After a successful partnership with Denver based rock band Silver and Smoke on their first music video “Hope You’re Happy” we both looked forward on how to top that success. We knew that we needed to capture their first big show at the Globe Hall in Denver, but concert videos are a dime or dozen. What could we do to add some punch to it? Focusing on a more loose and playful style compared to their previous video that was more narrative driven seemed like a good fit. This would allow fans to get a glimpse into who the people behind the music were through candid shots of them playing.

We set up our first shoot day at Acacia Jade Studios where the band practices, records, and performs. We ran 2 cameras continuously throughout their practice session. This allowed us to capture not only great performance shots but also the band showing their personalities. Seeing how much fun they had and how much passion they had for not only their music but each other was amazing.

Next, we set up 2 cameras to capture their sound check and live performance at the Globe Hall. Due to budget limitations and venue issues, we couldn’t capture a wide shot, so we settled on a close up wide on a dolly and a side roving camera. Live captures can be tricky and when you have a smaller crew and other limitations for your venue including sound capture and lighting, things can go south quickly. Luckily we were prepared for these issues and captured some great footage.

The band decided they wanted a 3 act type of structure to the video. The first was solely in the studio showing them practice and record the song. The next was the sound check, showing them preparing for their concert. Lastly, we had the concert shot that hit right when the song went into overdrive. We graded each act differently to maintain the difference visually and overlayed Broll of the band throughout the video.

The band loved the video and we created a short clip they could pre-release to get their fans excited. Once the video hit the internet it started to blow up. Within a single evening, the video garnered over 5k views and to this date is till be viewed and shared on Facebook.

Creating a music video for your band or for yourself as an individual artist is important. You don’t need a huge budget to get one professionally done. You need a strong production company that understands your needs to put together something that will garner new fans and pleases existing ones. This partnership is just as important as it is in the corporate video market. You may be hiring a production company but it the end results is always better when you work as partners with the same goals. Not only did Crooked Road please their fan base, but non fans raced to download their music after their friends shared the video. Isn’t that what the point of doing a music video is?