Staying on the topic of videos for a minute, it’s worth mentioning that our area is chock full of remarkably talented directors and videographers. At OnStage we watch a lot of videos and post the ones we really like. We review or comment on all the videos we put up in the OnStage Video Showcase and as often as not you’ll notice we mention the quality of the videos themselves. There are some names of these new-age filmmakers that stand out and so, in no particular order, this is our shout out to them. If you’re making music in this area there’s almost no question you’re also looking to engage your fans and potential fans with a video that shows you at your talented best. These are the folks we think will really help you with that. We’ve taken the liberty of maybe merging the work of some directors with behind the camera folks without properly differentiating the roles but only because we don’t know the intricacies of all of the working relationships. But that’s what the comments section is for; we welcome your corrections and observations and invite you to follow us on Twitter @_OnStageDC.
1st Impressions
Comprised of photographers, producers, directors and editors, 1st Impressions is a very busy studio and a few examples of their work with local artists are prominent in the OnStage Video Showcase. We’ve got “Breathe” by Ashton Travis which has quality shots of Mt Pleasant as a background. And they’ve done work with Violet Says 5 on ‘Under my Back Seat” and of course their signature video, “Cremate Em” with Fat Trel. They’ve also done projects for Wale, Raheem DeVaughn, JR Writer, Cassidy, and an ever growing list.
Clipstar TV
Clipstar is an up and coming video production company with an already impressive body of work to stand behind their slogan “We make hit videos.” We like the gritty realism in the background of the Young Sir video “Rollin” which is featured in our Video Showcase. For a full sampling of what they do, check out their YouTube channel.
Cool Kids Forever Films
Some of the most popular videos of the past year are the work of Cool Kids Forever. They have credits on videos by Phil Da Phuture, KingPen Slim, Phil Ade, and Garvey The Chosen One. A video we especially like is “Told You So” by Uptown XO ft Diamond District directed by Langston Sessoms which you can also see in the video showcase. They actually shot this during Hurricane Irene. Talk about overcoming technical and logistical difficulties! If imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery then Cool Kids Forever have a lot of admirers in this area because we see a lot of newer companies shooting the same panoramic backgrounds found on CKF videos.
We’ve mentioned our admiration for the work of Dro Victorious on our Twitter page a few times. That’s because you can almost feel the energy and fun that must be going on during his video shoots. We see it especially in the David Correy videos he’s directed, a number of which you can find in the OnStage Video Showcase, including our favorite, “Party For Me.”
Red Eye Films
This group caught our eye with the video “How To Love” shot with Don Juan. The message in his rendition of the song demanded the right setting and we thought Red Eye did a great job with that. You can also check out Don Juan’s “Get To Me” in the video showcase. That’s another great example of Redeye’s cinematic vision. Owner Edward Benitez is also a top DJ so artists looking to entrust their video production to Red Eye can rest easy knowing you’ll be working with someone who really does know music.