I'm walking step by step through making a music video the Gorilla Way, fast cheap and good! The shoot is scheduled for tomorrow so today I'll touch on what it took to get this far. The next post hopefully will be about the super successful multi-location music video shoot!

If you missed it, read my last post Part 1 I talked about the overall Gorilla Way of making a near free video and my personal philosophy on where music videos fit in my music career. Today I'll get into the beginning stages.

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P-2 The Making Of A Music Video - Step By Step - The Gorilla Way

one of my more simple one location shoots

Beginnings, Scouting, Planning, and scheduling

The beginnings are usually the hardest part. First, allowing yourself to go out on a limb and possibly embarrass yourself is the first step in doing anything of consequence. Second, getting off my ass and string up some activity.. that's the next hardest part.

Getting Ideas That Fit Your Zero Budget And The Song

I personally enjoy making videos that have a little bit of a story to them; too much of a plot though could take attention away from the song. I think of it as weaving a plot that furthers/features the theme or plot of the song and letting them together tell one story.

In the Gorilla way, I try to stay away from any real defined scripting of a story or locations, because we're making a cheap ass video! I have to go with the flow and be ready for anything. If I lock my expectations down to specific visuals, locations and outcomes, I might end up making something worse than if I would have given no thought at all and just went with what was presented to me in the moment.

This is really key to making good inexpensive productions. Letting go of expectations, relaying deeply on intuition and allowing the locations, people, lighting and weather, intuitively, in the moment – tell you what IT is going to be.

That said, I do have to have a specific guide ( 'script' ) if for no other reason than to help the crew feel confident in my directing. In the early days, I let on too much that I had no idea what we were trying to do. Things turned out, but I think it was more stressful on everyone. Took twice as long, and cost twice as much. Now, I give everyone very specific detailed shot directions for every location. BUT, I tell them: "That is the plan, BUT, don't marry it, everything is subject to change depending on the lighting, locations and my whims."

That sounds real loosey goose, but it actually helps a lot. When things start sliding into unproductive chaos, I can always direct them back to the script and storyboards.

Actors & Children

Children are very interesting subjects in music videos, but they can drain your entire life force & production if you don't have a budget for bribery. Here is a trailer of one video I made with a bunch of kids. When you see them running, I am running backward in front of them, I might as well had dollar bills in my hands. One kid drained my wallet as the production went longer. We had fits, kids quitting, and some crying.

I want my actors and the environment to inspire something I would have never thought of. But here is a good example of when it's good to have a script/storyboard to lock back into. Sometimes, since your actors are newbies, or have never acted. They often freeze. Some actors want to be directed, some can just improve the whole story.. .you have to have a script for the ones who need definite direction, and you need to be able to inspire the ones who are good at improv.

This goes for your band also! The are the most important actors in the video.

Complicated Man Story and Script

Sometimes the story/visuals of the music video are inspired by new equipment or software I want to try; most times though, they start with the song's theme, lyrics or story

Sidenote: Here is a video that is more story-driven and another example of a FAIL. This one actually had huge scenes and cool location shoots but I lost 80% of the footage to a hard drive fail.. unrecoverable! So I had to shoot some crappy backup footage and patch it together

Take Me With You Music Video

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When going for a story-driven music video, I start with the song lyrics. When in final mixing I have an opportunity to hear the song hundreds (if not thousands) of times. It get's boring! That's a good time to start dreaming up visuals for the music video.

I got all my friends
and I don’t need no other kind
there hearts are all beating
All at once
and it feels like mine
I’ve been looking for a lover
But the odds are pretty slim
‘Cause I’ve been dreaming
Of a girl, who is a friend

But, She don’t really know me
She’d never understand
She don’t know me
I’m going to call her up
I’m going to call her up again

I got all my money
I’m gonna spend it on something nice
like a four leaf clover I found in oak cliff half-price
I ain’t trying to get lucky
I swear
I just need a ride there
To her house on Rose St.
So I can put it in her hair

She don’t really know me
She’d never understand
She don’t know me
I’m a complicated man
She don’t know me
Still I’m driving out
Driving out to Rose St. Again

I got all my records
Categorized by saints
like Cohen, and Chris Whitley
There’s a pile of those that aint
I listen like a sacrament
The odds are no one gives a shit
But I don’t care
‘Cause they’ve been singing lately
For that girl with the lucky hair

But, She don’t really know me
Oh, she’d never understand
She don’t know me
I’m a very complicated man
She don’t know me
But maybe she’s the one
That can help me
Forget who I am

As I listen with the music video somewhere on the radar, I get flashes of a visual, or a location, or even a feeling the video could produce. I jot down those ideas and get back to recording. I don't want to get sidetracked; I just want to allow my subconscious to work on it while my conscious mind finishes the song.

Flashing The Script

My jotted notes look something like this.

Boy on a bike, teenager, longish curly hair. Wide shot down streets old houses, lots of trees.. maybe sky angles.

Boy laying on floor, headphones, records sprawled, shot from ceiling moving in. Portable record player.

It ain't kitten surgery.. just simple flashes of scenes.

Group of teens in a record store, laughing, slow pans, deep depth of field, quick cuts. Boy looks shyly at one of the girls, she doesn't return glance or even seem to notice he's looking.

The Final Working Script

I don't script this in any official format. I just write out what I want to happen so I can tell the crew and the actors the general theme and scenes of the shoot.

Scene: The video starts with a boy walking in an old part of town, lots of trees, sunlight.

Scene 2: Cuts to the same stride but now on a city street

...I got all my friends...

Scene 3: Group of teens in a record store (or something similar) Very tight, quick handheld. Energetic movement of exciting conversations. Enjoyment – laughing – friendly arguing. Establish that 'Boy' & 'Girl' are close friends in a group of friends.

Scene 4: Close-up: Boy
He looks at Girl, she doesn't notice him staring. Close up on her. Slow pan. Back to boy. She turns to look at him and he quickly looks away. then starts talking to another friend.

Scene 5: Optional street scene with the group. Restaurant campfire etc. As locations allow.

...I got all my money...

Scene 6: I don't know.. no ideas yet.

Scene 8: In local shop. Small quirky store. Boy makes a purchase.

Scene 9: Boy in room, warm colors, sunlight through windows. Establish room.
9.b Ceiling shot.. slow pan ..boy laying on floor listing to records headphones.
9.c close-up face.

Scene 10: street scene.

Scene 11: General shots: In local shop. Small quirky store. Boy makes a purchase. Possibly the four leaf clover. The hair pin or something.

Scene 12: Boy toys to get ride. Maybe on phone.

.... I just need a ride there....

12.b: Boy takes bike, maybe a girls bike. maybe bribes Cozy (my daughter) for a bike.

Scene 13: Wide open street shots. Boy rides on bike. Maybe drone shots. GoPro face shots from handlebars. Sweeping, wide open roads.

Scene 14: Boy goes to the girls house. Box behind his back (present - four leaf clover)
a, b, c,: She has someone there. He walks off. She comes after him he hands her the gift.

Scene 15: More sweeping street bike riding. Slow motion. Go Pro / Drone Shots.

Scene 16: For Bridge: ... the girlfriends say.. she doesn't know he's a complicated man...
Have no idea.

...They've been singing lately ...

Scene 17: Back to record room. This time pans out and shows her next to him in the same position with headphones on.

Scene 18: Dolly shot of the back of the girl's head.. the four leaf clover he bought is a hairpin, now in her hair. Pans back wide.
a,b,c: She's on a bike. Sweeping shot wide. She's riding the bike. He's in the street. She circles him. Fun street shots till end.

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Final Thoughts On Planning

If you noticed, on this video I don't even appear. This is the first one I've ever done where I'm not in the video. I'll probably do a cameo and see if anyone spots me.

Next: The next thing to figure out is my crew and Cameras. The story is a good thing to have handy. It's helpful to show camera friends that your going for something on location. Something ambitious. This gets the fuel of excitement behind the whole project.

2nd: I have to secure the actors. Or sometimes, just my band; making sure their schedule is clear. They are not in this one. (yet)

3rd: the locations have to be secured beforehand.

4th: construction! AND set/props. Yes, in every shoot I usually have to build something. Put something together. Make some strange camera holding device. This time I just have to fix my truck for the 'dolly shots' haha.. yes my truck will be our dolly in the street shots. I also have to find and get a bike working.

5th: the insanity of trying to schedule it all on one or two days.

6th: final polish of rough story boards and shooting diagram (if needed).

I'll talk about each of these in the upcoming posts. Tomorrow: the first shooting day!

If you missed the previous post PART 1, check it out >>

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Hi, I'm Ezra Vancil A Texas Americana Artist and sometimes painter, writer, and chills cook-off champ. Follow me on @ezravan and also help get me started on the NEW music blockchain app musicoin

The credits on these are long.. I will drop in Siouxsie Romack and Benney Keys as videographers on most of these.. see the full credits on each video.