Another music video, another decision tree

[GregB]

Hi. I've created another music video for which I needed to make some unique decisions.  

 

 

1. I rejoined the stock video site www.artgrid.io (after a 6-month lapse in subscription) as I had a few videos to do, this being the third.  I love this site for its cost (the 'Basic' is good enough for me), the quality, simple T&Cs, and the multiple clips available for every 'story'.
2. There were approx 150 clips in this 'story' of a Blues Band. 70 were colour and 80 B&W (of which some were simply greyscale duplicates).
3. The biggest problem, and one I've encountered before but skirted around, is that of people in clips either PLAYING an instrument or MOVING rhythmically.  Either of these can clash horribly with your own track.  Instruments in particular may be absent on the track, or totally wrong (e.g. an acoustic shown instead of the electric playing), or the 'playing' is faked and not believable, or the performance detail shown is nothing like what's in the track (e.g. strumming vs picking).
4. But in this case, because the clips I found were so good MOOD-wise for this video, I was determined to make them work. HOPEFULLY this has been achieved by:
   1. slowing the clips to a dream-like state that is obviously NOT playing to or synchronised with the soundtrack
   2. showing as little performance DETAIL as possible ... e.g. the pianists hands are never shown, the guitarist's rarely so.
   3. avoiding the drummer completely
   4. using extra-arty shots of the singer.  There's no female voice on the track, but she is the quintessential core of the band in the visual story.
   5. there is no saxophonist on the track, and I've kept his clips to a minimum
   6. I DID focus on ONE clip (in colour, of them around the piano) to get her clicking her fingers in time with the track.  I think this helps re-focus the eyes/ears.
5. the above criteria meant that only about 25 clips (out of the 150) were suitable but, fortunately, having to slow their speed really helped pad out the running time.
6. The Artgrid clips are presented and downloaded in random order and have random names (grrr!). So I then have to do the usual grouping for 'scenes' and, continuity (e.g. opening shots ... the first clip shows her putting IN earrings, the second shot has them fully displayed ... so these clips must be used in THAT order!), and also 'story' arc (e.g. preparing to play, and THEN playing).  I also grouped clips according to being B&W or colour ... it would look crazy to flipflop between the two colour schemes.
7. Once clips were placed on the timeline and invariably trimmed down to allow changes on the beat, I ended up being short of material.  I did find clips for a white guy walking with a guitar case ... a great analogy for 'going down to the crossroad' BUT ... the scenery was wintery, and the case looked odd - like a banjo.  I eventually stumbled across the end sequence - just four clips suitable out of a 'caravanning' story of 60 clips.  The sunset vibe felt good, as did the hippy dancing (Cream's "Crossroads" was in 1968). I used the shortest of these (the hair flick) to end and speed-ramped it down, capturing the last frame as a still to support a long fade-out.

 

Not one of my best/favourite or more innovative music videos, but it turned out 'good enough'.

 

Greg