Music

This is a big subject with many variations and possibilities including pop, opera, classical etc., each of which uses different techniques. Some will require you to be shooting the musicians, others will have simultaneous stage actors.

However, there are some basics used in televising many genres of music.

Musical structure

Try to get hold of the basic breakdown of the song/music. For most western music this can be broken down into bars and words.

Coverage

Think about it like shooting a demonstration – what are the basic shots you need?

It Is always worth having cover – the wide shot. At any stage during a performance you can cut to this and it will look adequate. At the beginning of a piece this lets the audience see everyone on the stage.

The lead singer (or soloist) justifies having a camera dedicated to them.

During the musical break it would obviously be useful to have shots of the solo instruments.

What are the main instruments during the opening sixteen bars?

At the end do you want to see applause from other people in the studio? Generally be very clear about how you intend to get into a musical number, and how you will get out again at the other end.

Scripts or score

Depending on the type of music and your ability to read a score, you may prefer to work off a marked-up music score.

Playback

Many studio performances are done over a backing tape, This simplifies the studio set-up greatly, but many performers are not terribly good at making it realistic.

Do not start on a tight shot of the first instrument for the first note.

It takes most musicians a second or two to sync up with the playback tape.