Justice Productions also does music video production. This video was done for a band in Missoula, Montana called Universal Choke Sign. I’m a friend of the band so I decided to help them out.
Since not every band has a record deal, it means not all of them can put up a multi-thousand dollar contract to a production company for a spankin’ great music video!
You would think that every band wants one of those videos where they have to put up with multiple takes from a prim a-dona director yelling cut in their face every 30 seconds. With those kind of shoots, usually someone gets screwed whether it’s the band or someone “working for free” on the crew. Don’t get me wrong, many young people should work for free a few times on a crew just to get in the “biz” or get some experience so they can approach a production company that can use them. No experience? You better have a great attitude and come willing to learn and admit when you’re wrong then! These guys in the band however were pretty much just starting out a few years before I came to one of their shows and filmed this simple, straight forward live video. That’s what you should do if you’re a young band. Have your big crowd performances filmed and put it together. There’s nothing like seeing 50 or more people singing your songs back to you on camera for your video!
A lot of bands just want a video that focuses more on the music, which is what I love. Take the thesis of what the song is talking about and don’t just “shock”; anyone can shock and most everyone does. That’s the problem that most bands and video artists push themselves into. EVERYONE is looking to just get recognized for something that shocked America for 2 minutes, and most of them are forgotten in about 2 weeks or 2 years because of that. I like bands with substance and a crew that can work positively and efficiently to bring about a product they’ll be proud to see in ten years!
But of course, if you’re going to shock… do it as an artist with creativity and bring us into your world which you’ve created for our imaginations to swim in! Take this video by Tool for example. This is the kind of stop-motion animation I like!