Music-Video Production

[slike]

Hi All !

Today i?ve got a question about making/selling music-videos:

I was asked about making a video for a international musician.
He wanted us because he liked what we do...
At that night where he was telling us about making a video he wanted to know how much it?ll be.

... i couldn?t answer him that at the gig but now i want to write him an offer. My problem is that i don?t know anything about prices in music-business.
The Video will be made for MTV/VIVA or so ... what format should it have ? And the main question: How much should he pay ? ...
I thought about offering him a price per minute or complete ... ?
I would begin with 5000EUR or so ... i would make him material exclusively and i think i would sell him all the rights on it ...

Does anyone have experience in that business ?

thx
sLike

[Primebase3]

(cash money) first of make a short budget : what do you need rent wise if your shooting ,studio time and so on. make a cost list and then add your profit margin accordingly (how many days are you shooting,editing and posting count the days and then get payed by your hour price according to eacht segment) this will make the budget

(final product) make the video full res pal 25 fps (for europe) make the final product on digibeta (industry standard)


good luck!!

[slike]

thx primebase !

that should help ...

any other suggestions?

[murph]

Making music videos is *nothing* like VJing. I had a producer I work with a lot ask me for the same thing, so I'm basically serving as the producer on the video, not as the person doing any actual shooting or post production, because I'm really an amateur relatively in these fields to people who actually do music videos.

Another point - there's no money in music videos.

[Primebase3]

Originally posted by murph
Making music videos is *nothing* like VJing. I had a producer I work with a lot ask me for the same thing, so I'm basically serving as the producer on the video, not as the person doing any actual shooting or post production, because I'm really an amateur relatively in these fields to people who actually do music videos.

Another point - there's no money in music videos.

ugh making music videos is nothing like vjing is the first remark I disagree with: yeah it's completly different if you've never made your own content!! if you are busy with filming, editing and post its a snap. for the no money thing : you got fucked murph theres a LOT of money in that field if you do it right .prime made various productions outside the vjfield that way with the knowledge we buildup with our OWN vj stuff. if your are the producer/director you own the joint and you decide who to pass it to don't listen slike make some money you make it a one man /6 man venture and there's cash in it for everyone.


terrible thing to say murph just terrible... ugh no money in the music video bizness what 's next free icecream in the winter?

[Primebase3]

ps: does anybody remember tomato and the leader they made for films like the jackal and arlington road??? or autechre's videos ...most important : all made by visualisers ,vj's or whatever you call it ??

[Primebase3]

ps2: you think they did it for free ?!?!!?!?

[Rovastar]

Obviously there is some money in it. You may as well pitcha s a player and g high and say what happens.

murph you imply that there is money in VJing with your comment.:);)

Anyway fopund this

http://www.electronica-optica.com/articles/articlesFrame.html

and the DVD creating article there it may be of some use to you. Though not read it all it is pretty detail and hopefully useful.

[murph]

"We usually do commercials, so outside of that area, no one has money. We knew it going in."

-- Gary Thomas, Crush - People who made the Moby DVD

If MOBY doesn't have money to produce a whole friggin' DVD, how much do you think the people creating smaller music videos are getting paid?

And yes Rova, even VJing is paying more than the one music video I'm involved with, though for me that's definitely of my own option, the guys I'm working with who make videos for a living say most of them pay pretty crappy compared to more commercial work.

Primebase: Some of us make our content in ways dramatically different from how we'd do a music video, and when producing or editing content for VJing, usually we don't have specific music or lyrics or melodies in mind, we just make cool stuff and set it to the music in the mix. Making a music video involves (hopefully) quite a bit more thought about what you're trying to say and how it's fitting with the music, doing all kinds of storyboarding and specific shooting and lighting and whatnot.

Also, I definitely don't have a canon XL-1 lying around or a full lighting setup or a green screen studio or all sorts of DV based equipment or many of the specialized plugins and software that the folks who really do this consider absolutely essential. These aren't things that for the most part would be useful to me right now, nor do I have the money to purchase, so this is totally different from what I'm used to.

[Primebase3]

murph believe what you want to believe ok : more money for future assignments for me :D get off it! there made by the thousands by big labels as EMI and Bertelsmann and there's no money in it?. that's not even a remark that''s just plain stupid for the dvd guys : well they too got...fucked !! ! hahaha I'm sorry is the business side or amateurs making money ?? WAKE UP GET PAID FOR YOUR SKILLS..


thank you

[slike]

i agree with primebase because if you have your own content and musicians or djs like it - they?ll ask you to make a music video.

And this brings money !!! ... if famouse music-tv-stations send it and the song will get famous and its a good promotion, too !

And music videos are really expensive ...
by the way, we have all the stuff/people to do a professional production and i think all is goin good :nod:

[slike]

p.s.:
TOMATO is really good ! The men behind it are Underworld and they are doin music and visuals (and digital design for commercials) for about 20 years ...
Underworld rules ...

[Primebase3]

Originally posted by murph
"

Primebase: Some of us make our content in ways dramatically different from how we'd do a music video, and when producing or editing content for VJing, usually we don't have specific music or lyrics or melodies in mind, we just make cool stuff and set it to the music in the mix. Making a music video involves (hopefully) quite a bit more thought about what you're trying to say and how it's fitting with the music, doing all kinds of storyboarding and specific shooting and lighting and whatnot.

Also, I definitely don't have a canon XL-1 lying around or a full lighting setup or a green screen studio or all sorts of DV based equipment or many of the specialized plugins and software that the folks who really do this consider absolutely essential. These aren't things that for the most part would be useful to me right now, nor do I have the money to purchase, so this is totally different from what I'm used to.


that's besides the point 1 (different way) if you work proffesionaly with your vj edits (premier,avid whatever) and do post with after effects en combustion like we do. you don't have that problem. and if you have not got the gear(point2),RENT the Gear rent the studio LET label pay for that (see how to make a budget few replies back.) that why I always say on this forum make your on shit as high as possible so you can use that knowledge to DIFFERENT fields

sorry murph then it's logical that you don't get payed right if you can't do that. you want vjing to be respected you want it on the map : work with thehighest shit you can learn from instead of a software pack to work as the magician from and not learn jackshit sigh... talking to air anyway

[Primebase3]

bo BO BO make the money !!!


and another soul is blessed with a good audiovisual career....NEXT!!! :cool:

[eXhale]

Originally posted by Primebase3
there made by the thousands by big labels as EMI and Bertelsmann and there's no money in it? ... except that not all bands/artists are signed on major labels. just like some people have a very limited budget to create their album, some have a limited budget for the music video (especially if you consider the risk involved... MTV/VIVA does NOT broadcast ALL submitted videos). some music videos cost $1'000'000 but they obviously can't all have that budget. i don't think it's a concept very difficult to understand. :rolleyes: it's not all black and white.

[Kriel]

To cover the money side of music videos:

The standard minimum budget for a music video is ?20k. That's BUDGET. It goes up from there. I have heard of people shooting commissioned projects on ?10k, but that's when they call in every favour everyone in the production industry owes them -- so it had better be worth it to do that.

Your budget should include pre-prod, prod, and full-suite editing, and both above-the-line and below-the-line costs. Although programs like FCP3 are great for editing, there are certain minimum technical requirements for broadcast (video can be run through a "legalizer" to meet them).

Your fee will be 20% of the total budget.

Hope I got most of that right, and it helps.

seeya
kriel

[slike]

yes kriel, thx !

and exhale -
yes you are right ! but in my case the musician is on a major label and he is international known ... ?ts their shit if they?ll send it on MTV or not ... if ya, its just a good promotion ...

the main point is the budget and its interesting to know that there is a minimum budget ... but i think its not a generelly minimum-budget to calculate with - i.e. non-major labels dont have that budget ...
we?ll make an offer next week and look what will happen ...

[Primebase3]

Kriel's got it down i see. on the no money issue my primary example is the underground label definitive jux from NY : the Deep Space 9mm did cost some money if you let it be directed by brian Beletic and el -p (for which the video was made) knew it would never make it on mtv but on different stations it did. video making just cost money if you do it professionally (or you have to own eveything to do it yourself) : it's as black and white as it can get . just make sure your on the receiving end of every segment of the production :rolleyes:

[Primebase3]

in any case right or wrong : good luck !! dazzle them with some concept talk till there eyes are wide and then chuck'm with the budget ^^ jokes a side : don't get fucked and most of all have fun slike : the chances are few and must be grabbed immediatly !! (snif...) I digress so... anyone seen any good videos lately ? ;)

[Primebase3]

with a starting band it's different that maybe they can't get the airplay.. but that's their problem. its tough but hey it's business right? starting or famous signed or unsigned they still have to pay for your service/product.

as for the taxes/copyright you should go to a "buma stemra" as it's called here they'll help you out copyright wise. it's also handy for all the sample (audio) kidz out there to get the licenses on a track. mostly it is handy to own the vid you made if they use it for something else like a showreel for there label or (gasp) abuse your work. get payed/even even when your done rendering!!!