camera. Don't video. Don't be a filmmaker. Be a photographer. We all know what a good composed picture looks like. If I if the average person took a picture and it was just, everyone would be like everyone knows to get their phone and compose. Oh, man I'm gonna put filters on. This is gonna be good, you know? Like, don't walk on the set for your first music video and think I'm making a movie. You're taking pictures that are going to be moving. Okay, so But before we get there, we need a couple things. Okay, We need a few things before. So to answer your question, do not think about ideas. Just think about free locations, and I want to take six cool pictures of myself. 45 or six cool pictures of myself. Let's think about that first. Okay? But we need some things. I need a camera. So I'm just I will use my iPhone because Lee is making me use iPhone, which is great. I could make a whole music video for something from TV on this if I had to. Not not a problem. So we've got that. I'm just grabbing a regular video camera. When there was a Sony four k, everything's four K. Now you can go to Best Buy right now. You go to Wal Mart and pick up a camera. But someone's got a camera. Yeah, Yeah. I mean, yeah. I mean, every I mean it's Come on, Everyone's got to camp. Are GoPro Everyone's got to go pro, right, So So we need a camera. OK, but the next most important thing we need is music. Okay, so awesome. Have you called put that down for a second? I become over because this is a part that I kind of want everyone to really understand. We're going to be lip sinking. This is the big lip sinking. Okay, there was a reason why we have to lip sync the song. OK, so a couple things we need, um we need a camera. We need a song. Obviously, if you're an artist or musician, you already have a song recorded. You know, on some level, I've got the song from you. OK, so we have a recorded song, but we need to play that song back because what we're going to be doing is when we go into the editing process, we're gonna be putting that song as the master track. Okay, um, onto the music video. So we need something that's on time that we're gonna be, you know, again when you watch a music video, it's not just a live performance. It's the recorded piece of music that you know. So you need to have that recorded piece of music be the thing you're playing every time you start filming to take for a music video. Um, but you gotta have little sound system. So I came here and I said, OK, what you guys got So we've got something in the back and they pull this up. I love this because this is the real world. Somebody pulls this thing out, you know? Just speak. I am No speaker, something, you know, So you can use this. You you you could go and get a little Ah, Bluetooth. But it's got to be allowed. It's gonna be loud enough for you to hear yourself. And when you're playing, you can't be louder than it, you know or will find, you know, a sort of common ground. So, um, another thing you need when making a music video is you need friends need to call your friends and say, Help me make a music video because you can't do it by yourself. You need one or two people out there. At some point, you need someone to help. You mean you can do all these things yourself, but but that's what makes it fun. Call your friends. Say, Hey, I'm making a music video. Come over, You know, so always make you should make a party because it should be fun. This should not be a stressful thing. It should be Superfund. We're gonna make a music video. Um, so, looking to be my real friend, Luke, is my friend, Luke. Luke's here. He stopped by, um, actually made this really cool set piece to We're gonna talk about that later. All the set pieces made. Okay. Sorry. Right? Yeah. So Luke is representing my friend, and he is my friend. And here's a real situation. Look, is this your sound system? Okay, so you actually know how to use this. So, um okay, so is a plug in. Does it work? And you? Ah, what do we need? So you're outside. Exactly. Exactly. So that's why you're gonna want to get some little portable device that's loud enough. And there's a trick for when you go outside. When you go when you lip sync, there's really a few ways to lip sync. There is this way. Just gonna just fake You're not gonna project anything. Okay, Um and sometimes you have to do that. You go outside a lot of white noise. Even if you have a little sound system you know, you might have on your guitar another kind of mute everything and just not in you can hear the music right? Might be somewhere that maybe you shouldn't be filming at a little sketchy spot are you know, when you want to just kind of guerilla style. Go and get something. Now, when your name or controlled environment like this, you want to have a sound system and as the music's plane, Um, if it's loud enough, you can just sing with it. You can just sing, do you? It's natural because it's allowed enough towards louder than you. And you can just do that. Most people do kind of a hybrid kind of mix because, um, doing the same song over and over. You can lose your voice in a day. You could do a lot of takes. So what I recommend for people and again, it's a preference thing, and I work with, you know, um, especially if you're more in a rock band, it's don't want to be screaming the whole time. It's like a whisper, but you have. You can still like a fiery eyes. You have all the movement, but you're not totally ruining your voice. So cause if you don't do anything and you just do the like, the bad lip sync you have No, there's no expression. Yes, so at least one your hair and your car used to tear It's it's there. So you. So until the key is pick the one that fits the situation. If you're outside Okay, you may just have to do it. You got you have a tight shot right here on your friends, like just one foot away from you with your iPhone with the music plane so you can hear it in lip sync. That's one way. Um, but for right now, we've got, um I'm gonna hook this in right here. Um, let's see Here, pull this thing and we're gonna get this here. So Austin sent me his song. I'm just gonna play it from my phone because a lot of people might be doing it like this. Um, we're gonna test this right now again, and this is real. This is real. time you walk on a set. Even the biggest music videos. You test the sound, right? I mean, it just It's what you dio. Here we go. Song is coming. Can some plugged in? What you got there? Look way. And here's the thing. We only need it. Four sinking purposes. Okay. You may like this song right now, Austin Stella. Things easy to do to it now. His vocals aren't going to change. The tempo is not gonna change. So he could add strings he could. You just want to make sure when you're on the set whatever your lip sinking to the vocals aren't going to change, Okay? Your song does not have to be policy. It does not have to be mixed. It just has to be enough. You can hear it. Keep the tempo. Okay, so you're gonna need something allowed enough just to sing along to I could have my demo were, like, Absolutely. As long as the vocal parts are solid. Yep. Yep, yep. OK, yeah. Yeah. So again, Because you want to get out there doing as much as you can as quickly as possible. Don't think in terms of well, I need to get that song mixed before I can go make a music video again. One more thing that becomes an excuse. We do not want that. So, um, I need a camera. It a song. I need some form of playback and coming back to the first thing. A spot. Okay. We want to be photographers here, so I'm gonna start right here, Okay? And what I love about this is when I first met Luke were at a restaurant in that restaurant , had a wall like this, and Luke came back because he loved the wall, and he just built this himself. Okay. How long this take you to build? Three months? Because you're slow, though, right? Yeah, yeah, of course. But it right. But if you wanted to just put wood slats, how long would that take you? Uh, yeah. I mean, it's it's simple, you know? I mean, so the idea is you want to find an initial background that you think would be cool for a photo, and then turn that into your first set? Okay, So I came in here. I saw this. Here is I'm gonna dio That's where it gets cool. People pull one of these out here. That's what you do. You walk on the set, remember? Don't think in terms of what's over here or what's over here. You're only thinking in terms up. We need a photo right now. We're gonna bring everything and we're just gonna fill the frame my dad taught me when I was a young kid is his entire life up in the point we passed away in one week before he passed away, we were still talking about. He always said to me, Darren, just fill the frame. He did special effects and he was the guy that got to do Second unit directing. So special effects of the explosions. The bullet hits wind rain. And he always said, When you do explosions never do wide shots. You always have the camera tight so that the explosion fills the frame. If it fills the frame in the movie, it feels huge. And when he said fill the frame, I was like, I mean, it just it changed. That was a nothing. They just changed everything for me. We're gonna fill the frame, you know, like that's all we're going to do. So I'm looking at this. Put this right here. I'm gonna grab my camera. Was my camera. I'm in the zone now. Grabbing cameras, tripods, summer and maybe a tripod. Maybe a tripod who could help me? Is this what you want To have? Friends? Way when her friends? Because do it. Yeah. So cool. Yes. So we were talking. It's right. So let's get a little something. Yeah, so we're ready to shoot, so Ah, Austin, you just get something that you feel real good on. Now, look, though this is our vibe, right? So we're here. We're looking at this. There we go. There we go. Let's do it. He's gonna go change. I'm gonna throw this on tripod here. Well, this guy, I make sure I'm gonna record this, that everyone can see real time for every 24 on this before frame, so yeah, it's we are recording. There's Leah right there. This is our This is our campaign. This is our action, Cam. The actual camera we're gonna use to make a music video again. Nothing fancy yet, so I'm gonna sit down here when I fill the frame here. So a little something on the lens here, so Leah, come here. This is the stuff I love his. Then all of a sudden already looks amazing. I mean, come on. Right. That's what I mean, Like, you sit here and you see things like this. The artist needs to start thinking in terms of I can use that moment. I can use that corner. I can use that. A wall. This is it. Phone. This will be our first take. Pull it. Get a little separation from there. It's done, I guess. I guess. You know, and some of these box lights you can get for, like, 40 bucks on Amazon, too. So, Chief, everything's cheapie. I mean, you spend a little money. No, but I mean, everything is cheap these days. I've done, um, and we'll do it all. Referenced this in the process right now. I did a video for an artist named Matt Nathanson. Huge singer songwriter. I flew out to Kansas City on a sound stage, much like this for song called Come on, get higher. It was just a bigger version of this room. I hung a backdrop. We dropped a couple lights and that was it. Just I just had a ah for fun. Something that I like to do is I get big, cheap canvases, like 10 by 10 or 20 by twenties. And I just put tons of paint on, um smear. Um, you know, just get dark, weird textures. Um, leave him out side for for weeks, crack it textured, you know that I just fold it up, and then when I need a background, I have, like, five of those that I just always have standing by and you throw it up? Yeah, And you just throw it. You just throw up a backdrop and again. So this this would here really just represents anything. You know, you you could go and get a, um, painters cloth huge, cheap at Home Depot and just hang gray toned. You know, drop cloth cheap, big. Just hang them. Same effect. Hang some lights, go to the good, will pick up a cool, funky chair, you know, And you're going. But this is that moment you had. That's the breakthrough moment. Well, we have you been in this room this whole time now? When I first walked in this room first on the camera, I was like, That's a set. That's gonna be a second. Look. Look at that wall. We're we're we're going to use this to Oh, yeah, I mean, I mean again. This is, um what we call this Luke. Corrugated metal. What we call this? Yeah, And how much are those sheets? 20 bucks for corrugated metal. Now. Looks done a great job of Put it all together. But you could just get a bunch and leave them up against something. And the these air how many pieces? Got? 1234 So take corrugated metal put up against the wall. The same thing we have right here. There's your backdrop. Hang some lights. Right. So now are you ready, Austin? Okay, so Austin, sit Will say, look really quick. Awesome that you can see what we did here. Boom. We just We found a frame. Boom. Bring that share up. Super cool. That's how we start like this. Yeah. Move aside. Five video, You know, there it is. Boom. So now what I'm going to do is just like taking a picture. Like I figure out what feels right. So let's let's grab your guitar. Look, if you could could you see if we can grab and just make a mess out of this. And I know it's messy, but musicals are messy, and I bring the sound right here as close as we can get to Austin. Okay. So already, Lee, let me show what's going. So I'm looking at this. Survived. Now, this is where a little bit of art comes into play because this is the wide shot, right? I've zoomed in to get rid of the sort of get rid of the environment, but a little flat for me right now. So what I want to do is, um, have Austin come up. Let's push the whole chair up a little bit, come a little closer. Here you go. There you go. Nice. I'm gonna pull the camera back a little bit here. We'll watch this political negative it and zoom in a little bit more. Okay, I'm gonna get a little more the depth of field here. I want to get Yeah, Yeah. This was separation. I want a little separation there again. Nothing too fancy. Um, someone started going to balance this out a little bit here. So you want him dead center right now? Yeah. And again at some point. You know, it might, because I've got these lights right here. It's sort of it's sort of It's a trading me to where that wasn't there. Maybe I'd offset him a bit here and maybe do something in here, which we will. But I only go off center when I'm not seeing the lights. OK, so if I'm seeing something that's framing the shot, I'm just gonna use that Now, let's do this. Let's kill the house. The house lights on. Let's kill any other house lights. Gonna get a little bit more mood here, boy. Kill one of them Killed one of these lights here. I should let's kill, because right now what we've got is, um, take this guy off here for a second. There's on the back. These kills my bad. They killed one of these. All right, so it's cutting in a good mood here. We're going to kind of play around here, So first thing to do is just get one out of your system. I always You just got to get that 1st 1 It's the same in the studio. Just first vocal take or something. Yeah, it's gonna be crappy, but get out. So, look, I'm putting you on playback. You are officially the playback person on the set, which means you have to start it and play it. Now, this will be interesting because, um, Austin has to find the right balance of how hard he's gonna play the strings so that he can hear and stay with it. And technically, you've never had to lip sync this song before yet, have you? Right. So? So where if I ask you just to play this song right now, you could do, however you wanted to do it. Right now, you've just recorded this song, and this happens a lot. Artist show up on the set. Or if you're making your own, um, video, you just lay down a track. And Alison, you get in your life. Wait. I have to now kind of do it right. And so, um, it helps to actually the night before start lip sinking that start memorizing it just from a performance standpoint, cause you can't just do what you do live, which is find your groove. You actually have to stay where you were in that moment. So, um, do you have any tips for like an artist to just get in the zone right before you start shooting. Well, I mean, like, nerves and stuff like that. Yeah, I think, um, when things that that I do from a director standpoint that does help, is right before we start, I'm gonna make sure no one's in his eye line. A lot of people, um, show up. And as you can see, there's people here and usually everyone's right here watching the artist do something that a super uncomfortable at doing, which is not performing live but having to fake his way through. It's awkward. And to have people like this are someone on their phone, and everyone's all distracted these days and everyone's texting and doing things or doing cell fees. You want to make sure the artist has a clean line of sight. So for the most part, he's not distracted cause it is, it's uncomfortable. I guess my advice would be no, it's uncomfortable, Okay, it's uncomfortable. It's it's uncomfortable. You know it is, um that's right. So So we're gonna try this 1st 1 see how the sounds doing CL Austin feels so for right now . What I'm also doing And what you to do is we're just feeling this thing this out. We're just gonna feel it. Is this feeling right? And do I need to play lower less? If you miss a word a lyric. Just compose yourself. Come back on. Don't like I blew it. I I forgot the words. No, No, because we'll edit that out. Just take a moment, get back on B. Come into it. That's like old lesson book from you. No, no, no. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So in. And we get to edit it out. So no big yourself. Yes, sir. You great question. Great camera. That's yeah, and that's kind of something that you kind of have to figure out, which is what I love doing right now. We're sort of on the fly. I think right now for the first take. No, not in the camera. I want you in your own zone. Just playing it because we're gonna get more comfortable, more comfortable, because I'll come in for a tight shot and that's where we'll talk about connecting. Just like right. Right now, we're a little wider right now. And so for a music video, we talked about this It's the best way for you to be an extension of your music to people. And right now, first shot, I want people watching you. And then we'll build our way into how you begin to connect with within a music video. Right now. I really like Say what, right? Yep, Absolutely. So right now it's about just sort of more the performance, and we'll work our way into connecting, but to keep things simple right now. What are we starting with? A simple kind of medium toe wide shot, Not super wide kind of medium. Um, so let's get our first round. So yes. Oh, no eye contact. You just in the zone. Okay, so, um, usually I do on the set. Ah, rolling camera cameras rolling. And then we say we go playback and we go play back and that's you. Boom. Just find it and come in on it. We'll see how this feels. That's the way you weigh. - You way, Liukin. - Okay , 4. On the set PT. 2: and you always applaud after every take. You got people on set. You always keep that energy up because there's nothing worse. You're sitting there and it's like song, and it's like, Okay, next shot and it's just like yes, when it's weird, it's weird. It's like OK, and then it gets all clinical live. Okay, now we go to this guy could surgery or something like, You want to keep that energy going because that is what's happening. And so by even just applauding after every take your helping the artist, you're helping yourself know that you're still connecting. Were still people here connecting to the music and that that that changes everything and even for me. So if you're watching this, you're like, OK, I've got this. Could also want to do some directing. A little directing tip is I'm here. I'm standing here. I didn't have my I didn't leave. I wanted everyone else to leave because ultimately he has to connect with me. If I sit here like this, like Oh gosh, when I look all nervous or insecure, my head's down watching like you know, like he's gonna look at me like I was the director. Yeah, if they didn't like my music are he's not feeling good. I learned a long time ago. You better stand no matter what's going on, being control of your set. Watching it, he's got to know he can trust me. I'm looking at If there is a problem with that, you know? I mean, it matters how you carry yourself. You don't just walk on stage and say I'm zones. I mean, you walk out, you perform. It's the same thing. When you're directing, you have to have command of your set. People have to know my first or second music video. Scared to death, Super nervous Young. There's nothing worse than being young trying to play in an older person's game, too. So the crew is all older. I remember we were doing to take like this. One of these big like just just came on the big, like, just broken. Everyone turned and looked like it was my first real riel onset director lesson, and I just I said, Let's get that cleaned up and let's go the next take. It was like, Okay, let's get it cleaned up and go to the next take. That's all I had to say. Just be a leader. Act like a leader. Don't panic matter what's going on and don't panic. Is the artist making your video? Because it's tedious? Like, Is this working out? Is that I don't know, Like, not now. I'm feeling lame, right? Yeah, right, right. And it's hard because you're in a very unnatural environment. But it's a natural being a studio, nothing natural about a studio, Right? So for me again, it's a very simple formula. We started with sort of a medium toe wide shot. I'm just gonna move in tighter. Now I'm going to get a little more intimate. I'm getting closer again. Even with even with the artist and for the artist. I didn't start right up in Austin's face. We're gonna be back here. We're gonna breathe a little bit. First ones out of our system, Yeah. Gonna come up a little bit now. So camera still rolling? What time, Builder? Confidence? Because I feel like what I'm on camera. Very vulnerable, right? And I'm I'm feeling self conscious and things like that. And what kind of things they say. Um, shot looks amazing. Yeah. Dude, you're killing it. looks great. Because you know what? It's all gonna come together when you edit it is a process. It it's like hearing your vocal take in the studio. You don't hear one vocal take and go. That's not what you're confident off of your confidence in the process again. You don't have to feel like you're killing it from beginning to end. You have to be faithful to the process, be faithful to the process. It's all going to come together in the end. So and that's we're gonna go over. Yeah, absolutely. So So now I'm gonna come in is a little bit tighter. Let's kill Michael warmer light here. Yeah, Anything great song about the way I feel everyone way Last night when you played in the music just mean him in the hotel room was like, This is getting weird. You know, I'm just becoming a little bit tighter now. So you're ready. Your critical Thank you for being here. Oh, yeah, that's why. Yeah. So watch watch light on him. I'm gonna I'm gonna look around here. Was getting kind of look. So what? What? What? I liked here, and it's cool to be kind of in camera and see, this is I was here. Let me just say this real quick, so I Because again, I want everyone to know these three little tricks. I was here, right? I was zoomed in. We had this whole vibe going, kind of Just zoom back. I'm looking. I'm just kind of searching a little bit here. Okay, Now, I was gonna come in tighter, right? Right here. Leah, I just happened to kind of just do this for a second. And I was like, Oh, I like that light in the bag. Yeah, I was like, OK, again. I think like you're taking a photo, right? What's what's a better photo here are all of a sudden here, like this is really cool. And now I'm gonna get a little get a little already here. Luke, can I get Could I put a light pole right here Somehow? Almost everybody where we're here. Um, they are mounted. Um, okay, we're gonna move around. I'm gonna try something. Okay. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna Yeah, kind of like, do this. So I'm gonna move this here. I'm gonna try toe, I'm gonna try to sneak into here and sit back down, Austin, You see if I can get, I could get using this camera's gonna help my mind things to that. Kind of like, I would love a little foreground, too. But he would be, Yeah. Um, with the strike, let's go. Stool. Yeah. Great idea. Seeing dots I love on the set like you tried. You're always trying to figure things out. Let's grab one of these stools here. You'll be cool. You're looking. Yeah. There you go. Way go. Here we go. Oh, so watch this. OK, hold on. You just put a still hair back over here. Step keeps you in shape to, like, you gotta move. You gotta move. So I'm gonna do that. All right, so we're gonna all right. This could be cool. Long getting excited, but it's It's about using your space. And that's okay. Be creative on the set. Think about stuff you just said. Well, how about a stool? How about this? How about, like, move around, try things? It's it's you know, you're not set. You're not locked into any one particular thing. You're gonna you know, you're gonna find things. Be be open to seeing like will this work and everyone over the one section. Are you go? I didn't It didn't work? No. So what? For this type of music video? At what point would you want to do? Like a handheld? Well, that's so funny. Is the music video formula apart? That formula is being ready to just jump into something. You're feeling right. And so I might go handle right now because of the height of what I want. Um, once he comes back, I'm gonna put him here because I want this light here. I think this will be my actually might go handhold right now, but we'll was he awesome? Get you back in here now? Yes. Yeah. Um, you know, I'll end up doing both that no matter what, just do both. Have you ever, You know, tourney, shoot everything. Um, So So this is how it looks when wide When I come in here now, taking requests for in between shoots run on are cut you down. Depends on the ago. Go a little higher here. Yeah, Second, when you look like a Spanish, put that my dream board dream when the dream board will love it. So I'm gonna do here? I'm looking cool that they're all kind of and so on these, um, I don't My My wife would first. Okay, the other is that Is that light bulb still in the fire station in California, Somewhere from 1912 hasn't gone out yet. Here's it's, like, made, you know, they made They were really, really made him. But the filament everything, like it's still the same light bulb. Like you can tell we're like this. They were all I can. This is a glass moon. Yeah, that was cut. So they all have kind of like a nipple. So we'll try. And I want to see you looking into camera here just for a second. Kind of Give me a little 3/4 turn here. Kind of turn your body a little bit. Yeah, that way up and kind of yet and then kind of in your position. But I kind of want you chin down with your eyes up, though. Kind of looking, like right in there. Yeah. Yeah. There it is. Yeah, it is. I'll take that all day long all day long. That's the thing to there is, as faras angles go, you know, You do find those angle. So So look, look. Look right at me, you know, Vs Chin down, right. Do not even a little bit more. Right? So there's, like, more flattering. Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, you could almost never go wrong with chin down looking up a little bit high. That something you can really never go. You know, that's that's why everyone figured that. Yeah, naturally, the the world didn't figure this out for selfies, right? Girls figured out real quick, right? It was like, This is this is this is the best shot, You know, Um, just see what's going on here. Like just looking around, Gonna play a different song during the break. So that way Oh, yeah, yes. You will go nuts. It's and you do you, especially the set. You go home and it's just over and over and over the chin down or your chin down. Looking up. Okay. I'm actually just making sure that it's not on a on the auto focus was kind of make sure I can actually do my own focus here. And I think I can So, camera best, right? What do they want to be doing? Yeah. Um, most cameras. You can actually turn your auto focus off for a tide shot? Yes. So, for a tight shot, what I don't want happening is the focus going all of a sudden from the thing in front of the thing in the back. Like I want to set my focus. And what's a tight shot? Um, so this this is a tight shot, so Right. Yes, yes, yes. So this is a wide shot, so I can second show that this is a wide it's this kind of medium. And then yet anything kind of into here becomes tight. And if you have an auto focus, what can happen is this Back here, the wood can go, and focus is facing gun focused. So you want to do is you want to set your focus on the thing that you really want to be the focus no pun intended. So I'm just I'm putting the focus right on his eyes there. It's right in there. And that is going to stay down, that she's gonna stay down. There you go. So here you go. Yeah. Okay. Don't Don't Don't get that song Now. Come on. All right, So here we go. So we now I'm coming. I'd like that first take, but I'm not. But awesome was comfortable enough to where I could just come right up. Now let's let's just get in there. Let's let let's just, you know, he's singing to the audience now. So now that first take was all about. Let somebody watch you let somebody watch you perform. Now we're breaking that wall. I want him to connect with the audience now. So this lens right here, this is how he's going to connect him. Millions of people, right? He's looking his cry for the whole thing. He's gonna feel that he might go down a little bit as he's playing, but I want every lyric unless he feels something that takes him away from that. A little bit of vulnerability, not there. That's for him to decide. But for the most part I want him performing right in this lens right now, and this is where I will maybe step away a little bit because now that he's making that eye contact, maybe I'll let him just kind of have that. So we're gonna let's clear all this area here and Luke, You got playback. Just go a little bit more. All right, so we're rolling camera checking my focus right there. Lost on. Keep that chin down. Connect with millions of people. Play back. Here we go way awesome. And that happens. That happens. You go right, Right. So what happened? Way song didn't stop right this song Stop. Or did that just cut out way? He hasn't stopped, so I love it. See that? Keep it going. Way, Way. No, - Keep the energy. Get the energy. Now here's here's a little tip. Here's the trick I like until right around that second take It's like it's gonna be a long day because it's work, right? It's work. I like to bridge that gap between second take and third take right away. Okay? And now and now I want to do is I want to get inserts of the guitar now. Okay, so it gives you a break from the face right now and we're gonna do is because look, a song like this. This is the other element. And you hear it, right? You want to hear what's driving? If it was a drummer over the drum partner song and you're hearing that you're gonna get all that singer songwriter. This is the Onley other connecting piece. But a song like this, I mean, it's driving it, You hear it? It's it's own character. So I want to come in here. We're gonna take this down here so different looking right in the lens. You know, it's like you really person or just just Yeah, I try to find a person that I would feel comfortable looking in their eyes and singing. So I thought about like, my mom. You don't mean like someone who I could like be okay with singing through or like a girl I like, really like or really believe those things about, you know, mean and envision singing to her sort of mix between being like, vulnerable and trying to, like, be a little You're not thinking of millions of people? No. I think one person yeah, I guess, could make because it's one person at a time. That's gonna like it. That's my seem. Plus before, if I do like a Facebook live you it's like some already won a one like you and I. It's so much more powerful than he and she? Yeah, you know, I mean, like, it's everybody's you with Song is just saying you how did you even if you could tell it's talking to a female? There are little parts of that song that has a do. They keep saying you you're gonna start to interpret some of those things. I think about him. Person. That's good. I'm going in tight here since your hands kind of where they're kind of your sort of. Courtney's gonna come in tight here. We're gonna look at this real quick, okay? I'm just coming right here because I want to feel that. Okay. Where sometimes? Maybe so, Michael. Okay. Well, I want to shoot guitar here, but that's that little boring to me. It's a little boring to me, so you know, I mean, and you could mean that might be fine, but I'm trying to get connected, and I feel connected here, right? So I'll show the artist because I want him to kind of see and actually pray for this take. I'll probably let him see it so he can kind of work, you know? And it sounds funny, but, like right now, like given lex to flare on that. Like, yeah, when you're going like, yeah, get those fingers. Yeah, you like? Now your hands are performing. Right. So we're rolling Playback. Let's go. This is just you. This is so you're directing now you see those hands? Make those hands work and playback. Here we go. Looks on playback. Playback. Luke, you can a video bush upset. You come. Anything? Work those hands, man. Feel it. Yeah. I like you. Yeah, a little, Like, even bring it up like fake it a little closer. A little, like, doesn't hurt. There you go. Next time on that, bring your hands off and then bring him back, you know? Yeah, right. Yeah. I don't do that way . You can see his fingers or he's can actually perform it. See what's working. He's connecting now with that, right? He's a part of the process. He's directing himself right now. Not just, you know, if you're the artist, are working with the artist. Never make somebody a puppet. You have to make sure they're engaged. That's how it's riel thing is a process because I have to pay for myself because I already have. I already have 20 idea that I would normally start running with making the music video, but I don't want to run ahead of everybody right now, but I'm already like so Okay, Okay, I get it. I mean, - there you go. 5. On the set PT. 3: keep energy up. So I'm playing from the phone. I'm playing from a file that he sent me. Let's go. Toe laptop. Give your laptop. Austin will just play it off. Let's download it onto your laptop. So it's not playing off of a file and the wood is played from the laptop. It'll probably solve that. Okay. And while he does that and switches that up, um, what's in my mind right now is I'm I've got something. So now we're going to go wide wide. I have an idea, because when you can, you can do this. And I think we can. This is gonna be really cool. I'm gonna go watch this year. Compare what? You see this. So I'm gonna just go super wide here for a second and get my focus here, and we're gonna take everything out of the frame so we'll pull this out. And what do you guys back? You're just turned every light off. Except for the the bulbs. I won't try something. Do you take a life? I'm gonna move this either way. Here, see what we got. This yellow looks on That looks gorgeous. Yeah. When I want to their instagram. Yeah, And again, I can't say it enough. We are taking pictures and exactly what it's exactly descend. Leah better instagram this exactly because we're just taking pictures. That's all we're doing. I want Paul. What's really cool to is and I'm just kind of feeling the bottom. Going with way could cut this so quick and just post this evening. Even at this version at this level, we should just post this today. Just having some fun. Everybody new here. Some new music I'm working on, not even finished yet. Did a music video for assignment? Yeah, why not? Why not give them were issued? Another one for it and maybe another one. But I love this lead because look, we started with this wall that no one was even really. It means the cool wall. Everyone knew that, but we started with the wall. And what are we doing that we're making this one little area? It's 10 feet by 10 feet, and we just keep dissecting it. We keep Let's look at it this way. Look at it that way. And look, Look where we're at and look cool. That looks I like seeing the lights on the side stuff hanging down. And what we're gonna do now is now I'm gonna have Austin come more comfortable with Austin . He's feeling more comfortable. I love the silhouette. Yeah. So you have strap strap for that. Let's do that. Time to move now. Time to have him standing up Silhouette in here. Look at that boom. He can work all in here. Boom. He can work in here. Here. You get a little groove on if he wants. He's got this whole. So I'm gonna do one with guitar right now. I'll take the guitar off. I'll have him just just group, because when people hear a song, you get toe also only perform a song. As an artist, you get to also help people understand what you want to be doing with that song. So there's no rules here. He can take that guitar and just do a take of just grooving just moving and people going to see that and be like, Oh, now I'm dancing with, um, you know, like, but that's because that's what you would dio with, right? If you just so we want to connect with people on that level I'm just gonna put this over here. Luke, how you feeling on play? About coming from the laptop. Then we feel more solid once out of sight. No, because he's moving now. He's moving out. He's a big boy, you know. He's like, you know, to come a little closer. Come closer out, can bring it up. Bring it up. Bring it up. Yeah, right in there. See, I like this and that. 3/4 picture even profile. Yeah, Yeah, I will move one thing. I love scene all this junk and stuff hanging. I don't I don't like seeing this, though. See that? So we're gonna move this You're about as bullish is? I am. Marcus grabs Dublin. Paul mean you re near tear this whole place down end of the day and because of one, just pulled us play back a little. He's got room to get a dance in this zone. Here. Move. So we've So we've kind of gone from being intimate down here, kind of allowing people to see him play the intimacy we've brought in people into the actual instrumentation because that's the rhythm. That's the drummer of the song is the way he's playing that song were connecting. Now he's up and he's moving. He's moving. He's gonna work this base here. Now, that's kind of the energy. Now he's representing the kind of energy he wants at a show. He just want people to show watching him play. Right? So all of these elements were hitting, you know, And that's part of the formula. All all these things. Yep. So your this is your zone profile. 3/4. Boom. Just hit all this. You can't have. You can't have too much movement. Energy is always good. These shots. So, you know, the medium tight shot and then the white? Yeah. You think that's a good idea for no matter what kind of video you're doing? I think so, Yeah. I mean, try it, try it. You know, um, some way, shape or form, a wide shots. Great. You may go to add and be like, I won't use it, But as far as having it, Yeah, I love that. Look at that Boom. Okay. All right. Play back. Here we go. No, I can't really see your eyes. So now So it's just the way we go. Here we go. And kind of feel that center with the camera feel, um, this is your center, but you go off. That's cool. But just come back. This is Yeah, Just boom. Here we go. And play back. - Way , - way , way. Okay. - Way . Oh, wait. This you house lights on. OK, apartment. All right, there we go. There we've goes. We're gonna house lights on here real quick. All right. House lights on and again. I love, um, get all lights on real quick. Go repeat things. Like her nose. Yeah, everything on everything on again. I love Let's turn all the lights on, because again, look at this now, right? That's where we started, right? Think about it now. Now we're like, we're just in a room. We're just in a room. The idea is you want to find a spot, any spot, and just go Wait. I can make this work. I could get a whole world going in here. We weren't doing handheld yet. We weren't doing all of this stuff. It weren't like trying to move. And like we were simple, composed shots, we found an area. So we're gonna take a break. But that's how you do it. We just did four shots, right? Without four shots. 1234 Right. We had kind of ah, meat medium to a tight vocal right to guitar to a wide with some movement. So even that alone right there, that's enough. We have more things to talk about. More tricks, more tips, things we're gonna discuss. But even that right there, that is enough. We're going to show you how that's enough. Right there. So, using video formula, here we go. First part done. 6. Work Ethic: way are rolling, but I want this casual. So right now, Leah, this is cool your weight on some coffee because when you're doing any project like we are right now, you hit that midday or towards end of the day and you're tired. I mean, we think about it. We haven't done that much today, but there's something about when you focus. Oh, yeah, yeah. And it's different than when you're just performing a song. Like playing through it. You get adrenaline on stage when you make a music video, your focus, you just kind of give in its there's an energy that kind of gets sucked out of you. Oh, yeah, the creative energy of mental energy like even emotional energy, right to stamina. And just like staying positive and working through any insecurities you might be facing at the time, being uncomfortable or whatever and like going for it right, That takes an enormous amount of energy. It's like slightly the same thing is normal when you're performing, but it's slightly brand new, like every shot you're thinking. OK, what what am I doing right now and why? And okay, and then be in it, you know, I mean, when one of the things that always happens when doing music video with with the band is, um you have super loud playback and the band's going off, but they're not plugged in to where they hear their instruments and feel that they hear it coming from the sound system. And when it winds up happening is in Every man has told me this. After one take, they feel more exhausted than an entire show live show. Wow. Because you can't gauge your energy level because you're not actually playing. You're so you're just just going off. Yeah, and so you actually exert 100 times better. Don't have monitoring when you're singing right over sing and you wear your breasts out like that because you can't You know where you're at. So your your assumption is that you're not there, so you don't push. Yeah, Someone got Leah some coffee here bringing in and do you like when you're going all day? Like, what's the longest shooting day? You have 10 hours. 12. Like, how long does this go? I mean, are you caffeine aiding or what's going on? Yeah, I think this is actually great transition winnings. That that that I love about music videos is it's It's basically summer camp. Everything about making music. Video is summer camp, and it's kind of because you're you're hanging out, having a good time that your coffee being brought, you know, someone getting coffee, you know, food, donuts, all that, you know, it really is. It's really fun. What's the longest day that you typically have? Like, how long do you just, like, go hard till it's done? Or do you Sometimes, you know, spread over two days were like, What are you doing To keep the energy high to get, you know, to get that awesome quality? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um I mean, technically, I mean, we should all have the have the mind set of, you know, um, do what you have to do to get it done. But the reason why I did the formula was don't kill yourself. There's only a couple things that you need and then expand from there. So even at this stage of my career, I don't like doing more than 8 10 hour day. I just don't I mean, it's, um good. Yeah, it it can be exhausting, like It seems simple, and it is fun, but it does take a lot out of you. Um, So, um, you don't want to make so I mean in again. This is sort of why I wanted to do this project there. There are people who I know who the majority people make music videos, and they will do 8 10 12 14 hours a day, 16 hour days nonstop, over and over and over. And that will make you hate music videos. Um, and a lot of my clients people who I partner up with now when things that we really enjoy is I have a process. I know what I'm doing. They know it's not gonna be a 10 hour day. They just know it's not to be a 10 hour day, so I could be working with a huge multi platinum artist. They know it's gonna be fun. I'm gonna have a baby together. You Well, you you keep it fun. Bye bye. Loving the music, loving what it is you're doing. I mean, it's fun to dio. I mean, um, you keep it fun by staying engaged. You know, you you a pause thing at the end of the steak for as the guy doing it. It really does help me, even if it's just wanted to people. It's like, Okay, yeah, yeah, And you. It's a little bit of encouragement and in one sense I mean, that's that's part of your job. If you go that that's one of the director's job. You know, um, is you if it's like anything, if you keep your head down and just are you know, like again it brings the whole set down. So, um, I try to keep my head up. I try to stay positive all day long. I mean, those were those things I think most people have to do every day in their job. And like you were saying, like even if an artist knows, if you have a reputation for keeping it as short and efficient as possible than like the whole week when they're looking forward to go in the morning that they wake up to go to it , they're already have a positive outlook on like this guy's not gonna waste my time. I'm not gonna be super super beat after this, you know, And so bringing that entered that positivity and kind of hope into the day is going to change their energy level in their your stamina. That's a great point I actually wanted. I actually wanted a lot of things to be kind of more of a mystery for you today, so I could get a lot of feedback from you, kind of on the spot. You normally I would call the artist. I would call the management of the later when I would make sure that the artist knew it's going to be an eight hour day. We're not going longer. And most artists well, funny thing is, most artists don't believe don't believe the memo when, when, when they get it like an eight hour day, you know, because that sounds like a dream. And if I think it's gonna be a 10 hour day or 12 hour day, it's rare that I'll make sure I get everyone there 23 hours getting ready before the artist shows up, so that when they do show up, it's a 5678 hour day. So yeah, you're right. So expectations are key, and that's a good transition here. But expectations for the day I try to set those expectations. Um, let people know and that's that's that's such a good point when you know you're coming in, you've got a certain length of time that you're gonna be doing something that allows you to Teoh to pace your energy accordingly. 7. On the set PT. 4: Leah, we're back. And we're in just another room that we found that people have all over the world. Just a room room with people hanging out. Look, they're just people here. They're hanging out somewhere. Vaping some around their computer. They're just, like, chilling. And again, the point is, is that you shouldn't have to think that hard about making a music video, find a space and make it work. So when I walked in here today, I saw chalkboard paint, which anybody can get chalkboard paint. That's why they did. They made this whole chocolate era. I saw him like, you know, what were we could make a music video right here against chalkboard. So I'm gonna ask. Everyone can just get out of here. Everyone just leave. Come on, get out. Go, go! We're gonna take a real room. Let's make this happen. Guys. We got friends were making music. You gotta have friends around. You gotta kick other people out, Jerry. Yeah, we're gonna but let's just push it over there again. We don't get everything all out of the way. What is? What is? Pull it over there. Okay, so we're going get some guys down here. So, you know, this is I'm gonna move some of these things. This is how it is this Israel time. We could do this. No work. I think you got. I think we're good. We're good, right? There were good. Yes. Yeah. Here. No, I'm gonna use the chest. Is we're gonna do so. I got this. So who can get me a little piece of paper? A little Windex or some? We're gonna just rub this down here a second here, Um, just mess it up a little bit more. So we just get a little paper towel something. I'm gonna take this This over here. Oh, yeah. Okay. So yes, Mr Form Right here. We're gonna just sit right here, and excuse me. Now, Leah, you've been pressuring me that this could be done on an iPhone. Right. So this is this is this is iPhone time, Okay? I want people to know that they can make something cool on their iPhone, So I'm gonna just leave the other camera down and pick up my phone, and I'm gonna just figure this out on an iPhone. So, um, there we go. There you go. All right. and again. There's nothing fancy here. I love this. So we're gonna use these lights. There's just trapped lighting, just unplanned track lighting that we're going to use. I'm gonna had a little something on the wall back here. A little riot. We'll see how it drives. Yeah, is actually the Messier. Probably the better. And that's good right there, Jared. I'm just gonna just try to steal again. What are we learning? Fill the frame. So I'm I'm thinking right here. I'll push the story. Live it here again. We're in a small space. Remove this. Take a look at my phone. Here. Gonna go into airplane mode. Good move. Good move. Would it be there? So little? Yeah, little ISS. So wardrobe change. Same song. But we're mixing it up Another wardrobe. Throw a shirt on, mix it up. The more locations you do, different wardrobe changes. It does add to the video. It's like there's a lot more going on. It will seem like they spent a week making this video, you know? So, um, gonna look at this on my phone here. What kind of video mode? Here. Let's take a look. That's already looking cool. just to So that's a Leah. Come over here. Come over here. You can see I should want You want to sit for a second? I want to look at something you stand in. That would be even cool. Look at that. So that's really, really cool. See that, you man. Here we go. Here we go. And if I touch here, There. Okay. So All right. Jump in there. Awesome. Take a look. Actually, a Camaro. Look at this. Look at this is so cool. So I'm just I'm just hiding the room, right. Look at that. It's crazy How good that looks like that. I mean, just I'm seeing a little bit over here, so I'm gonna move some of those chips and stuff there. So does it Looks really, really nice. Cut this real quick. Some of these things here that's you looking better than I even thought. That's really cool. And this had to be the iPhone one. Maybe we'll shoot both. I'm gonna do one iPhone take and shoots, but yeah, I'm gonna do right, But because But people should know it. All you have is the iPhone. It's the same, you know, Exact same thing. So Andi will mix that take in with it. So, um, you see if I got out of the way there something. Okay, So, yeah, this See your Do you think you know, What do we need? You're sitting here. You're like, What do we need? We need our playback. So, Jerry, Jerry, you in the bathroom? Jerry, can you get all right? I'm gonna shoot both at the same time. That's it. Will do. This one ready to go. Marcus, we all right? Back up. All right. - Uh , taking a regular room, find a spot back top. Real quick. Gives in movie. Right. There you go. You're back down. Looks like this. Uh, think you're good, right? You're good. Right there. This is This is nice. What I like about this, too, is like it's just track lighting is not like you mean, like, yeah, it's like this. This is what's here. Got track lighting? Yep. Yep. That's that's a great call. So, obviously what we're doing here is, um we're giving definition here. I've kind of got even though it's little to track lighting instead of being like all it, I'm just kind of just hitting, hitting a little. A little bit of light right here. A little bit of already mood right here. It will drop off here that I got one more light here. Kind of Just not directly on you. This little light here is kind of just falling right here. And we're getting some spill onto you. Not harsh on you. Come on. Look at that. How fun is that? That's great. Totally. And so even that a one take that is better to perform a song and put up. Then just gonna videotape my myself. A little bit of mood, a little bit of are a little bit of thought, you know, composition member were taking photos, were taking photos, and you pull up that video and someone pleasure like that looks really cool. It's not just it's not a simple thing. Even with an iPhone, though, it'll be just a school and will give us a different look. So it's a trap, right? Exactly. So which is probably what? Yeah, that's nice. All right. So, playback, we're bringing in a vaccine. All right? It's a song called again. Austin. There's a player, this left exits, video shoots. Got it. All right, So here we go. Simple. Set up really easy again. I'd really encourage people go get chalkboard paint, find a wall, hit it up, get it kind of dirty. Simple little lighting. If you didn't have lighting, you could even do this outside. And it would still be really cool. Um, we didn't have track lighting, like, you know, wonderful. Amazing track lighting that we have. You could just use regular light bulbs. You could have a light bulb just from a lamp right here, and you could have a light, right? Everyone can get a little light that can shine somewhere. It's not. It's not that hard. Um, so we're gonna go for it. I'm going to this big giant. So no contact? Yes. The same is the last one of the 1st 1 Kind of just in his own way. No way. Wait, wait, wait. This'd way. This is way , way. Which way? What I'm doing right now. Fishing, Fishing When I just grab another camera, another float around fishing for a moment for little things. Little inserts little squares in the light. You've key is not to just be static. Kind of float almost like you're on a boat. This kind of rocking brews with music. I'm not just standing still like this. I can do that. I'm not being herky jerky. Tryingto find proven with I just give it up. Everybody give it up. Yeah. Okay. Camera guys like you could do better. Okay? He's got his hands for you. That was awesome. Okay, so also what I did on that one. Um, Leo was so I had this shot here, but they kind of just double up here on explaining things is so I also kind of turned this Cameron to a second camera. I know I'm shooting here filming here. Kind of this medium shot here zoomed in a little bit. And what I dio, um, record here is to get other angles. What I like to do is, you know, whether it's this camera, this camera, I do a thing called fishing and fishing for me is, um I just kind of float. I just kind of looking for things. I'm not herky jerky, trying to find things. I'm trying to groove with the music. I want my hands in my body floating up with you. So if you're strawman, I want to be moving with him, okay? And I'm looking for things here looking at hands. I'm floating up. I'm resisting the urge that with if I want to be, like his handwriting to go down to his hands because if I'm editing, it may be cool like I Oh, I take it down in one shot here. You know, I take it down and follow what? I see it. The movement. Yeah, Yeah, I'm just right. I'm just floating s So this is like, OK, I'm gonna film here. Shots are all about the stability of the camera. And when people feel this, they know it's cheap. This is chief because the hand moves everything. When you stabilize something and you start moving and you make your body the tripod, you gonna dance a little bit. I mean, you gotta look funny. It's it's uncomfortable. Like that's why directors kind of get made fun of your always doing weird movements and weird project photographers, right? Always on the ground, bodies twisted. But you can't be afraid. He's not afraid, he said, in your lip sinking. Performing the least Aiken Dio is actually get into it. And he appreciates that too. He sees big here and I'm grooving with it. He's like, Yeah, okay, Don's got some style, but that's what it is is you want to move through. I could do a whole take like this, so that's another great thing to do. But this Wallace so cool work. We're going to keep going on this. I'm actually gonna now pull the camera back, see if I can't get more depth of field here. I'm gonna come right in front of you. We'll see if I can't get even mawr because this is just Just look so good. Now what I want Dio try. I want to bring the camera back here and stand up. Boston, I'm gonna just move this forward. Austin, try something here. I'm looking for right here. They've got light right here. I'm looking to see where it falls off right about here. Follows us. If I put him here, the lights on his face, I want to make it a little bit more moody here. Right here. So I've put this right here. You can sit right here kind of silhouette by begin using that lead on the background there . So Austin jump back in and see how this looks. And then we've already shot four takes over there. We already have four takes of this. I'm not going to duplicate everything I did. They're here. I'm just trying to find more interesting things I'm looking for. Here is now I'm gonna get even a little moodier, and I want people to be focused more on the compositions. But again, don't be afraid of, you know, touch things up a little bit, actually. And right now, I just saw something that was like, Oh, you know what? I like you sitting there arms folded on the guitar. Okay. Like that's yeah. And you and you sing. And now, right? Yeah. So you kind of just now just kind of leaning on it. I mean, that's naturally cool. How much? Like head room and stuff? What are the rules? Yeah, I don't think there are rules. I think this is where again, if you go back to trusting your instincts on, um, taking a picture that will apply here. Now, if I go all the way wide here, you can kind of see my process. Right. So, um, I'm zoom in here like Okay, now I'm not again. It's There are some things you just have to kind of feel. I'm looking at the composition, the point where it feels it just feels right. You know, they come down here, but there's a point where he's going to go. Okay, That, like, is it Is it ever? Is it a no, no, To cut off the top of their head or that paid some instances and someone says, I think it's OK. Um, but it But if I could just kiss the top there like to just be right on there again. What? It were filling the frame. I want people to be focused. As soon as you go any whiter, you're You're allowing people to go somewhere else. I should lock that off. You are actually allowing people to go somewhere else. And so part of what you have to do when you're composing is your Is your helping people you're helping There. I stay right here. Get this. So also, let me see you kind in that lean I like you in the kind of So I think the whole song that way. Yeah. Just boom have been right in it. Come out a little bit more plainest. I don't need anybody, so I love this. I'm gonna go to play back here. This happens on a video shoot to you. Start out with more people than you have a few hours later. You're like, Where's Luke? Your buddy came down to help. I only had a few hours before you know it. But end of the day, you're like, OK, I'm going to play back. All right, so we're rolling Camera. Come over here. Here we go. Yep. Let me just back up a little bit. Here we go. Lee, I'll bring you over here, Actually. Do you want to watch Cameron? This one? Go for it. Way. Wait, wait, wait. What kind of cheating? Try to get three shots out of one shot. If I know I'm other angles to cut back on 4th June. Right? So while just takes going on, find different spots and back out of the frame of but it's a good length of a songwriting. Actually. Cheat a little bit here. Now I have a tight another title. It's saving time to you know that when you do full takes all the way through. Like like we're doing day can get long. Three men for a song. Time starts building up so cameras can help on that way. Don't get too complicated. Way, way you way. Okay, I think we go another one down. Another one? Yeah, I was saying on Ellen Austin was I had a good composed medium halfway through when a punching for a tight, You know, I mean, like, it's like it's going again. You still want to save time? It's like so I know I'm not going to use all of this. I'm and just kind of get two for one out of it. You know? E and thats actor, that's actually a good point because a lot of people this is actually a great point to make , um, a lot of people when they think about making a music video. Um, when the number one questions that comes up is do I do full takes all the way through? Because in your mind, you think Hey, it be cool to maybe have this moment over there in this moment over there in this moment over here. And so a lot of people think maybe you just do that verse here. That verse there. Look, if you're in the spot, just do the song. You know? I mean, I get it. If you're making the kind of video that's very specific, You know, if the line is and then I picked up up paper towels. Yeah, I get it. Don't do the whole song here. You know, Just get that line, play back 234 and do that shot. Otherwise, though, when you're in locations now do the whole song. Because when you go to edit, you're gonna want to make sure you have every option possible, right? Grab the paper. Tell. See it. Za hit now. You know, while you spells you girl girl. Yes. You know it's true, girl girl. Well, some we're working on that. May just It's already copy written right here. Booth. Hot song. Give me the hot song. You just the creative energy on a set. That's what happened. You write songs like that. So no do the whole song. And there's this temptation to feel like I'm just going to use that part, you know? But just do just do it. Trust me and you'll see how that works when we go into editing. So Let's kind of review. Um we've stayed very, very, um very focused on making sure we're not doing a hand health stuff. Don't do handheld right now. Just if you're making your first video, Trust me, don't do handheld yet. Once you do handheld people, people can sense the cheapness. Okay, there are ways to do handheld. I get I'm not saying you can't, but for right now you want something that's solid, you know? And when you have solid compositions from a photographic standpoint, it looks good. You look professional. You just look, it lets the art be what it needs to be without being distracted by a lot of movements or stuff like that. Get a tripod do that. So, um, again, so simple. Just a wall. All we've been doing is finding locations and shooting a couple different angles. It's that easy. So this is another one down. We're gonna take a break. I think about kind of where we're going to go next. But we're doing it. Oh, here we go. Like autumn 8. Working with musicians: Austin, you came in. This is your first music video you've performed. You know what it's like to have to rehearse. You don't like to go on tour? Um, I'm sure in some way you've even made some form of lip seeking thing at some point. Maybe. I mean, if you don't like almost pots or something. But what did you experience coming here on the set? You're the artist. What did you experience? Can I just hit me? Sure. Um, one thing I picked up on was, like, how easy, Like how simple. It s so easy, how simple it is to take one cool backdrop with a couple things going on in it and turn it into five different shots. You know, five full length versions of the song that you could then mix and match in and have a ton of material really affordably. Essentially right. I mean, as far as one location. That was cool. It's been great working with the guys behind the cameras. They've all been really awesome in nice and and, um and learning from you and learning from you. Um, it is a little like different. So it is taxing in a different way, you know? I mean, so that's next time I go to shoot a music video, I'll pump myself up, gear myself up to, like, be more prepared, right? I mean, for like, because you think I'm just gonna be sitting there doing this. But then you get, you know, 78 takes in, and you do you start to see it starts the weighing a little bit, so it like it's the first time ever. You and so you want to be. Try to stay as president, be off as authentic as possible, even live. You don't do the same song. Hey, times exactly Like something keeps it fresh, the next song, right? Because in the in your real, any insecurity that you have, whether it's around the song or around your parents or anything like that, you're reliving it over and over and over and over again in front of a different group of people. So, you know, I would say, I guess make sure that you are confident with the piece that you're having. Make sure that you're taking good care of yourself so that you're confident with the way that you look and the way that you feel about yourself and bring that into every video shoot. Because like that guy, the rock band singer that you describe, like if you don't have it, it's gonna It's gonna be so obvious, right? You know, it seems so obvious. So right, you know. What about, um what about lip sinking? Was that like for you? Uh, I felt pretty comfortable with that. I tried to sing is like, pretty fully into the into the stuff. When I'm playing like everything comes in naturally, I can really good recall as long as I'm playing. But when I was sitting there and then lit singing without, that's what I would forget where I was in the song. Sometimes I like sections because all of the pieces that attached to that memory doing the muscle memory doing the vocal take was actually more challenges, more challenges. And that's to be expected somewhat like when you step away from your instrument because you're not used to being away from your instrument, but even just like you wouldn't expect yourself to forget your own song that you wrote. But sure enough, you're like, 3rd 2nd 1st because you're not doing yeah, you're not going through the flow so that if I was going to go back and practice again like to prepare for a shoot, I would practice with the guitar if you do, and I would practice without Oh wow, that's great. That's that's, you know, that I never had these conversations with the artiste. So it's like him saying that like, I will tell the artist now, hey, practice a couple with and without That's a great I mean, I'm a director or a za videographer. You have now the confidence in putting this person on like a mountaintop without anything else. Right, right, right. I mean, or on a bus, we could go do their normal people and they can comfortably and confidently go through and not be like for the first time because they didn't think about it, really their instrument away. And then be like sitting next the people on the bus and pretending like they're into it. But really like thinking too much, right? You know, that's great. Wow, that's a great see. I'm learning that that is so cool 9. On the set PT. 5: Okay, Last minute idea. I'm not saying you have to do this for the music video formula, but I'm kind of in the zone right now, so it's gonna go ahead and do something because thin of the day, we're not here to waste our time of we think of something else we can do to make this even better. We're going to do it. So what just hit me was again Very simple. Um, and I want this to be and encouragement to everybody that it's little ideas, little ideas, little touches, real simple. I'm gonna have you write the letter to the song and chalk right here. I'm gonna do is I'm going to get inserts of him writing it. We could inter cut that throughout the video. Right then the very end. Then they will erase everything, and then we'll just do the beginning written. They're not gonna be our last image. Okay, so now the question is, how do I want to film that? And what I'm gonna do is gonna keep this camera. Rolince, you can see I'm gonna use my iPhone because it's something where an iPhone. I think we do a really good job of this. Um, I'm just gonna video his hand on the chalk and get really close. I mean, it could be it could be out of focus, and it doesn't matter. It could be just one more piece of texture. It helps make that the king's really cool. Do we have chock full around anywhere? There it is. Okay. Shock. Here. You have a single and ready that to bear. Do you want a thin piece here? Let's take a look here. Anyone want that? We'll try. Kind of makes sense there to talking. Let's do kind of right in here. She had a little practice on the handwriting. All right. Here. Yep. Kind of write all the lyrics. So I'm gonna record just video to my life. Just go on. Look at that. Looks amazing in here. She hold it for a second. Just while you're doing that stuff once I'm gonna switch. I'm a little slow mo on my iPhone here. So hold on. Go. Hold on again. Slow motion and those kinds of things. That's next level. And we're gonna be talking about slow motion in the music video. Accounted me. So when you move from the music video formula to the music video Academy. That's where we're going to go next level. I don't want to overload people right now, but there's five or elements that we could be putting into this video. That super simple. This is actually one of them. So here we go, Rolling on one more. Here. Um, come on. We're going. Yep. I'm getting close. I don't care if it's out of focus. I like seeing the chunks, the texture, chickens getting low, angler Just making it cool. Yeah, right. Slow motion getting that chalk flowing into the frame. I love that. Get more. But right here, just chunk into its over. There you go. Look at that. Oh, it's all falling now. This is, uh, cool chunks in there. No tracking shot, slow motion tracking show. I'm putting the phone on the wall. I'm just sliding it across markets. Are you getting this because I'm on another level right now. This is Oh, look at that. Just falling. Just your calling. Oh, Apple just gave you all this with your phone. Come, go. Oh, yeah, man, it's so cool. You can just slide across words here. Look at that I was taking my phone, which kind of gives it the feel of a dolly and is putting my iPhone on getting a cool angle , put it on the wall and just sliding it down. It didn't slow motion, so it'll be super stabilized coming under his arm, just trying things. That's OK. We'll take it. At least I'll have the original, right? Look at this. Just go. Just look at that. Just going to the chocks it. But look at that. That is so awesome. It's really like this is it? This is it. Wrote the song and where it is. That is so cool. Little moment. That's what it's all about. That is so awesome. All right, so I just Look, look. Look at this. Guys, look at that. Look at these little chunks, but he just like chunks. Phone exclusions, bomb. Look at that. Poor's. Ever seen that the slow mo guys on YouTube? Oh, yeah. So good. Look at that. We have a little bit of chalk. Got a wall is another texture. It's another piece t just just to pepper into the video. Boehm chunks fall that like it's a space. This was using slow motion the iPhone with the light on, I turn the light on by accident. I never even thought about having a light on wall filming, so that yeah, it gives you that hit on the wall there? Yeah, a little slide here school. Okay, so let's do this now. This is all really this all day. Okay, so now let's do this. Erase the middle with your hands. Can you? Just like, let's just get us kind of a section here, just in the middle, erased and then just right the beginning. It was like, we still have all this around it as texture, but just put the beginning there, make the ends look like ends on the two ends. Let's see if we can't to separate those a little more. That's not the gimme. Yeah, this is the beginning. Okay, you go touch it up. Don't be afraid. There we go. Yeah. All right. So that's stuff out. I'm just going to do a little and just frame that up right there. Everything around it, the beginning. We can and we can start and end with that will have it. Cut that right there. That's it. That's all you need to make a music video right there. So round of applause, every first ball. That's how we do it. That's how we do it. It's not that it's not that complicated. I mean, the time and passion we put into everything else we do. You can put it into this as well. Have a solid day. Be creative. Follow the formula. Very simple. Stay focused. But also not being afraid to like. Oh, you will be cool. Okay, Do a little bit more. You see something, Do a little bit more. You just you never know what's gonna pop up. That. That, to me, is what makes music video so exciting is you actually have that ability to add layers while you're in the moment. Okay? Don't go too wild just yet. Stay focused on the principles, But Okay, so we're you know, we're gonna go back. We're going to talk a little bit more about this process. We're doing some editing. So we got more coming up using video formula. Here we go. 10. Handling Criticism: but with the visual medium. When you get a music video, you now cross over and there's there is a higher potential for success. But I think you both know the answer to this. What happens as soon as you make a music video or get any sort of visual of yourself, and you put it online for the world to see who are the first people that show up? Sometimes it's trolls. Haters, right? I I've been there even just like trying to teach other musicians what I know. I mean, trolls are the first ones. The skeptics, you know, the naysayers, the haters, all those people. They will come out of the woodworks, and it's like putting out music on the Internet. I mean, before it was putting. You know, playing to your hometown is different when you're putting it on the Internet. For the whole world, you're wearing your heart on your sleeve. In this visual aspect is now an extension of our music. It's now the even a fuller aspect of art of our music, and I can just imagine the yet, like you put it out there and it's like you're fat year ugly. Your super skinny. What's wrong with your skin? You know, this video sucks, like, really? You just filmed yourself in front of a wall? Yeah, like I always shows up. You're like, why does he have to, You know, do you see a pattern on all videos? Like the one I'm not? I'm not trying to be funny here, Although it is funny. I mean, you can look at any music, video or any video. I mean, you could look at a cat video on YouTube and within five comments. Somebody's a Nazi. Yep. Or conspiracy theorists. I mean, it just I mean, it's silly that cats are taking over. Yeah, so I think, um, in regards to expectations, you have to be ready now to get bulletproof. You're taking that next step. You're putting your image out there. Your looks, your body, your identity. When you do that, you have to become bulletproof. Do not even think about making a music video and put it out there. Unless you are prepared to meet that kind of criticism, you really do out to brush it off? I mean, you really going to be like this is what comes with it, but that will tell you. You know, even personally, we look at ourselves on on video. We're like, I hate it. I mean, no, I mean, that's you know, So some of the expectations are one I want to make sure I don't think this is going to make you sell a 1,000,000 records Room A millionaire overnight. This is one part of the equation to be prepared for criticism. Um, and three, even your own criticism. Yeah, I think that's more harsh on many cases, right? Yeah. I always tell myself, you know, when I you know, I always, you know, for me on the director's amount in front of the camera, but always, you know, usually someone doing behind the scenes photos. And I always joke with people that in my mind, I'm on the set, and I'm like, I think of myself as, like, I'm the captain of this ship. In my mind, I think I look like this are Yeah, right. Then I get these behind the scenes photos, which is always excited about like, oh, people got picture on the set, and I'm like this. I'm directing like, yeah, like, that's not what I thought. I was projecting when I was there, and I get these pictures background like I'm on the ground trying to get a shot. Um, I had to tell myself, but that is what I look at. The people see every day. It's not a shock to anybody else. It may be a shock to us when we finally see ourselves. But again, this, if done right, all the work that we're doing brings humility and with with humility, um, I think you just become a better person. You know, that's your You're a better kind of person when you become more humble and you start to realize, like, Okay, that's how I look or that's how I sound. Our people are making fun of me, you know, like you know what is mean is, it is mean, is it? Maybe when when people attack you, it makes you stronger. It makes you stronger to get to that next place. And I think if you're pursuing a creative art of any sort, just because that's the path that you chosen even before you put a music video out, you know many naysayers you have to go through in order to continue to pursue your dream, You know, I mean, how many people you have, You have to have selective ignorance. You have to just be able to be like, Well, I'm not for everybody. And I don't really care what you think is I'm too busy thinking about doing what I'm doing . Yeah, and anybody who's not trying to do even generally the same type of thing that you're doing , they have no idea. So why would you put any currency in what they think or say? It's just, like, stay in your lane, I guess. Yeah. Five. Have a good night. I mean, my sort of last bit of encouragement on this because if you're watching this, you're going to do it. You're gonna make a music video, and you're gonna post it. People are going to see it. And what I want to say to you is as soon as you start getting those negative comments, but I want to say to you is Welcome to the club. You made it. Yeah, is awesome. You see this girl here? This guy, this guy were in the club. People make fun of our stuff all the time. We get criticized all the time. And you know what? Welcome to the club. If that's how you know you're you're going the right direction. I saw a quote the other day is like If you don't have any haters, it means you're not doing anything absolutely urinating like Fetty, WAP says. We just call it fans that we just calling fan. Thank you. And you know why on that note to you about comments, um, one thing I prepared myself for, even just with releasing ah, music on YouTube and things like that was, I positioned myself into a headspace after I like, released a new album, and I put out there on social media and all that, that I will not derive my satisfaction from the comments or from the reactions on social media. I will not. Not even the good ones, like if there but I love them. They're so great to see. But if you let one in, it's hard not to let in the other. And so what that does is a It will kind of bulletproof you from, you know, never making music again. If you get a negative one. Run also prevents ego because if you let the bad ones get to you. That means you're letting the good ones get to you. And you're gonna get really puffed up really quick if it goes viral or something happens like that And that is never nice to work with anybody who has a big ego and, ah, nice ends in bad things. So I have all of you know, just because we're what I love about this this format is we can talk about things as they come up. And it just made me think about about ego. Um, one of the biggest artists I that that that I work with is, um is kid rock. Now when you think kid rock, you can't get a bigger ego, Really. I mean, the dude is just when you think about his persona, what he what he puts out there. Um, every time I've walked on the set toe work with him, it is no ego. I mean, no ego. What's up, D. How are you? How's your family? How's your kids? Remembers things you wouldn't think they would remember. Like Hey, how's that garden going? You talked about two years ago. Oh, yeah. Overtime out. Gardening like like you know, sit down, Hang out. You know, just there is a reason why some of the most successful people when you get around them are actually so humble, so down to earth. And you know what? It's not that maybe at some point, maybe they weren't. But the great thing about this industry is it will, the quicker you can get to humility, the better, because you're going to get there one way or the other way, right? Just just started there, you know? 11. Editing the Music Video: all right, Here we go. Well, we've been on the set we've been with with the artist Austin Ellis was amazing to work with , and now it's time to edit the music video. Now a lot. He probably didn't come getting this to learn how to be an editor. And by no means do I think I'm gonna take you through all the different levels there are in regards to use video editing, the film editing that would be crazy. But what I want you to see is kind of just the basic process of editing kind of how it works, because that's what give you more information to educate you. That's gonna give you MAWR information in regards to being an artist on what's happening with your project. Just moving along and again. There are 5 to 10 different major editing programs out there, and so I'm not going to trying to steer you towards one or the other. But most people have either final cut or premier or movie Vegas. I mean, there's there's tons of different things out there, So what I want to do is help you just gonna understand the just you overall basics. You put my phone away here because you know how it is. You're created these days, and phones always ring in texture coming in. But we're gonna get focused here. That's what I do. This is all real time. I want you guys to be experiencing all this real time. I'm hanging out with you and really just do. Just doing my best to just get you just get you comfortable with not just the process but how long the process takes. Because I think that's key. It's not just getting some sort of short cliff notes version and think you got to do it. I want that process in that time to be a part of kind of what what we're doing and how we do. So you hear my voice every time I shoot a music video. That's just about being on the set, talking your loud you're projecting always horse the next day. So that's where I'm at right now. So that's what my boys. A little extra, a little extra kick to it. So here we go. You can see the screen. I'll be cutting back and forth and you'll see what we're doing. So first thing I have is take your footage and you seek it up with your song. So I've got my song down here. This is Austin to song right here at the beginning. Just lock this here and what I do is each one of these here got 12345 five takes that I thought were the were the strongest takes for the video. Let me just add really quick to if you went out, you shot this. You're doing your own project. There are so many editors online, you can find editors everywhere I recommend. And Votto studios just look online. Editors. I mean, 450 blocks, 200 bucks. You complied to send your footage uploaded to somebody, and somebody can do all this. OK, so that's why I would recommend. But I also want to see what the process is so that, as you begin to do things yourself are as you're getting notes back from an editor, you kind of know what that process is. So here's what we got here. I've taken my 12345 take so you can just drop me here. You sync them up. You just kind of make sure that you got your song down here And you just you, uh you find the part of the song that syncs up You just gonna just moving around and tell it It syncs up with songs things up with song saying stop So 12345 layers of video So to me it's kind of like Tetris That's the way I look at it So first thing I Dio is once I have my song laid down And all my takes stacked on top 12345 takes And they're all seeped up So the own match That's why he was left sinking What I do is I is I play it And And premier I just have a little shortcut A little shortcut for me on Mac with Premier Its control v I just go through And I'm just gonna just cut my beats I'm gonna find my group Find my rhythm Gonna let it flow Let it breathe Cut, Boom I'm thinking about shots I'm thinking about edits Cut here, cut Here It's kind of funny when you explain your process but this is This is what I dio is right down on almost all my music videos for the last 25 26 year. So here's Here's what I dio that control be You can see right here it makes them old cotton all the way through here. Cut in terms of moving Let a breed let it go Just how this all works out thinking about the about the way you see around way I'm gonna hold right there and let you see what's going on and kind of, you know what? What's in my head When I start? Thio added Bonus. Increase the screen here. So I'm looking at my shots now, Okay. He's smiling right there. So I'm gonna do is I'm gonna actually I'm looking to see what shots I like here. What kind of like that? What kind of like that little things? He so he's kind of not planned right there. We got a little something obscuring the camera. Okay, so I'm gonna cut right here, trim that you saw a computer when you're editing, just sees from the top down. So if I remove this you know this shot here in this shot here in this shot here shows me what's right here. I just come in here. We'll walk by. Come here. The I made you another little I'll stop there. See? So that's that's pretty cool. So again, I'm just I'm feeling it. I'm just I'm removing layers. I'm seeing what's there at that moment. You know, I'm not just looking at my footage and trying to grab parts and looking at my footage regarding this part. You stack it all up, so everything's there. Right? So it's just this brick, right? Just a layer of bricks and what's on the bottom. What gets removed? Is that what you see? Remove this. I see this. Remove this. I see this removed s I see this. That shows him what's there at that moment. So once, I kind of find my beat due to do. Detective detector. What's in this section? Like this moment, This moment, This moment are this moment. I just remove, remove, remove, nothing's there. And then I do. I can't undo it. Do undo me. That's my best moment. So that's kind of what we have here. So I'm gonna just start here. Can it happen across me? I'm gonna cannot pull this back now. Here. Come to this shot. You see that right there? He brings his eyes up there. Look at that. Hold that. And he's kind of making a face here, so I'm gonna try, come back. So I like this eyes went up here. He comes up. That looks back here. Yes. I'm looking for something a little different here. Seeing what I have here. I'm moving. Things kind of like that's gonna move in Swain's Just pull this back. So as you can see right here at it, at it at it at just a step down process. Those air, the edits you remove their it iss you are. They got the first bloke with a first vocal hit. So among guitar here, I'm gonna just pull back here and see what terms. Okay, that's cool. But you know what? I want to see what my options are. We'll be back to type in terms of feel that moment was a man. Some times I feel he's looking at is connecting with the camera. But I want to get that. I want to get that vibe going, okay? Because you're you're watching the video, but you're hearing the song. So you're watching you're hearing. And what you want to do when you're editing is you want to move the experience through. I want to see him hit guitar. Okay, go wide. I know we only have, you know, four or five elements here, but use the use those elements. They're great. So I'm going to just slide this back here some terms. You come. But now I'm just kind of going back and forth there, seeing what's under knee seen. What's underneath. Okay, back to that. I love this. Shocking. No guitar. Just looking at us singing so again it breaks it up some terms. So I like that whole moment, So I'm gonna cut, right. They're gonna remove this whole chunk and let this breathe. Right? Helix court there. He just style the captain for account type. You see what's there? Even though I found my beats earlier. Now I'm looking at where I made those cuts here to hear, but all of a sudden I want to come in here or want to shorten this part. So those opening edits actually give us kind of handles. We know, kind of that's the point. But within their, you know, just like rhythm. It's boom, boom, boom. But it might be the same thing with editing your musicians out there. It should, you know, think about it. As you know, if you're cutting, you know, it just it just rhythm. Right? I can I could do that for the entire edit, or go. I can stay on that beat with my edits, but in there I may find little things face guitar, and later we're gonna add a little The on the chalk that we did is our conceptual footage. So I'm gonna kind of cut this loose here a little bit on, and then we're still gonna go back in that layers. But this is I'm loving this. Always say of my project. Sometimes you come on, move. It was kind of played sort of flowing now, So there's that. He's kind of he's adding more Boom. I'm gonna try to feel that one to those of this bone Now. I made those edits in there. It's now we're going to see what's in there, right? So no one should be shine. Bring down here. It's you. What's there? Let's go. Just go back between those two Should should go. What go to here. Now, I'm gonna go to that shop just holding the guitar, see how that looks. Well, it actually let it free the moment, Way around. That's, uh, you know, I like that Were sort of were were cutting back and forth. But at that moment there, I'm trying to connect lyrically with what he's got going on there. I'm horrible lyrics. I hear every lyric wrong so long and actually seeing it, you know? But I'm obviously I'm catching, you know, particular words, but remind me to take my time even right there. I'm gonna take my time in that edit right there. I mean, this This is how I do it. You know, it's funny when you sit in direct straight, communicate with people like your process. And so for you as a musician, I know if someone's watching your process, it might actually be funny. Toe actually watch just the way you do things. You know, I've sat with musicians when they're writing song, and they're just trying to find melodies, you know, they're just put in the south and they just throwing out War is going to get and it's funny , but eventually they go back home that in lyrically, they started to kind of, you know what works. What's what rhymes, What hits there. That's kind of what what I do one night when I had it. I mean, I'm trying all these different things. I'm thinking through that process, you know, I'm hearing words letting it breathe, so I'm gonna let it breathe, do you? It's going that rhythm cut, but go back. So I've set my zone here. Know my moment. I do this to yourself. I've made 1234567 cuts there. I'll do a little, like all kind of auto editing. This kind of deal will step down here. Number. We're going to see what's on top. This is my big cheat on you. Just pull this right here. So look at what I've got here a little. I just I kind of know what My rhythm waas I just removed it. Boom, boom, boom. I don't even know what's gonna look like you. But for me, sometimes I do what I call an auto edit. I just kind of remove those pieces in the rhythm that I kind of cut it and I kind of shows me things that maybe I normally wouldn't see. When I'm cutting, I can read, just pull clips back and you'd ever want, but it just It's fun for me to see. Let's see if it works. I didn't work because that was a spot that I think Yes, sure. Okay, so that's not working. Because that was a part of the song where I think earlier, if you remember, the song went out in the playback and had to stop this and get cute back up. So I'm going to just take this. You gotta here, so No, this'd Booth. That's nice. What's gonna take a look? So this would mean by Tetris. Now all of a sudden you're looking out and just and that's the music video starts to look like. So, you know, that's like the first minute and 14 seconds. So what I'm gonna do now is it's gonna show you. Let's let's take a look at that minute again. Sometimes you come on, move. Should I go? What I see to see to me that you're leaving. OK, so that's our first minute. I'm gonna duplicate that for the entire song. Just finding the moments finding the rhythm trimming here. And there s so what What I want you to take from this is again This is the process again, This isn't going deep into editing, but in a lot of ways, this is all I do in all my music videos. This is it. But my song in I sink up my footage every take to the song I just start cutting. I just start cutting Just Tetris, Tetris, Tetris That's it. Every single music video. And so at least now, if you're for someone who does a little bit of editing your like I didn't know that's how you did it. Great. Now you got a really good At least you've got my system on how I had it and hopefully that will just encourage you a little bit more. Teoh say I do this. I can shoot some footage I can put in their Aiken. Seek it up. I can tell that the song is saying, you know right here. You know, the lyric is here, Alison, the voice goes, I was like, OK, I need the I need a letter to go here on the song and his mouth to go and sync up right. But if you're doing a ban and it's a drum hit Oh, my When that hit drum hit, you just sink it up. You just Here's your song. Here's your footage. Fine. With that moment Won't you seek it up? If you're done full takes, There it is. All just syncs up if you don't plan on editing But you plan sending your footage that you've shot to an editor. No, this is the process. This is what they're doing. And so you have a better understand of what they're going through. You know the footage. If you shot it, you can say, Hey, I think this part I really want to go to this shot, you know? So I just want you guys to be equipped again later. I'll be doing a much more extensive class on editing. That's gonna be for filmmakers. That's going to be for people who truly want to music videos for a living. But right now, let's get the basics down. So what? I want to do a little bit more time here. Okay, so that's the first minute. I'll do the I'll repeat that for the next three minutes I want to do is kind of going to look a coloring here. Um, you know, coloring is pretty simple. I do a pretty simple process in Premier. I just go here, I go to color hit color, and this brings me into a color world over here to the right. Um, this is kind of mainly what I use, so I just I do real simple colors. I'm on the instagram off coloring, like I just do a couple little things to get a look. This is what I dio. I mean, we all sort of find my first image. Okay, I'm gonna start right there. Um, thank over here on, I always playing my black. So just right here. More reason to ground my blacks. I was gonna bring my blacks down a little bit. Maybe in my saturation down a little bit, So it's just a little more de saturated. You can use your exposure. You go super pride. But I'm I'm trying something a little bit moody here. Um, go ahead, temperature. I could bring a little bit colder. If I wanted, I could get a lot warmer. Don't just being my temperature down a little bit. Maybe my blacks down my shows. You blacks neo shadow. See, basically what? What I do in color. Real simple. I'm using bringing my blacks down. I'm bringing my shadows down Maybe my exposure down a little bit My saturation down a little bit, my temperature down a little bit. That's it. I mean, I don't do a lot. I'm just trying to get a good look. I like this look. So for in here, I really like that. Now, here on the other set were very orange. We had that warm like, I'm gonna just play with it and see there's something like, a little bit better here. So I'm gonna take saturation down a little bit when I bring my blacks down here My exposure down. Maybe again. Bring the temperature down a little bit. We'll look at it all the way down. It was a little more rustic like that. So I'm here. Got here when you share. So we started here, warms bright Boom. I bring it to here by just bringing my temperature down a little bit. Exposure down a little bit and just my black sound a little bit. I don't even think I touched my shadows. Really? So that's it shot. Okay. Kind of same vibe. You're right, because this shot here is kind of in the same world is this year. So let's see what we have here. So again, we're gonna bring our temperature down. Highlight my first. All right. My clip. I think that, but you don't little bit exposure down blacks down a little bit Here. We're saturation. It's a little bit there. Okay, So real simple. 1234 Things I've done in color. That's it for things started here that was her natural color. A little bit moody. Now I like that. So in theory, though it'll do now is should all kind of lineup here. But let's just highlight this shop here, too, is looking at us here. Okay. Spring temperature down. Exposure down a little bit. Your blacks down. Oh, my God. Actually, cool. We got a little bit more into here. They get anyone that's done instagram anyone that's done, you know any sort of coloring for me, it's pretty basic. I like to just a kind of with the sort of basic tools, whether you're on final cut cut ex premier. Um, you know, I prefer Premier. I think everyone should get premier. They should learn it, I think is the best system out there. Um but that being said, it's three or four things from a color and stamp. And again, you can take coloring like anything to that next level. But I want you to get again. Just see the basics off how I make a music video. I want you to be equipped with knowing if you're looking at a video and you're getting to edit back from the editor and they're also doing the coloring and all that. You can say, Hey, I just think a little bit moody or maybe even the blacks down a little bit, you know? But if you have a background in art and you're a musician, you you already know that language. So So I'm just gonna kind of go through here a little bit, you know, um, go back to this shot here kind of master here on this. I love this mean that this was just a great location, and there's just there's nothing wrong with this location. Everything about It's perfect. Who so again, all I've done here. We started here little bright. You know, four things Boom now really moved here. So I'm gonna do that. You now know how I edit you now know how to understand the process. You're bringing your song into an editing software program or have another editor do that for you. You're sinking up your song, just making sure that when the music kids boom, your image hits, you just slide it, you know, find it, sink it up. Once they're all laid in there, you're just cutting your finding that rhythm. You're cutting your removing those blocks and you're seeing what works for that moment. Um, so that's how you cut a music video? That's how I cut a music video. So what I'm gonna do now is I'm gonna apply all those techniques that you just saw and then when it's gonna Sprinkle in some of that slow motion footage. So if you remember, go back to here. We shot all that really cool footage here of him, right. So we have this slow motion foot itself. What I'll do is I'm gonna try toe. I'm just gonna start peppering in so we just find a long chunk here, little lion. Okay, I'm gonna just start putting that into the video. How about even even that to start like this? But how? That little Just June, when he hits that no. Must get a Paul little bit of peace over here. But it was a little bit smaller. It's on. The iPhone was making me a little bit bigger here. So, phone, I like that clip. Now, what's cool about conceptual footage? Kind of other footage that you shoot to put in your video. For me, this is where there's just no rules. I'm It's shock. It's on a chalkboard. I'm gonna make this just super crunchy and gritty. So look, I'm gonna just on the highlight my clip here, go back into color, bring those blacks down like that. Just I want to bring my exposure on among to make my blacks and exposure kind of fight. Right? Relax down my exposures. You just get super pretty and bring my shadows down a little bit. Here about whites will bring whites up because it's a chalkboard. Look at that. I mean already the what? I'm making everything opposite. Just fight right now. The blacks go down. I want exposure up. If the if the shadows air going down, I wanna push the whites right and look at that. So we started here. Just bland, like now. Look cool. We were there. But now look on a couple little things. Oh, I mean, that's just that's grit. That's so cool. It's beautiful, too. We do one more school back in editing here. I'm just scrolling through live looking for other. I'm just just like that falling right there. Just get that. Who's gonna fight just that breaking point. Go for Ravel's. Okay, poll that clip in here. Smaller clip. Just bring it. I already know the look that I like your So I'm just gonna copy it. Come over here. A little thing called paste attributes. I'm just gonna tell just bring the color over here. So I've already done the work over here by now. It's the same scene. Copy paste attributes. I got that same Look, I like that. You're gonna pull it over, like, how can excuse me? I got that little piece of transition into his eyes looking up you like. So now I will use that. I use that chalk all the way through the video again. Real simple. This is a singer songwriter sitting down playing a song. He could've just, you know, did your traditional YouTube video, like I'm doing right here, just popped open a camera, you know, right here in just saying and done that. Okay. Great week. We can all do that. Do that first. Okay, that's great. Do something. Do anything. But we've done is we've taken that same concept. What do we dio? We thought about composition. We found a cool area. We filled the frame, we filled the space. We didn't think that we were just video camera people out there like you got a camera. We composed like we do. When we have our phone out. We composed. This is two locations right now. Shooting at wine. Medium tight guitar insert real simple chalk in slow motion with an iPhone iPhone footage of slow motion memory is dragging across there, stack cut pepper in other little shots. That's it, That's all. I'm gonna complete this entire video. So there it is. I mean, what what a process we've had. This has been amazing, actually. Have to do this Any time. You have a process you know, actually communicated actually have to articulate it for me. It's pretty exciting, cause mostly just stays up here and I have my thing. I know what I do. I do it. But this has been incredibly fun to be able just to share it with with all of you. I want you guys to be equipped. I love the idea of artists being equipped knowing what's going on even if you never sit down to edit, even if you never go make a music video. But you're somehow involved in this industry. You have the information. Now you're that much more intelligent in regard to how this how this industry works, what people do. And when you do that, that kind of knowledge, that understanding the just just the vernacular of the industry you're in it allows you to move more freely through that. That particular you know, that that industry, and knowing how film works and how editing works seeking up, you know nothing about playback, knowing that you got a lip sync, do the song you to bring the footage and you got any guy send it out. That makes you a better musician. That makes you a better artist and this has been a blast to share all these things with you . So women do right now. I wouldn't finish this video up. I take me about 1/2 hour, 45 minutes, maybe maybe an hour. By the way, that's that's a tip to you got four or five angles here. Any editor that's, you know, worth pain. This is a one day project. This is 345 hours. Editor knows what he's doing. This is so easy. This is super super easy. So someone like odds can be a three or four day project. Now. I don't buy it. Don't pay him a dime. Say, I've got four or five angles that that I shot. I want a simple video, some simple coloring. I'll send you the footage I shot. I'll send you a song. It's a one day project. Okay, if they can't do this in one day, they're not an editor. So it's a one day project, and really, I wouldn't pay Mawr, you know? Then you know, 250 bucks. Maybe for a person to work a full day like this. Now it's 2016 right now, so this could change down the room. But I think 250 bucks for someone to put in a simple at it together and get that back to you is totally fair. If someone says, Hey, it's 500 bucks, I'll do the edit and I'll do a really amazing color treatment on I really love coloring. I'm gonna really go to that next level of maybe add some skin softening stuff of that nature. Then things go up, but its simple at it like this. $250 to 500 bucks. Max, don't pay anything more for something like that. Obviously, the more elaborate it gets. Not just five. We don't 12345 takes, but maybe 10 takes 15 takes 20 takes. You went, you know, outside footage you and inside you have conceptual footage. All that begins to add more time, and the more the more time that you add more expensive, it's going to be so if all of a sudden it's one day, two day, three days, the prices going to go up. So think about that as you're filming. So again, this is it. This has been a really kind of cool riel time. Quick overview all the real time. It's still it's a quick overview, but you should be equipped now. You should understand what's going on. No, the process and able to go out there and get something that would be a part of someone that's actually getting this done and be able to bring that knowledge and information be a huge support on the set for them. So I'm gonna finish this music video up, and when you do, this is done. We'll play the music video as well, and you can see what the finished product waas No. Like I said, no, that there's no tricks up my sleeve here. I showed you everything I'm going to do on this music video when you see it completed. You saw the process. That's all I'm gonna do. So thank you so much again, I'm staring down. This has been the music video formula. You now know my formula to go out there and use it 12. Final Music Video: Sometimes I feel inadequate. You come and remove and out of it You should step out of love to give. This troll never counted. Oh, no one should be. Where should I go? What should I see When you think my time C c around these blinding every Parkdale was once a part to me. Start the scene But you're leaving United way thistles. The booth This is the book in with So from the time I lived in darker days when my mind moves in the dark away let myself going fell from grace But now run like got to win the race Because I believe in my fire I believe in I believe that I'm blessed with love of my life I love the shots Um and if always is that fun Always remember you working everybody. You was once a part of me. That scene which room? Very way this'd way. Just a looking enough. You feel ok? Amino thistle is a booth Phil. Okay. Um uh