Music Videos:
Vanity or Necessity?
Last month we discussed with Hip Music Video Promo the importance of promoting your music videos and the secrets behind a successful video campaign. This month we get the inside scoop from 3 artists with successful music videos in the marketplace. Are videos really necessary?
An Interview With Val Emmich
Acclaimed New Jersey born-and-bred singer-songwriter, Val Emmich,
is no stranger to the screen. He remains the only unsigned artist to
ever appear on MTV’s Total Request Live (TRL), on which he promoted
his first music video, “Privacy Attracts a Crowd.” The video was also
featured on the MTV show Advance Warning. One major record (Epic
released Slow Down Kid) deal, two full-length self-released albums (Sunlight
Search Party, SONGS Volume 1: Woodstock), and multiple network television
show (Hope and Faith, 30 Rock, Cashmere Mafia) appearances later, Emmich
has enjoyed indie success.
Emmich’s star continues to rise and this year he nabbed top honors in
the Independent Music Award’s new music video category with “The
Only One Lonely.” Below, he discusses experimenting with stop motion
photography, the importance of planning and his decision to stick with
the one director. Click here for more.
Interview with Dony West, Guitarist for Sink to See
Spin Magazine recently hosted a release party for the Los Angeles
based band Sink to See at The Key Club that featured a live
performance and screening of the band’s new music video for their
single “Speakers.”
Collaborating with Independent Music Awards Judge Tim Pagnotta
from Sugarcult, the song appears on the band’s self-titled EP, on MTV's The Hills, and on
Capcom’s MOTO GP 2007, out now on a XBox 360 near you.
Here, guitarist Dony West and the gang share their thoughts on
successfully making and using music videos as well as some on set
“Spinal Tap” moments. Click here for more.
Interview with
Maya Von Doll,
vocalist for
Sohodolls
Provocative Filthy Pretty Records act, Sohodolls has created quite a
stir that extends beyond the band’s hometown of London. The first
two singles off their debut album, Ribbed Music For the Numb
Generation, reached #7 and #'12 on the UK indie charts, followed by
last year's classic, 'Stripper,' which earned critical acclaim from
tastemakers like The Fly, Clash and NME. Now, vocalist Maya von Doll
and her band mates are winning over American audiences.
With assist by HIP Video Promo, the band’s video for “Right and Right
Again,” has been added to over 45 outlets thus far, including Yahoo!,
Billboard.com, Google Videos, AOL and Mania TV. This month, the
campaign for the Sohodolls’ upcoming American single, “Stripper,”
begins hitting programmers. Here, the singer speaks about the
importance of music videos and how they have advanced her band’s
career.
AP: Congratulations on your recent successes. You’ve obviously been
getting a lot of attention this past year - do you think your music
videos have had a great impact? Is a music video a necessity or is it a
vanity expense?
Maya von Doll: Is music itself a necessity or a vanity expense? For
some bands videos are a necessity, like it is for us. Where would
Rammstein be without their unique videos? Or Marilyn Manson? Music
is only one form of art and Sohodolls is rather interested in graphics
and videos too. But I suppose for pop acts it's a vanity expense where
the subjects are desperate to sell the sex and you can tell they've had
a lot of time to tone at the gym or have had 3 hours rather than 1 in
make-up. Them lot aren't expressing anything about any alter-ego or
other world.
AP: At what point in your career did you decide to bite the bullet &
plunk down money for a video?
Maya von Doll: When we signed to Poptones and were releasing our
first single, “Prince Harry,” that's when we decided to take the plunge
and invest. It's reached cult status among our brethren - we still get
emails about it every week. They say it's so wrong it's good and that
was the point.
AP: How did you know that it was time to take the plunge?
Maya von Doll: It's always time to take the plunge! But especially so
for our first single. It was so much fun.
AP: How much did it cost to produce your first video?
Maya von Doll: £256.
AP: Was it hard to come up with the financing?
Maya von Doll: For that amount, no it wasn't. My great uncle, an Orthodox Bishop,
passed away and left me all his possessions. I sold a tiny 'holy relic' on
e-bay to finance it. God rest his generous soul.
AP: Aside from funding, what's the hardest part of making a video?
Maya von Doll: Waking up early. But making videos is an absolute
pleasure! You get to live in your own creation or fantasy world for 12
hours. Plus, you sleep well after it.
AP: How did you choose your director?
Maya von Doll: Looking at their show-reels. But we also insist that
the length of their left thumb is no longer than 6.2cm from the base.
AP: Who creates the videos' vision & storyline? Is it your idea or a
collaborative effort?
Maya von Doll: It is at the least a collaborative effort between the
band and director, as always. Our videos for “Prince Harry,” “Stripper,”
“Pleasures of Soho” and “Dead By Christmas,” have been more heavily
influenced by the band than the director.
AP: You've made several videos – are they vastly different from each
other or do they share a certain look & feel?
Maya von Doll: They are vastly different from each other because
each song has its own story in Sohodolls. There's no general Sohodolls
message over the videos other than every song is a different
autobiography.
AP: What have you learned not to do?
Maya von Doll: Ask people their opinions on your art. You just get
more opinions. My professor taught me that, as well as other useful
things such as one's conclusion must directly answer one's
introduction.
AP: Where are your videos being played?
Maya von Doll: Everywhere except satellite or terrestrial music
channels. We're edgy like that.
AP: How have your videos supported your releases or helped your
career?
Maya von Doll: They have reeled people into our music and into our
world further. We've made a couple of our own documentaries and it's
important for bands to do that if they want their fans to get to know
their personalities. But it's not every band's chosen medium. Look at
Ladytron or The Knife - their angle is the mystery and it's done
wonders for them. We love 'em both.
AP: What was the most elaborate video you made and what are some
of the challenges you faced along the way.
Maya von Doll: Shooting "Dead By Christmas" - our cover of Hanoi
Rocks was the most elaborate because we shot in 2 different locations,
late at night and it was done by just a crew of 2. We filmed it at our
own studio - the Jolly Roger near Tower Bridge. It's a dark and damp
dungeon under some major railway tracks. There were rats and we
were decorating the Christmas tree in September. We shot the next
scenes at a flat in Soho. It was the most complicated story line we've
done to date in a video - a dying lead singer who comes back to haunt
and poison her band members for replacing her so quickly after death!
AP: The "Stripper" video is quite daring. Did you find any outlets
wouldn't play it because it was too risky?
Maya von Doll: No, because we had a more sanitized version, too.
AP: When you use extras in your videos (take "Stripper" for example)
how do you go about casting them? Are they paid?
Maya von Doll: We chose them off the Internet and paid them. Some
were friends so we got away with not paying them, like the record
label employees who volunteered to be smeared. But then again they
might have billed us for that too, ha ha!!
AP: Do you like to stick with the same directors or change it up?
Maya von Doll: Change it up. But, if you're after something specific
then we wouldn't hesitate reconsidering someone we've used already.
James Sinclair-Smith did a splendid job on "Pleasures of Soho." He
shot it on film and the location was the Great Eastern Hotel in
Liverpool Street. The synopsis was: the twins from The Shining have
grown up now and Sohodolls who are guests at the hotel are being
consumed by their own personal demons. James is good at mood. Joe
Marcantonio who did "Right and Right Again" brought a good texture
and dreamy feel to our video. While Tim Mattia who did "Stripper" is
excellent at quick and frenzied editing that provide pace and
excitement to the video.
AP: What's the longest shoot you've done?
Maya von Doll: They've all been about the same length, 12 hours in
total.
AP: Since "Prince Harry," have you seen videos have become more
expensive to make?
Maya von Doll: Yes and no. It depends what you're after. Some of
the best videos are low-budget based on what simple genius idea.
AP: Have you found Europe to be more accepting of Indie band music
videos? Are there more outlets for them?
Maya von Doll: I wouldn't know. Most of our fans watch videos in
general on Youtube wherever they are. I'd have to ask our European
press team for info on that.
AP: Would you ever release a live performance video?
Maya Von Doll: Yes of course! Sohodolls is all about the energy of
doing it LIVE. We try to capture that in our music videos but every
show is different so a live performance video is something we'd like to
do in the future.
Watch the “Stripper” video by Sohodolls:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmRLTqjCQtM
For more on Sohodolls: www.sohodolls.co.uk,
www.myspace.com/sohodolls
Keep up-to-date with Sohodolls’ American promo:
www.myspace.com/sohodollsusa, www.audiocrushpr.com
Click for our interviews with Dony West, guitarist for Sink to See, and
Val Emmich.
When she’s not working hard at MRG, Joelle Caputa is helping promote indie
artists through Planet Verge magazine and Audio Crush PR.
Her dog, a
Siberian Husky/German Shepard mix, Skye, is often at her side.
