The song “Forget the War” that you’re seeing above, is a first attempt at making a Stringfisher Music Video.
Let’s get down to how and why this was made and hopefully I’ll be able to share a little advice if you’re looking to do something similar.
What is a Green Screen?
A Green Screen is a backdrop that is placed behind an object, person or scene during filming or photography. It allows you do put any other scene such as another picture, photo or moving picture in place of the Green Screen itself. You do this by using an effect called Chroma-keying which you should be able to find on the video editing software of your choice.
How Much did it Cost to Make the Music Video?
£12.00.
No really. I had and you probably already have everything you need to make something. After all, rule number two in the Stringfisher Theory is “2. Something is Better than Nothing”. So after waiting for a large £12.00 piece of green fabric to arrive I grabbed my laptop, mobile phone and a desk lamp. I already had an old piece of editing software but there are good free alternatives out there.
A piece of software that has been catching my attention recently is a piece of streaming software called OBS. OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) is a free and open source software for video recording and live streaming which you can find here: https://obsproject.com/
Why Should you Make Video Content for your Music?
If the first answer to this question isn’t “Because I want to” then forget it.
Yes, you need to get your music out there and video is a beautiful way of grabbing peoples attention. Whether it be for Social Media posts or your YouTube channel, it is the perfect vehicle to get noticed. My point is that if you’re reading this then you’ll be a musician of some form. You’ll be creative or be a group of creative people who already want to make stuff.
Reality Check….
Truth be told, I don’t love the video I’ve put out. Looking at it now, I’m wishing I did things differently. It’s too static, too clean for the subject matter of the song…. Seem familiar? If you’ve ever “finished” a song, I’ll bet you listen to it time and time again re-editing it in your imagination. “If only I could could just tweak the levels again” “The reverb is far too heavy for that section” “Why did I add that effect at the end”.
The same is true for creating video and like music, you will get better, you will learn what works best for you and your style.
Put the same passion into your video that you do your music. Make mistakes. Release it anyway. Let your audience decide what is good, not you.
