Making a music video
Hi friends!
I thought it’d be fun to share some behind-the-scenes from the music video Syl & I produced during his winter break. Above is a link to the finished video and below is an overview of his 5 day project. As always, feel free to ask questions and we will do our best to answer them!
Happy New Year! To see more videos Syl and I have produced, click here!
Gretchen
CREATING A SOUNDTRACK
PICK A SONG: Syl listened to a few versions of Coldplay’s “Paradise,” headed to his room, flipped on my garage band recording program (Mac) and went to work creating a soundtrack.
STRING ARRANGEMENT: He settled on a tempo, put the metronome “click” in his headphones, and working only by ear, began to record layer upon layer. Syl used my octo-fiddle for the low bass voices and added a Coldplay drum track to pull it all together.
AUDIO MIX TIP: Create a draft mix and then finalize the mix after your video is edited. With multiple string parts, this gives you the freedome to boost the levels of what is being played on screen. This tightens the lip-sync illusion. (See “soundtrack tip” below.)
FILM ON LOCATION
The team- Joel Foisy, Gretchen Koehler, Syl Foisy.
SCOUTING LOCATIONS: Our local waterfalls were an exciting place to film since the North Country had a rapid thaw after a big snow storm. We packed our Google Pixel phones (charged), a metronome, a tripod (that we didn’t use), a “clunker” fiddle and drove to Tooley Pond Road where the Grasse River has a string of great waterfalls. Since it was chilly, we kept our sessions short and filmed over 2 days.
EFFICIENT FILMING: Syl had drawn up a list of the shots he wanted, noting what part of the tune to play and what kind of film style he wanted (still camera, full body, sweeping shot, etc.) We took time to set up each shot so we could grab them (mostly) in one take. This saves hours sifting through footage later.
FIDDLES & THE ELEMENTS: Waterfalls are misty and wet and winter is cold! For these reasons we brought our “stunt” fiddles to the film. The instruments you see are poor quality instruments. The instruments you hear are good quality instruments, kept safely at home.
“No fiddles were harmed in the making of these videos.”
SOUNDTRACK TIP: What many folks don’t realize is that artists rarely use the “original, on location” sound. In other words, we “lip-sync” to a pre-recorded soundtrack. Some people put the soundtrack in headphones and play along, but over time, we have found it easier to just play along to a metronome.
On this particular shoot, the water was so loud that Syl gave up trying to hear the metronome and just hoped for the best! Ha ha!! Below is a fun side-by-side video that features the original footage (with the roaring water! and the final footage (with the soundtrack he recorded at home.)
Original footage vs. final look!
VIDEO EDITING
WATCHING: Syl watches all the footage before he goes to work. He edits with Filmora. (I edit my videos with the simpler program, iMovie. For more involved projects at school Syl uses Adobe Premiere Pro.)
EDITING & STORYTELLING: Syl aims to tell a story. For this video, he decided to open/close by “walking” the viewer to/from the waterfalls and introduce them to the North Country locations with text.
SOUND & IMAGE: Early on, he offers only glimpses of the waterfalls. The “reveal” moment (wide shot) comes later during a particularly dramatic part of the music. Throughout the video, he tried (when possible) to match the energy of the tune with the actual speed of the water. In other words, calm strings = still water, energetic strings = fast water.
“FRESH EYES” TIP: Syl would often spend a few hours editing and then invite me to have a look. I made sure not to watch too much of the editing process so I could be a fresh set of eyes (and ears.) It can be difficult when your partner says something doesn’t work, but Syl and I trust the other’s opinion and we are both willing to cut something (even if we spent hours on the edit) if it doesn’t work. Find a good partner to help you.
Graphics
TEXT: Syl asked me to create the text plates. I did a mock up several ideas and he picked the font/vibe he liked. From there, I took some video screen shots and created “thumbnails” for social media. I also wrote up a list of locations (thank you, Blair!) Finally, once Syl approve the credits, I remove the black background so the list could layered over the video.
Font choices and social media thumbnails.
Blair Madore & Miss Mosey.
FACT CHECKING: Since the town lines are confusing in this particular region, we consulted our friend, ADK hike leader Blair Madore to confirm our locations.
FILMING TIP: Syl knew he’d have text on the screen during certain shots. While I filmed, he’d let me know when to be on the lookout for solid colored areas. Though not a necessity, this makes editing a little faster later on.
Natural areas are great for text. Credits before & after the background has been removed.
RELEASE
Once Syl was satisfied, I loaded the video into Facebook’s Creator Studio. In theory, I like Facebook’s “Preview” feature, but I find it very glitchy, so I faked it by adding my own 5 second preview to the video before I entered Creator Studio. As it loaded, I wrote up a Facebook & Instagram blurb, and we scheduled a release for the next morning.
We hope you enjoy the finished video at the top of this blog!