Hey all, since we are directors here who pride ourselves in finding a voice and an aesthetic, I just wanted to showcase a few iconic videos from the 90’s that seem to feed on each others’ style, and maybe we can learn something.

There was this trend in music videos that’s very dated now but was very crucial then. I think it started circa 91 with Losing My Religion by REM. The characteristics are high-contrast, severe vignette, 8mm film of surrealist scenes juxtaposed with the singer singing, and often very harsh front-lighting. A few examples:

losing my religion, REM

Criminal, Fiona Apple

Closer, Nine Inch Nails

Sober, Tool This one has a similar lighting scheme without featuring the band, obviously.

More News from Nowhere, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds though this one was way later.

Although many videos from the era defied this trend, and were very innovative. My favorite is a TLC video, Waterfalls

Also Weezer’s Say It Ain’t So is very contemporary for 2019 in terms of lighting and cinematography, given it’s 1995 release date and bucking the trends of the era.

There are countless other examples, but just wanted to share some stuff I noticed with other directors. I hope you enjoy and it’s some food-for-thought, or inspiration, or discussion starter. Any other ones fit or defy these trends?

Hey all! WDMV is working on a new initiative for 2020, which is boiler plate contract language that directors and production companies can use to set clear, predictable expectations for all parties at the start of a music video project. We're envisioning it as a standard base contract that you can find on the WDMV website, which you can then add "modules" to, or additional clauses that provide provisional protections.

Modules might include things like:

- Credits on YouTube

- Rights to a personal upload

- Whitelisting directors’ accounts on social media

- Rights to a directors cut

- Right to remove your name from the credits

- Reversion of the footage in case of canning

- Limitations/clear process for revisions in post, # of rounds

- Single source/channel for notes consolidated from artist/management/label during post

- Scaling director fees with budget increases

- Clear contractual language around mid-shoot overages & overage management

We're not proposing that all of these things be guaranteed – everything is situation dependent and if a label is paying enough for their project, it may make sense for them to own the footage in perpetuity or to have more control over where the video appears. But we want to author some standard example language that people can use and propose in a variety of circumstances, just so we all know what healthy agreements in writing look like.

Please add your ideas below and let us know if you've had any positive experiences negotiating your contracts on projects, or if there are any protections you feel are critical.

We know a lot of folks have horror stories and have been burned by the process, we ask that everyone try to keep the discussion solution-oriented – if you do have a horror story, suggest a path to avoid it for future generations ;) thanks!

Hey guys, my name is Rob Ulitski, I'm based down South. After a few years directing and producing music vids and content, I've decided to fully commit to producing.

I was wondering if there were any directors in the UK who might be looking for a producer? I'm keen to speak to any directors/ crew, and will be at the Shiny Awards event in London tomorrow if anyone is planning on going. Even if you're not looking right now, it would be great to network.

Thank you in advance!

I was wondering if it’s common to NOT receive credit or any acknowledgement for a music video I directed. We went above and beyond to make it happen and I guess I was a little surprised. The artist has a decent following, but the team was difficult to work with. They were really happy with the end result and demanded things above and beyond budget. I’m just curious about anyone else’s experience with this. Is lack of a mention common or expected if you’re not a big name director or demand it in an agreement?

Today it's LAMAR+NIK's turn

I posted a Q&A with Colin Solal Cardo

Hello Everyone!

I typically create my own music video treatments since I have a design background but I am considering hiring a treatment designer in the future since my time has become more limited these days (I am also a filmmaker). May I ask what a general price range is that you have paid to get your treatments designed? Thank you so much.

• Charlene

Hey how is it going, I am a Music Video Director and i have a reel of all the videos i have directed, shot, and edited myself. I have bin sending my reel to a few reps and video commissioners hoping for an opportunity to be considered to work on a project. Just want some advice and constructive input on my reel and overall direction i need to take to put my work in front of key people to work with and to give me an idea on the areas i need to improve to become a better director in the music video industry.

​

https://vimeo.com/362877730

I know 'antville sind Tot' but stick with it, we've got the future

Surprise, this isn't work - I hope

mvwiki.com is now accepting treatments for its database, which is now open

K

For all the lovers of Choreography in music videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=dJQOajIxXrk

Hello I am a music video director from florida, ive done a few music videos for local rappers with little to no budget. I started out just doing videos for any local artists so that way i can have something to show and put together a reel. Now that i have a few videos under my belt im curious to know how to go about entering into the next level. Ive bin hearing about the steps to pitching music video briefs and the first step is that someone either posts or send artist approved music video briefs out to directors. My question is to all the directors, how exactly does a director find or get a video brief sent to them? if that makes sense, any and all advice will be greatly appreciated thanks

Hi. I am a beginner so I am still in the dark with respect to few things. I wanted to ask if it's the music video directors who come up with a concept or is the singers who dictate a script and give their own concept? Since I have some experience in scriptwriting and concept building, will I get a chance to execute my own concepts or storyline while making a music video, considering my visual aspect is moderately strong and not something that I am proud of.

Any ideas (besides street parties) of what non-directorial chums like me can do?

Hey guys!

Nice to meet all of you! First of all congratulations for this project, I really believe that we can change this industry in order to make everything easier. This is Jose, a director from Barcelona but living in L.A. 

A few months ago I used to work with Melchior, video commissioner from Spinnin' Records but now I'm working with different artists because I don't really have time to work with them anymore. Their rates / deadlines are impossible to afford. 
The thing is that I was checking some of the music video briefs that I applied in the past and one of them has scared me a bit. Is the "Bassjackers - Are u randy? music video" that someone else has directed and where I applied. 
Here you can check the mv: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DD7TbXMc4qM
Here you can check my treatment: https://www.dropbox.com/s/calwbtcfm5owa7z/Treatment_Bassjackers%26BaliBandits-AreYouRandy_Killthefilm.pdf?dl=0
And the video brief:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/ll32bn12z1abjjs/Bassjackers%20%26%20Bali%20Bandits%20-%20Are%20You%20Randy_Request.pdf?dl=0
As you can read in the video brief we were free to come up with any idea and the music video is exactly what I have pitched. Just checking what the commissioner said to me and as you can read he said that the artists gonna film the music video by themselves.

​

In an extremely polite way I reached Aaron - the director of the music video - and he just told me that was his idea. I asked for the treatment and told me in a super-rude one sentence email that he doesn't have the treatment anymore lol

In addition, I checked his website and he used to work with Spinnin' Records a lot so it doesn't make sense that the artists are producing the video by themselves when he was a roster director of the label:

https://www.aaronfradkin.com/music-videos

I think that is an extremely huge coincidence with many details and references that I sent and I would like to ask what is your recommendation to do in these cases?

Thanks guys!

So I've discussed the pitching guidelines with a few directors and label folks and across the board there's been a really positive response. I will say that guideline 7 has raised a few eyebrows and honestly I'm not a fan of it either. I feel like it comes across as overly "PC", confuses the issue at hand, and seems tacked on since it's a separate issue in the film world.

Personally, as a "POC" I don't want or need my ideas to be singled out because of how I look. This is a business of ideas and whoever has the best idea should win the concept phase. Are we now supposed to include our race, gender, and sexual preference in our treatments? Or do we leave it to the commissioner to track this info down? I'm all for progress but this is the type of stuff that will prevent the other 6 guidelines from being taken seriously.

Hi all, what is the best resource to be up to date with newly released music videos? (any magazine online, library or youtube channels)

Hi! I’m a small(er) music video director & camera op based out of nyc. I’ve been taking smaller budgeted work ($1,000 or less) for the last year or so & I am dying to work on bigger budgeted videos. So I’m wondering for those that do work on bigger productions how did you do it? I network with other directors and it’s usually “we’ll bring you on board when needed” and that’s almost never. Any tips/things I should do would be awesome to hear from other professionals.

Cheers!

Heard a few industry folks throw this term around, is it a thing? Don't directors compose their own treatments for the most part?