FIND YOUR RHYTHM
Reference Research gives you a shared language to refer to and helps inform design decisions throughout the creative process. Our clients on the Ooh La La video wanted an old-school block party music video feel, so we went back and watched hundreds of classic hip hop music videos to gain inspiration. Then with that language available to us, we could collaborate with the clients and the team to brainstorm how best to hit the brief. Ideas are the lifeblood of creativity, pull them from anywhere and everywhere.
Innovate Evaluate new technologies, software, technical papers. What tools do you have available to push ideas further than anyone else has? What feeling do you want to evoke when a viewer sees your work?
You don't need a huge team to create an effective music video, nor do you necessarily need VFX. Know your reference, know your tools, know your team and then create. Change any part of the process using any available tools, create something unique. Educate Understanding how the project will fit in the cultural zeitgeist should also inform some of the design decisions you and the team make. When creating crowds for example, we have always strived to maintain a diverse palette of agents so as to effectively represent our community. It is important to understand that no matter how small, every piece of art or entertainment will affect someone somewhere. As artists we need to understand how our work affects the culture around us. Some of the most well-known and effective music videos have reflected back to the viewer the culture of the time. Educate yourself with what's happening in the world.
Enjoy Creatively, there are very few restrictions on a music video and as such they offer a unique avenue for expression in our popular culture. Rarely does a music video have to conform to a specific narrative and that means that unlike traditional VFX, creativity can be king. So within the realm of the brief, be as experimental and creative as you can be. Be as collaborative as you can, create tests and ideas that could be used in this project or any other.