Need Band Promo Video Shooting Tips
 

Hi,

I will be shooting a promo video for a band that is trying to land more corporate gigs and private parties (like weddings).

They are playing a gig and have hired us to shoot and edit a promo for them.

I was wondering if anyone has any good ideas for carrying out the shoot as far as getting B-roll footage and great angles to capture the band.

I will be doing a 2 manned camera shoot with one on a handheld stabilizer device to use on certain songs that they will choose. When my forearm gets tired (which will happen), I will use the camera on a monopod or use the stabilizer as a monopod.

The other manned camera will be on the dance floor to get a wider shot. I may have her move around to different locations between songs/sets to vary the angles that we get footage from.

Since they are doing a 3 hour set to be whittled down to about a 4-5 minute promotional piece, I am thinking of taking the last 30 minutes to an hour to get B-roll type footage. What kinds of "general shots" of the band can be used as B-roll? To rephrase, what kinds of poses, stances, moments do you look for to use as a cutaway or b-roll? I am thinking I should get more closeups and stuff but not sure of what I should get closeups of since there would be timing/lip-synch issues in post if I don't get proper footage.

Anyways, I thought this forum would be a good place to bounce ideas and hear from the more experienced how to handle such an event.

Thanks!
Peter Chung

B-roll: depends a lot on your finished product.

Will it have to match the audio? or will they just be random shots of the band over certain tunes? if it doesn't have to match the music, I like extreme closeups of fingers on the bass strings, guitar pickin, drum stick hittign the snare, the bass pedal foot.

Now if you have to match the music, then that will just take more planning to get the specific tight shots you will need in the edit.

oh and don't forget to get lots of shots of "guitar face!" LOL

In that 4-5 minutes they booker is going to have to get a sense of their music style too. In other words you'll need to do a music montage as well.

I might take a different approach. Pick 3-5 representative songs and do them as multicam shoots. What songs depend on their style but I'd do something more like: Romantic balad, Rocker, Oldie, Jazzy, etc..

People looking to book them are going to want a good sense of what a live performance is like and that might be tough in a montage.

You can certainly do a montage but I wouldn't limit marketing them to it. Maybe if you had about 60-90 seconds or so of each style. It might work.

A wedding I shot a couple weeks ago had a live band playing and a couple shots in particular worked out very well. Some low shutter speed stuff can work very well, especially for ome tripod tight shots of the drummer and the band members hands. I also got some overhead shots, one with the monopod and a fisheye and the other from a balcony above them, and they both looked really awesome. If they are a more alternative and rock band, it can look great to walk towards the singer with a glidecam and try and spin the camera around 360 degrees and as you get in really tight on the singer. May not be as easy if they are playing live, but it was some great material in the end.

Patrick

Thank you for all your input, guys!

Bill, the footage would need to be in synch with the audio so the closeups would have to be picked out very well. Maybe, Patrick's idea of going at a slow shutter speed will "mask" the shot more and so wouldn't have to be as "in-synch" with the audio.

Craig, you are right in that this would need to be a montage of sorts. Maybe 30 seconds max of each song to showcase their best. The idea is to show high-energy, high-impact fun and entertainment. They are a cover band that sings music from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and anything else they like ;)

Patrick, I'd love to see a sample of the shots you talked about! Your descriptions really help!

Thanks for the great ideas, everyone!