HOW TO CREATE A LOW BUDGET MUSIC

VIDEO!

Costume

• Due to not having a big enough budget to buy elaborate costumes, you’ll still be able to make sure characters in the music video look good.

1. Make sure that the colours of everyone's outfits compliment each other well. If most of the characters are wearing bright clothes, make the rest wear bright. Unless of course you want to make one particular person stand out.

2. If you’re presenting a certain type of person/stereotype in your video, make sure the costume they’re wearing fits their personality

• For example, a student could wear a school uniform

Props

Balloons

• The use of balloons can be quite effective, if you’re wanting to create an upbeat, happy environment covering the location with balloons would work. People also use big letter balloons in order to spell things out that link with the song, however these types of balloons may be a little more expensive.

Lighting

• The contrast of light and dark works really well and is easy to do. For example if you were filming a slow song and you want to create a gloomy atmosphere, you can film in a dark setting and use different objects to create small areas of light such as:• Torches• Candles• Phones

• Also if you were creating an upbeat dance music video and wanted to create a party atmosphere, you could use a strobe light – you can make it yourselves by using an iPhone flashlight and sticking different sheets o see through, coloured plastic over the top.

Setting

• Try to film in several different settings to make the video more interesting rather than filming in the same location .• Try to avoid blank backgrounds and make sure something

is happening in the background at all times.• Make sure the setting links in with the overall concept of

the music video.• Try and juxtapose the video. For example if you have

someone singing a sad son, place them in a busy, happy setting such as a party, this will single them out, and emphasise the sadness.

CONTENT/ SEQUENCING TRICKS!

By looking at previous A2 music videos and researching I found:

Quite commonly the establishing shot was of an object or location, however it was still a recurring shot in the music

video whether it changed to a different angle or wider shot. This could be good particularly in videos that are based in

only a couple of different settings as the audience gets closer shots of things in that location and becomes aware of the where abouts, it was commonly used in slower songs to for example: Royals- Lorde. Starting videos like this will be

suitable for school as you can use items within the area and the outside locations to, with permission.

I also saw with some videos that they applied the enigma code, this meant that there was a narrative to the video but the opening and closing shots were the same/similar because the establishing shot starts from the end of the story back to the beginning, this allows the audience to gets a grasp of what the song is about but doesn’t know the full story, therefore needs to watch it to know. To do this within school is possible as long as the narrative fits the meaning of the song and works on the editing. This

idea will make the video interesting.Below is an example of A Team- Ed Sheeran

CAMERA TRICKS AND MOVEMENTS

The Dolly Zoom:This camera technique is much like a dolly camera movement, however, as you dolly in to the target

you are filming, zoom in at the same time to create a ‘vertigo effect’.

Underwater Effect:Doing this effect on a budget, you would be able to

film things through a clear glass beaker, or glass, with the subject behind it, this will create and easy

underwater effect. From doing this a good underwater shot is created, as well as a distorted

view of the setting and subject in the shot.

DIY Dolly:To create a DIY Dolly movement, you can use a

skateboard, or anything flat with wheels on, then just slide the skateboard over a flat and straight

surface to create your own dolly movement.

Appear to walk up walls:This trick can easily be done, with the use of

having a wall like setting on the floor, and filming the scene with the camera on the floor and

turned on its side.

Clone yourself:You can do this by overlaying two different videos with yourself on them. You film the scenes with

the subject in, then the editing technique is where you overlay each video over each other to

create a clone of yourself.

Soft focus Effect:Using nude tights around the camera will allow a soft focus effect around the subject of whom you are filming.

EDITING TRICKS! SOFTWARE: When it comes to software, it can

often be very expensive to download a program that is of high quality and will allow you to

experiment. Programs that already come with your computer/ laptop are usually very basic

(Movie Maker and iMovie), so this can be solved by downloading a free 30 day trial of a more

professional program, such as Adobe, Final Cut or Sony Vegas.

HOW TO EDIT WELL: Programs offer many different transitions and effects and sometimes it is easy to go overboard with these, however in my opinion, subtle and slick editing is key. By simply editing the colour of a shot can transform what was once a dull and mundane scenario, into something much more visually pleasing. Making sure your shots are cropped perfectly and that the timing is efficient is another crucial element. Epically if the artist of you video is miming to the lyrics of the song, it is important to carefully match the lip movements to the song to create a professional overall finish.

ACHIEVING THE RIGHT MOOD: It is also very important that your video fits the song. For example, if your song has a very slow pace, it would not look

very professional if you used very fast paced cuts or fancy transitions. Before you begin to edit, decide on the overall feel of the song itself and the emotion you want to capture. Then align your editing with the feel of

the song in terms of transitions, timing and special effects. Below are a few ways you can fit the genre of the song to the way you edit your video.

A slow, romantic song: Slow paced cuts, black and white or sepia to show the past or a contrast in time

A happy, upbeat pop song: Sharp and short cuts, bright coloured tones, increasing subtlety the brightness of the footage

This is successfully done in ‘Breakeven’ by The Scrip, as shots of

the present have been edited into black and white to create an

emotional mood and that he cannot live with out her.