Filming myself for music videos

Sarrgas

New member
Hello everyone!

I'm new to these forums, just found it a few weeks back but really enjoying it so far! Really covers all of my interests :D

So, I've kinda got this thing going where I cover my favorite songs (might make some originals later on as well) and make a video of me playing and singing and all that good stuff.
My "problem" is that I want to make the videos more interesting, but I kinda feel limited by the fact that I'm filming myself, and thus cannot be both behind and in front of the camera at the same time....
I've tried adding a bit of camera shake and crop-panning to spice things up a bit, but I'm looking for some more neat tips & tricks to make things a bit more interesting :)

Here's an example of what my videos look like:


Any advice is welcome! :)
 
Tips - plug the guitars in, or get a wireless (even fake). Zoom in on fretboard for leads.
Video everything outside - your music room has very little vibe.
 
Noted! I've thought about plugging the guitars in, but somehow it always slips my mind <.<
And yeah, my apartment is really bland right now. I'm considering finding a rehearsal space where there's like drums and amplifiers and stuff for some more Rock n Roll vibe :)
 
B-Roll is your friend. Mount the camera in the passenger side of your car and go for a ride. Use your smartphone to do time lapse of a busy city intersection. Grab footage inside a bar. Have a female friend dress it up and then chronicle her day, make a story out of it. It doesn't necessarily have to follow the lyrics of the song. Looks like you're at a ski slope... wait for winter and grab shots of skiing.

The scenery in your video is beautiful, but it doesn't speak heavy metal or rock to me. A change of scenery will help. But if that's all you got, try different times of the day to get different lighting. Early morning or sunset are good. Can you do anything at night?

These are just some ideas, creativity is always the hardest part.
 
Had to google B-Roll as I've never heard the term ^^ But yeah, that's definitely something that I can do!
Regarding scenery, you've got a good point. Beautiful landscapes aren't very metal :P I'll see if I can find a place with a more "rock" vibe. I live in a very small town at the moment, so I might not be able to find one :/ But as I mentioned, I'm considering getting a fully equipped rehearsal room, which should be a step in the right direction :)

When it comes to lightning I'm not sure there's much I can do I'm afraid.... I don't have a very great camera (filming everything with my smartphone :O) so I need the best lighting I can get in order to get some acceptable video quality :/
 
Use all the techniques that Chili mentioned. But also when you watch TV (any program: news, sports, movies) watch how they use cameras, how they edit, and copy their techniques.
 
More interesting environments and outfits would probably help.
B-roll is a good call too.

Man, your bassist is really boring. You should tell him to move around or something. :D
 
Thanks for all your advice! I feel like I've got quite a few things to try out now for my next video. I'll post it here in a few weeks when its done! :)
 
Id only hit the Bass if you are doing something interesting to look at...and go in closer...in my videos bass players are never featured...just the way it is...
 
Besides B roll, you can try to get several different shots of you miming the same section of the song--wide shot, close up, profile then put them together in editing. You do some of this already but some more extreme angles could cut in nicely.

Also, don't feel you have to be performing in every shot. Driving through the "bad" part of town, walking by/into/out of bar, whatever catches your fancy could be makde to work.

I agree that you location is a bit pretty for your musical style--it doesn't look like you have an industrial part in your town but even some shots in a back alley or something might help the mood. Or ask from some help on the forum for somebody to shoot you some stock shots of an iron refinery or coal burning power plant or something.

Finally, your background graphic makes your opening title almost unreadable.

Edited to add: do you mind saying where you are? Some of your shots look a lot like Waterton Lakes Park in Canada--if it is, I have many fond memories--I grew up in the Calgary area and that was a frequent holiday destination.
 
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