The way that music is digested by fans has changed dramatically in the last few years. If you're gonna stand out, you need all kinds of video content to keep your fans happy.
Music is in our blood—you’ll rarely find our office quiet. We’re toe tappers and head bangers.
We’ve built up this company thanks to our reputation for creativity, and that’s all thanks to the playground of production that the music industry offers us. It’s where we’re at our most creative, and it’s where we feel at home.
We’re musicians ourselves, and a fair few of our closest friends are musicians. We know the score. We understand the opportunities, the pain points, the wants and needs.
We work with record labels, artist management and unsigned artists to make music promos, live sessions, and social content that fans gobble up and share far and wide.
Every video production project is different, but there are a few important things to consider depending on the type of content you're need, who the audience is, and how it's delivered.
The flagship video content for any band is the music video. This bad boy goes out with the new single across all the channels as a tooting of the battle horn, rousing fans and making sure the scene knows you’re ready for war. This is the few minutes where an artist has to convey their brand, their message, their look and their purpose, all in a neatly presented visual accompaniment. It’s important to get that right, as it’s the one shot the artist will have to win over a potential fan for life. We make sure that our ideas match the aesthetic of the artist, they resonate with the intended audience, and look and feel in line with the artistic nature of the track.
There are times, however, when a label or an artist wants to push back against the norms and make something that will stand out amongst the content of its peers. Those are the times that our eyes light up, we rub our hands together like evil villains and call an emergency team meeting to scheme away.
With a proven track record of producing a catalogue of compelling music videos, we love the challenges they present and the creativity they demand.
Live or ‘as-live’? Either way, the point is to make a piece of content that feels like an exclusive, special presentation that only true fans get to enjoy. Every man and his dog will have heard the song or seen the music video, but for those loyal fans, hearing a song reworked or stripped back and played as a session is a treat. It’s a chance to showcase the musicianship and songwriting ability in a more intimate setting, made to feel more “real” than a music video would.
These sessions can either be a true, one-take, one camera production, or they could be a multi-cam, 5-6 angle coverage behemoth all shot on cinema cameras and vintage lenses. That comes down to the track, the artist/label preference and (not forgetting) the budget. Sessions can be just as creative as music videos, and is also a great way to get a wealth of content from a single production—why not shoot 4-5 tracks from the album? Why not the whole EP? A ‘sessions’ set is a real nice way for fans to feel like they’re enjoying a special live show from one of their favourite artists.
People use social media to live vicariously through others. No one wants to think about it, but there, we said it. Sure, it’s a cold hard truth and a bitter pill, but that’s your chance to harness that power and put out content that both appeases the audiences yearning for fresh experiences and draws in potential new fans. From what might seem like a pretty normal, everyday thing for an artist like travelling between cities or preparing for a show, for fans, this is a glimpse into the inner workings of their favourite act. Capitalise on this by pushing out content that entertains viewers, shows more of the artist’s personality and builds that bond with fans.
That special one-off performance. That anniversary gig. The album launch. These are the hotly anticipated gigs that people talk about and look forward to for ages. You may as well get ‘em covered and recorded properly, so that your fans that couldn’t make it can feel like they were part of it too. We’ll pick the right crew for the job depending on the artist, the venue and the look and feel of the project. We’re hyper aware of the fact that that show’s still gotta be a show for the audience first, and they want to feel like they’re at a gig, not a video shoot. We’re masters at staying low-key whilst getting all the shots we want.
Music Promo FAQ
How much does a music video cost?
Music videos are possibly one of the hardest to pin down in terms of a ballpark budget. You’ve gotta consider the type of video we’re making (is it narrative-based or performance based?) then there are things like equipment, locations, actors and the general complexity of the shoot that will all need to be factored into the budget. These can range anywhere from £3k up to £30k and well beyond that, which is all dependent on the creative. We’ll tend to take a budget and work an idea that suits, rather than presenting something overly ambitious and trying to scrape it together! Sometimes though, less is more, so we’d chat through the brief and decide an approach following that.
How long does a music video take to make?
Depending on complexity, logistical craziness and artist schedules, these can take anywhere from 3-8 weeks to pull together. We’re aware that artists and labels hardly ever work with a comfortably lengthy timeline, so we’re tuned in to the fact we need to hit the ground running with music content. We’d also make sure that whatever we put forward is achievable within your timescales, as we know that worldwide premiere release date ain’t gonna change, so it’s up to us to deliver on time and on budget.
What is an as-live session video?
So when an artist wants a session video but doesn’t necessarily want to—or have time to—record live vocals on-set, we produce an as-live session, where the audio is pre-recorded and mimed on set. Very much like a classic music video approach, but just with a different look and feel. This works well for artists that play extremely complicated parts, or that have a number of musicians playing, as there’s more margin for error. One mistake means re-taking the entire song, so for those with a tight timeline and a busy schedule, this approach is the best choice. It does mean pre-recording the session, as well as some more mixing work to ensure that the track matches the sound of the space it’s being filmed in, but this will generally provide a more polished look and feel in the end product.
Are session videos worth doing?
We feel the best way to get the most out of a session video production is to aim to get a few tracks recorded. Whereas with a music video, you wouldn’t film more than one track with the same setup, with sessions, these can all be recorded together and presented as a session series. Because they are often re-workings or live versions of the original tracks, it’s a nice way of presenting these songs in a new light as a special performance event. You could spend the one day’s filming to get a number of pieces of content, plus, you could use this content over a period of time too, rather than releasing all at once. Double whammy!
How we like to get things done.
Getting great content made should be as straightforward and painless as possible for our clients. So we double down on our processes, thrive on transparency, and communicate like the warm, bright (and slightly peculiar) humans that we are. We’re aware that our clients are busy people—our job is to make your life easier, not to add to your workload.
Sure, making money is important to us; it means we get to keep doing what gets us out of bed in the morning. But we’re always clear about where your budget goes. No sneaking around, no hidden costs. We don’t believe in tricky small print—we like big, bold, honest conversation.
These lovely human beings look after our clients. Look how chirpy they are! Don't you just wanna pick up your phone and give 'em' a call? Or, if interacting with humans in real time saps your energy (know them feels), feel free to lob us an email.
