Making the video Your Car’s Too Big was McShane & Shaw’s first foray into video making and neither of us had much of a clue how to proceed. But our flying-by-the-seat-of-the-pants process showed us that the most important part of any creation is not the end point but the act of getting started.
If you missed Part 1 you can read it here: https://ralphshaw.co.uk/ue220-how-to-make-a-music-video-part-1-of-2/
And my new book Wings Are Handy Things is now available to buy. Depending on your country you should be able to find a link (on Amazon) to get the book in time for Christmas. If your country has a postal strike going on (shout-out to all my Canadian friends) then no worries, your book will be delivered by Amazon.
Having filmed ourselves with a beautiful borrowed blue vintage Austin Mini car (now nick-named Ethel) we had lots of footage. But I found myself starting to dread the editing. This anxiety came on two fronts: One, was wondering how to pare down all this footage into a 4-minute video. Two, came from our complete lack of knowledge about the mechanics of editing. I’d downloaded some video editing software but even a quick glance told me this was an extremely steep learning curve. We spoke about this with our sound engineer Ian Rafferty and learned that he had all the software and know-how required. Financially it made more sense to pay him rather than struggle with it ourselves.
This was one of the best decisions we ever made. Ian soon earned himself the nickname of “Magic Fingers Rafferty” as he speedily conjured into reality every idea that came to mind. In the process I found within myself a love for video editing I didn’t know I had. So long as I wasn’t the one pushing the buttons and shoving the sliders I seemed to have a knack for spotting and placing bits of video.
I’d previously imagined that wading through hours of footage and picking out what to use and what to discard would be incredibly difficult. But as we got to work I discovered moments that sparkled and shone. They would jump out at me and tell me exactly where they needed to go. I found myself panning for video gold.
Editing the video became surprisingly pleasurable. I got a thrill from finding the exact moment to cut from one segment into another. A second or so either way can feel clunky and wrong. There is a dance going on between the action in the video, the camera-work and the editing in the way they move together to make a natural flow. Now I’ve had a bit of hands-on experience I look at professional TV and film work in a completely different way.
In the context of our latest footage with the Mini, and looking again at our wobbly work from the allotment, we realised that the camera imperfections on Day 1 actually suited the homemade feel of the piece and made it funnier. The serendipitous wind-blown camera shake at the moment Chris whacks me on the head with the big bottle now looked like a deliberate effect. This delighted me.
Once the bulk of the video was edited, we left it to Ian to use some still pictures to make the credits. He also took it on himself to create the handwriting effect of McShane & Shaw that you see at the very beginning of the video. It looks like a simple computer effect but it actually took many hours using old-school animation technique. Ian found a nice handwritten-style font for the words McShane & Shaw to print onto paper – which he then traced over with a pencil. He then erased the pencil bit by bit taking stills as he went. Eventually he had an animation of the words McShane & Shaw disappearing. He then used his computer to turn the pencil script bright red and ran the animation in reverse and thus made it look like the words were being written by an invisible hand. A brilliant use of old and new technologies working together.
This was our first of five videos. None of them will ever be Academy Award winners but they are all entertaining and I like to think that each video has something to commend it. What video making has taught me is to not let the fact that you don’t know what you’re doing stop you from trying. Here is a quote that says it far better than anything I could come up with:
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”
― William Hutchison Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition
We had no director, no storyboard, no cameraman and no lighting experience. Not even a clapperboard. But we did have our smart phones and some great help (thanks to Ian and David). We did not create a modern-day Citizen Kane but we made a video that was laugh-out-loud funny and showcased our music in a way that all generations and cultures could connect with. I’m proud of that fact and very glad we made the effort.
See the video on youtube here
Wishing you a very merry Christmas, a beautiful winter-time and a joyful and peaceful 2025.
Keep Strumming and Smiling,
Ralph