Music Video equipement at DVinfo.net

Emil Habouri · October 22nd, 2007, 10:01 PM

Hi everybody, I want to shoot a music video soon and I was wondering what equipement do I need so that my music video will look professional. I already own a Canon XH-A1 camcorder and some lights (not softbox) and that's it . Here is what I think that I would need (correct me if necessary) :

- A 35 mm adapter( maybe the new letus extreme)
- lenses
- more light
- A good tripod
- speakers

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thx

Glenn Chan · October 22nd, 2007, 10:19 PM

Most professional music videos look the way they do because:
A- They have talented, experienced crew. Talent and experience probably makes the biggest difference.
B- They have a large crew, which helps setup complicated lighting in a reasonable amount of time, dress sets nice, etc. etc. They specialize in what they do so they tend to be good at what they do.
C- The budget is $15k at the very minumum (for VideoFACT)... professional videos would be more like $50k-100k.
D- Shot on 35mm film, with lots of other goodies. They probably have a generator (unless its studio) with a grip and electric truck.

Do you need to do things that way? Not necessarily. But it works and is likely the best way of doing things for the majority of professional music video shoots.

There are some music videos out there that look pretty good without needing a lot of cash to make.
e.g. animation, stuff that's mostly broadcast design, virtual set stuff (check out the Poets of the Fall videos)

You just have to get creative and resourceful. And get some gear to learn with.

Emil Habouri · October 28th, 2007, 10:29 PM

thx for the response Glenn.

talent is not a problem, me and my crew got plenty of it. All of the points you told me about, I am aware of that. My question was more aimed for a smaller scale production. This will be my first video clip and I was just asking for some tips concerning a small but still professional scale music video.

thx

Ben Winter · October 29th, 2007, 01:41 PM

Some tips:
Play the music on-set from an ipod or other digital music player. CD players tend to drift more on timecode, believe it or not.

Use a zoom lens on the 35mm adapter. There will be times you want to capture an up-close look you see from the drummer or lead singer that may not get repeated. With a proper amount of light, an f3.5 zoom is perfect, even at higher focal lengths.

It depends on the genre of the music and the tone of the video, but soft light is usually helpful, if not a necessity. Buy a 1000w halogen tower from Home Depot for $40 (I got mine from ebay for $30) and string up a white bed linen across two light stands in front of the tower, and you'll have a huge wall of soft light to work with. The ideal setup is two walls of softlight from either side, and then use smaller lights to add edge light or accent the set.

I learned these things while making this music video earlier in the year.

I used a Brevis with Sony FX1 and four halogen work lights.

Josh Laronge · October 29th, 2007, 01:43 PM

Professional hair/make-up. It makes a huge difference.

Will Mahoney · October 30th, 2007, 02:58 PM

Let's not forget the genre of the music being shown in the video.

If it's a grungy little college band or something then you would be perfectly fine with a "low budget look." It might even be preferred.

Now if you want to show a rap video with the superstar driving around in expensive cars, shot at expensive club locations, and wearing a small fortune in diamonds, then you're talking about substantially more money.

Don't be scared by what people tell you that you need. Fit the tone of the song, or band, or genre.

Heath McKnight · November 3rd, 2007, 10:17 PM

A good friend of mine is shooting $15,000 and up music videos, all on HD. They're using the F-23 a lot, along with the F900r. A lot of music videos are digitally acquired now.

But even he tells me that a great concept and awesome production design are most important. Production design is crucial!

Heath

Matt Champagne · December 27th, 2007, 03:13 PM

One of the most overlooked things I think for a music video is a good PA/ playback system for the track. Your artist will have to lip sync and play along with their track...and especially if that involves a drummer, that means you need something pretty loud.

So a good small mixer, an amp, some PA speakers, and some XLR cables to run straight from the board into your camera are often a good idea.

October 22nd, 2007, 10:01 PM	#1
Emil Habouri New Boot Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Montreal Posts: 20	Music Video equipement Hi everybody, I want to shoot a music video soon and I was wondering what equipement do I need so that my music video will look professional. I already own a Canon XH-A1 camcorder and some lights (not softbox) and that's it . Here is what I think that I would need (correct me if necessary) : - A 35 mm adapter( maybe the new letus extreme) - lenses - more light - A good tripod - speakers Any help would be greatly appreciated. thx

October 22nd, 2007, 10:19 PM	#2
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Most professional music videos look the way they do because: A- They have talented, experienced crew. Talent and experience probably makes the biggest difference. B- They have a large crew, which helps setup complicated lighting in a reasonable amount of time, dress sets nice, etc. etc. They specialize in what they do so they tend to be good at what they do. C- The budget is $15k at the very minumum (for VideoFACT)... professional videos would be more like $50k-100k. D- Shot on 35mm film, with lots of other goodies. They probably have a generator (unless its studio) with a grip and electric truck. Do you need to do things that way? Not necessarily. But it works and is likely the best way of doing things for the majority of professional music video shoots. There are some music videos out there that look pretty good without needing a lot of cash to make. e.g. animation, stuff that's mostly broadcast design, virtual set stuff (check out the Poets of the Fall videos) You just have to get creative and resourceful. And get some gear to learn with. Last edited by Glenn Chan; October 22nd, 2007 at 11:06 PM.

October 29th, 2007, 01:41 PM	#4
Ben Winter Trustee Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 1,675 Images: 1	Some tips: Play the music on-set from an ipod or other digital music player. CD players tend to drift more on timecode, believe it or not. Use a zoom lens on the 35mm adapter. There will be times you want to capture an up-close look you see from the drummer or lead singer that may not get repeated. With a proper amount of light, an f3.5 zoom is perfect, even at higher focal lengths. It depends on the genre of the music and the tone of the video, but soft light is usually helpful, if not a necessity. Buy a 1000w halogen tower from Home Depot for $40 (I got mine from ebay for $30) and string up a white bed linen across two light stands in front of the tower, and you'll have a huge wall of soft light to work with. The ideal setup is two walls of softlight from either side, and then use smaller lights to add edge light or accent the set. I learned these things while making this music video earlier in the year. I used a Brevis with Sony FX1 and four halogen work lights. __________________ BenWinter.com

October 30th, 2007, 02:58 PM	#6
Will Mahoney Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 259	Let's not forget genre... Let's not forget the genre of the music being shown in the video. If it's a grungy little college band or something then you would be perfectly fine with a "low budget look." It might even be preferred. Now if you want to show a rap video with the superstar driving around in expensive cars, shot at expensive club locations, and wearing a small fortune in diamonds, then you're talking about substantially more money. Don't be scared by what people tell you that you need. Fit the tone of the song, or band, or genre.

November 3rd, 2007, 10:17 PM	#7
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	A good friend of mine is shooting $15,000 and up music videos, all on HD. They're using the F-23 a lot, along with the F900r. A lot of music videos are digitally acquired now. But even he tells me that a great concept and awesome production design are most important. Production design is crucial! Heath __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog

October 28th, 2007, 10:29 PM	#3
Emil Habouri New Boot Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Montreal Posts: 20	thx for the response Glenn. talent is not a problem, me and my crew got plenty of it. All of the points you told me about, I am aware of that. My question was more aimed for a smaller scale production. This will be my first video clip and I was just asking for some tips concerning a small but still professional scale music video. thx

October 29th, 2007, 01:43 PM	#5
Josh Laronge Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Jupiter, FL Posts: 241	Professional hair/make-up. It makes a huge difference.

December 27th, 2007, 03:13 PM	#8
Matt Champagne Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: New Iberia, LA Posts: 229	One of the most overlooked things I think for a music video is a good PA/ playback system for the track. Your artist will have to lip sync and play along with their track...and especially if that involves a drummer, that means you need something pretty loud. So a good small mixer, an amp, some PA speakers, and some XLR cables to run straight from the board into your camera are often a good idea. __________________ Filmmaking Tips from Cinema Advanced Horror Film Reviews at Killerfilm