My band's no-budget promo could do with some clicks... :)

camf

In a pathetic attempt to make it look like there's still a potential audience for a 90s style grunge band fronted by an old guy with a sloppy approach to both singing and playing guitar, we're on the hunt for youtube clicks.

Apolgies if you hate it... we didn't mean any harm.

(At least it might inspire some people here that there really is a possible use for all that crappy rehearsal room phone footage you take and then never get round to using.)

Cheers and if you have a look, an especially big thanks.

cam f

kin

Watched it a couple of times and clicked the like button , good stuff.

camf

Thanks @kin It's pretty cheeky to be asking for clicks but I really appreciate it.

Moe_Zambeek

I watched it too though wasnt logged in so couldn't like it Fat lot of good I am.

Very 90s looking vid Cam. LPC sounds great!

camf

Thanks @Moe_Zambeek ; When you're next headlining and need a cheap support band...

Moe_Zambeek

Cheaper even than we are??? Unpossible!

IvisonGuitars

Nice work @camf, like the grainy VHS style. Is that an app or effect on the phone/camera or a genuine camcorder?! 

camf

Thanks @miserneil ; No, it was mainly just vanila iphone, gopro footage and a couple of very rough camera tests gathered from various rehearsals that was all treated with a collection of bog standard After Effects plug-ins. None of it was in sync, so it seemed smarter to degrade it further and give it some fake 'tapehead judder' rather than try and spend ages trying to match various shots.

This is my fourth very low or zero budget music promo (first one for me though). It's something I really enjoy doing - although I gave only minimal direction regarding what I wanted with this one and Jamie, who edited it all togther, did all the clever stuff.

I think I'm going to finally put a page up on Radar Music Videos and see if I can get a commission from that. The site is full of eager twenty-somethings but there might still be a few older artists on there who might want something that's more in tune with their experience. I won't be holding my breath, though.

But thanks again for giving a look.

IvisonGuitars

camf said:

Thanks @miserneil ; No, it was mainly just vanila iphone, gopro footage and a couple of very rough camera tests gathered from various rehearsals that was all treated with a collection of bog standard After Effects plug-ins. None of it was in sync, so it seemed smarter to degrade it further and give it some fake 'tapehead judder' rather than try and spend ages trying to match various shots.

This is my fourth very low or zero budget music promo (first one for me though). It's something I really enjoy doing - although I gave only minimal direction regarding what I wanted with this one and Jamie, who edited it all togther, did all the clever stuff.

I think I'm going to finally put a page up on Radar Music Videos and see if I can get a commission from that. The site is full of eager twenty-somethings but there might still be a few older artists on there who might want something that's more in tune with their experience. I won't be holding my breath, though.

But thanks again for giving a look.

Really suits the track I think. What do you use to edit?

camf

I'm lucky enough to have a couple of Avids I can use and Divinci Resolve if needed.

horse

Watched & enjoyed. Bit of a Buffalo Tom influence maybe? Also thought your voice could do a good americana rough edge country rock if you were so inclined

camf

Thanks @horse, yep... Buffalo Tom, Dinosaur Jr, even Screaming Trees are all big influences. I'd been looking at going into more of a country rock direction but I'm not sure I'd feel genuine enough to pull it off if I was singing about trucks and guns. I know I'm not a great singer, so conviction is what gets me through. I'm not really a fan of UK bands who pretend to be US country bands singing about the usual Americana themes, even though my own influences are nearly all from the US.  I guess maybe getting inspiration from Steve Earle or Lucinda Williams could work but I'd have to find a UK/Scottish angle on it to even have a vague chance of pulling it off. But thanks again for the viewing and for the kind feedback.

JezWynd

camf said:

I'm lucky enough to have a couple of Avids I can use and Divinci Resolve if needed.

Shouldn't be a problem getting a bit more light on the subjects then. Of maybe it's shot under that light.

Great stuff. Officially liked!

great playing too.

horse

Yeah, I get the reluctance to write about trucks etc, but I think you could take your bands sound and your voice, and it could work in that direction if you wanted to by allowing yourself to write in a more 'simple' direction in terms of chords / rhythm. Buffalo Tom had quite a country tinge at times without going all cowboy :-)

camf

Cheers @JezWynd ;; It really was shot just under the bog-standard lights in the various rehearsal rooms. These clips were spread out over many months and were really just shot to listen back to the rehearsals with a vague notion that we might find a use for them at some stage. Again, the decision to grunge them up was to cover up the lack of light, the huge jumps in continuity (I shaved my beard off at various stages!) and just the general low res nature of the footage. I suppose I'm most pleased that we found a use for all the crappy phone footage I'd kept (good lesson there!)

You are being generous regarding the playing, but I appreciate it. Recording three songs in an evening means you can't be too precious.

Thanks again.

camf

You're right @horse, and of course, The Replacements too. Alt.Country is a big influence on what we do anyway... Wilco, Ryan Adams, etc. Although it's probably not obvious from that track.

JezWynd

camf said:

Cheers @JezWynd ;; It really was shot just under the bog-standard lights in the various rehearsal rooms. These clips were spread out over many months and were really just shot to listen back to the rehearsals with a vague notion that we might find a use for them at some stage. Again, the decision to grunge them up was to cover up the lack of light, the huge jumps in continuity (I shaved my beard off at various stages!) and just the general low res nature of the footage. I suppose I'm most pleased that we found a use for all the crappy phone footage I'd kept (good lesson there!)

You could maybe improve video light level by blending in a duped layer in after effects if you have it.

camf

@JezWynd ; It's a good point. I'll have a think but I've probably already strained the favour I got in asking Jamie to do so much editing for free without asking for a picture grade too. This, of course, is why you shouldn't really do your own music promos... riddled with all the usual insecurities, my instinct is to keep in the 'dark' as much as possible. I might see if I can push my luck with jamie and see if we can boost the light a bit. On the other hand, given it's just to try and give an indication of what we do with a view to trying to get a gig, it's probably fine as it is.