Please help with band promo video

[Bill Grant]

Hey All,
I need some direction with a band promo I've been hired to do. I shot the band in a outdoor live setting with 2 A1s. Audio was from a mic stand mounted Zoom H2. I am happy with the audio and it's not an issue. There are several things here that I need help with.
#1 I need to sort out how to take 2 sets -1 59 mins and 1 30 mins and condense that down to 3:30-5 mins. Is this sample an apropriate use of the footage and I just need to find the right clips? Or is this the wrong direction?
#2 The wide shot shows me shooting the closeup so those are limited. Should I be so concerned?
#3 They want me to "work in" some footage from a wedding I did with them several weeks ago, how do I accomplish this without it looking strange?
I Think I know what they want but not really how to provide it. Thanks in advance
www.grantphotovideo.com/palmettogroove
Bill

[Richard Gooderick]

I watched about half of the clip and wrote a load of stuff but then decided I'd better take a look at the whole lot.
You've got some of the best shots later on eg audience reaction.
I think that's what you should concentrate on. And try to get some kind of groove going with the film.
You've got those old Stax performances (presumably the band will be paying to get these cleared for use in the film).
I think that I'd concentrate on just one of these. Cut the film to the music and get as much of the audience in as possible. 3 minutes will probably be better than 5.
I wouldn't worry too much about the odd occasion when you are in shot. Better if you aren't but far more important are all the shots that you've got of people walking along the balcony, clapping out of time, standing in front of the audience looking bored etc etc. Get rid of them.
Here's a possible approach:
Review the performances and select the best one. Make that the basis of your promo.
Identify all the shots in that performance that work well and put down markers on your timeline. You want to keep those.
Identify the ones that don't work well, especially the distracting ones and cut those out right away.
Go through all the footage that you've got and look for good shots where the audience are interacting with each other and the band. Put those somewhere that you can select from them as you edit the film.
Select shots from other performances that you can get away with using in the film eg close ups of guitars etc
Cut these shots in with the material and to the music. Try to work with the rhythmn of the music.

There are a few challenges.
One is that basic set up of the performance is not filmic. You've got all that stuff happening on the balcony which most of the time has nothing to do with the music and is going to send a message to the viewer that this band is not very engaging.
The wide shot doesn't look very good either. It's a bit like seeing a theatre set with all the backstage area in view too. It detracts from the magic. Probably best to minimise use of this shot.

The wedding footage. If this was shot in similar conditions you might be able to use close-ups of the band and the audience as cutaways. If not I think I'd forget it.

BTW The audio is OK but if you were doing it again I think I'd rent some mics and try to make it even better.

Finally. You say that you think that they know what they want. Try to make sure that you know exactly what they want before you do too much work and perhaps confirm it to them in writing.

Just some ideas. Hopefully you will get more than just mine.

[Richard Gooderick]

I seem to have killed this conversation before it started.
Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

[Matthew Ebenezer]

Hey Bill,

Looks like you've got some good footage of the band performing - and some good footage of people enjoying their performance.

Here's a few random thoughts:

Less is more - in some of your shots the singer is slightly out of tune - I'd cut out those sections. You want to make sure you're always showing the band at their best.

It might also be good to include the shots of the people enjoying the band earlier in the edit. That's the stuff that promoters or people wanting to book a band will want to see. I always think ... if I was booking a band what would I want to see - i.e. that the band can perform well and that people will enjoy it.

There's a few spots where some tighter editing would remove some of your "guest appearances" in the wide shot. The start of "I Feel Good" is one part you could trim - fade in at the 2nd line of the song and cut out the shot of you waving your camera in the air like you just don't care :)

With the footage you've got, I think you could get it down to 2 or 3 minutes of great stuff that gives viewers a great look at the band without dragging it out to long.

A voiceover explaining a bit about the band could add to the video and also provide a break in between song segments. i.e. how long they've been playing? Some of their noteworthy gigs? etc ...

Here's a few band promos that I put together a year or so ago that might help you or give you some ideas. Please forgive the youtube quality - I'm linking to the versions that the bands have uploaded themselves.

Scat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QJCNt9V_gE - 8 minute version for churches

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm2j3gkBMfs - 2 minute version for corporate gigs

Nathan Tasker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ_GpYuePXw - the goal with this one was to both get gigs from promoters but to also be send to record labels

Alabaster Box
http://www.alabasterbox.com/promo/Al...promovideo.wmv - right click and save as

Here's another couple of more recent live shoot ones ...

http://ebenezerfilms.com/ebenezerfil...ed_Lg_Prog.wmv - right click and save as
http://ebenezerfilms.com/ebenezerfil...e_Now_Live.wmv - right click and save as

Sorry I've rambled on a bit ... it's a bit late in the evening ... but I hope it is of some help.

Cheers,

Matthew.

[Bill Grant]

Hey Matthew,
I just posted a new version that cuts it down to 5 mins. I noticed the out of sync stuff as well, and I moved the dancing up a little closer. Thanks for the links, I will check them out when I get some time...
Bill

[Richard Gooderick]

It's a lot better.
It could do with being half the length.
The last 30 seconds sells it.