Live, Raw, Real: Producing One-Take Online Music Videos

Taking the Shows on the Road

After the videos are complete, they are available online for fans to view and as a promotional resource for the featured musicians. Kaiser equates the process of shooting his One Take Shows to the rise of a nascent independent musician using digital DIY means. “We are in an age where a talented, small-town band can produce an album on a laptop and use online marketing to climb the ladder to success. I love this! I think that true talent and originality now has a chance to rise to the top and compete with the mainstream, cookie-cutter artists like never before. I think these one-take music videos give bands like this an opportunity to show off their capabilities without dumping thousands of dollars into a music video that sometimes conceals the artist’s true talent.”

Yet emerging artists usually keep their day jobs before rising to stardom. Despite the growing attention paid to lo-fi one-take videos on such major music websites as Pitchfork and Stereogum and the increasing prominence of bands such as Phoenix or Bon Iver showcased in Take Away Shows, neither Kaiser nor Grant harbor any illusions about what’s in it for them. As Grant puts it: “I would say that doing music video in general should be a love thing first. You must love it or it makes no sense. Approach every project from the perspective of whether you want to do it or not. Judge the music. Make it reflect your personality or it won’t make you happy. And with what little money is involved, it must make you happy creatively.”

Kaiser agrees. “Using video to tell unique, emotional stories rooted in love has always been my way of manifesting an inner drive to create. It seems as if One Take Shows was destined to be created considering my love of film, music, and challenges.” He encourages like-minded filmmakers to reach out to bands in their area and offer to shoot a video for free. The viral nature of online video works to promote both the musician and the filmmaker, and word-of-mouth has led to an onslaught of inquiries to One Take Shows.

Kaiser is looking ahead optimistically: “There are a few nationally recognized artists that I’d like to work with in the future. I see a bright future for One Take Shows.” Conversely, nearly a hundred boneshows in, Grant is fine-tuning his approach, focusing on maximizing exposure for the artists he’s already shot and scouring the internet and airwaves to discover “diamonds in the rough.” Though he is developing Grant Digital Media, which is intended to manage corporate and commercial projects, he won’t be giving up on his boneshows anytime soon. “boneshow has been a very fulfilling and enlightening experience for me, and I have Vincent Moon to thank for the idea. I knew that it would work from the first frame of the first shoot, and I hope I can keep it going as long as there are artists who truly play their own songs.