we are music film premiere

To say that this has been one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever worked on is a start. But it’s not everything, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to express everything this project has meant to me and everyone else who has worked on it. It would have been cool if we only incorporated the tons of talented players and filmed around the cool locations that we did. But being able to pay tribute to a musician who meant so much to so many of us elevated the project to a special place of significance. It is an honor to be able to dedicate this project to the music and memory of Dante Bucci.

For those interested in the production process (which is often what I talk about on this blog), let me begin by thanking everyone who worked on the film. We had an excellent crew, and excellent players who braved the cold (I still shiver when I think back to those shooting days). Because if the music isn’t good, it doesn’t matter how nice the gear is, or if the microphones were placed in the optimal spots. The music is king, and all of the players rose to the occasion.

The production process ran like a proverbial well oiled machine. The three person crew (myself, Todd on camera, Kyle assisting audio), piled into my car, pulled up to the location with talent waiting, setup audio and video, and ran takes. We gave everyone three takes of the song to do what they wanted to do, then we quickly tore down and drove to the next location, charging the laptop in the car during the commute.

That’s not to say we didn’t have our fair share of problems. People ran late, we had to switch schedules and locations a few times, and we were kicked out of two of our locations (although the second time it wasn’t until we already had recorded 1.5 takes, so we had enough material). I am generally a proponent of the “ask for forgiveness, not permission” style of filmmaking, and in this indie production, it largely benefitted us. Plus, the happy accidents outweighed any of the road blocks. There were multiple times during production where we all thought, “wow, we couldn’t have planned that.” Examples of this can be seen at the Academy of Fine Arts shot, where all three players (who were not originally supposed to be in the same shot) were all dressed complimentary not only to themselves but to the walls of the Academy as well. Also, the 30th St. Station scene featured two musicians who were playing with no acoustic sound – only direct line instruments. So we were able to quietly work without bringing attention to ourselves by making lots of noise.

From there, post-production was the most intensive part of it all. With all of those players doing multiple takes of the song, the audio mix alone was a bear. Going through and finding the best material was a challenge that yielded a great reward, because after I was able to pick and choose the parts I liked best, everything seemed to sit really nicely together. Again, top musicianship.

Once the audio mix was mastered, we could move onto video editing. It was great working with Jay on the edit. Since he’s also a drummer, this job proved to be ideal for a video editor with musical timing.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the premiere on December 1st. It was a great evening of sharing music and stories. And we raised a bunch of money for charity. I’m feeling thankful all around, and am pleased to share this project with the world.

We Are Music [Official Video]