5 Items Every Music Video Shooter Needs

What are somethings that you as filmmaker need to invest in so that can make your low-budget music videos look better? Today I wanna talk about 5 things that EVERY filmmaker needs to have in order to shoot better music videos. These days technology is rapidly changing every few months, where you can buy an affordable camera that shoots 4k or 6k or who knows 8k probably in like a year. I mean our iPhones are right now shoot 4k, which is insane. People are shooting entire music videos and films on the phones. But I want to go through 5 things every filmmaker should have for music videos. Some of these things are a little more expensive than others so it doesn’t mean that you should go to the store right now and buy it. You may have to save up for some of them, and for some other things you can go to amazon or b&h right now to purchase. You do some jobs and invest in better gear, and repeat. Things that I recommend you buying are things that you could be using on potentially every music video. And these are also things that I use on almost every music video shoot.

First off is a camera stabilizer. 

You need something like a 3-axis gimbal or glidecam so that your footage is shaky. One the biggest giveaways that your video was shot on a really tight budget is shaky footage. It immediately brings your production quality down. Keep in mind shakey is a different look than handheld. Handheld camera movement can be intentional but shaky footage is shaky footage. A lot of digital DSLRs these days have this type of jittery shake that you get form shooting handheld. Now there are many instances that shooting handheld fits the story or the concept that you’re shooting, but solid stabilized shots bring up the value of production. Now a lot of beginner music video directors or shooters don’t have the budget to buy a stabilizer or hire a steadicam operator, in that case maybe consider buying a tripod or monopod. Once you’ve been able to save up for a stabilizer, I would recommend getting the DJI Ronin-S. Balancing a camera on it is a bit of a learning curve at first but once you get a hold of how to balance your camera, it becomes super handy. These are especially good for run and gun music video shoots because you can just leave your camera on it the whole shoot and with the battery runtime of 12 hours, you wont have to worry about charging it again. 

Next up you need to invest in some good lights.

LED lights are becoming more affordable than ever, luckily you don’t have to save up for a $6000 sky panel. One of my favorite go to lights has been the Colorspike. It’s a super versatile light that’s battery powered and is easy to travel with. It’s super bright and has vibrant colors. It’s portable, meaning its got an internal battery, so you can use to light any scene or location. You can also animate different color patterns so it can bring more value to your production. And it can be controlled through your phone app which is super handy when you’re working as a one man band. This comes handy because you don’t have to run to the light, adjust it, and run back to the camera. This way you can tweak the light while you’re looking at the camera screen. These lights also have a high CRI value which means that the colors your camera capture isn’t going to be skewed too much. These lights aren’t the most affordable option out there, there’s definitely cheaper LED lights that you can buy. You can even buy $15 color changing LED strip lights that are fairly bright. Don’t get too caught up in what type of lights to buy, but what’s most important at the end of the day is how you light your subject. TWO tips that I’d give when it comes to lighting the artist is either throwing a light above the subject or doing one key light from the side and on back light to help separate them from the background. I’m going to go through some different lighting techniques in the next week or two that’ll hopefully be helpful to you. IF you are planning on buying expensive lights, I’d recommend first renting the lights, and messing around with them. A good place to rent lights or camera gear is Sharegrid. The benefit with owning your own gear is that you can also rent them out and make some extra cash. Here’s a link where I talk about how you can make residual income from renting your gear. Since I’ve started to rent out some of my gear, I’ve actually been able to pay off some the gear that I’ve bought. 

Invest in some lens filters.

I have used filters on a countless number of music videos because I’ve just always loved trying create in camera effects. Using filters can also up your production or just simply show that you care about making the music video entertaining and creative. Lens filters are fairly affordable and very easy to use. You can either screw them onto your lenses or buy 4x5 filters that you can use on your matte box. A great place to get lens filters is on PrismLensFx.

Next is to invest in a haze machine.

Haze machines do an incredible job adding a cinematic look to your image. It helps soften up the space you’re shooting in and also helps show where your light sources are coming from. Haze helps soften the image and is generally feels thinner than fog. Fog is a little bit heavier and it usually stays in one area. You see a lot of haze being use in narrative films but they’re also used in most music videos. 

Consider investing in a VHS(low-res camcorder) or 8mm camera.

I’m a big fan using multiple types of media in music videos. This includes using other cameras such low-res camcorders or an 8mm camera. These types of cameras just add another dimension to your video because it gives a different look and quality. It can sometimes be used to spice up the performance you’re shooting with an artist or just add a raw look to the story that you’re trying to tell through the video. If you’re looking to buy an 8mm camera be sure that it’s been tested before and that motor run smoothly. Carrying an 8mm camera is also a great of telling the public that you’re a nostalgic music video dirrector. IF you can’t afford to buy an 8mm camera, then you gotta visit my website and grab his 8mm Grain and Textures pack.