joebaughman

Yes.

I've been making videos since I was a kid (stop-motion videos with my LEGO cam, live-action videos with my grandpa's camera [which I 'borrowed' for years]).

I got into music videos right after college. I was working on an album with an elderly man I knew (he was my 4th grade teacher) and had some recording questions. I saw that Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) and his cousin Johnny Quaid created a website called Removador Recordings and Solutions and on there they answered questions about recording. I received a reply from Johnny, and we eventually ended up talking about video. I ended up making my first music video for him (entitled "If Josie Wails Can Fail").

From there I worked on a few other random short films and was randomly contacted by Sufjan Stevens. He had seen some of the stop-motion shorts I had made with flannelgraph and asked me to make a video for his cover of "Holly Jolly Christmas" (you can watch that here: http://vimeo.com/53561111)

I grew up playing music every day, and I have a deep love for it, so music videos are a great way for me to combine my love for music and my love for film. After working with Sufjan, I was about to attract the attention of more bands and have been working primarily on music videos ever since, thanks to artists like Matisyahu, The Roots, and one of my favorite up-and-coming bands Houndmouth

Thanks! I really appreciate hearing positive feedback on my work.

The nice thing about stop-motion is that there is so much environmental control. Of course it is a ton of work, but there are far fewer limitations in the stop-motion world than in the real world. One of the reasons I got into stop-motion was that it was easier to do without getting a crew together. I could build a set in my bedroom, roll out of bed in the morning, and get to work (after having a bowl of cereal of course!).

Once I get in contact with an artist (through random connections, email, or word of mouth), I usually receive a song from that artist.

From there, I listen to the song until I come up with strong visuals that I think could work. Sometimes I end up listening to the song for days on end on repeat.

Then (most of the time) I work with the artist(s) to create a concept that everyone is happy with.

After that I write a detailed outline and create storyboards for every shot. I usually don't show these storyboards to anyone (I'm not great at drawing), but they help me know exactly how I want to shoot something.

Then I get all the gear that I need for the shoot (appropriate lenses, dollies, jibs, lights, etc.) and knock it out (usually with a very small crew, consisting of myself, usually my younger brother, and my producer Andrew DeSelm).

I then edit and color grade it (working with the artist during the process), and deliver it.

It's usually a crazy amount of hours (especially when I animate), but I love it.

I enjoy all aspects of making videos, from conceptualizing to shooting to editing. I especially love trying to come up with visuals that accompany the music. As soon as an artist gives me a song, I start with listening to it. Sometimes I come up with something I like right away, but most of the time it can take a couple days of listening to the song on repeat. Strangely enough I usually don't tire of the songs, but grow increasingly fond of them as I continue to listen to it.

Another very fun aspect of making the videos I make is creating environments. For the "Broken Car" video I did for Matisyahu, I spent over a month making the treehouse shown in the video. I practically lived in that thing, and it became my home. I pour a lot of time and energy into what I do because I love the process so much.