Camera & Equipment

Nikon D3200:

Camera I will be using to film my music
video is the Nikon D3200

Primary Research: To record my music video I have chosen the Nikon D3200 DSLR camera. The reasons I have chosen this is because mainly of its video quality in low light which is something that is key for my video since when recording the band it will be in an underground venue with no natural light, only ones from lights on stage. The video also needs to be high quality since in dark conditions most standard video cameras will make the picture seem grainy, by having this DSLR camera this should be avoided. To make sure that this camera is good under low lighting conditions I researched in terms of reviews of what people online thought of its performance as well as watching demo videos on YouTube of people recording a street at night i.e. low key lighting and this seemed really clear. The motion of the video was also very fluid which is again something crucial to my video as I will be recording shots which are energetic and fast so having something which will be able to cope with this is very useful. Another reason for using this camera is its technical aspects which are very high quality, the video it records is 1080p quality and for standalone photography it has a 24 megapixel lens default with it which I will be using. This was all primary research.

Secondary Research: I also conduced some secondary research in what camera to use for my music video whereby I got in contact with some well known Psychobilly bands through social media and I asked their advice on what they recommended in terms of cameras for videoing performances in low light as well as what cameras they used for their own videos.

I firstly contacted a Canadian band which I knew the members of called The Brains who had their video Misery recorded relatively recently as to what they might recommend or if they knew what was used for their video. Unfortunately they did not know what was used for that specific music video as it was not filmed by them, however I was directed to two useful website which gave me information about cameras and what ones are best for low key lighting as well as useful instructions and pointers on how to film bands.

Screenshot of the conversation about cameras and the links directed to me by The Brains.

Secondly I contacted friends in another Psychobilly band called the Graveyard Johnnys (see music video analysis) and I asked similar questions i.e. did they know which cameras they had used in their recent music video 'Little Witch' as well as what they used for their video Dancefloor Of Death, this was more useful as it was recored in conditions that will be similar to when I record the Mojokings, the camera used seemed really good quality for this video and crucially it was of a live performance i.e. a performance based video. From their response it turns out that the camera used for their video Dancfloor Of Death was the Nikon D3200 with its standard lens which is what I ended up getting since it was good quality and a reasonable price. I also could take some good photos of the Mojokings at the recording and possibly incorporate these images in to my Digipak or advert since my camera is also a professional photography DSLR. From research into the equipment I am going to use I believe I have made a good choice based on research online (reviews, demo video on YouTube) and also advice from other Psycohbilly bands.

Screenshot of my conversation with the Graveyard Johnnys. Initially I contacted the band on Facebook however I got more info from talking to the band at one of their gigs.

Other Equipment:

Other equipment that I will be using/ need for recording the Mojokings include a tripod which I can mount to my camera and this will allow me to take panning shots and stabilise footage i record as oppose to hand held shots which may be shaky.

I have also considered using my iPad to have setup in one location so that I can get continuous footage from one perspective (shot angle) if required for footage. I could have it setup in different places throughout the night to capture different footage. I would then have my Nikon used for moving shots at it is likely to cope better with the movement and produce a higher resolution shot which is what I'm aiming for. The idea of using multiple cameras is something I discovered when researching cameras for live band performances where on a website someone had written that to get all the shots needed it is best for you to have 2 or 3 cameras at different angles meaning you can include all aspects of the performance.