MEM3 - Promesas

Here is MEM3 - Promesas Videoclip made with a Canon 60D.
Edited and graded with Final Cut Pro X.

vimeo.com/49938533

Spanish, for me, is the best language for singing. I watched your video with interest. I particularly liked the way it started in darkness & we saw flickers of activity as the song came to life. As performance style videos go, yours is passable, kind of a generic depiction of a garage band at work & play. The color treatment gives it a nice feel, the skin tones look good, & the crushed blacks lend a slight filmic feel. There are a couple of places early on where I didn’t care for the camera movement. Since you have only one set, no story, just straight performance, you either need a killer song or something exceptional visually to really engage us. Instead it all seems rather unremarkable. The song is ok, & the video is ok, but unfortunately soon forgotten. Perhaps adding a few tricks, effects, light leaks, etc, might spice it up a bit. For me it was acceptable, but not something one would send a link to a friend saying “Oh man, you just have to see this!”

So, what kind of remedy could lift us above lackluster? It all has to begin with the song. Start with one that really moves people. This song has its moments but like the title, these are promises that don’t quite deliver. You’ll notice that songs that people buy in any genre, all have a noticeable hook, something that grabs people. This track is a little weak in that department. Not sure if it’s their best track or how long they’ve been together. Sometimes the Director has to work with the band & management, & show them why another track is better for them on video. Marketability, public appeal, catchy rhythms, riffs, melodies, something that after you hear it, you can’t wait to hear it again. That’s the song I want backing my visuals. Now, even if you’re going straight 100% performance style video, with no concept or story, you can still break it up a bit. How about a couple of girls sitting in that basement, watching the boys playing the song, show them smiling appreciatively, rocking to the beat, whispering affirmingly, flirting, admiring the singer, build up your front man. Add value

Or even add a back story, with only a few cutaway shots, another scene or 2. Our lead man in a conversation with the girl at a coffee shop, an argument, over broken promises, perhaps. Maybe a note, or cellphone text, hurt feelings then a makeup outside at night. They’re only 10 second clips & you only need 3 or 4 to add an entire movie to your song, greatly upping the interest, appeal, value, meaning & depth.

Of course, with that route you’re moving more in the direction of dramatic acting, not always easy with amateurs, because when it’s bad, it’s really bad. So if you decide to stay entirely with performance style, break it up a bit, add some cutaways, a dolly shot by their club gig poster, some bouncing levels on the mixing board, more tricks, variety. I liked your focus work, & some of your changing POV’s, like up from the pedal & down the guitar strings, but there are only so many ways you can show a band playing & over the years we’ve seen most of them. Be creative, be bold & adventurous. Sure some of it might be too awful to make the final cut, but some will be brilliant & original. As it stands, both this video & the song, left me wanting more, but not of the same.


J. Matthew
Global•Watch•Media•Consulting
www.GWM2.com