Dreams Reoccuring

Bit more thinking been going on... I'm fairly set on doing my own song now, but I suppose it is quite a bit of work. Finding someone to play guitar in the video, writing an actual guitar part (and maybe some lyrics), recording a version of the song... I'll probably have to do all that first, during storyboarding and other planning.
Still, I've got a few ideas for shots the video could include:

We start with sped-up footage of band setting up in the shed- fixed camera on the floor or something to give a low angle (just a few seconds before the music starts)
CU of bass playing the opening riff- actual shot on the strumming hand going proper fast. Then we cut on the beat- different shot every time the bar starts. Eg shot of entire bassist, then guitarist, then drummer starting up etc
Using more than one camera at once while filming the performance in the shed would cut down on some time... we allowed to borrow more than one, Mr M?
I plan to have various outdoor shots of the countryside around the area, at least some of which'd be presented as POV. Eg- the woods near where I walk my dog, the pond I stumbled on last week, solitary trees in the middle of fields, whatever
The weather and amount of sun is going to be crucial here... some sun'd be good to create shadows, but that doesn't look too likely now... oh well
I hope to "borrow" that fast-motion running-down-the-halls shot from last year's All The Rage, maybe as the unseen person runs toward this manor house I've seen riding my bike between Beyton and Thurston

There we are. Obviously with the performance I'll have to look at getting some proper lights in, otherwise it'll look very much like some guys playing in a shed, ie useless. Any ideas, anyone?
The performance itself'll also have to be quite good to keep people's attention. I found a couple of performance-based videos I think do this successfully:



SEX PISTOLS- GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
All of this is performance, yet it works pretty well, I think. Perhaps cus it's obvious they're not taking it that seriously (got to love Paul Cook randomly standing up during drum bit).




HUSKER DU- COULD YOU BE THE ONE
Again, pretty good performance, and the colours over the camera bit is simple, but looks artistic so you can get away with it.

END TRANSMISSION

Piece by piece

Things are moving along... having mentioned this project to my brother, he instantly suggested a number of songs and frankly questionable video ideas (us dressed as cavemen fighting an obviously fake mammoth w/ spears... him and Josh Mower pissing about at the train station... footage of whales over "Moby Dick"). Still, he is going to play drums on any live performance I might shoot.
I'm fairly set on doing our own song now, but obviously if a brilliant visual idea related to one of my previously mentioned songs, or indeed any song, comes my way I'll work with it. My own song also represents more work, as I'd have to find a guitarist for the video, write guitar parts and lyrics for it and actually record a version of it... but that shows dedication, right?
Also, Burby has agreed to help me out on the technical side if there's any time in between his own project (a documentary, which means there likely will be).

EDIT: fixed up Reuben's latest video Blood, Bunny, Larkhall, which I've been watching a bit lately... could have ideas for the performance side.

First thoughts

So, after seeing Jake and Sibley's idea-packed blog (http://www.nandsproductions.blogspot.com/), I thought I'd better get one set up myself; something people can look at and say, "hmm, not as good as the other one".
I've got a few ideas of songs to do for a music video, but unfortunately not many thoughts on how to make a full video out of them. Still, here's what I've been thinking:-

One of my songs
Well, I say songs... me and my brother play some of our own stuff, although we're only drums and bass at the mo. I haven't really thought beyond us playing live in our shed, either.
Actually, that's a lie. I've been thinking about including some footage of the surrounding countryside of Suffolk with one of our more structured jams (provisionally called Suffolkating). As much as I occasionally dislike being in a small rural town, some of the fields, forests etc around here are amazingly beautiful. And also I think a lot of videos concentrate too much on urban themes and locations, so I'd like to do something a bit different.

James Brown- The Payback
The 7 minute funk epic that people are already getting tired of hearing coming out of my laptop. The song sounds very cinematic to me- perhaps it could be set out like a trailer (or a mini-film, given its length), with old-school film titles of "The Big Payback!" when the backup sings it the first time. If I could persuade Thurston's own James Brown to star as the song's spurned lover, getting ready for his revenge by punching walls in his apartment and strolling lamplit streets looking moody, this would clearly be so good as to make the world explode. Or not.

Carry On Wayward Son- Kansas
The 70s craprock classic, introduced to a generation by Guitar Hero 2 and the end credits in Anchorman. A send-up of 70s rock videos, perhaps? Heartfelt singing and piano playing superimposed over a candle flame, coupled with a Rockyesque training montage over the song's bridge (you listen to that bit and tell me you don't imagine a man jogging up a hill in an Adidas trackie looking determined). I've also thought about possibly including footage of the song being played in Guitar Hero, although I doubt it'd be very interesting to look at notes scrolling down a screen...

Chartered Trips/Standing By The Sea- Hüsker Dü
Or something else from Zen Arcade... a genius, sprawling hardcore punk double album that's been held by some to be the earliest form of emo (though I won't hold that against it, and it beats MCR by a fucking mile). No real ideas as yet, though a performance-based video would probably be best to capture the energy. Chartered Trips kind of involves going on a journey somewhere unknown, like a pioneer travelling by bus; maybe I could shoot some stuff down the bus station.

Anyway, that's where I'm at now... I'd really love some ideas, suggestions, praise, complaints, whatever.

Testing, testing

Hubba Bubba bumflaps.