How to Film a Live Session Video for Your Music

For an independent musician, a live session video is one of the most useful things you can film. It shows you playing in real time with no studio tricks, which is what promoters and venues want to see, along with wedding clients and new listeners. It’s also cheaper and faster to make than a conceptual music video. That’s why it’s often the first film we suggest in videography for musicians.

This guide is for UK solo artists and bands. It’s also for function and wedding bands and for DJs. If you want a session that sounds as good as it looks, and that keeps working for you long after the day, read on.

Why does audio matter more than picture in a live session?

Viewers will put up with average pictures. They won’t put up with bad sound. Thin, boomy or distorted audio makes a strong performance look amateur, however nicely it’s lit, while good sound makes even simple filming feel professional.

So plan the audio before you think about cameras. Decide who’s recording it and how, and what happens if a take goes wrong. If you have to cut corners anywhere, cut them on the picture.

How do you record the audio for a live session video?

Choose how you will capture it

The best option is a multitrack recording. Every instrument and voice goes to its own track and can be balanced and polished after the day. It gives you the best result, and for a session you’ll use to sell yourself it’s worth the effort.

Next comes a stereo desk or board mix: one simple mix of the whole performance, taken straight from the mixing desk. It’s quicker and less flexible, and perfectly fine for a relaxed session.

Then there are room microphones, which suit acoustic artists and small groups. One or two mics are placed to catch the whole band as it sounds in the room.

Treat camera microphones as a backup for syncing and nothing more. Nobody should ever hear them in the finished video.

Control the room

Echo and background noise cause most of the trouble. Soft furnishings soak up sound. So do curtains and rugs, and so do people. Switch off fridges and heating, plus anything else that hums. Soundcheck, then record a short test and listen back on headphones before the full session begins.

Decide on a clean or a loose approach

Some artists want a polished one-take performance. Others want the looser feel of a gig. Either is fine. Agree which one you’re going for in advance, though, because it changes how you set up and how many takes you plan, as well as how much you fix afterwards.

How many cameras do you need to film a live session?

Two cameras cover most solo artists and duos. Three suit a band. Extra cameras give you more choice in the edit, but they also give you more to set up and sync, and more footage to wade through.

• Camera one: the wide shot. It shows the whole performance and the space, anchors the edit, and saves you when other angles fail.
• Camera two: the close shot. The singer’s face or a player’s hands. This is where the emotion comes through.
• Camera three: a different angle. A side or high view, or a detail such as the drummer or the neck of a guitar.

Play each song all the way through, ideally more than once, so every camera gets full coverage. Match the settings across all the cameras and record at the same frame rate, and the edit will go smoothly.

Where should you film a live session?

Find a space with some character that also sounds good. Rehearsal studios and small venues can work. So can village halls or pubs outside opening hours, and churches or barns. A setting that fits your music helps viewers believe in it. Always visit first. Check the sound and the light, and make sure there’s power and access.

You’ll need permission as well. For a venue, get written agreement from the owner or manager, and tell them what you’re filming and when. Filming outdoors? Some places that look public still need permission. Film London lists the Royal Parks, canal and river paths and railway stations among them, but its guidance covers London only, so check with the local council anywhere else. Private property always needs the owner’s consent.

Ask everyone who appears whether they’re happy to be filmed and to have the video published, including any guests or audience.

How do you edit a live session video?

Audio first. Pick the best complete take of each song and mix it, and only after that cut the picture to fit. Sync every camera angle to the final track, using the waveform plus a clap or the camera audio as your reference.

1. Lay the wide shot down as your base. It guarantees continuity.
2. Cut to close shots on musical moments, like a chorus lift or a solo or a harmony.
3. Cut on the beat or the phrase, never at random. Slow songs want long shots; fast songs want quicker cuts.
4. Match the colour across cameras so the angles look like one performance.
5. Keep the title card simple, with the artist name and song title and where to listen.

Don’t try to hide a mistake with effects. If a take is uneven, use another one.

How do you turn a live session into short clips?

Here’s where one shoot pays you back many times over. Think of the full session as raw material, and cut it up into pieces for each platform.

• The full song, for YouTube, your website and your press kit.
• A vertical clip of 15 to 45 seconds showing the strongest moment, for social media.
• A talk-to-camera moment between songs, which shows your personality.
• A behind-the-scenes clip of setting up or rehearsing.
• A square crop or still frame for promotion.

Caption every clip, because lots of people watch with the sound off. YouTube lets you upload a caption file or type a transcript and have the timing set automatically, and you can add subtitles during the upload as well. For the wider picture on promoting your music, see our guide to marketing for musicians.

How can a live session video help you get booked?

Promoters, wedding couples and event planners all want proof that you’ll deliver on the night. A clean live video gives them that in a couple of minutes. Put it at the top of your website, send the link whenever you enquire about a gig, and add it to your electronic press kit.

If you’re a function or wedding band, put together a short showreel cut of two or three minutes that covers different styles, with the full songs underneath. If you’re a singer-songwriter, lead with your strongest original. Either way, make it easy to find by putting one clear link in the same place in every message you send.

How we can help

We can plan and film your session with multi-camera coverage and sound planning, and then edit the full performance and cut it into clips for your website and social media. Our live session videography for musicians page sets out what’s included. We agree a clear brief, scope and fee with you before any work begins.

Sources

• Film London: Permission to film
• YouTube Help: Add subtitles and captions