Directorial Debut, My Bands First Music Video

I specced up a system on here a few months ago with video editing in mind.

my band (My Great Affliction) went into the recording studio at the start of March and we enlisted the help of a local camera guy to help document the day with the intention of putting together a decently shot video for one of the finished songs.

A month and a bit later I'd got my new machine up and running and put in countless hours editing footage shot and syncing it up, frame by frame, in order to produce this music video.

Without further ado, here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mwZXKi3Sro

Let me know what you think, of the music, the finished video or whatever. Comments appreciated.

Like it or loathe it, I'm interested to hear your opinions.

For more information see www.mygreataffliction.com or www.facebook.com/mygreataffliction.

The EP is released on Monday via itunes, spotify, 7digital, googleplay, napster etc. etc. If you like it, please consider grabbing the downloads.

Cheers, Ste.

Video looks well done and professional , but I find everything a bit too cliched and boring for my tastes , not that its bad - but there's nothing in the song or video itself I find that interesting or any different to any other band doing the same thing.

Sorry - but I guess the bottom line is I find the song weak - I certainly wouldnt have made a video for it , and wouldnt have it as my debut unless it had great feedback , but then again maybe you already have ?

Not sure this is this best place to ask - but there you go , you asked for it :D

SO .. what do I consider " interesting " or " good " ?

Well, heres one example I heard last night on bandcamp and other I quite like too .

Now you can roast me when I post my debut song ( actually I already have one ) :P but still uncompleted since other diversions took hold.

Good luck any way

Like the song / music style.
Video for me wasn't really anything new / different but wasn't bad either.

Only thing I would say is sometimes the singer was drowned out by the guitars / music in general

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Originally Posted by melon

Video looks well done and professional , but I find everything a bit too cliched and boring for my tastes , not that its bad - but there's nothing in the song or video itself I find that interesting or any different to any other band doing the same thing.

Sorry - but I guess the bottom line is I find the song weak - I certainly wouldnt have made a video for it , and wouldnt have it as my debut unless it had great feedback , but then again maybe you already have ?

Not sure this is this best place to ask - but there you go , you asked for it :D

SO .. what do I consider " interesting " or " good " ?

Well, heres one example I heard last night on bandcamp and other I quite like too .

Now you can roast me when I post my debut song ( actually I already have one ) :P but still uncompleted since other diversions took hold.

Good luck any way

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Not sure how it's clichéd unless of course you just mean band in the studio is cliché, in which case, probably.

Of the three songs we recorded for the EP, this track was the weakest, however we're still pretty damn proud of it. It wasn't the ideal choice for a video but since this song we ran through about 6 times as opposed to nailing the other 2 songs in 2 takes we had far more footage for this so it made sense to use what we had most footage for. None of it was staged, all the footage is from the actual recording.

I did ask for it and I appreciate the input. I fully appreciate it's not going to be everyones cup of tea.

The first song you posted sounds much more pop-punk to the kinda sound that we do (more heavy rock/metal), I haven't had chance to listen to the second band yet - but if it's more of the same it would be obvious why you're not so taken by the music...

Thanks

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Originally Posted by Disturbedguy

Like the song / music style.
Video for me wasn't really anything new / different but wasn't bad either.

Only thing I would say is sometimes the singer was drowned out by the guitars / music in general

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Thanks for the input :) We were not going for groundbreaking or something completely new on this one. Sure lots of bands do videos in the studio, I think the main thing we had which most do not is a little artistic direction and good quality camera equipment... add to that one of the band members doing the editing and theres next to no sync issues with what you see and what you hear (a big bugbear of mine)...

Not sure how to take the singer drowned out by the music/guitars... I've heard it so many times it sounds right to me now... I'll listen with this on board and see what's what... Though it's published and live, it may be something that's looked at for future releases :)

Thanks for the comments guys

I'd definitely recommend some better clothing. It does look like everyone has just rocked up on a Saturday afternoon, maybe some sort of co-ordination or just a general 'style' to help with the bands image.

But yeah, nice video. It's the classic 'filming of them recording the band' but it works and is well done.

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Originally Posted by mmh

Not sure how it's clichéd unless of course you just mean band in the studio is cliché, in which case, probably.

Of the three songs we recorded for the EP, this track was the weakest, however we're still pretty damn proud of it. It wasn't the ideal choice for a video but since this song we ran through about 6 times as opposed to nailing the other 2 songs in 2 takes we had far more footage for this so it made sense to use what we had most footage for. None of it was staged, all the footage is from the actual recording.

I did ask for it and I appreciate the input. I fully appreciate it's not going to be everyones cup of tea.

The first song you posted sounds much more pop-punk to the kinda sound that we do (more heavy rock/metal), I haven't had chance to listen to the second band yet - but if it's more of the same it would be obvious why you're not so taken by the music...

Thanks



Thanks for the input :) We were not going for groundbreaking or something completely new on this one. Sure lots of bands do videos in the studio, I think the main thing we had which most do not is a little artistic direction and good quality camera equipment... add to that one of the band members doing the editing and theres next to no sync issues with what you see and what you hear (a big bugbear of mine)...

Not sure how to take the singer drowned out by the music/guitars... I've heard it so many times it sounds right to me now... I'll listen with this on board and see what's what... Though it's published and live, it may be something that's looked at for future releases :)

Thanks for the comments guys

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Nah man, I've listened to plenty hard rock & metal so I am very familiar with the style as its pretty well known ( hence my point ) , but even if I wasnt that doesnt mean I cant like it any more than any one else who might not.

The problem to be blunt is there are no hooks or real melodies , but dont take my word for it , if you've got better stuff and youve got it up somewhere for people to listen too they will decide in the end - better still post link here for others to judge / buy / comment or whatever

any way , all the best.

NB- Noticed your songs are only feed from your site , Id be more interested to see how they faired against other artists rather than just putting them on your site or facebook where your going to only get bias opinions from friends , fans or family usually any way.

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Originally Posted by jimbouk

I'd definitely recommend some better clothing. It does look like everyone has just rocked up on a Saturday afternoon, maybe some sort of co-ordination or just a general 'style' to help with the bands image.

But yeah, nice video. It's the classic 'filming of them recording the band' but it works and is well done.

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And thats ok too , but as I said unless your Bob Dylan or that damm good you can get away with it , and do what you want its not going to help .

If your material is weak it doesnt hurt to use gimmick to get over , plenty of talented bands have done it - and these days society is more image orientated than ever .

It really depends on what your selling , your message ( do you have one ? ) or philosophy -

music can be a very powerful tool...

ignore at your peril !!

The tunes on the website are all streaming from the band's previous lineup, before I joined and changed the sound somewhat. The new stuff will be available on spotify, itunes etc at the end of this month (release date 29th April) - The other 2 songs have choruses, which helps with the old hook idea you're pushing.

Jimbo - we had just rocked up on a Saturday afternoon to record it, that was kinda the point. We're not trying to be pretentious and whilst we don't have a rock solid "image" like the hives or whatever, we do have somewhat of a presence... I guess filming the recording sessions when we're moreso locked away in a somewhat dingy recording studio is not putting us in the best light, but it is what it is, Real, Raw and Rock and Roll...

Melon, as for a message? It depends really, are we the next Rage against the machine pushing political agendas? no. Are we guys singing about our experiences in life in the vague hope someone might learn from our mistakes, possibly. Are we caught up on what we should be preaching as opposed to just having fun with it? Definitely not.

I wonder what led Zeppelin's message was... Afterall they're one of my favorite bands, and one of the biggest selling bands ever... hard to say really...

Link to pre-order or preview:

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/mo...01?i=625761264

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Originally Posted by mmh

The tunes on the website are all streaming from the band's previous lineup, before I joined and changed the sound somewhat. The new stuff will be available on spotify, itunes etc at the end of this month (release date 29th April) - The other 2 songs have choruses, which helps with the old hook idea you're pushing.

Jimbo - we had just rocked up on a Saturday afternoon to record it, that was kinda the point. We're not trying to be pretentious and whilst we don't have a rock solid "image" like the hives or whatever, we do have somewhat of a presence... I guess filming the recording sessions when we're moreso locked away in a somewhat dingy recording studio is not putting us in the best light, but it is what it is, Real, Raw and Rock and Roll...

Melon, as for a message? It depends really, are we the next Rage against the machine pushing political agendas? no. Are we guys singing about our experiences in life in the vague hope someone might learn from our mistakes, possibly. Are we caught up on what we should be preaching as opposed to just having fun with it? Definitely not.

I wonder what led Zeppelin's message was... Afterall they're one of my favorite bands, and one of the biggest selling bands ever... hard to say really...

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Sometimes the message is lot more deeper , than purely some sort of anti or pro song towards something , what I mean is it evokes a response from you in far more direct way than purely on intellectual level through words or lyrics, but via the sound itself. ( just look at tribal drumming )

You dont need to hear some lyrics to those songs because you already get a sense of what their about before even hearing the words , i.e. like " Stairway to Heaven " .

Why that is , I dont know , but we all built respond to certain sounds far more than others , perhaps because they tap into part of ourselves that we forgot , or perhaps because its part of our collective subconscious , who knows ?

My point is that point that , that sort of music or " art " not only changes the listener but the artist too , so it becomes a personal journey for both and something both can relate / connect too , regardless of how you interpret it .

I dont think something like that is possible all the time - because those types of pieces tend to almost write themselves , but that all the best songs and art tend to have and element of that " elusiveness " in them that make them far compelling to listen too - and in fact almost " spiritual " because they can never be replicated again.

I had these pieces, these guitar pieces, that I wanted to put together. I had a whole idea of a piece of music that I really wanted to try and present to everybody and try and come to terms with. Bit difficult really, because it started on acoustic, and as you know it goes through to the electric parts. But we had various run-throughs [at Headley Grange] where I was playing the acoustic guitar and jumping up and picking up the electric guitar. Robert was sitting in the corner, or rather leaning against the wall, and as I was routining the rest of the band with this idea and this piece, he was just writing. And all of a sudden he got up and started singing, along with another run-through, and he must have had 80% of the words there ... I had these sections, and I knew what order they were going to go in, but it was just a matter of getting everybody to feel comfortable with each gear shift that was going to be coming

The first attempts at lyrics, written by Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant next to an evening log fire at Headley Grange, were partly spontaneously improvised and Page claimed, "a huge percentage of the lyrics were written there and then".[11] Jimmy Page was strumming the chords and Robert Plant had a pencil and paper. Plant later said that suddenly,

My hand was writing out the words, 'There's a lady is sure [sic], all that glitters is gold, and she's buying a stairway to heaven'. I just sat there and looked at them and almost leapt out of my seat." Plant's own explanation of the lyrics was that it "was some cynical aside about a woman getting everything she wanted all the time without giving back any thought or consideration. The first line begins with that cynical sweep of the hand ... and it softened up after that.[14]

The lyrics of the song reflected Plant's current reading. The singer had been poring over the works of the British antiquarian Lewis Spence, and later cited Spence's Magic Arts in Celtic Britain as one of the sources for the lyrics to the song.[9]

Interesting they were out in the country too when they wrote it becaues theres a strong relationship between creativity and connection to the land / wilderness .

Any way , food for thought.

Only had the quickest of listens but sounds OK in a stoner rock kinda way. Will have a listen again later.

Guitar / bass fingering is half a beat out of sync with the music (at least it is on my PC). Might not annoy most people but once I noticed it....

Oh, and cool drummers don't use oil filled radiators :)

Sounds negative but have seen much much worse. Keep it up..

Had a listen. You sound like WASP. Some inspiration for your next vid and makeover below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsoLb-E7oy8

Ooh yeah, I'll get working on the hair straighteners and the camp overtones... :p

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Originally Posted by mmh

Ooh yeah, I'll get working on the hair straighteners and the camp overtones... :p

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Dude you have someone in your group whose overweight - close to hitting 50 and another who seems to think wearing bright ties on black shirts is pretty cool ( Bucksfizz ) any one ?

Id be careful about making judgements about any one else with credentials like that- so I can only assume your too young ( to get it ) and how these things matter to some people more than you think.

The while big hair / long hair at one time was almost compulsory for hard rock / metal bands - and for some still is.

You slag that off and you might as well slap every metal / hard rock that came before you , you aint good enough to be able to do that yet.

Wow, looks like I hit a nerve, lighten up...

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Originally Posted by melon

Sometimes the message is lot more deeper , than purely some sort of anti or pro song towards something , what I mean is it evokes a response from you in far more direct way than purely on intellectual level through words or lyrics, but via the sound itself. ( just look at tribal drumming )

You dont need to hear some lyrics to those songs because you already get a sense of what their about before even hearing the words , i.e. like " Stairway to Heaven " .

Why that is , I dont know , but we all built respond to certain sounds far more than others , perhaps because they tap into part of ourselves that we forgot , or perhaps because its part of our collective subconscious , who knows ?

My point is that point that , that sort of music or " art " not only changes the listener but the artist too , so it becomes a personal journey for both and something both can relate / connect too , regardless of how you interpret it .

I dont think something like that is possible all the time - because those types of pieces tend to almost write themselves , but that all the best songs and art tend to have and element of that " elusiveness " in them that make them far compelling to listen too - and in fact almost " spiritual " because they can never be replicated again.

I had these pieces, these guitar pieces, that I wanted to put together. I had a whole idea of a piece of music that I really wanted to try and present to everybody and try and come to terms with. Bit difficult really, because it started on acoustic, and as you know it goes through to the electric parts. But we had various run-throughs [at Headley Grange] where I was playing the acoustic guitar and jumping up and picking up the electric guitar. Robert was sitting in the corner, or rather leaning against the wall, and as I was routining the rest of the band with this idea and this piece, he was just writing. And all of a sudden he got up and started singing, along with another run-through, and he must have had 80% of the words there ... I had these sections, and I knew what order they were going to go in, but it was just a matter of getting everybody to feel comfortable with each gear shift that was going to be coming

The first attempts at lyrics, written by Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant next to an evening log fire at Headley Grange, were partly spontaneously improvised and Page claimed, "a huge percentage of the lyrics were written there and then".[11] Jimmy Page was strumming the chords and Robert Plant had a pencil and paper. Plant later said that suddenly,

My hand was writing out the words, 'There's a lady is sure [sic], all that glitters is gold, and she's buying a stairway to heaven'. I just sat there and looked at them and almost leapt out of my seat." Plant's own explanation of the lyrics was that it "was some cynical aside about a woman getting everything she wanted all the time without giving back any thought or consideration. The first line begins with that cynical sweep of the hand ... and it softened up after that.[14]

The lyrics of the song reflected Plant's current reading. The singer had been poring over the works of the British antiquarian Lewis Spence, and later cited Spence's Magic Arts in Celtic Britain as one of the sources for the lyrics to the song.[9]

Interesting they were out in the country too when they wrote it becaues theres a strong relationship between creativity and connection to the land / wilderness .

Any way , food for thought.

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Its fairly easy to go into a long explanation about stairway, its been dissected time and time, and gone over and over, but lets not forget that this is off their fourth studio album, they work together well and are a fairly established band by this point, they can really think about what they want to say and spend a hell of a long time perfecting their craft with no day-job to get in their way.... Plant himself had often said he didn't know where the lyrics came from because they were all high as hell at the time...

How about we take one of the songs off the first album... hell, lets take all of them... what are they about? what's the message those songs are portraying...

Lost love, new love, getting over someone... sounds about right... Tell me, what makes the message in those songs so different to the message in mine?

You say I should be careful about making those kind of judgements, as I can see, I didn't make any judgement... a flippant comment, maybe. Take a look at yourself in that respect.

I actually took on board your input the first couple of posts, after that gross over-reaction, I can't take you any more seriously than I would a daily mail journalist.

Yeah, you don't like what I do, that's fine, I got that from the first post... Was there any need for that outburst to a comment that wasn't even directed at you?