We all know where we were when it happened: The grainy images of America’s favorite sons, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, heroically stepping out of the lunar module onto the alien surface of the moon. The entire nation let out a collective gasp as our brave astronauts took their first steps on a new world and stoically planted the fluorescent color-changing MTV flag into the dusty surface. And as The Buggles “Video Killed the Radio Star” burst onto the screen, we ushered in a new era of showcasing music, a new art form. The music video had officially gone mainstream.
Much has changed in the three decades since the music video’s mainstream introduction, but there is still something endlessly fascinating about the marriage of music and film. And while MTV has since shifted its focus from music videos to primarily showcasing career reality TV personalities beating each other up, having sex and then beating each other up again, the evolution of the music video has continued unabated.
The modern music video is no longer bound by the three-and-a-half minute standards or cliché storylines of lost love inter-spliced with shots of the band looking very serious as they jam in an empty warehouse. Incredible advances in camera quality, video editing software and the popularization of video sites like YouTube, Vimeo and Metacafe has made it possible for filmmakers around the world to push the limits of what a music video is and create compelling, documentary-style films that offer the viewer a much richer and more fulfilling view of the artist. Fortunately for Milwaukee musicians, the documentary music video culture in the city is not just present, but thriving.
Mindpool Live
After spending a decade working on videos for the likes of Beastie Boys, Tina Turner and Elton John, Josh Adams returned home to Milwaukee and started Mindpool Productions. With the help of producer Ryan Schaber, Adams directs and produces countless live performances and documentary-style videos of local and national acts under the moniker Mindpool Live (Full disclosure: Mindpool Live produced a series of backstage and performance videos with InsideMilwaukee.com during Summerfest, but I don’t feel bad about mentioning them here because the videos were amazing!).
Mindpool Live was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from the nonprofit “Reveal Milwaukee” program for production of its Soundpass Sessions. The grant, which seeks to use media to highlight Milwaukee in new, innovative ways, was given to just six proposals out of 53 that entered. Soundpass Sessions is a recurring webisodic series that highlights a local band or artist in an intimate performance and interview setting. The result is one of the most intensely compelling means of getting to know local musicians that you will ever experience.
High Frequency Media
Anthony Lopez and Jon Salimes met in film school and after a few years of filming weddings and promotional videos, decided to turn their attention instead to the local music scene. The guys started filming live performances of local acts, from some of the areas biggest venues to friends’ basements, and the results were impressive.
As the two have grown and progressed as filmmakers, Lopez and Salimes have gradually set their sights on larger-scale projects. All Messed Up followed the process of a unique experiment. In October 2010, more than 30 local musicians drew names from a hat and realigned into nine new bands. Each band spent the next two months writing songs for a 15-minute set, which were all later showcased during a special show at The Vault in Riverwest.
Next on the agenda for High Frequency Media is the release of its debut full-length documentary Points of Interest. This intriguing effort is the result of following the bands Juniper Tar and Strand of Oaks on a 10-day East Coast tour last summer. The early reviews have been glowing, and the film is likely to be released later this year. Read a fascinating recap of the experience by Salimes here.
Cream City Soundcheck
An interesting newcomer to the music video making community is Cream City Soundcheck. The exciting project is a collaboration between the Pabst, Riverside and Turner Hall and doc|UWM, the documentary film arm of the UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts film department, to film some of the city’s finest musicians in some of the city’s most historical venues. Slated to appear are Kings Go Forth, Maritime and Paul Cebar along with national acts YACHT and The Generationalists. Filming is complete, and post-production is set to begin in the fall.
