How To Produce A Music Video

When I received news that I was the producer for the experimental music video, I felt a mix of emotions. Mostly excitement, but part of me was concerned because there is no simple answer to the question 'what does a producer do?'. From the little that I do know about producing, I understand one must be extremely organized, work well with others, and be on their A game 24/7. I would say I am a timely, organized individual who loves people, therefore I knew producing could be something I excel at. When it comes to producing a music video, the producer is in charge of location scouting, talent, budget, and logistics when it comes to pre-production.

After talking with the director, Parker, we both agreed on filming locations. We want to film at a house in downtown Wilmington, and then transition to a rooftop showdown on top of Betsy's, the restaurant Parker works at. I contributed ideas for the artists and song, so we decided to go with a few musicians I have played with before. We are having them perform a cover of the Killers "Mr. Brightside". I am the primary contact between the artists and the crew, therefore I have been in constant communication with Grey, Noah, and Bradley (our musicians), giving them information about the audio recording schedule, the shooting schedule, costumes, etc.

Not only am I the producer for this project, but I am in charge of set design, costumes, and makeup - a crucial component for this music video. Since the project is experimental, much of the aesthetic appeal comes from set design. For our video, we decided to follow a somewhat narrative structure by having a "battle" between a rockstar and his crew, with the devil. Parker and I thought we could play with lightness and darkness. We are going to set up the house scene with a large black tarp, puncture holes through it, and stream light through to create a really eerie and jarring effect. To highlight the devil character, we are going to have red lights fastened onto the top of his costume to create under lighting. The costumes for the rockers are going to appear punk rock in style, with lots of leather, fur, and dark colors. I already bought a few vests and some grunge pants, as well as a fur vest for the lead singer. The devil character will be wearing more of a "mariachi band"style, with a burgundy velvet sports jacket, gold shoulder pads, sombrero, while carrying an all metal guitar. For makeup, I decided to go with the guy liner for the rockers, eccentric hairstyles that spike up, and possibly dye the hair to a more vibrant blue to add a pop of color and contrast against the background. Our group really aims to sell this "showdown" concept, and I believe we can accomplish it through contrasting costumes amongst the characters, and the extreme lighting set up.

Composing with Light

For assignment 1C, we were required to shoot on film. This experience was very different from those in my other film classes, for in previous shoots, we used video cameras and everything was digital. With digital equipment, it is easier to manipulate the amount of light, the white balance, the focus, and depth of field, but using an old school camera is another monster. One thing I had to learn was how to use a light meter. Basically, light meters are used to determine the appropriate shutter speed and f-stop based on the amount of light entering the camera. The light meter takes into account natural light, adjusting the levels as light fluctuates. This helps us determine where to set our camera's f-stop. Another thing we had to learn when doing this project was the importance of bracketing. With digital cameras, it is not necessary to take photos at different exposure levels, because we can quickly adjust the settings. With cameras that use film, it is uncertain whether the photo will turn out like planned after it is developed, therefore we must take three different photos: one underexposed, one overexposed, and one normal. This ensures that at least one of the photos will look like we intended it to look. Although we live in a digital age, I enjoyed using older equipment. It gave me a new appreciation for photography, showing that a lot of thought and time goes into lighting and camera placement.