“This is a chord. This is another. This is a third. Now form a band.” It used to be that, back in the day, a band would throw itself together and do nothing but tons of noisy parents’-garage rehearsals and a few raucous local shows. Things seem a lot more focussed and planned now, for a lot of bands – not that there’s anything wrong with that – and it’s perhaps more a case of “This is your band. This is the internet and the media. This is a well-documented way to promote your band and grow your fanbase. Now form a step-by-step plan to propel your band into the consciousness of the globe.”
A good sense of visuals can solidify what a band is all about, and a good video really helps to reinforce and contextualise the music. That’s where groups of people like MusOx come in – folks that make it happen, know how to produce a video, know what to do with it, and so on. One of the MusOx collective – who are intentionally anonymous, as you will read – answered a few questions about what they do, and what it means to Oxford bands and music.
MIO: Tell us about MusOx – what it is, when it was formed, where you’re based, and what you can do
MO: MusOx was recently formed by a group of visual professionals; we have a couple of directors, editors, photographers and a graphic designer at the moment as the core team. Between us, we have a few contacts in the music industry, but are more connected in the world of feature films and video and the areas related to that. We can make music videos, documentaries, film live events and offer a similar range of services in photography. The overall aim of MusOx is to provide a central point, where musicians and artists can go to find good quality professionals.
MIO: Who’s involved? What do each of you do?
MO: There’s a core team, and we have skills across the visual arts. We would like to maintain a level of anonymity, to allow us to bring in industry-known people that perhaps do not want to advertise this kind of service, but enjoy it none the less.
MIO: What is the background of MusOx and its people, locally and within the music industry?
MO: The team all live in Oxford and are long-term music fans. The Oxford scene holds a very special interest for all of us. We’re lucky enough to know a few people in the music industry, but we’re more aimed at film, documentaries and photography – both fashion and live events.
MIO: How much would it cost for MusOx to create a video for a band – and what would the process be?
MO: We want our services to be accessible, and can produce a very basic video from around £500. The bigger the budget, the more diverse, interesting and ambitious a project can be. Should something more advanced be required, we have the ability to bring in full crews, actors, dancers, locations, graphics… the list goes on, but unfortunately costs money. It’s important to be realistic about what can be achieved with the resources you can afford. What we do is offer the skills to do the best with the resources and budgets available. Remember, a music video is only as good as the music, the idea and the quality of the production. The first step is to listen to the music and discuss ideas with the band/artist. It’s then fairly process driven: agree on an idea, pre-production, production and editing. Sounds simple, but I can assure you it’s far from that.
MIO: Your first video – Ninestone Cowboy’s ‘Jesus H. Christ’ – is now complete. How did that video come about?
MO: It was a combination of things. We decided that we wanted to branch out into music videos and it was important to us that we found a good track to put our names to. We all love Mark Cope’s music, and really feel it deserves the chance to reach a wider audience. Mark is also very natural on screen, and really worked hard with us on the development of our ideas for his video. Of course we had to impress him, and get him to feel confident that we could do his music justice, which I think we did.
MIO: Pick some music videos that have inspired you and your work
MO: We are all influenced, mostly, by narrative-driven videos, from Queen through to the Beastie Boys. I’m personally impressed with original ideas – which are harder to come by these days, although they do still happen. A music video should entertain without distracting from the music. It’s almost a compliment when you ask somebody what they think and they tell you they liked the tune. It means that you have supported the product that you have been asked to market, in a way.
MIO: What do you think of the Oxford music scene right now? Any favourites?
MO: I’d have to say Ninestone Cowboy are at the top of the list right now, but FarOutlaw, Smilex and The Graceful Slicks all regularly pop up on my playlists. The other thing about MusOx is that we get to hear new music all the time! I feel that there are big things happening in Oxford at the moment, it’s an exciting time to be here.
MIO: What are the future plans for MusOx?
We have two more videos in the pipeline at the moment, and a rather big Nine Stone project due before Christmas (which might include a world record attempt). Long-term, we would like to be the first port of call for local musicians looking to make videos. Hopefully we can grow the network on both sides of the fence.