Music for video, well known song or original ?

[robint]

I totally agree. I have used popular songs in the past with still-photo slideshows and gotten trashed for it. People either love or hate the music, so it is safer to use songs without lyrics or songs that aren't as well known. I try to do that now, however I do have favorite artists that I love.... my current favs are gregorian chants to rock music and morrocan bellydancer music. I have used alot of movie soundtracks, also.

Sometimes picking the music takes longer than editing....... other times I have a particular song in mind before I even start editing. It all has to do with how I felt doing the dive for the video I am producing and what I want the viewer to feel while watching it.

robin

 

[MSilvia]

I've had really good luck with instrumental music, preferably stuff that's well performed, interesting, and not very well known. I think it's best when it helps set a mood that's in line with what I'm presenting, and it doesn't draw undue attention to itself. I aim to make dive videos with music, not music videos with divers.

Right now, my favorite artist for when I'm making stuff for my own enjoyment is the late Michael Hedges. I don't really listen to his stuff otherwise, but it's great for background music in dive videos. It sets a relaxed mood, isn't obtrusive, and most folks haven't heard it. That aside, the guy played an acoustic guitar like he had six hands. I saw him live at U Maine Orono years ago, and was blown away.

Here's a sample track.

 

[Empty V]

If someone did report you, at most I think you would be asked to take the video down. I can't picture them suing you unless somehow your video devalued or damaged the music/song.

I'll make this quick because I know you didn't want to get into the topic.

As long as you're not making money off of it no one will say anything. Most likely if you wanted to acquire the sync and or recording rights to a track you would get what is called a gratis mechanical license. It's not that hard, it just takes some persistence. I've been in that position many times (not for diving videos because I too am a hobbyist) and the only thing ASCAP, BMI, and more importantly the publishing companies care about is money.

I'm done derailing now,

Billy

 

[Drewski]

I've made two videos with songs I like (click here for the last one) and I just look at it as "screwing around."

I don't post them to copyright protected sites or put "copyright" notification on them. I also wouldn't complain if someone used them for another purpose - after all, I did the same thing with the music.

I do try and match the "story" with the song, along with keeping the transitions paced with the rhythm (i.e., FAST song = MANY transitions, Slow = Less), but that's just my amateur nature coming through, LOL.

When I get serious, I'll buy the music...

 

[redrover]

Interesting question.
Fitting the mood is my choice. Or just because I like a well known piece of music doesn’t mean I appreciate where I’m listening to it. Honestly I’ve really liked music, maybe less known or original for the opportunity to expand my taste or awareness. I’ve found a video and it’s soundtrack equally compelling.

I agree with music enhancing the story or adding to it. I watch a fair amount of the videos offered here and to be honest many have boring footage and boring music. I keep waiting for the good part and often give up before it finishes.


Hey, I just went and looked at your link. Indonesia Part 5 is a great example of what I like.

• Crappy vis pointed out with brief narration focused me to expect something worth waiting for. Divers didn’t look like twits, good divers always encourage me the whole shebang will have corresponding higher quality. Nice voice and inflection, no complaints there. Have to say seems like the exact number and words, no more, no less and no different.
• I was mildly intrigued. Ok, let’s see what this guy has to back up the intro. Oh! Manta, nice…music; perfect. The music complimented the somber and vague visual as well as the prolonged sweeping motions of a manta (vs darting fish). It didn’t look like crappy vis and barely seen Manta but were somehow clever enough to make the visual look mysterious.
• It was a tad long. Just a tad. 30 sec before the ending I’d come back to begin writing while my initial impression was fresh. And at the end my thought was perfect (if just a tad long.) Short and sweet. Longer would be boring – but I get to see Manta so there I’m likely a minority on a tad bit too long. But actually, my desire if creating would not be to satiate the viewer but have them demand Hana Ho! (Hawaiian for do it again.)

I can’t remember which now, the one with the most amazing things and no fish. That I think could use better music. (And variation of how you’re filming these things but that’s not what you were asking about. ) By better I mean the video would be perfect to Zen out or lull me to sleep. What you filmed was too unreal, stunning visions of a world beyond belief and the music said it was placid ho hum. I’m thinking something in the background more exotic or quirky. Upbeat, more lively, bemusing, flight of the imagination. Enhance the viewing, play up to it and not tone it down. Also there perhaps lyrics would be a benefit as well as something you create - to keep pace with the motions. The rising and falling, undulating, I wanted to hear a snap when the clams did. I wish I knew the names of those things. That flat thing kind fluttering and flapping, really needed sound to go along with it.

And the fish balls. That timing and music were spot on. The initial explosion ball….Dang! I’d be real proud of that.

 

[ronscuba]

Hi Redrover.

Thanks for taking the time to watch my vids and providing such a detailed post. I always like to hear suggestions and critiques.

If you watched on Youtube, it has an old version of Indonesia Part5. The newer version is about 25 seconds shorter. I basically deleted the shaky panning footage. Sometime today, I'll upload the newer version.

Speaking of part 5, funny you liked that one. I felt it was my weakest part and it was only intended for my fellow boat guests as a closure to my trip video.

Although I have 5 separate videos on the internet, it's really one big video edited in chronological travel blog style. It's divided into parts to make internet viewing easier and to make a logical separation of events as they happened along the 12 day trip. Part 2 was intentially somber because the dives on those days were not as exciting as those later in the trip. I also wanted something relatively calm as a lead in to the fish school part 3.

One of the things I like best about doing video is the ability to take things in any direction I want. Fast cuts and upbeat music or somber music with slow transitions. The options are endless.

Keep the comments, critiques and suggestions coming.

 

[Empty V]

I agree with music enhancing the story or adding to it. I watch a fair amount of the videos offered here and to be honest many have boring footage and boring music. I keep waiting for the good part and often give up before it finishes.

The reality is, is that most dive videos suck. But most dive video authors aren't professional cameraman and or editors. They're also not writers and do not know how to tell a story and don't know what that concept really entails. They just want to show their friends and family what they see underwater, I choose to quickly skip through those videos because they bore me to death and are way too long, but that's just me. IMO a dive video that is just imagery (not a documentary or have some sort of entertaining story) should have a running time of 2-3 minutes. If people started cutting their videos down and removing the footage that never should have been put in there, i.e. shaky footage of other divers or the same shot of another fish that's identical to the one right before it, thEn their videos would quickly become much more impressive and entertaining. And obviously music choice and editing plays a massive role in all of this.

Here's a link to my first short film (not dive related and probably not any good) that does not have dialogue or live sound recorded but shows how much of the story is told through the music and hoW it creates and changes the mood. It was all shot on 16mm film and edited on a flatbed with a guillotine and splicer. Both username and password are case sensitive. Remember this is no work of art, just an example.

http://www.oocpromotions.com/thethi...or)-My Cancer Capture-H.264 LAN Streaming.mov

username: dive
password: videos

Billy

 

[ronscuba]

I've recently attended a few local UW photo club/society meetings. On 2 separate occassions they had pro's show their work and talk about UW video techniques.

The editing, camerawork, production-work was outstanding. No shaky footage, sound was crisp and clear. These were real pros. One with professional broadcast experience, the other a published scubadiver with books on diving, UW video techniques and commercial DVD's for sale to the public.

Watching their video it was obviously pro work way way beyond what I do and what I see here on scubaboard. That being said....... I was bored.

Take a look at commercial movies. You have movies that are Academy Award winners with great performances from the directors, writers, actors, etc.. You also have movies that are box office blockbusters that receive no awards or nominations at all. Look at movie reviews and opinions of people and pro critics run from A++ to F.

People's tastes vary and you can never please everyone. I want to keep improving my techniques and hopefully enterntain people. However, as a hobbyist, what matters most to me, is to have fun.