er, shoot something interesting
with some smartphones, and edit
into a cohesive music video with
iMovie. But we were now under
stay-at-home protocols. I couldn’t
physically assist him, and it wasn’t
like we could hire a videographer
to shoot something. There really
wasn’t a budget for that anyway.
But we discussed some things
we could do on our own, and I
emailed Christian some general
directorial notes (suggested camera
angles, specific shots, etc.). He
used his iPhone to shoot video
of himself miming a performance
of the song from a few different
points of view in his home studio.
He transferred the raw footage
to me by uploading the files
to his YouTube channel as private
videos. Since we’re both channel
admins, I retrieved them by
downloading them from the video
manager. Once I had the files on
my machine, I put it all in iMovie
and produced a standard “in-thestudio”
music video for him. The
whole thing took less than 24
hours to create.
Keep in mind that Christian and
I had never worked on an actual
music video before. He is not a
videographer. And I am by no
means a professional video editor.
We were definitely OK with embracing
“quarantine quality” with
this project.
For the video of the EP’s second
single, “Food on the Table,” we
both wanted to do something a
little “extra.” But we were still in
lockdown mode, so we had to
think a little more creatively about
producing an engaging video for
a song that evokes some vivid imagery
and anxious feelings.
The process of making this video
may provide some ideas for other
independent musicians looking to
create interesting music videos in
these times for little to no money
and without access to usual talent,
tools and/or resources.
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 71
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