Editing for Music Videos

There are 2 threads in here about editing for trailers and adverts

www.fcp.co/forum/2-off-topic/16018-editing-for-trailers

www.fcp.co/forum/2-off-topic/16487-clever-ads

How about an editing for music videos thread?

Too kick off.... I will post one here which really awakens the geek in me!

Blurring the line between Music and technology. Lots of very cool ideas in here

Sure the music is not for every one. Anyone?

Thanks for initiating epileptic seizures globally.
I liked it, certainly broadening the definition of music.
My question is, why do we even need a human operator anymore?

Certainly a lot of clever tech know-how went into that.

One thing I would have loved, was if at some point his tabletop display turned into the old Pong game, that would've been hilarious & a fitting homage to the birth of fun with computers & sounds. In the same vein it would have been great to end with Tetris & all his little blobs of light coming down to a Game Over crash. Then fade to black with his album/tour plug.

"Play Again?"



This one's got ingenious animation mixed with real footage, having a great song doesn't hurt either. Oh, & for all you Light Leak Freaks out there... there's a little something for you too!

Like how long is going to take before someone makes a MP3 player with a retro Walkman look.

Love the idea. And if you think about with out the tape animation the video would have been really boring.

Yeah “ Daft Punk Skrillex Remix - Conte” is fun but I would not want to be stranded on a desert island with only this on my MP3 player.

I suspect that whilst those keyboards look very simple that there is a lot of programming that goes on behind the scenes.

I can not decide what to post next so I am posting 2.

First Notwist. Which is somehow good for a Monday morning. For me a Master piece!



And then Ratatat. Ratatat are for me the J.S.Bach of Electronic Music.



For anyone who happens to be interested in hearing more RATATAT :pinch:

Looks like its just going to use three regulars in this thread too!

Heres one for the lads:



Just some background: this was shot on the Red One. All of the effects were done 'in-camera' using lasers, artistic lighting to achieve lens flares, reflections, refractions etc.

That is pretty cool Simon, I usually hate this kind of stuff.

But some how it really works.

The editing seems slightly off to me but some how it all comes together again and again so I guess that the guy who did knew what he was doing!

I remember watching Arabic TV and not being able to decide if it was badly edited or not.

For my European eyes it was awful but then...

I guess that they have a completely different feeling for aesthetics in the Arab world!

No plugins now that is amazing! Chapeau. :woohoo:

An amazing artistic display, the colors, underwater sensual dance, mesmerizing. Even more astounding to learn it was all done in the cam. Must have been an incredibly complex shoot. I was just starting to feel it was going on a bit long right before it ended.

Why is it I never get to meet lesbians like that? Only the big butch types with short hair, flannel shirts & angry confrontational aggressive attitudes. Guess I'll have to stop going to that softball game...




(sorry, still haven't watched Paul's 2 yet... soon)

Haha. Yes, its very pretty to look at.

Unfortunately when I look at a video like that I cant help but visualize the bunch of guys in suits who sat around a conference table discussing how the video might be made. I suppose it went something like this:

A: OK, so we need a good video that's going to get noticed. Any ideas?
B: Lesbians?
C: Are we talking butch ones here or what?
B: No. Hot young lesbians. Scantily dressed.
C: Scantily dressed? Might be pushing it. How about if they are also in water? That might be more...."artistic".
A: OK: Hot young lesbians, scantily dressed in water. Agreed. What are they doing?
B: Kissing?
A: Agreed. Hot young lesbians, scantily dressed in water while kissing. Anything else?
C: Perhaps we can use flowers, various different types of vegetation, plus some cool lasers and lights and filters to reflect, refract and otherwise work with the water? That might be more..."artistic".
A: Wait. What was that you said about vegetation? What if we can get one of the hot young scantily dressed water borne artistically lit lesbians to suggestively pull herself along a suggestive piece of wood suggestively between her legs when she first kisses the other hot young scantily dressed water borne artistically lit lesbian?
A&B&C: Agreed!
A: Just one thing; if anyone asks we cant really say this is about two young scantily dressed water borne artistically lit lesbians with a load of suggestive vegetation.
B: No.
C: If anyone asks we'll just say "Two girls cast love spells and chase each other through time, space and dimension on a Friday night in their bedroom." That sounds more artistic.
A&B&C: Agreed!

etc.

A: Ok, we're good to go. Order that submersible housing for the RED.

B: Wait.. umm.. Why are there lasers under the water again?

TrixTrax9000 wrote: A: Ok, we're good to go. Order that submersible housing for the RED.

B: Wait.. umm.. Why are there lasers under the water again?

High art, of course!

Anyhow, this video actually had an article about it in American Cinematographer; have a look:

www.zf-films.com/AC2010/ZFCL.Sextape.AC.2010.pdf

I like this one

Sure this has been done before.

To the best of my knowledge these guys were first!

icarusfilms.com/cat97/t-z/the_way_.html

From 1987

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Way_Things_Go

You Tube playlist here



Strangely enough now with Music from the Aphex Twin!!!

That was news for me :evil:

Thats a cool video Paurray, though I'm not sure it fits this thread as it has essentially no editing! Though I wonder did they hide a couple of cuts like at 2.27?

OK GO have done some amazing videos (like the one where they dance on running machines - as seen on the TV that is smashed in this video).

Rube Goldberg Machines have been around for something like a hundred years or more, so that German one is definitely not the first. I saw one in some B&W show from the 1940's, but I cant remember which one. There was also a memorable Rube Goldberg machine in the Goonies (the fat kid had to do the truffle shuffle to get it to open the gate).

Interestingly, there is also a 2nd official music video for that song, that features a live performance with a marching band. Also shot in one take:

Rube Goldberg Machines have been around for something like a hundred years or more, so that German one is definitely not the first. I saw one in some B&W show from the 1940's, but I cant remember which one. There was also a memorable Rube Goldberg machine in the Goonies (the fat kid had to do the truffle shuffle to get it to open the gate).

hi Simon thanks for that I will check it out.

And yeah that second OK Go video is incredible.

Like a big band and then a second big and the crane shot!!!

But the cherry on the cake hide the brass section in the grass. Amazing.

I wonder if it was inspired by the famous sketch

Monty, Python, How, Not, To, Be, Seen

I will have to put my thinking hat on now to come up with something else.

These are great. Thanks guys. Perhaps the word "edit" isn't the best description but as far as filmmaking goes, this is more difficult to compose & coordinate, especially when you have such a large cast. We marvel at the spectacle of such an enormous undertaking, but cinematically I feel the emotional connection is somewhat lost. Sometimes you just want to wow them with a bold statement.

cinematically I feel the emotional connection is somewhat lost

Hi TrixTrax9000

Which video are you referring to?

Would you mind elaborating?

My comment is in general, referring to the single shot grand scale music video style. It's more of a stunt than a story. It's spectacular in its magnitude but lacks the endearing aspect that draws us in emotionally. This technique doesn't work or isn't suitable for certain songs, just as cinematic story type music videos don't fit every song. This doesn't mean I don't also enjoy these huge scale single shot masterpieces, but one of my favorite things about film is storytelling. What would be really interesting would be one of these grand scale single shot shoots with a recurring couple that somehow show up from time to time throughout, perhaps with a sense of desperation, maybe only to come together at the very end. Depending on the song of course. You could even do it with a mother & child. Or child & puppy. This way we could have our cake & eat it too. Or have the massive stunt that wows everyone, yet within that spectacular envelope is contained a beautiful little kernel of sweetness.

Great thanks for the detailed reply.

My comment is in general, referring to the single shot grand scale music video style. It's more of a stunt than a story. It's spectacular in its magnitude but lacks the endearing aspect that draws us in emotionally.

Dont really have much of a camera eye so it is interesting to get your perspective. Usually when pictures end up on my computer I am busy thinking about how the hell can they edit them together in some meaningful way i.e. Story Telling. Sure I scream when I have to edit another Scene that is essential not editable and thus do not really have the brain capacity to think about how the shots could have been.

What would be really interesting would be one of these grand scale single shot shoots with a recurring couple that somehow show up from time to time throughout

I remember the first time I saw that video I was in a difficult place and I thought oh shit the guy is covered in blood and this is going to get nasty. The band members do get shot with paint in the end but yeah... Maybe they could have had some joke with the paint. Like for example in the “How much Ninja can you pack in a Jazz advert.

www.fcp.co/forum/2-off-topic/16487-clever-ads?start=40

Like there is the guy tied up and then there is a Ninja turtle edited in there for one second.

I am amongst other things a huge “Ween” fan. They are an old school alternative rock band signed to a big label. They have about 10 albums of crazy off the wall experimental rock stuff. But there is one exception. they have an album called “12 Golden Country Greats” It is perfect and I mean perfect Country music. But there is one electric guitar riff on the album which lasts maximum 5 seconds and it makes sense if you know about the big picture of “Ween”

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ween

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_Golden_Country_Greats

spectacular envelope is contained a beautiful little kernel of sweetness

All sounds very Yin and Yang like to me. And yeah while it sounds very obvious Yin & Yang is contained in a circle but I digress...

Now we're talkin'

A wild alternative rock band who is able to record a perfect country album, suddenly I'm interested. Not because I'm drawn to either of those types of music, per say, but I am piqued by that level of artistry.

My experience of Ween is limited to the closing title music of the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie; 'Ocean Man'. Cute tune (kind of a Caribbean fused with rock), and oddly appropriate for the setting of Bikini Bottom.



No real music video for it unfortunately.

Another one with lyrics on screen, in some interesting ways. Of course the light-leaks will annoy Ben, but the melody is catchy.