My Very First Music Video

Last summer I took a couple classes at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, one of them being music video production. I fell in love with the entire process and since it has been my goal to work in the field, hopefully one day as a director.

The final assignment was, of course, to write, direct, and shoot a music video. We were responsible for everything, including choosing a song, casting actors (who graciously work for credit and lunch only), lighting, shooting, editing… the works.

I chose Imogen Heap’s electronic ballad Hide and Seek. I love everything about the song: the layered vocals that are almost haunting, the heartfelt lyrics, and from what I’ve read and seen on Imogen’s site, it was recorded by a very talented, down-to-earth person. The video features actress Heather Tyson, who did an incredible job conveying the emotions that run through the song, and took about seven hours to shoot. It’s the first and only music video I have directed so far, and although I have considered re-cutting, I am still proud of how it turned out.

Only a few people have seen this, so I hope you guys like it!

Download a higher-quality Quicktime version of the video.

Napster: “It’s Coming Back”

I never guessed that Napster would be reborn, but it is happening, and 2.0 sounds better than ever. Now owned by Roxio, Napster 2.0 will boast a 500,000 track library, which will of course grow as time progresses, each available for individual download, or through a “monthly subscription to Internet radio.” The available music will come from all five major record labels plus a number of independent labels.

It will most likely become the top legal music downloading program for the PC because it will outdo BuyMusic.com, which I have only heard bad things about, and it is known for being “the first.” The only question is, how compatible will it be with Apple’s iPod, the hottest-selling MP3 player on the market? Fact is, it probably won’t be… at least not at first, which means that if Apple gets iTunes for Windows out soon enough, they could outdo Napster and become the number one music downloading program across both the Mac and the Windows platform.

Looks like we’ll all have to wait and see!

By the way, check out Napster’s animations. They’re super clever, and give a hint of the attitude that Napster is taking on with the launch of 2.0.

RIAA Flexes Its Muscles

If you haven’t already heard, the Recording Industry Association of America is finally showing the music-sharing obsessed nation what it’s made of. It plans on going after the worst offenders first, although the number of files a person needs to be distributing before they are considered to be one of the worst is unknown.

Already, they have nailed a couple offenders, including Daniel Peng, 17, a junior at Princeton University, and Jesse Jordan, another young student. Both have Web pages up to help them raise money to pay for the fees. Dan is getting donations for his $15,000 settlement fee, and Jesse is getting funds to pay for his of $12,000. If you feel bad or, perhaps, guilty, lend them a helping hand (or dollar, in this case).