what not to do when shooting...

[Guest]

...what not to do when shooting a live music performance? This Friday I'm going to film a live band for a music video. We are going to zero in on one song, with one camera and I'll just switch out carts and deal with the cuts in post. I'm planning to use Vison2 500T and I'll be using a Nikon R10 S8 camera.

So back to my question. I'm looking for insights from those with experience shooting live music. What are the common mistakes people make when covering bands? Tomorrow I'll be doing more conceptul work with the musicians -- maybe some kind of a story board so that I don't come out the other end empty handed.

It's a funk band and this is their CD release party. They are going to have a video projectionist doing some kind of imagery behind the stage, which should be interesting on S8....who knows?

So if any of you music video makers out there have any advice for a green horn, I'd be abliged. :lol:

Steve

[mattias]

What are the common mistakes people make when covering bands?

too much thinking. you need a "safe sync" of the entire track, even if you're "sure" one part will never be used. ;-)

/matt

[sunrise]

If the song has a repeating chorus, make shure you film close ups of various band members. You can edit them together so it looks like you had a multi camera setup. This goes for other parts of the song as well. With vocals, make shure you concentrate on the singer. Film audience afterwards (or before).

michael

[T-Scan]

Have or establish an agreement with who ever is running the lights. even if you have to slip him some change. know your songs place in the set, make sure the light guy gives it all during that song.. which is what it usually takes at most small clubs with the average lighting set up. those stages get dark very easy, even with 500T. I'm not aware of your circumstances, but would try for 2 cameras. maybe someone on this board lives near you. I've had the pleasure of shooting 2 cameras at shows with a fellow board member. you can make it look like 4 cameras in post. If you have good light, you will be astonished with the new 500T.

[norb]

given any band that 'jams,' make sure you get footage of the bandmates interacting with each other... too many music videos focus on singling out musicians shredding the guitar, or how cute the lead singer is. this depends on how much room you have but, try to get shots where there's more than one guy in the frame.

also get any cutaways later or before the song you're recording, focus on any sync coverage with that specific song.

good luck.

[steve hyde]

Thanks for the tips, which are all excellent, and as I expected - were things I'd not thought of.

Matt - What is a safe sync?

Michael - good thoughts on diversifying subjects at chorus moments. I'll do that.

T-Scan - I think I've line up a second photographer..I'll pow wow with the light guys too.

norb - Good thoughts on capturing interaction. I'm going to do this. I plan to compose a bit of a who, what, when, where segment to give viewers a sense of place...

Again, thanks for your advice. This will probably (hopefully 8O ) be my first work worthy of sharing on this forum.

Steve

[mattias]

What is a safe sync?

one that you can *always* cut to. often a wide shot or a slightly closer one on the singer.

/matt

[steve hyde]

What is a safe sync?

one that you can *always* cut to. often a wide shot or a slightly closer one on the singer.

/matt

Aye aye captain -- now I'm with you...yeah, we are thinking of crowd shots that can be made out of sequence...

Thanks again for the help, Cheers,

Steve

[Rick Palidwor]

I reiterate the point about getting the lights turned all the way up. Also, get there early and tweak them a little if necessary. I find they are often set without filming in mind. (I am talking about moving them a few inches this way or that to optimize them).

This leads me to my real tip: emphasize to the band members how important those lights are. Musicians have a tendency to stay OUT of the hot lights. I can't blame them, but if I am shooting some film, at their request (and expense!), it drives me crazy when they do their darndest to stay out of the light (and then they'll complain later that they weren't featured in the video). It shouldn't be hard to get them to do this for the song you are shooting, but since you will probably do some pick-ups during other songs, tell them it's for the duration (or first half of the show, or whatever).

And you should do some pick-ups. You'd be surprised how many shots from other songs work on the song in question, especially if it's a facial expression of a guitar player etc. I also think there's a lot of leeway in synch in music videos, especially if rapid-cuts are used.

I always find the biggest challenge is getting good shots of the drummer. They are always in the back and tend to be poorly lit. If I brought one light in to supplement what was there I would point it at the drummer.

Good luck

Rick

[steve hyde]

Rick,

Thanks for the thoughts. That is a good idea. I'll remind the musicians to lean into the light a bit for the short time when we are shooting and see if I can persuade the light guys to crank them up a bit.... Maybe I'll get some shots of the drummer out of sequence. Like a few CUs of a foot working the kick drum, a few symbol rides, high hat etc. etc.

Again, thanks Rick, and thanks to all who put forth their thoughts in this thread...

The film from this shoot will go to lab on Monday and transfer Tuesday. Should know what I've got by mid week...

Cheers,

Steve

[steve hyde]

This filming project was a total wash.. There was not enough light available so we bagged it....

The next time I try to film a band I'm bringing my own lights. That was the take-home lesson.

Steve

[mattias]

not enought light? but you're shooting 500t? i recently crewed on a performance based music video where we shot f-250d and the stage was lit with eight par cans gelled down heavily to red. it turned out great.

/matt

[S8 Booster]

He might have been confused by not getting a reading on the internal lightmeter. At 160° shutter & 24 fps it may not give a reading at a distance. Should have turned out OK with the 500 anyway.

R

[T-Scan]

Some clubs just don't have good lighting setups. and some don't make good use of them. even with 500T you need some light.. and with S-8 it's important for the grain. I've walked out of 2 shows without shooting because the lights weren't good enough. a couple others would have been much better if the light guy wasn't sleeping behind the sound board.. thats why I always brow beat the light guy on the importance then slip them $5 or $10 to make it stick.[/i]

[Rick Palidwor]

Not having seen the set-up I am obviously only guessing but I would say if he shot he would have got the highlights for sure, but maybe nothing else and that may not be what they wanted. Or perhaps he would have got it if he was wide open but some people (myself included) try to stop down to at least 2.8 or more because my images are noticeably soft if I am wide open. Steve may have made the right call.
Rick