Moving image Studio News   •  April 30, 2020

COVID-19 has brought the world’s economies to a grinding halt. But not every business has raised the white flag of defeat. Many businesses have found ways to keep their doors open safely and successfully but it takes thinking outside the box. What works for one business may not work for another.

As a video production company we have found a way forward that keeps both our staff and our clients safe. For clients that need original content we can send out a very small one, two or three man crew. Our staff is equipped with PPE that meets CDC guidelines including rubber gloves and masks. We also adhere to social distancing by staying at least six feet apart from each other. After several successful shoots during the pandemic we have had no COVID infections for our crew or clients.

For productions that don’t require original content we also offer alternative ways to produce content directly from our studios. By making use of our own large archived video library and stock footage libraries we can produce new content without sending a crew to shoot footage.  All communication for creative, scripting and online editing can be done remotely keeping our staff and clients safe. We also offer many other services that are not affected by the COVID virus such as our print and graphic design services and our website design services to name a few. 

What About Music Videos?

You might be wondering if it’s possible to produce a music video during a pandemic. The answer is YES! In fact we did just that recently for a musician that already had a song track professionally produced and just needed a music video to market the song’s release on her YouTube channel. As a struggling singer she needed a cost effective solution but she was also concerned about the COVID virus. Since her budget would not support fielding a video crew we suggested using stock footage along with footage that her friend had shot of her performing. The challenge for us was to take footage shot by an amateur using an iPhone and make it play seamlessly alongside professional stock footage from our library.

Crafting a Professional Music Video from iPhone Footage

Our client emailed the song to us along with the lyrics. Next we selected a wide range of stock footage that would best convey the story behind the song’s words. After we received the client’s iPhone footage we could already tell that it would need a lot of processing in order to match the look of the stock footage. The editor convinced our client to go for a gritty and faded look for the footage. We did this by adding several layers of effects to both the iPhone footage and the stock footage. Using visual effects we added scratches, compressed the blacks and blew out the whites making the footage glow.

A Music Video for Less Than $1000

The final result was a seamless music video using iPhone footage shot by an amateur videographer intercut with professional stock footage to showcase the song’s YouTube release. If you have a song that you’ve always wanted to turn into a music video but have limited funds we can help. Even if you have never shot a video we can offer guidance and assistance to make your music video a reality!

To watch the finished video click on the link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGFFaHgl6yo