Latest music video: Female-Fronted power metal

[Glenn Fricker]

Hey guys, been a while since I've posted in here. Been busting my ass on this one.
We went though an earlier incarnation of this video last fall & didn't release it.... it looked too "college band." So, we did a major re-think, and I spent some time with each member of the band in front of the camera a few weeks before we re-shot. The band themselves worked very hard on their 'on camera presence' and this is what we got:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdwZuDTF7BM&hd=1[/ame]

For best results, click the 1080 version!


As always, comments & questions are more than welcome!

-0z-

 

[TesticleMilkshake]

I'm pleased with it, stage presence is really tough. It requires a certain level of confidence within yourself as well as a certain level of acting ability I would like to see how the lead singer's voice evolves over time. She has a pretty good voice, I feel she may need to find a bit more support, or different positioning in the heavier parts in the chorus. I like it though!

 

[JonWormwood]

Her voice now reminds me an early kim goss

 

[Glenn Fricker]

She's already come quite a way, as she was originally singing opera & show tunes in the local University music program.... On an earlier cut of this song, the vocals are far softer, more "pretty girl" if you will. The power in her voice is starting to emerge & I'll have them back in the studio this summer for a full length album, so I imagine we'll be getting an even more aggressive version.

As for on-camera presence, she was utterly fearless! I can't wait to do another video with this band!


BTW, this will be the last video I shoot on a Canon 60d. My camera has undergone a serious upgrade.......


Oh yeah, on the technical end of things, I shot this with a Nikon 20mm & Glidecam for the moving stuff, as well as a Pentax Super Takumar 28mm for the medium shots, and a Zeiss 50mm Pancolar for the closeups.

 

[Nuno Filipe]

The video is cool. She is without doubt the best of the band, the song it´s boring. The guitars sound too untight for this kind of music and they are a bit harsh/fizzy, cant dig them. Anyway she's got potential.

 

[AD Chaos]

IMO that reverb on the voice doesn't blend too well with the rest of the mix specially the gtrs. Maybe a longer or more noticeable tail (ala Evanescence) while easing on the effect would make it better. It goes away around 01:51, which makes it more noticeable.

The gtr intro feels chopped off. I also think gtrs aren't very tight and sound fizzy. The camera work is really good!


My 2c -cheers

 

[NoSoup4you22]

She sounds kind of like the chick from Ebony Ark at times, could be a great singer. The band and song as a whole don't do it for me though. Video looks pro.

 

[Glenn Fricker]

Thanks for the feedback, guys! Glad you're liking the visual aspect of things... like I said, this was a re-shoot. On version 1, we learned what not to do in terms of performing for a camera.

As for the mix feedback, as always, it's greatly appreciated. I was still really into the whole "Nordstrom Sound" thing when we tracked this so it certainly isn't the standard 5150/Mesa sound so common on here. See this thread for details: http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/production-tips/221136-clayman-sound.html#post4309110

Anwyay, we'll be working on a new album later this year, so I'll have a good idea on where to improve. Thanks again!

-0z-

 

[smy1]

The girl needs a better makeup-artist for the video. Darker eyeshadow and eyeliner for much more dramatic eyes. Plus more shading on the sides of her face to make it look "slimmer". She's pretty, but the makeup doesn't take it over the top into the "she's damn hot"-realm (which is where you want to be when you have a girl singer).

Rest of the band needs to pay a little more attention to styling details like shirt fabrics etc. The singer's outfit texture looks better than the guy with the working shirt. And the lead guitarist is wearing a red longsleeve under his shirt that makes no sense at all in the color scheme of the video. Accessories are an issue too: the singer has one necklace that is kinda sticking out because everything else is plain. Go with a black, studded choker instead for a more sexy/youthful look OR give her more accessories like rings and wristbands to add to the outfit. Generally the outfits look like they were just taken from their closets and put on. Outfit, accessories and makeup are totally vital to creating a "look and feel" for the band which in turn helps a lot with the overall image. I like the fact that the guys are generally in the background and don't take up too much visual space in the video. Cause with a singer like this, no one cares anyway

Generally you have uneven colorgrading going on throughout the video. In some scenes you've got nicely crushed, dark blacks and in some scenes you have a lighter grading going on. Often on closeups of the musicians. Some facial closeups of the singer make her face look orange while it looks natural in most other scenes. Overall I'd go for a more dramatic color shift towards green or blue with reduced saturation. I like the light setup and the camera movements.

That's my quick evaluations after skimming through the video.

Didn't like the song or the production. There needs to be some serious arrangement (lots and lots of vocal layers to bring out the chorus and make it big) and production (delays/verbs on the vocals and fatter guitars) improvement on this. Also the song has no real hook which kinda kills it for me.

Hope this helps

 

[Glenn Fricker]

Generally you have uneven colorgrading going on throughout the video. In some scenes you've got nicely crushed, dark blacks and in some scenes you have a lighter grading going on. Often on closeups of the musicians. Some facial closeups of the singer make her face look orange while it looks natural in most other scenes. Overall I'd go for a more dramatic color shift towards green or blue with reduced saturation. I like the light setup and the camera movements.

Hope this helps

Huge help, dude! I'm going to forward your wardrobe opinions to the singer... I really appreciate the creative criticism.

As for the orange sking tone, yeah, I blew a white balance on one take (it shifted to the LED background lights instead of the tungsten foreground) and I tried to bring it back as much as possible (even shot a grey card at the start of each take for consistency) , but you can only go so far in 8 bit video. (I shot with CrookedPath Flat profile) ... it was the case of a great take with a screwy white balance that I didn't want to throw away. That was one of the last takes of the evening, and we were all pretty fucking exhausted. And truthfully, you're the first to notice!
Didn't want to crush the blacks too much, but I did bring the saturation down quite a bit. Still a rank amateur at color grading, but it sure looks better than the last cut of this video!

This will be the last video shot on a Canon DSLR for me... I've moved onto the hacked GH2, and it seems far easier to work with where colors are concerned. That & the resolution is amazing.

 

[JonWormwood]

Gh2 will be next purchase after my second gf2. So glad the hacks just came out for that thing!

 

[Glenn Fricker]

I'm putting together a little GH2 demo reel & I'll be sure to post it up here. The camera is fn' amazing.

 

[JonWormwood]

I'm putting together a little GH2 demo reel & I'll be sure to post it up here. The camera is fn' amazing.

Glenn, what software do you use? I'm contemplating upgrading premiere to cs6 because it can finally use the mercury engine with the ATI card in my MBP. Just 150 bucks i wanted to use on a new GF2 body!