As I've mentioned in other blogs, I've known for a long time that I wanted to get started making music videos.  But I wanted them to be quality.  As a guy that's into cinematography and filmmaking, I didn't want to just make something that was "passable".  Now, that doesn't mean I think there isn't room for improvement, I KNOW there is, but I'm happy with what eventually became The Roses video, and I think that's saying something. 

Now, I know some folks who do good work in video.  But whether it be due to distance or a number of other factors, it seemed like the approach to do this with the most wiggle room would be in-house.  But that was going to require a LOT of learning, both for myself AND for my crew.  Sure, I had made good-looking video pieces before, but I spent months diving into to technical stuff I didn't even know existed to try to up my game.  Flat camera profiles, color grading, lighting setups, new software and hardware.  It was like putting myself through school, often just trying to figure out what questions to ask. 

I turned to Missy and Austin, both members of my tech crew, and said "Do you want to help me do this?"  So we started meeting regularly for training sessions.  I was teaching Missy to be a camera operator, which includes a lot more than point and shoot.  It was about how to expose properly for skin-tones in a flat profile, shooting handheld vs. shoulder vs. glide track.  Different types of lenses.  Employing artistic framing.   Austin became a focus puller.  It was about setting marks and hitting the timing, using measurements as much as eyeballing the monitor, all while coordinating with Missy's movements.  All things told, the learning and training process took something like a year.

Ultimately, that worked out really well for the video.  Missy and Austin did most of the shooting (obviously of the performance shots), with me taking the reigns for family profile shots as well as object close-ups. 

But cameras aren't all that is involved in a video.  There are lots of other little things like:
-Storyboard
-Shopping Lists
-Networking
-Set Design
-Wardrobe

When I finally settled on The Roses being my first video, I knew I had to plan.  I started with storyboarding, which really kind of began with me sitting and imagining the video and then putting it on paper.  Originally, the video was supposed to have 2-3 sets, performance venues mixed with this "Soul Set" that was supposed to be inside of my head.  Ultimately though, once we had filmed on the Soul Set, I realized that it didn't need anything else: there was already a ton there to work with, and having a bunch of exposition in my first video before the music even started may not have been the right move.

There was also the design of the set: it needed to be romantic, without being cheesy.  Heartfelt without being forced.  When I pictured lots of candles and roses in my head it looked great, but when I said it out loud, I knew it could have been perceived a lot of different ways. I talked with Missy a lot about not only the shape of the set, but what items would be in it.  This wasn't just a question of what would look good and be relevant, but also what we could actually move.

I also knew I had to plan for everything: when could everyone be available (the family, the crew, me, and the people needed to move the setpieces), the screen rental.  And I had to plan around weather: what if there was wind?  When would there be the least chance for humidity and bugs?  Each of these questions led to something new being added to a list, whether it was a shopping list or a to-do list.  I even made an announcement at church that I was taking donations for white pillar candles.  My basic equation was, "IF I'm going to do THIS, then HOW is it going to get done, and WHAT is needed for that?" This included makeup, which I have had very little experience with, so as you'll see in the behind the scenes video, I got Lauren and Missy (two real, live, actual girls) to consult with me on the matter.  They aren't huge makeup wearers, but they know enough to help out a guy making a video.  Thanks to them and the internet I now know more about the difference between a matte powder and a liquid foundation.  I even have my own set of application sponges like a grown-up. 

One of the key parts of this video are pieces of footage from my childhood, many of which ended up being from some of our trips to Germany to visit my Great Grandparents.  I had seen other music videos do similar things before, but I wanted this stuff to be integral, not only as cutaway shots, but also physically playing behind me on a projection screen.

This meant going through MANY hours of footage.  And it was a multi-step process. 

We have a pretty big amount of videotaped family footage.  My mom was a great documentarian.  There's everything from Baby Sam, to Grandma's 50th birthday party, to high school jazz band concerts.  The family already wanted me to transfer these tapes to DVD, but getting them ready for the video required strategically choosing which tapes to convert first, then copying the DVDs to a hard drive in order to edit them.  After that, it was combing through all the footage to find the right moments.  I needed a general reel of stuff to go behind my performance, but then 4 other reels that were specific to each member of the family that would be featured.  Then each of those reels needed to be looped and put on discs so that they could be cued up and projected during shooting.  it came down to the wire, but it got done.

It was the weekend of Thanksgiving, the day of the shoot, and I was a man with a plan.  It actually worked out that my Uncle and his family were in town at the exact same time that everything else finally came together (they live 700 miles away).  

First I had to head out to Monroe to meet with Kevin Marietta of Temporary Technology to pick up the projection screen.  I thank God for this connection.  I sometimes do side work for Kevin's company, which mostly consists is moving gear to events of all sizes, setting it up, running the event, and tearing it down.  Were you there when King's Island did a media event announcing their newest roller coaster?  That was us......but that's another blog.  Anyway, because of that connection and experience, I know how to rig up one of these giant screens.  But even more importantly, Kevin was gracious enough to give me a great deal on rental as one of his employees.  Still, once I had paid for the rental I wanted to make it count.

Next was meeting with Jeff Martin (thanks Jeff!) who helped me move all the furniture and other items from my house to the back of our church where we were filming.

The afternoon was about presetting as much indoors as we could, as well as doing some final camera tests.  Next was a quick break, building the set, then hair and makeup. 

I had a shot list put together, knowing certain things might change.  The original plan was for the shoot to take two days.  We were going to get as much as we could on day 1, tear down, then set back up the next day.  But once I was in it, I was in it, and I REALLY didn't want to have to tear down and set back up, trying to make it look exactly the same.

The wind fought us a first, blowing curtains up, setpieces down, and candles out.  Never mind the fact that the screen was practically a giant sail.  But as the hour grew later and the night got colder, the wind did what it was told do and quit.

Long story short, there were quite a few people there as filming got started, but by the time 3am rolled around, it was just Missy and I left pushing through the last shots (Austin stayed pretty late, but needed to get home).  I'm thankful to the gracious neighbors who didn't call the cops about lights and music outside at 2am. 

All things considered, it was about a 16 hour day, give or take.

The next day was clean-up.  Since we shot at the church and it was Saturday, everything needed to get back into working order for service the next morning.  Thanks to Frankie Jennings for bringing his truck to help move stuff back to my house.  There was funny looking candle wax all over not only the ground, but some of the furniture and other items as well.

The lights had to be disassembled, the screen folded up and ready to move, and all the gear reorganized.  It was a task, but it was better than having to do all that PLUS set up and shoot that day.  I started uploading the footage while I cleaned up, and I was happy with what I saw.

I wish I could say "a couple weeks later, and the editing was done and the video was ready for release!"  Not the case.  Editing on its own of course was it's own thing; trying to keep things interesting and engaging in a video that isn't "high energy" in style took a lot big-boy decisions, putting my post-production hat on the way I would do with audio in the studio.  But mostly, I spent months afterward working out some technical problems I ran into.  I won't go into detail here about what they were, but countless hours, days, nights, and weekends went into researching and working through issues I didn't even know existed, much of it having to do with color grading.  If you really want to know more, talk to me in person.

Suffice it to say  that I learned a lot, and it's knowledge that nobody can take away from me now.  I suspect in the long run, it will only benefit me, whether I'm the guy editing or not.

There were a lot of clips I thought about highlighting early on.  If I'd catch something of interest while the tapes were scanning to DVD, I'd quickly write down the timestamp on my storyboard so I'd know to look for it later.  But ultimately, I thought the last clip was the perfect end-button for this video.

We're in Germany, and I'm about 5 or 6 years old.  I'm going on about the things I want to do with my future.  I was a talkative kid to the point of being rude sometimes, but I was also determined and enthusiastic.  And in the middle of it, I said the following which was caught on tape:

"Mommy, Papaw, Mamaw, when I grow up I'm going to let you see every concert, every preaching stage, and every video I make."

I already knew.  It sort of stunned the family the first time I showed them the music video.  It was so long ago that they had forgotten about that particular instance.  They said I prophesied my own future.  I agree.

As you all probably know, The Roses and its accompanying video are about my family and my life with them.  There are a lot of things that could be said, but I thought that in the spirit of the video, I would give you some highlights.  In short, we've been through a lot together.

My Grandpa has worked pretty much his whole life.  Most of his jobs haven't been glamorous, but he knows that age is a state of mind, and it's one he refuses to take on.  To this day, he works a full time job, is a Reverend, rides his bike all over the place, and builds all kinds of stuff.  Plus, he often comes and helps out with concerts, including moving gear.  That is, when he isn't cleaning the church or keeping things up around the house.

Grandpa has actually built several things I use regularly for music.  I designed a rolling box with a pullout drawer, a port for cables, and some safety guards on top for a laptop.  It use it for nearly every concert I play, and after he made a few adjustments of his own, he was more than happy to make it a reality.  He and I built the vocal booth I use together (my social media followers probably know it as "dragon booth").  And that metal arm contraption connected to my white guitar?  Yup, I started with the initial design, but he made it a reality.

He is very much from a time and place where everyone fished and hunted, and some of his stories from childhood and his teen years feel like some lost chapter of Tom Sawyer.  Don't get me wrong; I enjoy the outdoors too, but I spend a lot more of my time in music, tech, and art, whereas Grandpa can often be found in his workshop. 

One thing I remember from childhood though is "the bike seat".  He had this kid-sized chair on the back of his bike that he would ride me around on, often back and forth to the river.  5 year old me may have been terrified of crawfish and daddy-long-legs, but we took a swing at fishing anyway.

When my Mom and I (as an infant) had no other place to go, Grandma and Grandpa's house became our house, and we all grew into a team.  During all that time and long, long before, Grandpa has been diligently working, and the work he has done has been a huge part of enabling me to do what I do today.

Much like Grandpa, a lot of the work mom has done hasn't seemed glamorous.  For years, aside from working a regular job, Mom has done the bookwork for our Church as a volunteer position.  She is meticulous down to the penny.  She has spent more time in our home office than anyone could ever want to, and spends a hefty chunk of her other time helping my Grandma run errands for the family and church.  None of that has stopped her from helping me with concerts and running my gear table as well.

Mom never lied to me.  She never lied to me about Santa Clause, about where babies came from, or about the circumstances surrounding why she had to fight for custody of me when I was born.  I don't mean this to be negative, but when I was a kid in the first grade and I knew all the other children's parents were lying to them about Old Saint Nick and mine wasn't, that informed our relationship for years to come.  (Don't worry, I don't run around raining on other people's kids' parades).  Mom disciplined me.  Mom didn't let me get away with garbage.  But she was also my friend.  None of that has really changed.

To be clear, I hold no animosity toward my father, of whom I don't really have a conscious memory (other than pictures and videos).  But, mom tells me that when she brought me home as a baby from the hospital, she held me and cried because she knew what a big responsibility this was.  And a year and a half later when the divorce papers came in mail with little warning, she stuck it out.

For a few years in my early life, Uncle John was in the house together with Mom, Grandma, Grandpa, and I.  For some reason I have this memory of us eating cereal and watching the 90's Spider-Man cartoons on a Saturday morning. 

Uncle John and Grandpa have some pretty strong similarities: they are both bike-riding dudes who were in the army and excel at building stuff. 

I bring this up because the two of them built me one of those cool backyard play-sets when I was a kid.  You know, the kind that had a second story fort, a swing set, a climbing rope, and a couple of ladders? 

We lived in a small house on a dirt road at the edge of town, right across from a farm.  A lot of people in our small city didn't even know that gravel lane was there.  There's a reason the smell of manure doesn't bother me in the spring.  Don't get me wrong: we weren't poor.  We had food to eat, I had toys to play with, etc.  But our back yard was a half-acre on a lane with only two other kids, and I spent some of my free time chasing the occasional chicken.  So, having a home base to have all my imaginary, super-hero adventures in?  Pretty big deal.

Uncle now has a great family of his own (they're our family too, obviously!), but I'm glad he was there to help at such an early time, too.

Grandma came to the U.S. when she was 17 after meeting my Grandpa when he was stationed in Germany through the Army.  She spoke no English.  Since then she has started and Pastors a church that still is thriving today (and of course, learned English.  Ironically, she now has to put forth real effort to get back into German). 

She could fill a lot of books with all the challenges she has faced over the years, even in her young life before she came to the country.  After she accepted Jesus and recognized the call to Pastor on her life, that didn't make a lot of people happy due to some unfortunate misunderstandings of scripture.  Whether it was because of what she believed or who she was, she endured a lot of downtalking and attacks over the years.  But it wasn't up to anyone else: it was between her and the Lord, and she followed through no matter what.  Like the others, the seeds she fought for then are benefiting me today. 

Even in my few years, I've seen her face a lot in her quest to be uncompromising yet walk in love and forgiveness with people.  If you've ever been in a leadership family, you know what I'm talking about.

Grandma and I are very similar, in that we are both pretty strong-willed and passionate about getting things done.  That has resulted in a relationship that is sometimes brutally honest.  We don't mess around with each other, and we don't intend to.  And you know what?  That's great, because we love each other and we're always after the truth to ultimately get things done.

Grandma has always told me "Do everything as unto the Lord" (Ephesians 6:7) is a scripture that the Lord stressed to her early in her Christian life, and she has always endeavored to live by that, whether it was cleaning someone else's house or her own.   And it's always stuck with me: do things with quality.  Whether it be music or business or anything else, I try to always remember that.

This video is for them.  And I challenge you to ask yourself,
"Who are my roses for?"