New Music Video - The Dollyrots
 

Hey everyone,

I just finished a music video for the Dollyrots, and I'm gearing up for the next shoot. I wanted to get some feedback on this one, so I don't make any mistakes twice.

Be honest. Be brutal!

Thanks!

http://www.semisweetfilms.com/dr

I thought it was really good; the only thing that bugged me was how 85% of the band footage was of the singer girl and 10% of the other singer/guitar player and then 5% was if the drummer. I think the musicians could of been represented more equal.

Naaaa, I think they represented them ok enough.
I mean, I did not notice anything cuz I was too busy starring at the guy and the gurl trying to have a party or something.
Nice video men, what camera did you use to shoot the video, color correction, etc?

Fun, goofy, liked the ECU's! Not too much of the lead singer, she sells!

Good work, the camera looked great! Good tune too.

good video. Bright, colourful photography. If I was forced to be critical, the domestic interiors were a bit underlit for my taste (compared to the rest of the video) - but interiors are always a pain to get right. Good luck on the next one, I look forward to seeing it

I really dug it! The only thing that gave me a problem was the silhouettes at the end where they were morphing weird and had the white outline.

Great job ! Bravo !

I loved it and I love the band ! (I had a friend turn me onto The Dollyrots just this summer ! )

The overall look is wonderful; I love the oversaturation and crushy blacks.

I love the straightforward approach to the shoot; as if we're shooting then form an audience perspective. I love that we have a few 'off kilter' shots that are just off center.

However; I would love to see some outright profile shots while their on stage. A few E.C.U.'s of the singer's especially

If you can get your hands on a dolly (Skater dolly, wheelchair, something) I think a few moving shots would rock this piece off. Just a some nice dolly left or right and maybe a few pushes.

The sequence of the dude painting on the green canvas and then running away completely removed me from the video. I felt it did not belong and definately didnt vibe with the overall style of the piece. Also, the reverses don;t work me as well.

Otherwise great job!

Not a fan of the music, but any cutie that can play drums is OK by me!. More of the drummer! :)

Jesse:

That video was off the hook! I love the frantic pace of the video and how it fits right in with the music. VERY well done.

The only thing I didn't like was the shot of the silhouettes. It didn't make any sense to me, and it was a really short shot. Minor issue. Loved the video!

Question: how many cameras did you shoot with (what kind as well)?

Question: how many 'takes' of the song performance did you do?

good questions..

Also the lead singer chick and the song have grown on me. I like.

great colors... some nice shots...great work overall...

ok, some criticism... :)
well, all shots (and I mean, ALL) are static. there is no moving camera at all... I see you tried to cover that up with fast editing, but... I still feel like some more moving camera is needed (the song is fast - it just cries for moving camera)...

i really really like the color and lighting in the video. very well done.

Hi again,

Sorry it’s taken me SO long to respond...things have been pretty crazy around here.
Thanks for all the comments and criticism! I’ll try to answer some of your questions:


Eniola:
We shot the video with a DVX-100A. For the performance we had a DVX-100 as a B-Camera.
We did color correction and editing on Final Cut Pro 4.5. For CC, we used mostly 3-way color correction, and brightness/contrast filters, as well as a few more here and there.
The budget for the video was a couple hundred bucks.

Paul:
Yeah, the interiors are lit much less than the exteriors and the performance. We had such a small lighting package that it was necessary, but I like the look myself. I think it really separates the different spaces, and gives some variety to the look. Maybe that’s just me though. =)

Jeremy:
Yeah, the silhouettes didn't work as well as I had hoped. We didn’t have the actors on the same day as the band, so in order to connect the two, I kind of threw that in there. I don’t mind it so much b/c it’s so quick and the crudeness of it kind of fits with the whole flat, cartoony theme we were going for... or at least that’s what I keep telling myself.

John:
Looking at it now, I agree a few more ECUs and profiles would have been nice.
As for camera movement, there was a lot of debate as to whether or not to put some in there. Ultimately we decided to go with all static shots, because it fit our overall style. It was a choice, and I stick to it, but I can see how it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. We have some movement in our next vid, though, so don’t fret!
And about the painting sequence. I agree it’s the weakest part of the video. We had a lot of trouble with it on the day of the shoot, and in post. All I can say is I’ll do better next time.

Travis:
We did maybe... 15 takes of the performance. ish.


Thanks again everyone! It REALLY helps to get all these comments and critiques. Let me know if there’s any more questions, and keep it coming!

-Jesse

Cool. I'm assuming you ran through the takes all the way, for the most part, or am I wrong? Also, did you have the band perform, or follow pre-recorded music?

Oh, and I saw nothing wrong with the lack of moving shots. I think the lack of moving shots actually helped develop the feel and style of the video for me. It kept the pace consistent. Just my opinion.

super job !
 

People can be very critical on here - I think it was excellent. Compared to the crap we see on M-TV and VH-1, excellent job!!

What custom settings did you use to get the "film look" ? Or did you do most of that in post production?? Did you pretty much shoot accurate color and then do everything else in post??