Making a Music Film
A still from shooting my sample video while on a camping trip
Like a lot of artists right now, I have suddenly found myself stuck at home with a wide open schedule. So, in the spirit of creativity and expression, Julianna, Stephanie, and myself have come up with a way to help fight the quarantine doldrums! We are releasing two, exclusive Lumedia Musicworks recordings and we want you to make our next music video! The winning video will be released alongside our feature presentation this summer and will receive a $250 prize! We will also have $100 audience choice award. All you have to do is take one of the two recordings, capture a story on film and submit your work on our website www.lumediamusicworks.com.
Never made a film like this before? Have no fear! I will walk you through the basics!
Tips for making a video
Equipment:
You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to make a good video! I used my be using my smartphone and tripod to capture all of my footage. I even edited my footage using a free app called YouCut. You can also download footage to your computer and use other editing software. If you are shooting indoors I recommend experimenting with different types of lighting. Flashlights, clamp lights, desk lamps, book lights, or even your mobile phone light can be used to great effect.
Other items that can be used are parchment paper to diffuse light or a colorful bandana create a tinted glow. A roll of duct tape and binder clips help with fixing set and costumes. I guess what I am saying is that anything on hand can have potential. the sky’s the limit!
Now that you’ve taken stock of your equipment, it’s time to move on to the next step…
Write a story that incorporates the music.
Listen to your choice of recording and notice where the music rises and falls. Where is the climax of the piece? Does it move fast or slow? What imagery do you picture when you listen to it? Once you have listened a few times describe what you see in your mind. This can be a simple thought like “guy gets girl” or “I love wine” or it can be an in depth script or storyboard. All that matters is that you have a clear picture in your mind of the story you want to tell. For my sample submission, I took advantage of the fact that I was going on a camping trip. My story shows the first signs of spring on a hike. I always find nature inspiring!
Pick a style
To me, style is what genre you want to tell your story with. Will it be in black and white, or color? Will it be stop animation or real time? Will it be fantasy or realist? Clean and bright? Dark and gloomy? Will it be first person or narrative? Picking a style and sticking to a style will help your storyline immensely. Avoid the temptation of blending too many genres! Simple is always better. For my video I chose to keep my style simple and natural and let the beauty of nature do the rest. I was also inspired by nature documentary footage and botanical illustrations.
Make a map
There is always more than one way to get to a destination which is why it pays to have a good map, especially on creative projects. Once you have determined your story and your style you can begin making your film map. To make a film map you need to determine the following:
Figure out where you will be shooting (your physical setting)
How many points of view do you want to capture? (From above? From below? Through a window? From first person or external view?)
Where in the music does each shot happen? (What places in the music do you want to have a specific picture?)
FILM!
At last, it is time to film! If you have done all of your preparation, the filming will be the easiest part! A few tips to keep in mind while shooting are:
Always take time to set up good shots because that will save you a time on editing. Make sure all your details are lined up. Is there anything in the foreground or background that shouldn’t be there? Is there a hair crossing your actor’s face? Is the light bright enough or dim enough?
Always take more shots than you think you need, especially in the beginning. A good rule of thumb is to collect 8 -10 times more footage than you have music. That means for a 3 minute song you want to have at least 16-30 minutes of footage.
When I work on films for Lumedia we easily get 10-20 HOURS of footage for 6 or 7 minute video! This makes for a long day of shooting but it gives us a lot of flexibility when it comes to editing. Which brings me to my final tip...
Don’t sweat it, just edit!
Editing is awesome. Even something as simple as cropping or cutting a shot and adding a filter can make a huge difference to the viewers experience. Adding slow motion, lighting effects, and even sound effects in post operation can be a lot of fun! However, it is also the most time consuming step. Be prepared to spend a lot of time tweaking and re-tweaking to get the perfect video!
Because we live in the age of Youtube, there are a lot of FREE apps and programs out there that are designed for maximum effect with minimum budget. I will be using a phone app called YouCut to make a video entirely on my phone. But there is also iMovie, Adobe Premier, Blender, and Lightworks to name a few. If there is something you didn’t like about a shot, I guarantee there is some tool out there to help you achieve the effect you want.
Well, that wraps up my blog post! I also made a tutorial video of me discussing my tips and tricks that you can watch along with my sample submission. Now, pick out your recording and start filming! Submissions are due by April 19 and Audience Choice voting will take place starting April 22nd. You can submit your project by going to the competition page on our website. I can’t wait to see your film! What better way to connect when you are quarantined than to create? If you have any questions you can email me at Eliza@LumediaMusicworks.com.
Eliza Smith
Director of Films and Events