"It" Happens: sometimes while reviewing the video I just shot, I discover that a band was off key, or the harmonies were way out of whack, or the crowd is too loud. Making the decision to either scrap the whole clip or isolate the sections that are good can be a tough one. The band is my focal point, but what good is a video if it looks like the band is playing to an empty room?
Audience Participation: Taking short pan shots of people dancing or applauding can sometimes add to the video. I tend to keep my eye on the band and pan the camera across the crowd, this way I don't miss a cue for something that is going to happen on stage, like a solo. That is a little trick I discovered after bringing the camera focus back to the stage a little to late.
Camera Flirting: Lets face it, nobody really wants to watch a guy dancing the funky chicken. But, on some occasions I have spotted some ladies that want to perform for the camera. They are easy to identify, as they are the ones that suddenly turn around and stare into the lens and start dancing for the cameraman. Sometimes they get a couple of extra seconds in the video, and sometimes their performance ends up on the "editing room floor".
All About The Band: That is what I am about. I look at it this way, the band is on stage, so they are not concerned with privacy. Not that there are any rights to privacy for those that go out to a bar or other music venue to listen to music. But I tend to "shy away" from anything but the band. I had one bad experience, while video taping a musician at a local bar. I was recording, when a group of about 8 ladies stormed the bar and walked in front of my camera and started dancing. I kept the video rolling until "the lawyer" of the group threatened me with an invasion of privacy law suit if I did not stop recording. Lets just say that I never got sued.....
Not About You: So now I come to my point! Unless you are up on stage: plucking, strumming, banging, blowing, tooting, tickling, picking, an instrument or belting out a song, I am not interested in you or your dirty dancing [Gross]. Don't bother flipping me the bird because......
My World Is The Stage And You Are Not A Part Of It!
