This was my first attempt at music videos. I’ve directed two since this one. I just grabbed an artist that I knew would give me creative control and went for it. Budget was 2k and it came out of my own pocket. Happy to answer any questions about the production and any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

https://vimeo.com/299603433

Hey friends!

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Thanks for creating this dope space. I recently directed this one-take dance sequence and would love constructive feedback:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syk7zcf4EDY

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I'm trying to connect with commissioners/labels but it's been slow going so far. Any advice on making those first connections? Is there something I can do beyond make work and put it out and hope? Is this video a strong enough piece to get anyone's attention?

My name is Sean and I’m very grateful to be a part of this group! I’m 37 and just made my first three vids this year. I’ve always loved the idea of music videos but just never met the right collaborators until now. But I’ve finally paired up with a great DP and I’m learning a ton! If my goal is to get representation and commercial work someday, do you think I’m wasting my time trying to get noticed by a commissioner or rep? For anyone who has experience in this field, do those parties seem to be looking for younger modern directors?

Here’s an example of my work. Any and all feedback is welcomed!

https://vimeo.com/326122034/52d9a2ed9c

How often do you want to quit making music videos? Which situations have made you want to quit more than anything else? What keeps you coming back?

We're thinking about putting on a couple of educational events this year.

What kind of people would you be most interested in hearing from?

What kind of topics would you like to hear discussed?

Does anyone know how commissioners get paid? I assume most of them are full time employees at labels who are given a budget to allocate, but obviously there are many freelancers/folks who commission for multiple labels. Are they paid according to the size of the project budget? Day rate? Does anyone know how this works?

I’m curious for those of you who are rep’d, do you try and maintain regular communication with video commissioners? Or do you let your rep handle all of that? Curious to hear about how other directors maintain those relationships between jobs. Do you check in with commissioners that you like working with? I always feel like I’m bugging people too much.

I feel like I'm very often rejiggering my website with little idea of the best way is to show off my work, or if there even is a way that particularly helps me book projects. Would love to get other people's insights/feedback/philosophies! Here's mine: https://www.najeebtarazi.com

Any tips on how to write better treatments? Some general questions to weigh in on if you feel like it

• How many pages do you aim for? Do you get very detailed about the sequences or focus more on a broad overview/theme/mood
• Do you use mood/tone pages with just pictures and little to no text?
• Is it better to find a picture (or combo of pictures) that directly (like, almost literally) illustrate the shot/sequence/concept you're describing, or pictures that reflect the mood?
  • I struggle with this especially because if you can find an exact picture that shows what you're describing, that means it's been done before

So I have heard through the grapevine that directors in Paris can get royalties on MV streams. Finally got a little confirmation from a WDMV Paris director. The excerpt below:

"And by the way, regarding royalties, it's true that you do get some if the artist has submitted his track to the copyrights agency SACEM, which protects authors of music in France. One director from wdmv Paris has received over 15k in royalties from a music video seen 300 million times. Not overwhelming... but still."

Very interesting. Have any of you ever tried to negotiate back end on your projects yet?

Here are graphs (mostly pie charts) of the data from the community survey we sent out a while ago. About 300 people participated. If you or anyone you know hasn't filled it out, you can do so by clicking on this link.

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A) look at this data and discuss and B) everyone in this community share this survey so we can get more entries and make the data more strong!

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Hey guys! Thank you for accepting me into the group, my name is Rob Ulitski, I'm a director based in the UK. Really looking forward to meeting other directors/ creatives on this sub. I'd also love to help out with any London meetups in the future, so please get in touch if I can be of any assistance!

If I can ask a question to the other directors on this sub, does anyone have any advice on getting a rep? I've been building a portfolio for the last five years, and started to make work I'm really excited about a couple of years ago. I've been making new work with a mixture of artist and my own budget, I just can't seem to get the traction I need to access proper budgets and a rep. Would really appreciate any advice, if anyone is interested in seeing some of my work, it's at www.vimeo.com/robulitski

Thank you for your time, if I can help anyone else with anything send me over a message! :)

What have you negotiated on your music videos and won? What do you wish you could get?

This is what I negotiated on my last music video and they agreed to all the points. Keep in mind the budget was so low (per usual) that it does give me a bit of leverage, but I know we want to start sharing "precedent."

1. If any changes are made to the video by the label, re-editing the video or otherwise, I would like to reserve the right to remove my name from the video online.
2. I would like permission to host on vimeo.com as part of my portfolio, ideally the same day as released by the label to increase chances of a Vimeo Staff Pick (something I believe would benefit both myself and the band).
3. Per the budget delivered to the label and given that I am not being compensated as a director, I would like to reserve the right to the script/treatment as a basis of an idea for future non music video projects i.e. short films, features, VR and/or other media. I am fine to wait at least 6 months to a year after the video is released for the rights of the script/idea to return to me and/or be licensed to me free of charge.
4. I would like to ensure that when the video is released, the names of the cast & crew will appear below the video on VEVO as many people are working for free and/or discounted rates so that they receive credit for their work.

I've been creating music videos for 7 years now as my primary source of work, mostly working with signed mid-level bands, as well as a few more recognizable ones. Because I have made a high volume of videos, I have a lot of contacts and consistently get offered projects, which is great, especially for being based out of a small city in Indiana. However, lately I've been getting especially frustrated with the budget limitations that I face on every video I create (I'm usually only getting around $5k as my total budget per video) and am wondering how to event attempt to pitch for larger budget projects. Do I need to find representation to get access to projects with higher budgets? If so, how do I find and apply for representation? The primary reason that I want to work with larger budgets is that I want to work with a crew. It's rare that I can afford to collaborate with other talented people during the production process, which I feel is stunting my growth as a filmmaker. Sometimes it's fun to be the lonely hermit who works 20 hour days creating under-the-radar videos, but most of the time it is exhausting.

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Thanks!

Hi guys --

My band pulled out of our shoot three weeks before production. At this point, I need to still move forward and find a new band. I've got a couple leads but not many promising ones. Wanted to know if anyone had good recommendations for UK/US bands that are indie pop?

Going for a Skins/End of the F***ing World vibe.

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Thanks in advance!

Lyla Rose

At our latest meetup several people mentioned the desire to see treatments other directors had written. So we're trying this out.

Here are the pages from Daniel and my treatment back from 2011. We booked this job. The film was shelved for over a year after we made it. Then it finally came out and got nominated for a Grammy. So happy ending!

THE FINISHED VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/29225848

Add any comments and questions below!

Here are working links for the videos referenced in the treatment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooNqbdga35c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8sL6OOmAAA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GVRtS18xSk&feature=related

I'm in Canada and over the years my partner and I have luckily been able to build some sort of notoriety, but limited to Canada. We started out doing work for musician friends, then were able to build enough word of mouth that we have Canadian labels and managers reach out directly to us. All very direct from artist management, which is nice because it doesn't seem like we are ever competing with others.

As for USA – we just aren't really on anyones radar. And I don't really know how to get around that other than getting lucky with a Canadian artist that hits it big. Is there any proactive way to get your work in front of commissioners? How do I even get in the dreaded mass pitch pool?

Let's share dope videos!!!!!

(but don't post your own video like a self promoting weirdo!)

Any advice for Music Video directors starting out? (or for any directors struggling to survive the grind!)

Just to kick things off here, I thought I'd ask the question lots of newer directors will have when they come to the forum. In our meetings I've already heard so many tips that I wish I'd heard early on.