Music Video Production Questions

[eddie]

personally I would use a pre-recorded soundtrack. Get the best recording of the band you have, then film them doing things and playing the song, and sync the images to the soundtrack you have. I wouldnt try and record the soundtrack as they play it live....too many problems.

[covertflm]

I'm shooting a music video soon and will be using digital( cannon xl-1) and a non synch 16mm b/w, but i'm curious about the sound: since the focus is on the music sound quality is highest importance. Do i simply rent a DAT and hire a a soundman...or rather what do i need to record quality sound? any insight would be greatly appreciated...

[shirt]

I agree with eddie. If it is a live show... just record some ambience and so forth.

[Cobain]

well if its B/W i doubt its live footage...
if your singing along to the track, play it while you shoot the vid to get the spacing ok but then put the track over the top when editing...

hope it helps

[Red House Painter]

I play in a band as well as make films and suggest that you use a pre-recorded track as it makes life so much easier in many ways. Get the band to play along to the track and make sure the sound systen is loud so they perform as they would live. It's very hard to rock out to a quiet track and the vocalist is likely not to mouth the words as he normally would otherwise.
If you do decide to do it live and the band has recorded a track live then you can get them do it again except with you filming them. If they havent then there is probably a good reason. If you want advice as to how to do this then e-mail me and I can tell you a few tricks to help. you will need at least 7 mikes (one for each guitar, 4 for drum kit and one vocals. Just use a line out for bass and keyboard) The main problem with this method is overspill whereby you get the drum sounds audible on the other ones.


Check out A1's new video for there cover of three times the lady. I felt sick the first time i watched it. It's supposed to look live but it's not, (just the song recorded live then mimed to and filmed in front of an audience). As a proffesional guitarist, watching that twat try and play guitar was just pathetic. You can tell that he could never play anything.

As a last request can you make sure that the instruments are plugged in because it's so annoying when you see that on tv.

[covertflm]

alright good advice but this video is to be concert footage and the music needs to match... not just from pre-recorded tracks but from the live scene itself...I'm planning on using an XL-1 and a DAT plugged staright into the sound board... what else do I need to consider?
Thank you

[Red House Painter]

You will find that the recording taken straight from the board will be pretty poor quality because the band will sound worse than they would normally under studio or practice session conditions. Doing this will mean having no control over the mix. You will have to make do with whatever the soundman does live at the gig.
There is no way you can intersperse pre-recorded tracks with the live one because they will sound totally different. and you will have to edit the music as well as the footage. Use only one track. Either live or pre-recorded.
If i was you i would film the band playing along to a pre-recorded track then show shots of them playing live, without any of the live soundtrack. Even if you could sync it up with the live stuff it would look stupid because the sound is'nt live so don't worry about that, just show them playing live in slow-mo and some groupies going mental, then cut back to the group miming on your chosen location.