“The Passion, the People, the Process – The Players That Make a Video Come To Life”
September 30th, 2009 - Written by Admin
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By: Tina-Michelle Prevost
Have you ever wondered what it takes to put a music video together? Do you ever find yourself watching MTV or MuchMusic, eyeing the plethora of visual candy – some good and some just way out there – and say to yourself “What was involved in the making of that video?” I recently found out as I tagged along with Hotcakes New Media, producers of the new music video “Are You Bulletproof?” by To The Rescue.
Surely a considerable amount of thought, time and energy went into the delivery of the intended message found in these moving images. And so begs the question “Is there a message that the band wants to relay in particular?” Or is their primary goal to entertain people and to provide a story that will stick in the minds of those who watch the video? Is it really just about the band’s presence, especially if there is a sexy and hypnotic appeal to the performers? After all, some of the most beautiful people have the ability to captivate their audience and have a commanding presence all on their own which does most of the talking for them.
For To The Rescue’s “Are You Bulletproof?”, Hotcakes New Media pitched the band the idea of combining a storyline that intertwined with a live performance. Although the song is about a bad breakup, the producers chose to extend the metaphor of being “bulletproof” into a story of which the premise is about a detective who is faced with choosing between his career and his love life. This allowed for a dramatic storyline that hooks the viewer, yet still showcases the band in a significant way.
Whatever approach a band is using to get their song the best exposure possible, it doesn’t happen without the technical skills of the “behind-the-scenes” folks working their magic to deliver the right sights and sounds. Easily overlooked by the masses, they quietly do their jobs with little recognition of how vital a role they play in the delivery of that polished and perfect final product 
of any musical work. They are equally deserving of acknowledgment for their efforts, for without their attention to detail and sweat equity, your most famous and favourite musicians would only appear as shadows – looking dull, out-of-focus, blurry and nothing like the fine and finessed versions of themselves displayed in a well thought out video. Who makes the artists all shiny and nicely packaged for us to enjoy (or critique)? Let’s turn that camera and light around and take a peak on the other side, shall we?
It’s all about the Lighting! Enter the Director of Photography…
Ever take pictures and forget to use your flash? Anyone who has done this knows that pictures taken without the right amount of light only turns out useless photographs. The same applies to film and video. Your lighting is very important and, often, a lot of it is needed. If you are shooting a scene for daytime, you will want to ensure that your lights are big and bright enough to emulate the rays of the sun shining down on your subjects. Often times, lights are gelled to cast a yellow tint, as that helps create warm, sunny imagery. If you are going to shoot a night scene, then your lights will have filters to let out just the right amount of diffused brightness, conveying an authentic feel of night while allowing the camera to capture the subjects on film, adequately and clearly.
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