Music Video Synching

[Rik Andino]

Hey I know this is more to do with audio than cinematography

But they're all related and it's about the finish product...yadda yadda yadda...

 

Anyways I was wondering what is the best thing to do

When you're shooting a Music Video and the Performer can't lip sing?

 

I've shot a couple of videos were the performer is not used to lip singing

And can't match the performance on the tape, so she/he is always off.

So how can I synch so that it is good.

 

I know one suggestion is to--just only shoot live performances :)

And no I can't teach the singer to Lip Sing :D

Soo...I know there's gotta be other solutions--are there?

 

And another thing :huh:

What do you about an Artist who like to improvise their performances...

Cause it feels more real or because they need the live energy

Usually I just tell them to sing it clean like on the tape....

But they just drop so much of their performance energy it looks boring...

 

Man artist are so hard to deal with...and music videos just aren't any fun :angry:

And anyone who think it's easy---think again.

[Dan Salzmann]

Once a musician or a group of musicians decide to be in a performance based music video they must understand that that involves certain things like lip syncing that are perhaps unnatural.

If after meeting the musician or group you feel like there is going to be a problem(s), why not go to a rehearsal with a camcorder and show them what they look like.

They don't want to look like twits and chances are you don't want them to either.

A lot can be accomplished this way. The trick is to catch this early enough so the artists can practice and get over any stumbling blocks that they may have.

[Wendell_Greene]

Anyways I was wondering what is the best thing to do

When you're shooting a Music Video and the Performer can't lip sing?

 

 

Can't? or Won't? Artists usually are the ones who wrote the song, so how hard it is to remember your own lyrics and to sing them in time with your own voice on playback?

 

Probably the best thing is to try and break up the performance into smaller sections, verse by verse, even line by line if necessary. Otherwise your best bet is to make it a concept video, where you don't see the artist performing the entire song. Easier to do in rock songs [ look at A Perfect Circle or Tool ] harder to do in rap and R&B, where the entire video is the artist performing for camera.

 

Frankly, these are the issues that should be addressed in pre-production by the director with management and the label. You just have to come out and ask i"does your artist have a problem with lip syncing? And if so, they need to rehearse, just like they'd do if they had choreography in the video.

 

As for improvisation? No, that's why you've written a treatment, storyboarded, discussed everything, and block, rehearsed and lit it for the scene. You'll never get finished if they're changing things each and every time. That's why you have a director in charge to keep things moving smoothly. Sometimes you act spontaneously, 'cos you never know when you'll have "happy accidents" or you're force to adapt, but the whole video shouldn't just be comprised of you arriving without a plan and just winging it.

 

Man artist are so hard to deal with...

 

Yes, some artists are very hard to deal with. But sometimes they're difficult because they're operatiing outside their comfort zone. They don't know what's expected of them on a video , especially if they've never filmed a video before.

 

...and music videos just aren't any fun 

And anyone who think it's easy---think again.

 

 

No, they're not easy, although directing a video is easier IMO than working as a PA. And while I've had some bad experiences working on them, I have found them for the most part and of late to be fun. But someone else said it better:

 

 

"Music Videos are fun. There's nothing more gratifying than shooting cutting, scoring and mixing a scene that works. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. and they react to it, it's amazing, You've got to them. you've touched them. It's an amazing thing to be able to take a piece of music and put picture to it that may or may not be related to the lyrics and to create this whole other thing. You kind of force abstraction from it. The best ones don't tell the story of the song, but offer an alternative way of thinkign about what's being sung. They're jumping off points fo rother ideas, things which, while being singular, don't become the definitive interpretation." - David Fincher

[Rik Andino]

"Music Videos are fun.  There's nothing more gratifying than shooting cutting, scoring and mixing a scene that works.  It has a beginning, a middle and an end. and they react to it, it's amazing, You've got to them. you've touched them. It's an amazing thing to be able to take a piece of music and put picture to it that may or may not be related to the lyrics and to create this whole other thing.  You kind of force abstraction from it.  The best ones don't tell the story of the song, but offer an alternative way of thinkign about what's being sung. They're jumping off points fo rother ideas, things which, while being singular, don't become the definitive interpretation." - David Fincher 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Yeah there always fun for the Director.

but that's not always the case for the producers

Or the grips & electrics, or the cinematographer, or the art director...

 

It's just work and not as fun as doing a feature.

 

But you hit the nail on the head it's got a lot to do with Directing

I've worked with a few mediocre directors

Who just can't seem to control the artist or direct them.

And don't cooperate their vision with the artist's image and vision

It's like having two different artist working against each other

And it just gets horrible for me (the producer) to step inbetween.

 

I've got to start hiring more experienced directors.

[Landon D. Parks]

I dont know much about it, buy why not just record it MOS (No sound) and have them sing to there hearts desire. By the way, I thought that was how it was always done?

 

Cause you dont actually use any dialog from the scene, you add it all in later. In most videos that the way it seems anyway.

[Wendell_Greene]

The song [lyric and vocals] is already recorded to a DAT along with timecode for playback on the set. All the artist has to do is sing along with his or her own voice, and they can sing along as loud as they want, since you're not recording sound. You actually encourage them to go all out and really put their all into each performance because it will help them match their voice and it will match/sync up better during the edit.

 

The problem is a some artists, especially ones new to the experience of making a music video, feel self conscious miming to their own song. However, you have to get them to understand that in order for the video to look good, they have to perform with a high level of intensity take after take after take after take. Their singing the first verse in one setup that took place at 9AM in a warm studio, has to match in sync and emotional intensity with the last set up at 2AM oustide in the cold.

 

Simply stated, some are better at lip synching than others. Whatever the case, the majority understand the hard work that involved in making a music video so they behave professionally and come on set prepared; willing to do everything and anything asked of them. However there are always a few, who quite frankly, are just lazy and irresponsible, and just don't care.

[Marc_Abernathy]

ive done my share of music vids and i have been on projects where artists no nothing about getting in front of a camera and "performaing" for the camera... sure they know how to perform on stage, but continuity, repeats, different angles.. ertc... they just dont get it...

 

anyway, the camcorder rehearsal is a great idea, they also need to practice in front of the mirror... practice is what will make them get comfortable with what they have to do..

 

i love anything im shooting.. im in it for the love.. not the money... which is why im not rich now... :)

[Guest Sprocket14]

I had the same problem with a rap video I just finished shooting. For sync issues we just blasted the song and I told him to speak the words as if he has to reach the back row. This helped him get more into it. (so did the shots of whisky) The good thing about this music video is that there are many cuts (as most have) and syncing the lips to a shot of about 3 seconds on average shouldnt be too hard.

 

Ps yes they are very difficult but just have fun and fix it in post :)