Thread: From the Front Row: ONs

I think we can take it the Music is OK, it's the camera angles, shot-size and the general clutter that's too obviously sharp. I've seen screens you put behind mics to improve the acoustics, maybe a (larger) screen round the players so we don't see the junk, far cheaper than moving to a recording studio, which will be pricey.
If we're being shown people (that aren't performers) there should be cutaways of an appreciative audience, and pref pretty.

Unless you're being paid, the recording gear should not be included in the shot, it's a distraction which the performers will not like, indeed the best vids of such sessions are probably dubbed so the mic is missing altogether (or placed as a prop)....
+ (I liked the Vocals/Music.)

It's supposed to be a live session / live showcase of a band that we like

I was just about to say it's all about your initial aim - I would say this is a usful demo of their talent, and a nice keepsake of their partnership. I think we should all remember to state our aim for a piece upon presentation?

But it's also interesting to discuss options, and learn things despite the fact you acheived your mission. The fact that you have so many comments proves that this is a fascinating subject with options worth thinking about for future learning.

The night ambient filming sounds like a nice idea - but for a happy song? Not too sure. Maybe outside sunny beer garden? Then you realy could include some (pretty) friends gathered.

The overdub would also be very difficult due to the 'live' interaction going on here, it's a hardly a 4/4 rock song. And as a musician I don't mind perving at nice audio equipement

But I agree the wires on the wall, and the engineer, were a distraction. Yeah, clean up a bit next time lol.

Originally Posted by Stripe

But I agree the wires on the wall, and the engineer, were a distraction. Yeah, clean up a bit next time lol.

You've not seen the earlier attempts, Stripe. this is cleared up and a massive improvement on them.

But still needs more work, guys.

I'll try to answer a lot of comments at once
-Thanks for the many replies, I think that's because the overall quality is getting better. That's mainly because of the comments I got here on the previous From the Front Row-session (Close Enough).
-vzw FrontRow is a non-profit organization, and From the Front Row is kinda like a series of live showcases of bands that we think that are good. A bit like Live From Abbey Road The space where this is recorded is my personal recording studio, we don't have plans to move, and we don't want the bands to playback. We really want it to be live. But off course, there are some things we need to do to get some better videos

-Compared to the previous band, they had a cleaner spot in the studio. Clearly not clean enough, next time should be better
-The audio engineer that you saw, was me. I wasn't supposed to get on camera, so next time I'll check where I can and cannot be during filming
-I have to get more familiar with color correction. I managed to get the camera's to look more similar, but someone remarked that the flesh tones weren't really that good, so that's something I'll have to experiment with.
-If the microphones/popshields are covering the artist's mouths, we'll try setting up the "front" camera more in an angle instead of filming of a higher altitude.
-Filming at night isn't really necessary because I can darken the room, but we tried that before and ended up with noise in the video. But since I'm trying to get my lighting more suited for filming, that might be an option in the future.

Originally Posted by vzw FrontRow

[COLOR=#222222][FONT=Times][COLOR=#222222][FONT=Times]I From the Front Row is kinda like a series of live showcases of bands that we think that are good. A bit like Live From Abbey Road The space where this is recorded is my personal recording studio, we don't have plans to move, and we don't want the bands to playback. We really want it to be live. ]

that's fine but you need to play with DOF and lighting. get in (real) close with the camera for cut aways even if is not shot during the actual song performance. its basic stuff but adds so much to the production value.


here's a good example from L A A R.


MGMT - TIME TO PRETEND - LIVE ON ABBEY ROAD - YouTube

its cluttered but the shear size of the studio along with dof play and loads of different angles overcomes that.

DOF, or more precisely pulling focus has its haters on here but for this kind of stuff its a must.


























.

Originally Posted by enc

DOF, or more precisely pulling focus has its haters on here but for this kind of stuff its a must.

If you're referrng to some of my previous comments, enc, its the overuse and use for the sake of if that I hate, not the tool itself.

Just watched both videos (ie) thread video and video link provided by Enc.
Personally I really liked the video Enc linked to.
I thought it was very well done and noticed the use of (D.O.F) ... Bloody hell I am starting to sound technical!!
I like how it was switched about (ie) some of the talent close up with background out of focus and other shots with talent and background both in focus.
I am sure the more experienced members would find fault with this video too but I think it was a great video to point to to help vzw front row for future videos.

Everyone seems to agree that the talent is good and recording of the talent is good ..... once a few more tweaks are made to the video it will be great !!

If you decide to re shoot it that is ????

Anyway best of luck and I am looking forward to seeing future videos.

I enjoyed this song, it is great! Though unfortunately the video let it right down, to a point were I thought it would have been better in sound only. I agree with enc Close up shots and cutaways. Get creative. The background is important so if the location is not up to it, use close ups and maybe relevant outside shots. It would be great if you re posted the clip with a more creative video.

Never heard of DOF, but after a quick Google search I think that's for the far future, because I guess you need to focus manually?