Imagery for Music Videos

[GregB]

Hi

 

Someone local recently asked me where I sourced the stuff I used for my music videos. I'm repeating my response here on Songstuff as it may help someone else.

 

This information is all personal choice based on my own requirements, preferences, budget, prejudices, style, laziness, etc..  So someone else may well choose differently.

 

For music videos I would LIKE to video myself (or someone else) miming the tracks or 'acting' ...  a great way of generating lots of footage quite quickly.  But, a) I'm no oil painting and have no desire to perform in front of camera, and b) I do not have the skills or interest to try and marshal other people to help out.   So, instead, I look for imagery that will describe the content or mood of each song.  

 

When approaching the end of recording The Flat White Album towards the end of 2019, I conducted a wide review of sites offering imagery.  HD (1920x1080) was fine for me as it is less processor-heavy when editing and applying effects, and most modern 4K TVs do a good job of upscaling.   Where possible, I always use video as it is dynamic and is good for filling large chunks of time.  By contrast, stills are only good for about 5-10 secs to hold the attention, therefore you need a lot, although GOOD stills CAN be better than video and high-res images allow you to zoom in and pan across, revealing exquisite detail.

 

The major stock libraries like Shutterstock are too expensive to justify use as I earn only a few cents from music streams.

 

So, after all the comparisons, I ended up choosing and using Artgrid.io, a recent arrival on the scene in late 2019.  Its strengths included:

1. Being video-only, high quality and often 'artistic'. All the early bugs with the interface have been ironed out.
2. T&Cs that were short and crystal clear (private or commercial, any platform, and perpetual rights)
3. It offered a wide range of clips (and many more were added each month since then)
4. Each ‘story’ had multiple clips of the same actors/scenes/lighting ... (most of the other sites had far fewer clips that would work together seamlessly)
5. Effectively unlimited downloads per day.
6. Entry level was US$299pa (one of the cheapest around).

 

Within my 12 months membership I managed to complete 26 videos for The Flat White Album (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laI4VpOutds&list=PLvCWgm9uEHNvpDJAnGUDPxH7bDl1FVn9g), and 12 videos for Not All It Seems – Redux which was done soon after (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMYpjk5Y720&list=PLzoPh-b4qN3G3I7UiA3V4fbExy-aVxqCX).   A considerable feat within 12 months but really great value ... less than $10 per music video!  I’ve since let membership lapse and have now gone back to the free stuff (Pixabay.com, Pexels.com, Unsplash.com and Jumpstory.com) plus a $30 lifetime stills site (Scop.io).

 

If you ever want to chat about video or music production, I’m always happy to share my limited experience.

 

Cheers,

Greg

(Australia)