The Musician’s Video Handbook
The Musician’s Video Handbook answers the following questions:
• What kind of camera do I need?
• How do I work the camera like a pro?
• What’s the best way to light the band?
• How do I encode for YouTube so it looks the best?
• What’s the best format to use?
• How do I cover up edits?
• Why is great audio so important?
• What kind of releases do we need to have signed before a shoot?
• How do we make an electronic press kit?
• and much more!
What It's About
The Musician’s Video Handbook describes how the average musician can easily make any of the various types of videos now required by a musical artist either for promotion or final product. But just shooting a video isn’t enough. The book will also demonstrate the tricks and tips used by the pros to make it look professionally done, even with inexpensive gear and not much money.
From music videos to concert videos to an electronic press kit, The Musician’s Video Handbook shows you how to use a camera, audio for video techniques, editing techniques of the pros, basic 3 point and 4 point lighting, as well as all the creative and production know-how needed for just about any kind of production.
The book is also accompanied by a DVD that takes the viewer through each phase of the production and post-production processes with easy to understand tricks and tips from some of the best in the business.
Let's Look Inside
Table Of Contents
Forward
Chapter 1 – Types of Videos
  A Bit of History
  Types of Videos
    The Performance Video
      The Video Mirror
      The Performance Clip Video
    The Music Video
    The EPK
    User Generated Content
      The Mash-Up
Chapter 2 – Video Basics
  The Camcorder
    The Lens
    The Imager
    The Recorder
      DVD Camcorders
      Mini-DV Tape-based Camcorders
      Hard Disc Drive (HDD) Camcorders
      Solid State (Flash, Memory Card) Camcorders
      Old School Camcorders
  Camcorder Specs
    The Codec
    Common Video Formats
    Video Resolution
      Why Resolution Is So Important
    The Scanning System
    Frame Rate
    Camera Light Levels
    Useful Camera Features
  Camera Accessories
    The Tripod – Your Second Most Important Purchase
      Different Types of Tripods
    Batteries
    Headphones
Chapter 3 – Camera Operation
  Setting Up The Camera
    White Balance
    Color Temperature
    Frame Rate (sometimes called Shutter Speed)
    Audio Resolution
  Adjustable Settings
    Zoom
    Focus
    Iris
      The Correct Exposure
      Depth-of-Field
  The Film Look
  Using The Tripod
  Basic Camera Technique
    Shot Types
      The Extreme Wide Shot
      The Very Wide shot
      The Wide Shot
      The Mid Shot
      The Medium Close-Up
      The Close-Up
      The Extreme Close-Up
      The Cutaway
      The Cut-In
      The Two-shot
      The Over-the-Shoulder Shot
      The Nod Shot
      The Point-of-View Shot
      The Weather Shot
    Composing The Shot
      The Rule Of Thirds
      Leading Room
      Horizontal/Vertical Lines
      The 4 T’s
      Headroom
      Cutting Off The Chin
      Avoid “Firehosingâ€
      Avoid Backlighting
    Shooting Technique
    The Three Learning Stages of a Cameraman
Chapter 4 – Audio For Video
  Using The Microphone On The Camera
  Using External Microphone To Record A Band
  Using External Microphones To Record Dialog
    Using a Lav
    Using a Boom Mic
    Using a Mic on a short Stand
  Using An External Audio Feed
    Using a Feed From the Mixing Board
  Recording The Audio Wild
    Using a Hand-held Recorder
    Using a Multitrack Recorder
      A Simple Track Sheet
      It’s Time To Mix
    Keeping The Audio And Picture In Sync
      SMPTE Time Code
      The Clapboard
      The Handclap
      The Camera Flash
      Setting The Audio On Multiple Cameras
Chapter 5 – Lighting Basics
  Types of Lights
    Soft Light
    Hard Light
  Types of Lighting Kits
    Photographic Lights
    Video Lights
    Stage or Theatrical Lights
    Types of Light Fixtures and Bulbs
      Be Careful
  It’s All About Contrast
    Video Versus Home Lighting
  The 3 Point Lighting Setup
    The Key Light
    The Fill Light
    The Back Light
  Four Point Lighting
    The Background Light
  DIY Lighting Kit
    The Lights
    Diffusion
    Reflectors
    Power
Chapter 6 – Production
  The Crew
    Hiring The Crew
      Be Straight About What You Need
      Film or Video Experience – It’s Not The Same
      Get Some References
  Preparing For The Shoot
    The Treatment
    The Script
    The Storyboard
    The Budget
    The Shot List
Chapter 7 – Post-Production
  Post-Production Steps
  Digital Editing Systems Overview
    Hardware
      PC Minimum Requirements
      Mac Minimum Requirements
      The Essential External Drive
      The Computer To Hard Drive Interface
      Hard Drive Speed
      Drive Capacity
    Video Editing Software
      What to Look For in Editing Software
  Video Post
    Basic Editing Techniques
      Types of Edits
      Transition Tips
      Use Your B-roll
      Living In The Age of Quick Cuts
    Stock Footage
    Video Graphics
      Still Graphics
      Title Safe/Action Safe
      Still Libraries
    Motion Graphics
      The Graphics Package
    The Editor
      Finding The Right Editor
  Audio Post
Chapter 8 – Performance Video Production
  Types of Performance Videos
    The Video Mirror
    The Performance Music Video
    The Performance Video Clip
  Purpose of a Performance Video
    Determine Your Progress
    Promote Your Band
    Promote A Song
    Get A Gig
  Performance Video Elements
    Conception
    Storyboard
    Shot List
  Production Concerns
    Check The Venue Lighting
    Don’t Over-light
    B-roll Is So Important
    Shoot Establishing Shots
    Shoot More Than One Take
    Shoot More Than You Need
    Audio
  Extra Equipment Needed
    Lighting Gels
    Bring In Some Lights
      500 Watts Is Enough
    Fog Is A Great Addition
    Audio Gear
  Post-Production Concerns
    Not Enough Coverage
      Use The Shot Again
      Enlarge The Picture
      Use Some B-roll
    Is The Audio Clean?
    Does The Audio Have To Be Mixed
    Syncing The Audio
    Syncing The Cameras
    Finding An Editor
  PaperWork And Agreements
    Crew Agreements
    Location Releases
    Appearance Releases
  A DVD to Check Out
Chapter 9 – Music Video Production
  Types of Music Videos
  Purpose
  Music Video Elements
    Conception
    The Script
    The Storyboard
    The Shot List
  Extra Equipment Needed
  Production Concerns
    Scout The Location
    Stay On Schedule
    To Lip Sync Or Not
    Camera Audio
    B-roll
    Get Establishing shots
    Shoot More Than One Take
    Using The Green/Blue Screen
  Post-Production Concerns
    Staying in Sync
    Use The Best Audio Quality
    Find The Right Editor
  Paperwork and Agreements
    Location Permits
    Cast Agreements
Chapter 10 – Electronic Press Kit Production
  Purpose
  Press Kit Elements
    Press Kit Electronic Additions
  Putting Together The Kit
    Make It Professional
    Take Care With The Photos
    Shooting The Interview
      Interview Techniques
      Framing The Interview
      The Follow-up
  Extra Equipment Needed
  Production Concerns
    Setting Up The Interview
      Example 1
      Example 2
      Interview Final Check
  Post-Production Concerns
    Dialog Editing
    Video Editing
  Paperwork and Agreements
    Celebrities
  Final Thoughts
Chapter 11 – The Final Cut
  Exporting Your Video Master
    Picture Parameters
    Sound (Audio) Parameters
    Why So Many Different Formats?
      File Formats
      Choosing The Best Compression Format For Your Purpose
      16:9 Widescreen Versus Standard 4:3 Screen Size
  Compression Techniques
Chapter 12 – Posting Online
  Places To Post
    Using Tubemogul
  Best Encoding Practices
  Titles, Descriptions and Metadata
  Using Video On Your Site
  User Generated Content
    The Mashup
Glossary
Chapter 5 Excerpt - Lighting Basics
Types of Light
There are basically two types of light – soft and hard, and they each have their particular uses. In general, hard light is not flattering and soft light creates a warmer feel.
Soft LightÂ
Soft light refers to light that wraps around the subject and casts shadows with soft edges. The softness of the light depends mostly on:
- Distance of the light source. The closer the light source, the softer it becomes.
- Size of the light source. The larger the source, the softer it becomes.
- Angle of the light source between the illuminated object and the light source. The larger this angle is, the softer the light source.Â
There are numerous uses for soft light. If you start to carefully observe lighting in real life, you’ll see them for yourself. Soft light:
- Can cast shadow-less light.
- Can reduce shadows without creating additional shadows. This is called “fill lighting.â€
- Can make a subject appear more youthful or presentable by making wrinkles less visible.
- Is created by a floodlight. Floodlights illuminate a large area with diffuse soft light.
Hard Light
Generally speaking, hard light is used to portray a mood, like in a theatrical presentation. Hard light:
- Will cast shadows that have harder, distinct edges with not much transition between illumination and shadow.Â
- Will produce harder-edged shadows.Â
- Will accentuate the textures and details in an object when hitting the textured surface at an angle.
- Is created by a spotlight. A spotlight produces a narrow, focused beam of light.
It’s All About Contrast
Lighting is important for a lot of reasons, but if we break it down to just one thing, it’s all about contrast. Contrast is the range between the darkest and the brightest areas that we can perceive. Unfortunately, even the best studio cameras can’t handle the contrast of the world’s reality the way our eyes see it. Most people perceive a contrast range of about 1000:1 (darkest to the brightest), but the best video cameras can only deliver a contrast range of about 250:1 and your average camcorder can handle a contrast range of about 100:1. In order to stay inside your camera’s optimum exposure range, you have to compress the contrast range either by adding ambient light or by reducing light on overexposed areas.
For that reason, when we see a stage or location lit by video lighting, it doesn’t seem very realistic at all. When something looks well lit and easy to see to the naked eye, many times the lighting just won’t work for the camera because it’s out of the acceptable contrast range of the camera so we have to make everything brighter. That’s why you always see gigantic lights all over a movie set. All that light looks totally unrealistic to our eyes, but the camera sees it a lot differently. What that means is whenever you think you have plenty of light during a shoot, chances are the camera will want more.
Video Versus Home Lighting
One of the big differences between video lighting and home or architectural lighting that we’re so used to is the angle of the light. Architectural lighting is nearly always straight down from the ceiling, and that ends up casting some ugly shadows on the eyes and under the nose as a result. Video lighting is aimed into the subject’s face rather than down on the top of her head. This eliminates some of the ugly shadows and sends light into the eyes of the subject so that the viewer can connect with the her.
It’s been found that anywhere from a 45 to 75 degree angle (measured from the top of the head) works best. You can prove this to yourself if you have an on-camera light or flash on a still camera. Any light that point directly into the eyes of the subject gives them more of a “deer in the headlights†look or makes them squint. That’s why the angle is easier on the subject and more flattering as well.
Chapter 8 Excerpt - Performance Video Production
Performance Video Production
Paperwork and Agreements
The vast majority of shoots by club bands or up and coming artists can get away just fine without needing location or appearance releases. Let’s face it – your not big enough for anyone to care. It’s only when some big money starts to roll in (or the perception of money rolling in) that not having these agreements become an issue. That being said, you have to consider how big an act you are and where you’re located in order to determine the kind of agreements you need.
Crew Agreements
You probably won’t need an agreement with each member of your crew until you start paying them, with the exception of work done on spec, which means you’ll pay them later when some money comes in. Here’s a quick list of items that an agreement should cover.
How will the crew member be paid? By the hour, by the day, or by the project?
 When will that payment occur? At the end of the shoot or at some other time?
 How much time will the crew member be spending on the project, and what happens if you need him beyond that?
 What equipment, if any, will the crew member bring to the project?
 What kind of credits will he or she receive in return for their services?
This aren’t all the points that you can cover, but it’s enough for everyone to have an understanding of what’s expected of them.
Location Releases
Don’t assume that people will be just too happy to have you shoot on their property because it will be “good publicity.†Most property owners are now pretty hip to the fact that they can and should get paid for the likeness of their trademark, so it’s best to hash this out before the shoot. I was shooting in a famous Hollywood studio and was stunned to find out that the fee to shoot the outside of the building or the entrance where all their gold records were placed was $5,000. They wanted a fee to even film inside the studio, but waved it because I was a paying client and the shoot was during my session.
That being said, you can set up a camera to shoot in almost any bar or club in America and no one will ever say a thing, but just try it in even a dive bar in Hollywood, New York or Nashville and the club owner will be on you with his hand out so fast it’ll make your camera flip. If that’s the case, you’ll need a location release from the club owner, but you’ll probably have to pay to get it signed. This is also the case in just about any club, theater or venue above about 500 people that caters to national acts.
Many clubs will either charge you a token fee to shoot inside the club or wave the fee altogether, but if you shoot the marquis and the venue signage, they’ll want to get paid. That’s why you should always have an agreement in those situations and it should be with the owner or the venue manager, not a bartender with no authority. If you only get a verbal yes to shoot, you are open to them coming back at you at a later date with their hand out. In that case, you have zero negotiating power, and your only options are to either pay or not use any footage that features the venue.
What happens if you shoot without the release? Realistically, nothing if only 25 friends and fans see the video, but if the band blows up (makes it big) and the video goes viral to the tune of a couple of million views, the venue’s owner, manager or attorney might be filling your phone with texts asking for you to cease and desist showing it (or taking it off your DVD) or pay them a lot more money than you would’ve paid in the first place for the privilege of using the club’s likeness.
Appearance Releases
That’s also the reason why you get an appearance release from audience members if they’re shown, even if they are fans. They’re not officially “talentâ€, but they’re treated as such if they’re in your video. Sure, some like the attention and are initially flattered, but if the band blows up later there’s always someone that thinks you’re making way more money than you really are and thinks their appearance is the reason why. Most fans are only too happy to sign off on a agreement as it makes them feel special that they’ll be in a video.
So what do you do with a crowd? The safest way is to get everyone to personally sign off, and that’s best done as they enter the club at the door. Another effective way is to give them a ticket stub that states that they may be filmed and that by entering the club they agree that you can use the footage and their likeness for as long and in whatever way you want.
If you’re just a club band with a mailing list of 500 and playing out in the sticks of Arkansas, chances are that you’ll never need any sort of agreement from anyone, but if you want to cover your butt, get one anyway. These things have a way of coming back to haunt you as you get more successful. Clubs and audience members rarely think about free exposure, they think “exploitation†and they want some bucks (usually a lot more than they’re worth). In order to avoid all that, be sure to get a location agreement and appearance agreements from anyone if you think the video will go anywhere beyond your private viewing. Check out the DVD for some examples of agreements.