How to get a performance video of your band

I have been toying with the idea of joining the band wagon and getting nice videos of some of the various bands that I play with. Right now I have anyone available take the movie and then another guy translate that to DVD. Here's what I'm thinking of doing going forward.

  1. Get a wide-angle video camera so that I can get the camera closer to the band, farther from the noisy audience, and still have everyone in the band in the frame. It should have a decent light and a backup battery.

2. Get a decent camera man to do quality pics. If I can't find a hobbiest, I'm just not trying hard enough.

3. Get at least two decent mics and a sound board to patch the sound in. For an xTet you might want to might each musician. This will cost some moula but the sound distortion from a video camera would make a pro band sound bad.

4. Once I get this all together, go to the Windows Movie Maker site for more guidance and a free upscale editor to perfect the resulting video.

5. Open an account on Soapbox to publish my bands videos for free. Here's a link to one of my bands, the Dissonance using all the wrong technology.

And no, I didn't give anyone permission to post my solo but it sure was an eye opener for those of us in the band. If you are not recording yourself as part of your practice routine, I can't think of a better way to really see your group as the rest of the world sees them.