Beyond the Office
October 12th, 2004
proudly presented by
PC World
Technology Advice You Can Trust
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Our editors' favorite PC and console games and hardware, a look at the
evolving world of digital music, tips on burning CDs and DVDs, and
everything about wireless technology and cell phones.
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October 12th, 2004
Making Movies: MTV, Here We Come
Sr. Assoc. Ed. Richard Baguley
I'm making a music video, so this month I'll give you an overview of
how I approached the process, and offer some tips for anybody out
there who decides to try it too.
Play That Funky Music, Video Boy
At the risk of stating the completely obvious, the first ingredient
that you'll need for a music video is the music.
Your first thought might be to just grab a track from a CD by one of
your favorite bands. I don't think that's a good idea, primarily for
potential problems relating to copyright. While you might think that
your favorite band or artist will appreciate the flattery--and/or the
publicity that a fan-produced video might gain them--that's not a safe
assumption. If you produce the video and offer it on the Internet or
send copies to others, you are effectively broadcasting someone else's
music and possibly leaving yourself open to all sorts of legal
unpleasantness. If the band or individual already has a music video
for the tune, they might not want your amateur effort making its way
around the Internet. And, frankly it's just kind of rude.
So instead of using an already popular song, why not look at local
unsigned bands? Generally speaking, an unsigned band that's trying to
get some publicity will jump at the chance of getting a video
made--especially if you are just doing it for fun and aren't expecting
to be paid anything, let alone the large sums that top music video
directors command. But you should make it clear to the musicians that
you are doing this as a side project, and that they shouldn't expect
the video to look professional: You won't have a crew (except for any
friends who want to lend a hand), and you don't have hundreds of
thousands of dollars worth of equipment and a fancy studio.
So spend some time looking around for an artist or band that's got a
song that appeals to you, but no video. Music sites like AcidPlanet,
ArtistLaunch, and GarageBand are full of unsigned groups and artists
looking for publicity.
AcidPlanet:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/247917/21421685/755818/0/
ArtistLaunch:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/247917/21421685/755819/0/
GarageBand:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/247917/21421685/755820/0/
Get Permission
Once you've found a band, contact them and ask for their permission to
use their song as the basis for a video. Be honest about who you are
and what you want to do: Tell them that you like their song, and that
you want to make a video and put it online. You should also discuss
copyright: They'll retain copyright on the song, but you'll have the
copyright on the video.
I didn't have to look far for my song: My brother Peter has been
writing and recording for many years, and he agreed to let me shoot a
video for a particularly atmospheric song of his called "All Saint's
Day."
The next thing to do is to spend a lot of time listening to the song.
Get familiar with it; write down the lyrics and start thinking about
what the song means. What is it about? It may be a simple
boy-meets-girl love song or a searing indictment on the dark side of
the human condition, but all songs are about something, and the video
needs to reflect that.
* Videos to Watch *
Keeping with the musical theme, I thought that I'd mention a couple of
my favorite music videos, and what I think makes them great.
The first is one that you've probably seen: Mark Romanek's video for
Trent Reznor's "Hurt," performed by Johnny Cash. It's a great example
of how a video can enhance a song. Romanek captures the brooding,
regretful mood and mixes in footage of Cash as young man with the
older Cash performing the song. It's a beautiful piece that you won't
forget in a hurry. Check it out:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/247917/21421685/755821/0/
The second video is from a less well-known artist: Sam Bisbee. The
song is called "Breaking"; the video was directed by Tobias Perse.
It's a simple video, but the effect is striking: The singer and a
drummer are performing the song, with the screen divided up by a grid.
As the song progresses, some of the squares in the grid break up the
image, slipping in and out of time with the song, an effect that adds
a new angle to the feel of the song. It's very simple, but very
effective; it shows how videos don't have to be big, expensive
projects to work. See for yourself::
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/247917/21421685/755822/0/
Have a question or comment? Write to Richard Baguley:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Read Richard Baguley's regularly published "Making Movies" columns:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/247917/21421685/364370/0/
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Top News From PC World
* Canon Introduces LCOS Projector
New lens technology creates a versatile sub-$5000 projector good for
home theater or business.
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Editors' Picks
Free Games: Ruthlessly Claw, Blast, and Shoot Your Opponent
>From the sublime to the absurd, these games are sure to entertain--and
they're free to keep.
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Chicken-Fight v1.0
Claw and scratch your opponent in this silly chicken fight game.
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Desert Combat 0.7 Full Install
The full-sized, 620MB Desert Combat installer for Battlefield: 1942.
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Tribes: Vengeance multiplayer demo
Try out the multiplayer gameplay in this latest addition to the Tribes
family of first-person shooters.
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World Wind
A highly detailed 3D map of the Earth enhanced with live satellite
imagery.
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Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 demo
Take a spin at building your own amusement park, rollercoasters and
all.
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For a full list of this week's Editors' Picks, go to:
http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/247917/21421685/755796/0/
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* Reviews *
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