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Client Dennis Seaton of Musical Youth |
There was time not so long ago when bands and performers simply had to put together a reasonable recording on cassette tape and post it off along with a typed biography to a promoter . If you managed to label the cassette, it was seen as quite flash!
Today with the advent of high tech computers and software in most homes, the levels have been raised and those embarrassingly amateurish presentations simply won't do any more.
There are probably more artists out there nowadays than ever before. All of them chasing fewer and fewer venues and show nights ... so the competition is intense.
Bookers are now spoilt for choice and if you present yourself shoddily the chances are you won't even be listened to, and most likely your promo pack will be filed under "B" for bin!
To regain that edge and have a chance of grabbing those better gigs perhaps it's time to consider beating the opposition and making a promo video? Even though virtually anybody can now produce a half decent, glossy promo pack and a good sound recording at home, the technology and prohibitive costs involved mean that high quality video is still beyond the budget and means of the average performer. That is until now!
Our sister company Showcase Media was set up to address this gap in the market and make it feasible for artists to take the plunge.
- You need to secure a good venue, either a live show , or book one specially for the job.
- Get filming permission.
- Make sure there is a secure area facing the stage with sufficient head clearance for the wide angle lock-off camera.
- Make sure the lighting is sufficient, remember that video requires higher light levels than normal stage lighting or else anything in shadow will be lost.... don't forget the poor drummer!
- Make sure you know your stuff .... this is no time for a "rehearsal"
- Provide a track listing with notes on solos or particular shots required (lead breaks,
- Get a good crowd ... invite the family and friends if it's not a live show.... ambience and reaction is vital.
- Work the crowd but don't spend half your time chatting!
- Check the sound desk for a good useable audio feed.
- Make sure you have spare fuses, strings, mics etc ........ there's no time to run out to the local shops!
- Play your material as you normally would ... have fun
We will arrive in plenty of time to set up ready for your show. We will seek out all the vantage points for an interesting shoot, backstage, on gantries if they are available, side stage etc.
The lock off camera will film everything from front of stage while we carry out the roving close-up shots on and around the stage.
Once all filming is complete we will edit the footage in the studio, adding titles, credits, navigation etc and then encode the finished product onto video CD or DVD masters. You are then free to duplicate these as often as you like.
A 4 track video shoot starts from £350 plus expenses. Of course distance and timing will need to be negotiated bu , for the price of one or two gigs you will have your DVD promo ready to send out and grab those better shows.
16 Track Full Concert DVD
So you've gotall those great gigs, your act is sharp and exciting, the playing's better than ever and you're ready to commit it all to DVD?
Now's the time. You can now seriously consider making the commitment to a full concert DVD.
You will have already perhaps made your short DVD promo disk and sent it out to bookers... hopefully with some good results?
Now you're ready to look at the merchandising side of the show.
The fans love you and keep coming back for more so why not dive in and make a small investment? Once your full length video has been shot you can then sell them at your shows, on your web site and on the net. A concert DVD in the shops will retail for anything from £12 to £24 so you can easily market yours for a tenner or so. No need to invest in huge supplies, just reproduce the disks as you require them. It won't be too long before you have recouped your costs.
Apart from the real satisfaction of seeing your performance recorded and on sale, there is the added bonus of handing out an advertising item. Your name, web site, email, telephone and mobile numbers will of course be listed on the packaging and serve as a reminder to your audiences where to find you.
There is an immense amount of work involved in shooting, editing and producing a full concert video and so, as you'd expect, the costs are higher. But even so, we at artworks unlimited are committed to making this service available to ands and performers at a price that is affordable.
Check out others in the field and you won't be surprised to see them offering , often inferior packages for anything from £1,500 up to £5,000 ! Established artists can consider this but obviously many more performers (on rather lower incomes) can not !
Prices start at just £450
This includes up to a 4 camera
shoot, packaging artwork and 10 free boxed DVD copies.
Because of the increased outlay and the greater pressures involved in performing and filming such a project, it is even more crucial to pay attention to preparation and planning. This will probably be a one-off shoot and without any chance of going over any errors in performance, so please do pay special attention to all the points below. BUT none the less ..... look forward to an enjoyable, exciting and satisfying experience.