Hey Guys!
We are still in Phase 2 of Covid-19 and I've adopted a personal philosophy of, "well since I already ate my stash of corona snacks, and binged watched all my shows, I guess I'll go back to work!" I have to tell you how happy I am to see my fellow musicians and friends creating videos and I am honored that you have been asking me how I create my own! Truth be told it was mostly learning by doing and finding the right mix that made me happy with my product. Today I'm here to tell you those little details that I didn't think of when I started filming videos but OH! Do they make a difference!
Put your phone on airplane mode
I record my videos off of my android phone camera. Nothing is more frustrating than working for an hour, finally getting a good take, and then to have a phone alert that someone "laughed at an image" on a group text. Whatever phone you have, put that baby not only on silent but also on airplane mode. Even if you aren't using your phone as your camera, your phone probably isn't too far away from you so put your phone on airplane mode. You just need one good take and most songs are 4 minutes long. Your people can wait.
Close out all tabs on your internet browser
Same as with the phone. Those little email and social media dings will be heard in your recording and will ruin a great take. Be good to yourself and close out all tabs.
Don't wear white
If your light source is the sun: DO. NOT. WEAR. WHITE! Or any light color shirt for that matter. It looks fine in your camera when recording but when you go to edit it you are GLOWING - and not in the best way. You will spend alot of time trying to contrast the light colors in your editor and it is an overall headache! When you start to invest in professional lights, I found, you can wear whatever color but when you are starting out and using the sun for your lighting, just wear a darker color.
(I wore my favorite light turquoise shirt for my "Let It Go" video and struggled while editing it)
Black out curtains
If you need to block out the sun in your videos, Don't go cheap on black out curtains! Otherwise you are waiting all day for the house to get dark so you can use your curtains that were supposed to work hours ago. I got the cheap Walmart brand of navy blue black out curtains for $10 and it did nothing! The light still came in and I couldn't use my footage! I would splurge for a known brand of black out curtains and remember next time that cheaper doesn't always mean better.
Check yourself before you wreck yourself
Before you start filming each take, take one more look in the mirror. That means fixing any mascara on your top eyelid, any boogers in your nose, earrings that spun around, strings that came out of your shirt, uneven bow tie, etc. You won't see the small things while recording but OH! those small things will bother you when your editing your best take and your hair was sticking up the whole time. Just preen yourself one last time and start filming!
Look behind you!
Before filming your first take, look to see if there is anything in the background that you don't want in your video. Like makeup brushes, tissues, pencils, sheet music, bottle water, tissue boxes, etc. You'll kick yourself while editing why your coffee cup was in your best shot- especially if the coffee shop isn't even sponsoring you! (Looking at you Game of Thrones #starkbucks!)
You Got This!
Well guys! That's all the advice I have for now off the top of my head. I have to go get ready to film some more videos today and do you! Some of these tips are common sense but when you are focused on filming that day some small details get forgotten. That's just how it is. What have you learned while filming your videos? Anything I missed? Let me know!
Have a Super Awesome Day and I hope everything goes your way!
-Brittany