RACHEL BAIMAN - WHEN YOU BLOOM (COLORADO) - combo lyric/music video

DUSTBOWL REVIVAL - A FUNKY CHRISTMAS - remote collaboration music video

The concept for this video was a large organizational undertaking, so I knew that I would want to outsource the editing to someone else so I could focus on bringing all the elements together and seeing the overall concept through. Lauren Balthrop has a ton of music video editing experience, and we worked closely to make this edit sing. A friend connected me with dance videographer Ariel Xenia who was able to coordinate and film some amazing local dancers. I created and curated the graphic design elements of the video and I love the way it turned out.

This video was a collaboration between myself and a rotoscope animator, Vitra Larastiana, who I hired via the site Fiverr. I provided her with an edited video on the front end of us individually lip syncing the song against white walls, synced and stitched together, animated with motion elements and made high contrast for traceability. Vitra and I settled on a basic animation style and level of detail, and then she animated every frame of the video. Afterwards, I added another layer of dynamics to the video by adding various underlays to the line animation art.

What you need:

• A smart phone, gopro or digital camera. Phones are actually best as most have better cameras on board than the other options.

• If on a smart phone, use the the app FiLMiC Pro, which will allow you to control your camera settings and film in the correct frame rate.

• Set the frame rate to either 24 or 30 frames per second (fps)

• Set the size to 1080p ( file sizes may be harder to manage at 4k)

• A microphone and interface simultaneously recording into a DAW, or a microphone that can go directly into your phone to record higher quality audio than the built-in mic on your devices. (Or, if lip syncing to a pre-existing track for a music video, please have that track audible in the video (not playing in your headphones that only you can hear. This will ensure a tight sync.)

• Good lighting: natural light is best - film near a bright window or outdoors, or use a ring light or bright incandescent light.

• A pair of hands to visibly CLAP at the beginning of your take, before the music starts, so all the audio and video can easily be lined up later. (All band members should clap in the same spot - so it is often very helpful to have a count-off on the scratch track that everyone is tracking to.)

• Decor for yourself and your space to make the frame visually interesting. Try to coordinate the decor, lighting, framing and color scheme with all the collaborators for a more cohesive and intentional look throughout.

• Players should fill at least the middle third of the frame, making sure that heads or instruments aren’t cut off. (Guitar headstocks are sometimes unavoidable)

• A storyboard or game plan for how you would like the video to go.

• An idea of the visual style / coloring / and layout you want for the edit.

Getting the initial audio and video right, in addition to your performance, makes such a difference in the final product. We want to make the music come across, so the visual and sound must be as good as the source material. Be a perfectionist. Do a test run and make sure you like the look. Does the frame look cluttered or distracting? Hang a sheet or tapestry to create a clean backdrop. Is the lighting blown out or dark and grainy? Add additional lights or partially close a curtain to get it right. Adjust the exposure on your phone/camera. Ensure your audio is not clipping, and decide whether you want the microphone visible in the frame or not. Coordinate with your collaborators to all decide on a similar look to your footage, so the end product feels cohesive. Some adjustments of lighting and color can be fixed in post, but major differences are harder to square. Just like with clipping in audio, there are lighting issues that actually result in lost information that cannot be retrieved. Make sure your “levels” are good to go before recording video, just as you would with audio.

A note on “LIP SYNCING”: The easiest way to get a video to match the audio is, of course, to record both at the same time and not make any big edits in the final audio. This is a true performance video. Things like vocals and improvised solos are much harder to go back and try and match believably if you choose to record the video after the fact. It’s not impossible, just more difficult than you would think. If you do choose to take that route, you’ll need to re-learn your phrasing and dynamics exactly in order to maintain suspension of disbelief in your viewer.

Which brings me to…. how to make this the CHEAPEST possible remote session edit: send me one full and final take of each player, with the clap at the beginning (all clapping in the exact same spot - so use a countoff), and send me the finished mixed audio, also with the clap at the beginning of the track. This is just a couple hour job and will be your best possible value.