Hello there all!!
I just stepped out of the arrogant world of feature film after a 11 year stint, and have gotten the DV and HDV bug.
I want to get into shooting music videos, and have started practicing by going to various venues in my area, and shooting numerous bands for free ( or for a couple of beers!), just so I can get used to the movement of various band members moving around, and working around the fluctuating lighting effects.
I'm using the Canon XL2 to shoot with and the shotgun mic it's equiped with for the audio, with some pretty surprising results. The audio on the XL2 is pretyy darn good, and for free, a band is not yet complained. It's something that they can post on their Myspace sites. But I was wondering if anyone has any helpful hints on shooting bands with one camera.

It can be done... but the results (as I guess you will know having had 11 years on features) will probably be somewhat limited. I had a reasonable amount of success with a band called My Elvis Blackout.

See HERE

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www.playpauseclick.com

Thanks alot for that. Im doing pretty much the same thing, except I sit behind the crowd to get a wide, then zoom in on each member as they solo out...but what you shot looks good. If you don't mind me askin', what camera was it that you used, and where was the audio recorded from? It sounds great.

The camera was my old Sony EVW300 ( Hi 8 ) and the sound was from their CD. I was there to film some interviews with Quo, Slade and some others but I was asked and obliged the lads. Did three tracks in all but had to take them off my site as my bandwith usage went nuts when their fans kept hotlinking to them. I had never seen them before and never heard the songs either, so it was done entirely on the hoof.

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www.playpauseclick.com

thanks for the info...BTW..that's a pretty good picture for a Hi8! Since my last post, my friend had purchased the red one, and sold me his Panasonic dvx100a..so Im in the game now....now all I gotta do is learn proper 2 camera editing....if it's not one thing, it's another..lol
Now, Mr Crane Man, any ideas for a cheap jib, and steady cam rig? The cheaper the better!

Better quality version of one of the other tracks HERE

As for jibs, cranes and steadicams I've stopped building that stuff now, too many people on the bandwagon. I would recommend B Hague and Co. in Nottm if your in the UK.

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www.playpauseclick.com

Hi there, as Andy says...it can be awkward enough trying to shoot with one camera....the minimum we use is 2...although if we can, we prefer to use 4....two fixed and 2 manned....the fixed cams are usually locked off on the main singer or showing a couple of feet either side and the other locked off shooting the band from the rear to catch a different viewpoint and hopefully capture the audience excitement.
If you check our web site you will find video links....some shot with 2 cams, Irish Pink Floyd, some with 3, Brendan Quinn the Neil Diamond Story...and the odd one with 1 cam....but that was a case of the artist lip syncing....so it could be shot as often as required....but obviously not "live"...although he was breathing....lol...

With at least 2 cams, if one loses the shot....hopefully the other will have got it....we reckon with 4 theres more chance of getting a shot...and we reckon we useually have a "safety shot" to fall back on...syncing the audio isn't too hard...but remember if the picture is bad....people will still watch....but if the audio is poor....you're in diffs.

What we are trying to do at the minute is build a good client database of satisfied customers....then with our portfolio...tout for more business....our latest shoot was for Hal Ketchum (American country artist with over 7 million cd sale) so its not always the big guys that get the work....

If this is the business you are aiming at , if you check some of my threads, I have got some invaluable advice from Andy (turnmedia) and The Guru....if you take on board what they say...you'll not go far wrong.

Only other thing...think it might have been the guru that said it....was along the lines of "if you charge nothing for it....people will reckon thats what its worth"....or something similar...you get the drift...

Good luck

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www.whinbushmultimedia.co.uk named after the Whin bush, (Gorse) that grows where we live in Northern Ireland.