This Song is About You Music Video

So after writing my last blog about wanting to make a music video I decide… Why not just make one now. So I did.

I found a song of my friends that I loved and made a stop motion music video to go with it. Had a few ideas and set pieces in mind for it and pretty much managed to pull them all off baring one. Happy with the end result, especially as it was made on my own over two days. Shot and edited.

Despite the silliness of the video there is a fair bit of underlining meaning in it, but most of that is more of an inside thing, but hoping it’s entertaning enough without knowing.

Alongside making the MV I also shot a kinda making of diary to go alongside it. Will hopefully edit that together soon and release that as well.

The song itself is doing amazingly well on Streetvoice so hoping the music video does it justice. I’ve heard it got radio time in Taiwan and is still doing great in the chart so super proud and excited for it.

Will write another blog soon with a little bit of a making the music video vibe to it as there where a few challenges and things I had to do differently that I don’t fully cover in the diary so worth putting on here. Always try to be as transparent as I can.

Anyway.

Here’s the video. Let me know what you think:

 

Stephen

Want to direct another MV

Really have a strong urge of late to direct a new music video. Is the time of year where the light outside looks awesome (when it’s not pitch black in the middle of the day) and want to take advantage of it. Feeling very creative and energised after a bit of a lean spell and almost finished a draft of my latest script so need something else to do while I take a week or two away from it before going back for the next draft.

Listening to more and more music and have loads of ideas running through my head. Have a few basic concepts I’d like to try but feeling open to any idea. Hasn’t helped that I’ve watched a few music documentaries of late and that’s got me in the mood too.

Am looking to direct a lot more come next year. Feel the work I’ve done behind the camera this year has been a vast improvement on before and really enjoying it. Feel comfortable with the camera in my hand and have worked hard on editing. The many many many many many hours spent on both seem to have allowed the technical stuff to catch up with what’s in my head and has given me the chance to better show my original vision.

Keep thinking about studying Music Video’s more but feel I’m getting a lot from just watching different ones from around the world. Got some real decent constructive feedback on the last one I made from an awesome band and that’s helped too. Am keen to have another crack. Want to learn on the job and have plenty of fun honing my skills while creating some work that I’m proud off.

So here’s hoping I create a chance to shoot another in the not to distant future.

Stephen

The Train – Music Video

So haven’t managed to get the MV up anywhere online yet so have decided just to put it here for the moment until we do.

Was fully shot and edited in a day with a vibe in mind and that’s about it. There’s a couple of things i’d change but think it’s a decent start and only going to get better at making them with the more we do.

The song is,  The Train by Paul Jennings

So hopefully here is the first of many. Let me know what you think and have my fingers crossed it works proper.

Stephen.

 

 

Musical ambitions, Without being able to play anything… At all.

As the last blog seemed to go down so well (Thank you so much for all the support) I’ve decided to write another one (or probably another few) about the work i’m looking to do with music video’s and band promotion in general.

So the other day along with making a music video we also recorded an interview about our influences in the Taiwan indie music scene, how we got into the bands and what we’d like to do. This blog is a slight expansion of that, along with a few other thoughts.

I love music from Taiwan, from Hong Kong, from South Korea and Japan. Asian Indie music and folk music is just top of my list of things to listen to at the moment. I’ve always been a music fan, but never more than at the moment. Just so so many Taiwanese Indie bands that I love and can’t get enough off.

So with that in mind I started watching a lot more music videos, and really caught the bug for wanting to do some myself and started to consider whether it could be a career alongside my feature script writing. I started watching acoustic sessions and mini documentaries and live gigs and looking at gig photo’s and just wanted to be a part of all of it. And think I can.

I’ve worked seriously hard of late at bettering my skills and learning new ones and know that I have a way to go, but am trying every day towards that goal. Any time i’m not writing, or watching films, Music takes over and its beginning to be a huge part of my life. These bands and songs just connect with be in a way other music hasn’t and ideas constantly run through my mind of what I could do with them in an MV. It’s like the film part of my brain and music part of my brain have come to some sort of agreement that theres enough love their to share my passions.

I’ve never been able to play an instrument. I dabbled a little and owned a drum kit once but when the choice arrived on what to really put my mind into writing won out and that time set aside for learning to play was replaced by watching every film I possibly could (as my blockbusters account would prove). I would have loved to write songs but having a terrible voice closed that idea for me and again it was all about film.

But now in life I find myself in a position to focus and enjoy it all so music is definitely back in a big way and sharing equal billing of late (Although you can’t stop the signal, I will write every day forever) and dreams of moving to Taiwan and spending time in other areas of Asian seem very plausible.

I’m working hard to get myself in a position where that can happen in the next year and making sure that the time I spend earning money and clearing debt is also used to sharpen skills and learn new ones, all the while discovering new bands, making new videos and loving the music every day.

It seems the more creative I get, the more ambitious I get and the more I want to do. But I truly believe I have room for it all and definitely have the passion and energy for it all so it will happen.

No plan B, Just a lot of plan A’s 🙂

Stephen

Music Video Ideas

Sadly i’ve never got round to making a music video, unless you count media class in high school which i’m not. Have always wanted to though and find myself more and more jotting down ideas for them.

Have been compiling quite the list of late without really knowing if thats the way it works. I mean, would I need to hear the song before I can even begin to think of an idea or is it good to have idea’s that could possibly fit somewhere down the line.

Either way the ideas are flowing.

Think its something that I would definitely like to take a look at in the future. Love the idea of trying to tell a story in such a short space of time while also promoting the band and its members (Or solo artist). Seems like a fun challenge and an under rated skill set.

As a writer I always look to get drawn into the story of the song with music video’s and not always by the words. For me the MV is all about the image on the screen, the tone and mood that is set. The lyrics to the song are important but I get drawn into the the visual side of it. Obviously its completely different listening to the song on my iPod but for me the video is about the story and thats the part of the challenge I like and want to attempt.

Am getting to know a few people so who knows maybe one day i’ll have the chance, either that or decide I really do want to attempt this medium and go out there and find someone.

But its all definitely been on my mind a lot of late.