NOISIVISION STUDIOS

Sal Dennison Video Blog 09/09/2009

2009-09-10T00:35:00.001-07:00

Waiting for the Robert E. Lee

2009-08-18T16:25:00.001-07:00

Granada on the Classical Guitar | Maestro Jerard

2009-08-18T16:21:00.001-07:00

'lectronic Overload

2009-08-14T17:44:00.000-07:00

Bio Ritmo "Bin Bin" (1999) | Noisivision Music Video | HQ Version

2009-05-23T02:41:00.001-07:00

Last Minute Valentine's Day Gifts

2009-02-12T11:55:00.001-08:00

For those of you who waited for the last minute to purchase that special gift for your Valentine, these two Noisivision's DVD's can be ordered with overnight delivery from Amazon.com.

Flutter Serenade

Hummer Sonata

Old Faithful Erupts | Noisivision Studios

2009-01-22T22:13:00.001-08:00

Santa Won't be Coming to your Town

2008-12-25T08:48:00.001-08:00

Santa is skipping Christmas this year. In this video, he explains why. Parody by Scott Douglas MacLachlan and Braddon Mendelson.

Santa Won't be Coming to your Town

2008-12-21T20:50:00.001-08:00

Writing Music Videos

2008-11-19T20:19:00.000-08:00

INTRODUCTION

I receive several e-mails each week from people asking me how to break into the business of music video treatment writing. As I have written over four hundred treatments for various record labels, artists and directors, I have some insight into this area. There are several elements to consider when writing a music video treatment and I will try to outline them here.

Before you attempt to write a single word, it helps to understand a little bit about the "biz." The music video industry has undergone major changes in recent years. Many record labels have gone out of business or consolidated. There are far fewer "big budget" videos being produced, yet with broadband Internet access, there are far more avenues of distribution. *

There are three main players: The Record Labels, The Production Companies and The Directors. The record labels represent the recording artists. The Production Companies represent directors. There are also directors who are not affiliated with any particular production company. They often solicit work on their own, or hire an independent representative to work for them.

When a record label wants to make a music video for one of its artists, it approaches several production companies and directors who they think would be appropriate and solicit bids. They will say, for example, "We want a music video for Britney Spear's upcoming single, 'I Wish I Had Talent,' and we have a budget of 750,000 dollars."

The production company will scramble to assemble a bid, consisting of a treatment and a budget, which they will then rush to the label as quickly as possible. Generally, it is assumed that the proposed director will write the treatment himself or herself, but this is often not the case. A lot of directors, including some of the most noted in the business, do not like writing treatments. Often it is because they are asked to bid on so many video jobs that the amount of writing - on spec - gets to be overwhelming. Sometimes it is because they don't have a good solid idea. Most often it is because they are not good writers. They may be masters of visualization, they may know how to place a camera and work with the talent to get a dynamite performance, but this doesn't necessarily mean they know how to translate their concepts to the written word. In other cases, the director may be extremely proficient with the written word, but still want to collaborate with an outside writer to come up with the best treatment possible. So they will hire, usually through the auspices of the production company that represents them, someone to write the treatment. This could be anyone from the secretary at the production office, to the producer of the video. Often, however, it is a freelance writer.

There are three main components to consider when writing a music video treatment: SELLING, CONTENT and BUDGET. The one that beginning writers seem most concerned with is the content; that is, all the visual aspects that will be photographed and (hopefully) translated to the screen. Be advised, the other two components are equally important. If one does not take SELLING and BUDGET into consideration, the content will be woefully irrelevant.

SELLING

Since the treatment is written as part of the initial bid to convince the record label to award the job to the production company and/or its director, it must be an effective SELLING TOOL. In addition to the great content and visuals you will include in the treatment, you must be cognizant of what it is the label and the artist are looking for, and - for lack of a better word - regurgitate it back to them. The artists are concerned with how they will be presented. The label is concerned with selling albums. So in the text you must convince both that these needs will be met. If you are writing for a rap artist who has mentioned that he wants to drive a current model Lincoln Navigator, make sure that you refer to this exact vehicle in the text of the treatment. Regardless of whether you think it's a terrible idea, or whether or not the vehicle makes it into the finished video, your main concern at this point is to get the job. Don't be obstinate. If the label says they want to stay away from using a lot of extras, do not set your video at a concert with hundreds of screaming fans.
Get it? Give them what they want, keeping it within the context of the other two components: Content and Budget.

CONTENT

Treatments are generally written in the present tense, with the writer describing all the visuals that will be in the proposed music video and tying them into the various verses of the song.

Being as descriptive as possible is crucial. Often you may think you have the coolest imagery for the video, but if the reader does not understand what ideas and images you are conveying, or does not get the same mental images as the writer, it will all be lost. Find the right adjective. Normally, writers do not want to be redundant, but in a music video, it is sometimes important to "hit the reader over the head." Imagine your audience will be composed of everyone from a Nobel laureate to a second grader with a learning disability. Is the performance set inside a "blue room"? Or is it a COBALT BLUE ROOM, with a low fog that permeates every corner. Description, description, description.

Performance vs. "B Roll". When you see the artist playing an instrument and/or singing to the track, this is called "PERFORMANCE." Everything else that takes place in the video is referred to as "B-ROLL."

Generally, you want to describe three or four performance set-ups, that will be intertwined with your B-Roll visuals. Describe how the artist will come across in his or her performance. Strong? Powerful? Seductive? Flirtatious? Sexy? It helps to know a little about how the artists perceive themselves. You can usually find this out by visiting their official websites and reading their bios.

B-Roll could be narrative or interpretative. That is, it could tell a linear story, with a beginning, middle and end, or it could just be imagery that you feel works well within the context of the song.

As with any form of writing, the more you do it, the better you will get. Keep writing music videos, whether you are getting paid for it or not. Watch MTV. Study your favorite videos and then write what you imagine the treatment must have looked like. Study other treatments that have been written, and then come up with your own style. While there are no hard and fast rules about format, it is important that a treatment communicate its ideas in a clear, concise and creative manner.

BUDGET

Usually, the writer will have an idea of the budget range the label or artist wishes to spend. A treatment written for a five-hundred thousand dollar video will look very different from one for a five thousand dollar video. If you have any production experience, this will be a little easier to determine, but if you are strictly a writer, then you must use your common sense. Major effects are expensive, whether they are "mechanical" effects that you will perform on the set (such as a car crash or explosions), or digital effects that you will add later in the post production process. In the half-million dollar video, it is perfectly okay to include a few of these effects in your treatment. In a budget of under fifty-thousand, it is best to avoid them. Smaller effects that can be created using lighting and smoke, etc., are relatively inexpensive and can be accomplished on even the most modest of budgets.

The lower the budget, the fewer the extras, locations and effects you should incorporate into the treatment.

GETTING YOUR FIRST JOB

Now that you have a basic understanding of the process of writing music video treatments, you are probably wondering where to start. How do you get your first job? First should have two or three samples of your work. Find a few new songs that you really like and write your own treatments for them. Since you are not under a deadline, you should take your time to make these samples sparkle.

Next, contact every production company and director you can find and let them know you are available as a treatment writer. You can locate them by doing some basic research on the Internet, but a good place to begin is the Music Video Production Association . The MVPA has lists available on its website of its member producers, directors and production companies.

SUMMARY

Once you have turned in your treatment to the production company and/or director, and they have sent it off to the record label, you can sit back and cross your fingers. Usually you will hear very quickly whether or not the music video has been awarded to your team. Don't be discouraged if they go with somebody else. There are so many factors involved when a record label decides to whom they will award the job, many of them political and totally out of your control. In the event that the record label likes the treatment but has some issues with it, you should be prepared to do a couple of rewrites.

Music video writing can be a fun and creative way to break into the music video business, but don't expect to make a lot of money from it. The biggest rewards are the connections that you will undoubtedly make as a result of your efforts.

Copyright © 2008 Braddon Mendelson. All Rights Reserved.

* Addendum: A director friend of mine recently lamented on the irony of the record labels complaining when their music videos show up on sites such as YouTube, yet back in the day -- when MTV was the only game in town -- these same record labels bitched and whined when their videos (which are distributed free to broadcasters) wouldn't get aired or put into "rotation."

Are You Coming Home This Christmas?

2008-11-19T14:50:00.001-08:00

Halloween Showers from "Spooky Funny Halloween"

2008-10-26T00:35:00.001-07:00

Watson-Guptill Publications Issues Retraction

2008-04-20T11:58:00.001-07:00

We got the retraction we were asking for. (See previous post "And they Mentioned me in the Book...") It appeared in the April 11, 2008 edition of "Pubilshers Weekly":

"Billboard Books, an imprint of Watson-Guptill Publications, retracts passages from its book, MAKING MUSIC VIDEOS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS by Lara Schwartz, page 111, regarding president/producer of Noisivision, Inc., Braddon Mendelson, that are inaccurate regarding Mr. Mendelson’s involvement in the Rosa Parks vs. Outkast case. He had been summarily dismissed from the case by the judge as his name was wrongfully included in the case. Watson-Guptill regrets any misunderstanding that may have arisen as a result of this error."

The publishers also agreed to remove inaccurate references to me in future printings of the book.

An Idea Whose Time Has Come?

2008-04-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

Double entendre? Keep 'em guessing. This bumper sticker is available from the Noisivision 2008 Campaign Store, which is filled with collectible Presidential Campaign items so rare, even the candidates haven't seen them.

Cuckoo Concertos receives "Mom's Choice Award"

2008-03-23T11:30:00.003-07:00

Our DVD "Cuckoo Concertos, Vol. 1" was the recipient of a 2008 "Mom's Choice Award" on Friday in the "Home Entertainment/DVD" category. We're very honored to have received this prestigious accolade. We're in the planning stages of Volume 2, which promises to hold even more fun and surprises for children of all ages.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families.

And they Mentioned Me in the Book...

2008-03-14T23:30:00.000-07:00

It recently came to my attention that a book entitled "Making Music Videos: Everything You Need to Know from the Best in the Business" by Lara M. Schwartz, references me by name (on page 111) in an innacurate and unflattering manner.

What's the deal, you ask?

Here's the nutshell verision: In 1998 I produced the music video for Outkast's song "Rosa Parks." Rosa Parks, of course, is the civil rights icon who, in 1955, stood against injustice... by sitting down (i.e., refusing to give up her seat to white passengers). Some fifty years later, Ms. Parks' handlers decided to sue Outkast for unauthorized use of her name. The lawsuit was at first thrown out of court and then reinstated. This went on for years.

Seven years had passed since producing the video, when I received a summons from a Federal court in Michigan, naming me as a defendant in this five-billion dollar lawsuit.

Yes, "Billion." With a "B."

Sure, I produced the music video, but I had nothing to do with the creation or production of the song, the naming of the song, the recording of the song, the distribution of the song, etc. Still, being named as a defendant in a multi-billion dollar lawsuit is more than a little unsettling and it's fair to say I didn't get much sleep for a spell. Two lawyers and five thousand dollars later, a judge dismissed me from the case, citing "fraudulent joinder." That is, he acknowledged that I had absolutely nothing to do with any of this; Ms. Parks' attorneys (one of which was the infamous Johnny Cochran) wrongfully included me -- along with a few other miscellaneous defendants -- for strategic purposes. Having emerged from the cracks of an abusive legal system, I was relieved that this unpleasant epsiode in my life came to an end.

Ahhh, but it continues.

I recently performed a search for my name on the Amazon.com website. Aside from the usual videos I am associated with, I was surprised to see my name emerge in connection with the aforementioned "how-to" book on music video production. The author never called me, never interviewed me, never made any attempt to contact me, yet felt compelled to include me in a passage where she glosses over one of the most notorious and complex civil legal proceedings of the 21st century with a few tidbits gleaned from Wikipedia, without so much as picking up a phone and consulting a legal expert or calling one of the very subjects she so freely maligns to suit her purposes.

Here's the context in which my reputation was sullied:

The author wrote a brief section about the importance of obtaining talent releases prior to production. Releases are important, yes they are. If you film someone, you need them to sign a release. If you film someone's property, you need the owner to sign a release. Common sense. If you put someone or some identifiable thing in your video, you need permission. For Ms. Schwartz, however, it's apparently okay to misrepresent someone in a printed medium without such permission: On page 111, she uses me as an extreme example of what happens when one fails to obtain a talent release, the implication being that my lack of diligence as a producer somehow caused 90-year-old Rosa Parks to demand five-billion dollars from a couple of young rappers.

Huh? What the...?

The Rosa Parks case had nothing to do with the video producers obtaining -- or not obtaining -- a release! Ms. Parks did not appear in the video, her image was not depicted in the video, she is not referenced in the video. Her name is not mentioned anywhere in the song (it's just the title), and even if it were, we don't record any sound when making a music video, we play back a previously recorded audio track to which the artists lip-synch. I had nothing to do with the song. I had nothing to do with this case.

Outkast was sued for using "Rosa Parks" as the title of their song, without obtaining Rosa Parks's permission. Perhaps they should have had Ms. Parks sign a release before putting her name on their album covers, but it had nothing to with the production or the producers of the video.

While Ms. Schwartz accurately states that I was named as a defendant in the lawsuit, she fails to mentioned that I was summarily dismissed by the judge.

She goes on to state that "Outkast, the record label and the producers paid Parks a cash settlement to end the case." I think she meant the producers of the album, but by positioning this paragraph right after mentioning my name, it comes across as if I paid cash to settle the case.

What my next steps will be, I need to think about. I'm surely going to insist that the good folks at Amazon.com remove page 111 from their "read it now" link. And I will demand that the publishers of the book remove all references to me in future printings.

I love making films. I take pride in my job and have a reputation for solving problems and making intelligent decisions. I don't know what damage this could do for my future employment or business dealings. But sheez, if you're going to include me in a book about "Making Music Videos," why not ask me about some of the videos I've made. Ask me about working with Outkast, or Ice Cube. Ask me about the treatments I've written. Ask me how I persuaded the manager of the Disney Ranch not to kick our lead rapper off the set. Ask me how I can make a $50,000.00 video look like we spent a million. Just ask. I'm easy to find, but if you're not going to put forth a little effort to get me on the phone or drop me an e-mail, I'd just as soon not be mentioned in your manuscript.

And if you're considering using someone else's name in your book in an unflattering manner, I suggest you have them sign a release.

-- blm

Barack Back Mountain

2008-03-06T21:22:00.000-08:00

BSN: Dirt Road to the White House

2008-02-26T16:23:00.001-08:00

Noisivision Studios: Continuous Stream

2008-01-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

Continuous streaming of all Noisivision content. Courtesy of Google.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

KIDS: Raccoon Platoon

2008-01-10T07:57:00.001-08:00

Jay Leno Purchases Writers Guild

2008-01-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

By Vic Vassel, BSN Evening News

Burbank, CA – In response to the impending sanctions against him by the Writers Guild of America for writing his own monologues during the strike, “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno has purchased the WGA for an undisclosed sum.

“The negotiations with the AMPTP came to a stand-still,” says a WGA spokesman, “and then this Leno deal came around and we felt it was a no-brainer. A slam-dunk for all our members. Now we only answer to one person, our employer, Mr. Leno.”

How the new ownership of the Guild will affect the ongoing negotiations with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers is unclear, but Leno insists the purchase will not effect how he runs “The Tonight Show,” stating that he has instructed the 15,000 members of the WGA to report to his kitchen by 8:00 am on Monday for a writers’ meeting.

A statement on the AMPTP’s official website called the deal “a welcome end to our pointless and puzzling bad-faith negotiating tactics with the writers. Now we can refocus our pointless and puzzling bad-faith tactics in upcoming negotiations with the directors.”

The Directors Guild of America, however, not wanting to be one-upped by its less esteemed sister union, has recently put itself up for auction on eBay.

New Distribution Deal for Noisivision DVD

2007-12-18T21:49:00.000-08:00

Noisivision has new distribution for our DVDs, which includes the popular "Hummer Sonata" and "Cuckoo Concertos, Vol. 1."

Victory Multimedia, a sub-distributor, will be working diligently to get our titles into the hands of the wholesale video distributors, who in turn will get us into the brick and mortar retail world.

Keep your eyes open for Noisivision DVDs -- coming to a store near you.

Turkeys in the Straw Poll

2007-11-19T17:14:00.000-08:00

by Braddon Mendelson

John McCain has found religion
Or at least it’s a good bluff
Fred Thompson thinks celebrity will be enough
Were it not for 9/11 we’d say “Giuliani” who?
God I hope that our next president’s a black female Jew

Some on the left and some on the right
Some in the middle and some outta sight
No matter where their issues stand
They’re all a bunch of turkeys
And they’re getting’ outta hand

Obama lacks experience
I’ve heard some people say
Kucinich shot an animal to make his own toupee
John Edwards is so liberal
It makes Rush Limbaugh ill
And if we vote for Hillary
We hope we’re getting Bill

Some on the right and some on the left
In matters of integrity they are all bereft
No matter where their issues stand
They’re all a bunch of turkeys
And they’re getting’ outta hand

Mike Huckabee thinks dinosaurs and
People lived at once
It looks like our next president
Might be a dunce
Mitt Romney as a governor
Vetoed a stem-cell bill
And Ron Paul is so liberal
It makes Rush Limbaugh ill

Some on the left and some on the right
Some in the middle and some outta sight
No matter where their issues stand
They’re all a bunch of turkeys
And they’re getting’ outta hand

Happy Thanksgiving

Copyright © 2007 Noisivision, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Voices of Uncertainty

2007-11-12T12:23:00.001-08:00

A Limerick for the Strike

2007-11-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Some writers once put forth a proffer
To open the studios’ coffer
A scoffer named Counter
Doffed off the encounter
And scoffed at a fair Counter-Offer

--Braddon Mendelson

HUMMINGBIRD VIDEO ON DVD

2007-08-20T17:56:00.001-07:00

Noisivision's newest video release, "Hummer Sonata" has been flying off the virtual shelves over at Amazon.com. Edited from over 14 hours of intimate video of a hummingbird nest taken over a span of about four weeks, this musical video captures the adventures of two newborn hummers, as they are nurtured by their mother, test their wings and finally leave the nest. Order your copy by clicking here:

HUMMER SONATA

New Variety Program: "MendelMania"

2007-07-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

We've got it all: Comedy, Music, Satire and a great title! Enjoy.

From Crackle: MendelMania, Ep. 1

Another great review for Noisivision

2007-07-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

"The cutest version of Old MacDonald ever..." -- Editors at Sony's new "Crackle" website.

From Crackle: KIDS: Old MacDonald

The Business (and Sometimes Art) of Music Video Treatment Writing

2007-05-26T19:22:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCTION
I receive several e-mails each week from people asking me how to break into the business of music video treatment writing. As I have written over four hundred treatments for various record labels, artists and directors, I have some insight into this area. There are several elements to consider when writing a music video treatment and I will try to outline them here.

Before you attempt to write a single word, it helps to understand a little bit about the “biz.” The music video industry has undergone major changes in recent years. Many record labels have gone out of business or consolidated. There are far fewer “big budget” videos being produced, yet with broadband Internet access, there are far more avenues of distribution. *

There are three main players: The Record Labels, The Production Companies and The Directors. The record labels represent the recording artists. The Production Companies represent directors. There are also directors who are not affiliated with any particular production company. They often solicit work on their own, or hire an independent representative to work for them.

When a record label wants to make a music video for one of its artists, it approaches several production companies and directors who they think would be appropriate and solicit bids. They will say, for example, “We want a music video for Britney Spear’s upcoming single, ‘I Wish I Had Talent,’ and we have a budget of 750,000 dollars.”

The production company will scramble to assemble a bid, consisting of a treatment and a budget, which they will then rush to the label as quickly as possible. Generally, it is assumed that the proposed director will write the treatment himself or herself, but this is often not the case. A lot of directors, including some of the most noted in the business, do not like writing treatments. Often it is because they are asked to bid on so many video jobs that the amount of writing – on spec – gets to be overwhelming. Sometimes it is because they don’t have a good solid idea. Most often it is because they are not good writers. They may be masters of visualization, they may know how to place a camera and work with the talent to get a dynamite performance, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they know how to translate their concepts to the written word. In other cases, the director may be extremely proficient with the written word, but still want to collaborate with an outside writer to come up with the best treatment possible. So they will hire, usually through the auspices of the production company that represents them, someone to write the treatment. This could be anyone from the secretary at the production office, to the producer of the video. Often, however, it is a freelance writer.

There are three main components to consider when writing a music video treatment: SELLING, CONTENT and BUDGET. The one that beginning writers seem most concerned with is the content; that is, all the visual aspects that will be photographed and (hopefully) translated to the screen. Be advised, the other two components are equally important. If one does not take SELLING and BUDGET into consideration, the content will be woefully irrelevant.

SELLING
Since the treatment is written as part of the initial bid to convince the record label to award the job to the production company and/or its director, it must be an effective SELLING TOOL. In addition to the great content and visuals you will include in the treatment, you must be cognizant of what it is the label and the artist are looking for, and – for lack of a better word – regurgitate it back to them. The artists are concerned with how they will be presented. The label is concerned with selling albums. So in the text you must convince both that these needs will be met. If you are writing for a rap artist who has mentioned that he wants to drive a current model Lincoln Navigator, make sure that you refer to this exact vehicle in the text of the treatment. Regardless of whether you think it’s a terrible idea, or whether or not the vehicle makes it into the finished video, your main concern at this point is to get the job. Don’t be obstinate. If the label says they want to stay away from using a lot of extras, do not set your video at a concert with hundreds of screaming fans.
Get it? Give them what they want, keeping it within the context of the other two components: Content and Budget.

CONTENT
Treatments are generally written in the present tense, with the writer describing all the visuals that will be in the proposed music video and tying them into the various verses of the song.

Being as descriptive as possible is crucial. Often you may think you have the coolest imagery for the video, but if the reader does not understand what ideas and images you are conveying, or does not get the same mental images as the writer, it will all be lost. Find the right adjective. Normally, writers do not want to be redundant, but in a music video, it is sometimes important to “hit the reader over the head.” Imagine your audience will be composed of everyone from a Nobel laureate to a second grader with a learning disability. Is the performance set inside a “blue room”? Or is it a COBALT BLUE ROOM, with a low fog that permeates every corner. Description, description, description.

Performance vs. “B Roll”. When you see the artist playing an instrument and/or singing to the track, this is called “PERFORMANCE.” Everything else that takes place in the video is referred to as “B-ROLL.”

Generally, you want to describe three or four performance set-ups, that will be intertwined with your B-Roll visuals. Describe how the artist will come across in his or her performance. Strong? Powerful? Seductive? Flirtatious? Sexy? It helps to know a little about how the artists perceive themselves. You can usually find this out by visiting their official websites and reading their bios.

B-Roll could be narrative or interpretative. That is, it could tell a linear story, with a beginning, middle and end, or it could just be imagery that you feel works well within the context of the song.

As with any form of writing, the more you do it, the better you will get. Keep writing music videos, whether you are getting paid for it or not. Watch MTV. Study your favorite videos and then write what you imagine the treatment must have looked like. Study other treatments that have been written, and then come up with your own style. While there are no hard and fast rules about format, it is important that a treatment communicate its ideas in a clear, concise and creative manner.

BUDGET
Usually, the writer will have an idea of the budget range the label or artist wishes to spend. A treatment written for a five-hundred thousand dollar video will look very different from one for a five thousand dollar video. If you have any production experience, this will be a little easier to determine, but if you are strictly a writer, then you must use your common sense. Major effects are expensive, whether they are “mechanical” effects that you will perform on the set (such as a car crash or explosions), or digital effects that you will add later in the post production process. In the half-million dollar video, it is perfectly okay to include a few of these effects in your treatment. In a budget of under fifty-thousand, it is best to avoid them. Smaller effects that can be created using lighting and smoke, etc., are relatively inexpensive and can be accomplished on even the most modest of budgets.

The lower the budget, the fewer the extras, locations and effects you should incorporate into the treatment.

GETTING YOUR FIRST JOB
Now that you have a basic understanding of the process of writing music video treatments, you are probably wondering where to start. How do you get your first job? First should have two or three samples of your work. Find a few new songs that you really like and write your own treatments for them. Since you are not under a deadline, you should take your time to make these samples sparkle.
Next, contact every production company and director you can find and let them know you are available as a treatment writer. You can locate them by doing some basic research on the Internet, but a good place to begin is the Music Video Production Association . The MVPA has lists available on its website of its member producers, directors and production companies.

SUMMARY
Once you have turned in your treatment to the production company and/or director, and they have sent it off to the record label, you can sit back and cross your fingers. Usually you will hear very quickly whether or not the music video has been awarded to your team. Don't be discouraged if they go with somebody else. There are so many factors involved when a record label decides to whom they will award the job, many of them political and totally out of your control. In the event that the record label likes the treatment but has some issues with it, you should be prepared to do a couple of rewrites.

Music video writing can be a fun and creative way to break into the music video business, but don’t expect to make a lot of money from it. The biggest rewards are the connections that you will undoubtedly make as a result of your efforts.

Copyright © 2003-2007 Braddon Mendelson. All Rights Reserved.

* 5/26/07 Addendum: A director friend of mine recently lamented on the irony of the record labels complaining when their music videos show up on sites such as YouTube, yet back in the day -- when MTV was the only game in town -- these same record lables bitched and whined when their videos (which are distributed free to broadcasters) wouldn't get aired or put into "rotation."

NOISIVISION
Enertainment for a Digital World

Laird for President

2007-05-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is a little video my son and I made last year. It was posted on a few sites, including one called Sharkle. I hadn't checked that site for awhile, so imagine my surprise when I logged on last week and discovered that our political ad spoof had over 250,000 views and growing. Wow. Take a look.

A Day at Vasquez Rocks

2007-05-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

My Dog, Chloe

2007-04-17T09:26:00.000-07:00

This ten-minute documentary is comprised of footage of me taken a mere two days after putting down my dog, Chloe. Anyone who's ever grieved over the loss of an animal will relate to the way I was feeling. The DVD is available online at Amazon.

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NOISIVISION

Chloe

2007-04-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

When my best friend died today
In a dignifiedly way
With her friends and family around

She didn't have a thing to say
Just watched me as she slipped away
No longer could she smile or make a sound

Her heart played one last quarter note
Crescendoed, then became remote
The concert she performed each day was through

Her head lay on my arm afloat
As one last breath drew down her throat --
Still, furry friendship’s love survives anew

FROM THE NOISIVISION REALITY CHANNEL

2007-03-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

The Mysterious Death of Number Thirty-Five

2007-03-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

Check out our latest installment of Noisivision's JFK Documentary series, "The Mysterious Death of Number Thirty-Five." In Part Two, we explore the Warren Commission's creation of the "Single Bullet Theory." We include a lot of documents and photos that were not available until the 1990s which demonstrate how Arlen Specter (who was Junior Counsel for the Warren Commission in 1964 and today is a senator from Pennsylvania) and the Warren Commission really pushed through this "theory," excluding medical evidence and making sure that witness testimony was in alignment. Of course, you may come up with a different conclusion than that of the video, and that's okay. On whichever side of the picket fence you reside, I think you'll find the evidence we put forth to be compelling, if for no other reason than the history behind it. www.noisivision.com/jfk

OLD MACDONALD

2007-03-09T10:04:00.000-08:00

Old MacDonald - More free videos are here

Down with "Content"

2007-03-06T20:51:00.000-08:00

I can't stand the term, "Content." I never refer to the original shows I produce for Noisivision as "content." Content is the stuff a bottle manufacturer needs to fill his product. Or what a garbage truck dumps into a landfill. Or what a backyard distillery produces. "Hey Billy-Bob, I spent all day fishing these here bottles out of the landfill -- let's fill 'em up with our finest eighty-proof content."

To some, entertainment has become secondary to the delivery mechanism. "These are the finest cardboard boxes ever made. Who cares what you put in them, people are gonna pay to see the boxes."

As we saw over a hundred years ago, when nickelodeons showed "Moving Picures" of couples dancing or bears wrestling or couples dancing with wrestling bears, technology always precedes "content." The novelty of those early flickering images enticed crowds into the theaters of yesteryear, just as today's Internet users flock to YouTube, Brightcove, VEOH, et al.

But as some point -- and I believe it will happen sooner than later -- audiences have their fill of "novelty," and start looking for substance. It's not enough to watch college kids parade around their dorm in their underwear, or a repeat of last night's Conan O'Brien. They want to be entertained, enlightened; they want to laugh and cry and empathize. Whether it's a short "Video Bit," a cutting edge music video, a commercial parody, a dramatic series, a long-form work of fiction or a thought-provoking documentary, audiences will soon be demanding more than the novelty of watching movies on their PCs or MACs.

They will demand stories. They will demand humor. They will demand imagination.

In every medium, from the early cave paintings to today's hottest portable digital devices, storytelling and humor and imagination reign supreme. They are not secondary to the delivery mechanism.

"Hey Billy-Bob, we got ourselves a mighty fancy website here. We done the hard part. Now all we need is some content."

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NOISIVISION

NOISIVISION COMEDY CHANNEL

2007-03-06T20:46:00.001-08:00

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