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Vineet
Hi, everyone. Welcome back to photosynthesis individuals podcast and videocast. If that’s a word. It’s not on everything to do with photography, videography and the creative process in India. The business, the art and everything brought together today we have with us this second in the series of people that I met at a music festival, very drunk one morning. Actually, very hungover, we have with us. Meghan Katty, who is a he described himself as a visual creative in music. He does music fest. And he basically crafts narratives and events and stories around those music festivals. Hi, Megan. Welcome to our show.
Meghan
Hi Vineet I love the title man. I didn’t ask you about the title before photosynthesis. That’s yeah, it’s it’s nice. It’s nice. I like anything that’s that’s got a organic hint. You know something? A hint. Organic stuff.
Vineet
It’s nice. No, I think it fits great. Look at me smiling so broadly now.
Meghan
Yeah, but hi. Glad to be here. Just wanted to say that it’s amazing. How on that breakfast table we were just talking about individual and today we’re here recording.
Vineet
Every year, six months later. Yes. So I want to actually get into event photography in India. Event videography in India in detail today. But we’re going to attack it from 2 perspectives. One is obviously the technical someone who’s getting into event videos.
Speaker
OK.
Vineet
There is so much more technical involved here, so I I as a hobby I photograph cats.
Meghan
OK.
Vineet
The camera understand the basics of photography. Understand the basics of composition. That’s it. Right. And and of course, understand how cats behave, which nobody ever knows.
Meghan
That is true. They’re an amazing subject to learn on your feet, you know.
Vineet
You, on the other hand, are dealing with some 500 moving elements. Or maybe 5000 and probably understating 500. Right. This there’s there’s equipment in terms of camera, there’s equipment in terms of lighting, there’s equipment in terms. Of communication. There’s equipment in terms of. Well, many other things, but also there’s the second part, which is just crafting A narrative, building a story, and making sure you’re at the right place at the right time so you miss so you don’t miss any of the action of the you don’t miss any of the important parts. We’ll start with the technical aspect of things. How do you go about planning an event? How do you where do you begin? Let’s say I say I am launching a new music event somewhere in the hills of Lonavala.
Meghan
OK.
Vineet
It’s a three day event and we’ve got Taylor Swift and Steve Aoki coming in. How would you begin?
Meghan
OK, see, so. The planning for the event begins when I ask you my first question. You know, that’s what the planning begins is in the questions most of the times these are, you know, the this skill of asking questions or, you know, being able to see how your final video is. Has started getting ready in your brain as you start those questions and what kind of questions you ask? Right there with someone like Taylor Swift or Steve Hickey. They’re so they they they already have these globally established personalities. Right. So you and me both have an idea that we, whatever content we’ll create or whatever, we’ll be making whatever films or photos we’ll be, we’ll have a little bit of that energy. Taylor Swift. She’s she’s bold. Steve Arkey is crazy, you know? And he throws cakes at people. So those elements, we are something that we’ll already have all.
Vineet
So basically. Pack umbrellas with you.
Meghan
Basically, with actually don’t back on the last get kicked. Yeah. Get kicked in the face. But when it comes to say I feel, let’s consider a festival for for this example. I feel that’s much better. I want to know why you’re doing this festival. What? What is the reason behind you doing this festival or this event? What are the small things that have moved you to, you know? Be like, OK, I’m going to make this festival. This is why I’m creating it and this is what I want people to feel when they leave the festival. Those are, you know, some of the fundamental, fundamental, foundational, foundational questions that I’ll ask you. And then above that. So how? It’s not a questionnaire that you have to build, but it’s your intuition that you have to build so your intuition will lead you to the next question. And all of that should be based off of curiosity in understanding why this person is doing this. You know, so people often ask me, you know, we often look at these things as something that we need to learn. When we are getting in the industry but. It’s what we need to learn is already actually within ourselves. I know it sounds very poetic, but.
Vineet
I have seen this on so many bumble. Profiles what she is.
Meghan
No, no, I that’s why. That’s why I it comes with an asterisk is that I myself I’m actually learning and understanding what this understand within myself is but till date what I’ve from what I’ve understood is is just curiosity until I don’t know why you’re doing and and not just no until I don’t. And you know what you’re doing? I don’t know what lengths to choose. I don’t know what camera to pick, because all of those answers are going to tell me things like how, what, what kind of a texture does the video need to have? What kind of what kind of perspectives do the camera to do? The photographers need to capture. So things like that so. But over the years now I’ve, I’ve realised that you know you have your go to lenses. So for me the go to lens is a fisheye regardless of who the artist is. If it’s an Opera House or if it’s a or even if it’s magnetic fields, I’m going to carry my fisheye with me because. The the length choice to some extent isn’t dictated by what’s going to happen there. It’s dictated by what I how I want it, how I want to. Show it. Sorry. I’m. Yeah. So that’s that’s based that those are the things that I base my equipment on. But to be honest, festivals here are you know I’ve I’ve seen the range of festivals and you you get a 7200 and a 1630. Five, you’re good. For any festival to be extremely honest, yeah.
Vineet
He said fish. I was like a fish. Eyes like what? Eight to ten M8.
Meghan
Eight M yeah, M manual, yeah.
Vineet
8M manual on a full frame. Are you looking for that one grand shot, or are you thinking the whole event? The The That’s you know main.
Meghan
I want. No, no, no, no, not at all. I’m not not not my main lens, I’m saying. You. So you have your plan, right? When you sit with your producer, you’re going to plan your event. You’re going to plan your schedule with what we were doing at magnetic fields. It was more narrative documentation based. So I kept a wide angle lens with me, and I had a second camp with a 7200. So. Your lens choice is more based on your approach and how you want the video to be seen on the screen. You know because what what I was doing at my was basically following two artists and getting their whole experience so. There are certain ways in which you can make the audience feel like they’re a part of it. So these are these are things that I mean, I learned after shooting. That’s why I mean, it took me some time to learn this, but a a wider lens is always going to put the audience in. In the in the situation? Yeah, especially if you’re walking with the lens and if you’re running with the lens and you know and that’s how I shoot, I I do. I you do use gimbals at festivals and you know these other places. But when it comes to touring or when it when it comes to projects where I have to be talking to someone. It’s kind. I know it’s going to be shaky. I know it’s going to be a little jittery, but that is what the experience of a festival is, you know? So and.
Vineet
That’s interesting. Sorry, before you continue actually want to get into this, how you bit of a segue, how you look at lens choices. So when you say 70 to 200, so I’m guessing getting. The guy on. Stage right? Getting close with the guy on stage. You’re showing him if you’re the artist, right when you’re saying and you said the wide angle is to get people into the action. We use that as show. The people show the environment, show the atmosphere.
Meghan
Yeah, the 1635.
Vineet
And Fisheye would be because fisheye is like, are you correcting those rounded corners you’re getting? Or like is just capturing the whole energy.
Meghan
No, it’s it’s just. Yeah. It’s just the perspective. It’s just capturing the whole the, I mean out of every show that I’m out of every show that I walk out of, I need to have one picture that. There’s everything about that evening. You know, and it’s it’s interesting with the fisheye because. You would think that I should. You’re going to get the whole thing, but it’s not exactly like if you go super close to an artist, you’re going to see all of them. You know how they were there and it’s going to show you these small details, those beads of sweat, the way they’ve held the microphone, you know these small. Details, but I feel at the end of. The day it’s just. My preference, you know that Fisher is going to stay in my bag regardless of where I’m going. Regardless, it does it, so that’s so. I feel, I think the point behind that is for me to also express this, that. I know like I know you are going and you’re going to shoot a concert. You’re going to shoot a show and this is something I’ll. We’ll continue later as well because it’s a little more philosophical about why we do what we do. But. I feel unless you’re not providing value which is providing how you look at that show. I mean, how do I say this? I’m sorry. I just need to form this properly. OK, so a lot of us, we’ve gotten into music because we loved music. Like, we’ve gotten into music photography because the music comes above all of this. So I have, from my experience, I’ve realised that if I don’t show how I experienced the show it. And if I’m only running behind, I want this perfect shot. And you know, I want that shot. And there’s a there’s a list of things that I can finish that is, you know, like a template for every concert and saying that my job is done. But that’s not why we do what we do right. That it’s because I want to show how I experienced the concert and this I’ve realised four or five years into working is that. Every concert is going to be different, and if I just show my experience at the concert, I’m going to have a different kind of picture every time. And then my my whole pursuit of getting a different shot every show it’s it’s it’s done already. I don’t have to stress about it because the way I experience every show is going to be different. That is what the fish eye represents. You know, it represents how I look at it and every photographer or videographer or director or cinematographer has that. Perspective. So they was like, yeah, this is how I look at the world and this is how I can express this narrative that I need to create for this client better. And I can provide value to that. So I feel. Most people who get into this, they know what shots they need to take. They know which wild angles they need to take. They know pit misses, 7200 say close up shot case. It’s going to be a more emotional shot. So for someone like Taylor Swift, we’d go and take that angle where where in the pit we have a 7200 and we’ve zoomed into her face and she’s and then. 120 FPS is just moving.
Vineet
Ohh so so emotional shot. You mean like close up of their face? They are really. You know, they’re in the middle.
Meghan
Yeah, yeah. So right.
Vineet
Of it.
Meghan
Yeah. So when whenever you’re shooting anything above 7080 M, it’s more intimate, you know, that’s why even in films, you see a lot of the emotional or a lot of the very intimate scenes have. You know close up shots because that’s, that’s where you excuse me. That’s where you see small face facial expression changes and stuff and that really shows the emotion. So wide angle puts you in the environment and a close up will show you the emotion behind that environment you know so. Yeah. So from, from whoever I’ve come across, everyone pretty much knows their angles and it’s also not something that you need to study if even if you keep shooting as much as you can, you keep practising. Two years is enough for you to get all the angles in the world, then after that you’re going to ask yourself, Keith. Now what do I do? Yeah, I know I can get all the angles. So that’s where you kind of go through. I feel that’s like one of the two three years in two. Photography is one of those moments where you start asking yourself this question as to what do I do. And around this time, I found the fisheye, you know. And I have like I can make a whole catalogue just out of the fish pictures I have and all of them will show you a different story and give you a different emotion.
Vineet
So you’re you’re obviously your love for music has. Played a massive. Role. But actually we’re gonna. We’re gonna come to the party thing. Let’s get through the technical stuff first. That’s a very important part to that because.
Meghan
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, let’s do that. Yeah. Yeah. I’m sorry. I also, I also, like, tend to flow a little, but yeah, but yeah. Anyways, let’s. Yeah.
Vineet
So much to discuss. So. So that’s you actually I missed any primes in this discussion and I missed any standard zooms like 24702875 nothing you really.
Meghan
That’s an interesting question because I haven’t ever used primes so. You know, for for three years, ever since I after I got my A7. Three, I used only two lenses which I owned, and whenever I when whenever I go on tour for a festival, it’s different because, you know, with your client you have like a rental equipment budget and stuff. So you can get more because you have a bigger team, but when you go on tour. Especially you don’t exactly get like a rental cost from, you know, from the client, so it’s whatever you have you use. So in a way it’s good. So when I got my a 73, I got the 24105 G lens. It’s a F4.
Vineet
I don’t know why I sold it. It is such an amazing lens.
Meghan
It’s amazing glass.
Vineet
Character. It has character.
Meghan
And it’s it’s crisp. It’s amazing, it like and it’s so versatile so. I have spent three years just on that 124105 and.
Vineet
I have six of those, six of my own photos hanging on my walls. All six have been taken with that.
Meghan
And nothing. Take care of that. Exactly. Even that’s when you realise I know when we get into this, we’re all like 02.8 F 2.8. Wow, amazing like this and that. But you’ll realise the power of four and the kind of pictures that you can get on 4. So because so just a I’m going away from. We’re talking about, but I used to shoot automotive as well. I did that for about two years when I initially got into music photography, just to pay the bills, you know, and. That’s where I learned this one thing you every time you’re shooting a vehicle or a bike or any automotive stuff, you shoot it above 80 EMR because that’s where it gives you the like. That’s how the pictures look like, how the cars look to you on your eyes. In your eyes. You know, so it matches the perspective of a real time of you. So that’s when I learned. The power of F4 that that lens and F4 can give you such amazing. Amazing Boca and even it’s not like dreamy boka, you know, it’s it’s, it’s blurry, but it still puts you in that action. You know, it’s still it’s still got a little clarity to show you where the where this is happening, where this car is drifting or whatever. So.
Vineet
But why would you? Why do you prefer it over a 2470?
Meghan
Because I can. I don’t have to change the lens at. All during the whole show.
Vineet
Because because of the extended focus.
Meghan
Yeah, yeah, I don’t. I don’t need to change it. But that was before. Now I ever since I’ve started shooting concerts on an FX3. Now even try we’re trying to pitch FX sixes and FX nines for concerts. So in that scenario we do need 2.8, you know, and we do use primes, prime lenses as well. Because now at this point we have a bigger team and we have people who don’t have to change their lenses throughout the day. We have a 7200 guy, we have a 35 M prime Sigma prime guy. So, but when it’s just you you and when the show is about 90 minutes, 60 minutes or 90 minutes. You’ll you’ll never. You won’t realise how that time has gone by. It goes by in a second and.
Vineet
I love music, especially if you love. Music and also.
Meghan
Especially if you love music, yeah. There. I mean, I absolutely, I mean I will be honest. There are times I have. There are songs where I’ve just not recorded because I wanted to enjoy it. And at the end of the show, I used to stress about the amount of content I’ve gotten and if I could, you know, cut out a one minute or but every every time I’ve gone to the edit table. I’ve had enough to cut. It’s just that feeling because you’re so involved in the show and in the. But I I will agree if you love music, it’s you’re kind of at a disadvantage because you you will get distracted like this.
Vineet
You’re the flip side is you’re having the most fun day at work that is imaginable. And other people, you know, they’re they’re working away on their computers and their offices.
Meghan
Yeah, that.
Vineet
You are having the most fun day. At work.
Meghan
But I know I agree. I mean, I agree that I. Am having fun. But I don’t really see that as a relative. I don’t see those things to be subjective enough. I mean, I guess I just don’t accept the whole thing. OK, I’m having fun at my, you know, I’m having fun shooting and someone who’s at their desk is not having fun. But. But yeah, anyways. To some extent, I do agree. I do agree with what?
Vineet
1st, come on.
Meghan
You’re saying, yeah, yeah.
Vineet
It’s OK, it’s OK, admitted.
Speaker
It’s good to run your.
Meghan
Yeah, because there are days I spent. There are months I spent at my desk as well here, right in my room, you know, in these moments, I feel it’s much better for me to go to an office, work there and come back so that when I’m back, I switch off. So. But but I do agree with the fact that I’m having a blast at the shows. I have whenever my friends have come to the shows where I’ve been shooting, they’ve taken pictures of me and every time I have a big smile, you know, I’m just. I’m not even looking in the camera. I know what’s going on in the camera. I’m just looking at the artists and it’s amazing, man, these, those, those. Are the those are the times where I have been able to tap into something that. I’m still, you know, kind of exploring. But yeah, it’s definitely.
Speaker
Fun, yeah.
Vineet
Yeah, everything is gravitating towards why we do what we do. Again, but we’ll get.
Meghan
Yeah. OK.
Vineet
There, those choices I think, I think that’s a good one on lens choices.
Meghan
Yes, I just wanted to give another point on the 24105 is because when you’re with an artist and when you’re touring and stuff, you’re constantly moving. And this is a big. Organisational concern that I had a couple years back wherein I did sit down and I did think about how should I carry my lenses, you know how how do I go about this? And I’ve spoken to other photographers as well, some of them who also work in the West JPEG they travel. For 60 days straight, you know, and when you’re looking at a 60 day to. It’s a big it’s a monumental challenge to know where you’re going to when you’re going to use what. So there are multiple things to ways to go about this. One way is where you don’t really look at what lengths you have, you just keep shooting. So even if even if you’re in a car, you have a. 5050 M You keep shooting so in in cars I prefer a wide angle because you get the road, you get the motion stuff like that. But there have been times where I’ve sat in the car and I have like 85 prime for some reason there was 85 primer. I have gotten some amazing portraits. Yeah, some amazing portrait. Yeah, inside a car. Amazing portraits, so. That’s so either does that route the second route is. You plan everything. So there was a time when I did that as well. I used to have my 24105 on on the camera AA50M, so I started carrying a ***** back like, you know any other jinsy kid. And I started putting my 50ML. For my fisheye in that. So that’s how I used to do it. My I used to have the 24 one of it throughout and. Then, halfway through this for half of the show, I start a 50MM and then the other half I start a fisheye because the the first half things are a little, you know, like people are getting gearing up for, you know the the the graph for the energy keeps growing. So you get the artist also a little more stable. So you can click pictures on the 50 get. Clips on the 50 and towards the end of the show, things get to. Become a little Wilder. So that’s where the fisheye is more helpful. So that’s how I used to plant things, but but yeah, the either of the ways, you know, you can go.
Vineet
I’m I’m actually literally debating these days whether to get myself a Sigma 2470 or Sony 24105 again because I still miss it. I think you just make up my mind.
Meghan
Yeah, yeah. The 1:05 is heavy. I won’t. I won’t deny that.
Vineet
2417 have you?
Meghan
Oh, the the signals are V.
Vineet
That’s I think about 900.
Meghan
OK, I don’t know. Yeah, but yeah. But it’s a it’s a. It’s a damn good lens, yeah.
Speaker
Yes it is.
Vineet
So yeah, we’ve been on lens choices for 25 minutes. Let’s move to the rest of the gear. How do you now? It’s two days before the. Shoot, yeah. How do you start planning and how do you start packing? What all do you pack broadly?
Meghan
OK, if I’m travelling I’ve I’ve got 2 bags, I’ve got a. The the bigger backpack like the I think. I don’t know how many litres it is, but it’s a it’s a bag. Usually it’s it’s some, it’s a bag you get when you buy an A73 basically. So I got that bag. That’s my bigger bag. If I’m travelling for two or three days, if I’m not travelling. If I’m in the city I’ve got a nice small low pro band. I’m sorry I can’t tell you. I couldn’t tell you the models of all these, but I’ll share them.
Vineet
And then we put them in.
Meghan
With you later.
Vineet
The show notes.
Meghan
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll, I’ll share all of these details and then I’ve got a smaller loco bag. So initially when I used to when I used to have one a single camera setup, so I started shooting on a gimbal. The first camera I ever got was the A 6300 and I got in a crane too. I didn’t. I chose not to get a lens because I felt and in that moment gimbals were taking off. And that having a gimbal would. How do I say give me more work? Basically because I’d have that piece of equipment and it did from it did work out like that. I went to Ladakh for 10 days and I’ve shot on one camera, 1 lens, one gamble the so a six a 6300 with the 1650. Five power Zoom 3.5 F 3.5 not not that great, but the but the gimbal and that lungs got me some amazing shots, so I’ve always been a gimbal operator.
Vineet
When you say shorts, as in videos, right? Because you would need a photo.
Meghan
Yeah. Videos. Yeah. So yeah. Yeah, just as a side note, I. Do video primarily, but when I do video photo. That happening? Yeah. Photos. I mean, I don’t like photos are never like I I keep clicking pictures regardless if if even if I’m even if I’ve been booked or not to get pictures, that’s just something I do for me. So. So yeah, so because I started off with the gimbal and I also started off at these festivals, you know, doing shooting, branding and stuff, having a gimbal there really helped because you used to get those clean shots of all the branding and standees and stuff. You know, as as an intern. That’s what. That’s what I used to shoot. So. I have my gimbal bag with me now, so now I’ve started shooting on A2 camera setup. I have either an FX3 or an A7 S 3 for my video which has which has my excuse me which has my 24105 or 2470 depending on whether if it’s a. Or or it’s a festival. Then I have my A73 with a 1635 or the fisheye which is clicking pictures every time. So now it’s become a little easier, but there’s still questions. There’s still times where I you know I have to. I’m slinging 2 cameras. I have to like take out the video camera, mount it on the gym will. And then go shoot on the gym will come back. Remove it short hand. I’ll shoot pictures in the in the, you know, while all of this is going on as well. So I’m still fine. Like, I’m still trying to figure out how the process of handling all of this equipment is. But when it comes to packing, unpacking everything I have. There’s no, there’s nothing that I’m yeah, there’s nothing. I’m leaving at home. Over the past year, it’s gotten more difficult because. I had started shooting on this camcorder as well. It’s a Sony time project.
Vineet
I think I recognise that from 1960.
Meghan
Yeah. It’s like a really old I got this second hand. I’ve been shooting on this. I’ve been shooting a bunch of Polaroids on the Insta X. I’ve also been shooting on this camera is older than I am, by the way. This is my dad’s camera. It’s a.
Vineet
For people listening on Spotify, this is a Nikon point and shoot from 20.
Meghan
Yeah, it’s a. It’s a US 500 SV. It’s a Nikon. Shoot, there’s a Sony camcorder.
Vineet
Which is warts. I think was an important term back then for camera.
Meghan
Yeah, that’s how the viewfinder viewfinders. I. No, no, the the small screen on the back where you choose the mode. That had quartz, so that’s why they’ve written. It was a selling point back then that you’ve got a small screen, but now it’s become way more difficult, so. I don’t really plan my concerts nowadays. I just go into it. Yeah, I just I I let my I know, like, my intuition is I’ve trained it pretty much to know when to use what. So yeah.
Vineet
Everything and decide there, yeah. What about the? Rest of the equipment, the walkie talkies and all. You have a team for that.
Meghan
Yes. So yeah, I have my rental guy. I talk to him more than I talk to. My family because he’s he’s. He knows more about me than anyone else knows, and we’ve become great friends. But yeah, he so usually for a festival we do have that that order included where we have about 10/10/15 walkie talkies. So depending on how how big of a team it is during like during back fields we had a team of five people. So we had about 8 walkie talkies and everyone on the team. That’s one even right from the producer to the client to all the DOPS in the team. We get walkies. It becomes a little tough to. Travel with. But I can go on. About airports and photographers and that whole love hate relationship that we share but but yeah.
Vineet
Delhi Airport now makes you take out everything like always.
Meghan
Oh man, I I flew back. I flew back in from Delhi two days back and it was they were incessantly like just wasting my time. But that’s OK. They, I mean, there was doing their job. They don’t understand. I make it a point to make sure I I try to tell them one or two things more every time about every. Camera that they’re picking up. About so that if there’s another photo. Before it would be so surprising if I get if I get stopped for security and the CSF guard removes the camera and tells me something about it.
Vineet
Then that will be.
Meghan
You know, that’ll be. That’ll be a great. Day. So. So yeah.
Vineet
You’re taking. Page forward for the next photographer returns.
Meghan
Yeah, exactly. If it can help someone in any way, I’ll be glad so, but yeah. Now I to answer your question, I pack everything that I have with me and depending on what kind of an artist it is and what kind of a festival or for clubs it will be a little different. You know, for clubs, I’ll try to keep more wider stuff on hand because clubs in India are quite small for festivals. I’ll try to be in the middle, so the 24 one over also works well, but yeah.
Vineet
Like are you worried about safety? About drops? Stuff. Are you insured? Can you get insurance? We’re actually trying to figure it out.
Meghan
Yeah, we need plan. I mean, I am extremely extremely like frugal. The way I handle my cameras there. I am, my cameras have gone through more than the rental cameras like rental cameras. I’m super like protective about. So when it comes to my camera, malar made a camera kill those centimetre pass messages. Dirt bikes? Yeah. Full force and nothing. Everything is amazing. Nothing, nothing.
Vineet
And everything is. Like the only time I’ve rented, something was a one 5600. That’s two KGB.
Meghan
Ohh, the the huge lens, yeah.
Vineet
Like I had to give a check for like an hour or something. And I was like, so scared, like. What if something happens?
Meghan
Where? Where? Where had you gone to with the? Lens with this lens.
Vineet
I captured a lot of Peacocks.
Meghan
OK. Well, do you mind telling me where this is? Where is this?
Vineet
In Rajasthan. So like Safari, Tiger, safari. But I think they have. 2023 Tigers spread over 1200 square kilometres, so you can figure the odds.
Meghan
Yeah, I can. I can. I would love to see these as well. That’s amazing, man. Rajasthan especially has gotten a very important has taken a really important place in my heart after Mag and I went, I did another project in Jodhpur this time in February.
Vineet
I love that and I love the visit overall, but I’m expecting a tiger was a bit expecting too.
Meghan
It’s amazing. Much, yeah. No, it’s a that’s a, that’s a big, that’s a big area. But I mean that I feel that’s that’s that’s your pursuit as a wildlife photographer it. It goes on for years. You know, your shoot has never ended. It’s just you’re just waiting to go back out there. Yes. Yeah. Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Sorry.
Vineet
Let’s get back into focus. We need. To focus it. So that was the rest of the equipment and you don’t.
Meghan
Get insurance? No, I haven’t got an insurance for any of my equipment yet. I don’t know why, but uh. I I would of course anyone who’s listening to this. Please, please get insurance.
Vineet
Is there insurance like? Is that because women hunting now? We finally found the product which OK, once it’s confirmed I can link that in the we want insurance for our shoots.
Meghan
So there are a couple. So I feel a lot of insurance. I don’t know how. You really get it, but when I checked I think this was a couple years back. There were only two services. I don’t remember the names, but I’ll look for them and I’ll share them with you. There were only two services that gave you insurance for cameras and stuff. I’m sure there are more. Now I have like I like.
Speaker
You should.
Meghan
I like it.
Vineet
Lacks of equipment like don’t stop living dangerously. Like it takes one event. It is all it takes.
Meghan
That’s true. I have lost, fortunately. No, I haven’t, like lost anything or nothing is touch wood in my career, I haven’t broken a single camera, broken a single lens. I’ve dropped my cameras like from 2 feet height. Yeah, but like, my, a 6300 has just casually rolled off my bed, but fortunately nothing’s happened yet.
Vineet
I have never dropped a camera. My co-founder was doing a shoot with my camera and. He dropped it.
Meghan
Ohh it’s it it it feels as bad as stepping on like a dog’s tail or something. You know, that’s like.
Vineet
I was glaring at him with an extension.
Meghan
Yeah, yeah.
Vineet
Nothing happened. Thankfully, all safe. Even the lens was safe.
Meghan
Touch word, touch word.
Vineet
Yeah. Yeah. So that’s the gear side of things. You have an entry guy and you have a list. Is there a checklist that you’re happy to share? Is there a public checklist that people can get just so life is easy or you are?
Meghan
Ohh I but yeah, I do have a checklist just to. Go through it. I the I checked the small things first, because with with this kind of job, it’s not just camera equipment that you need to check for. You need to check for your, you know, like small things like this is a USB adapter. Yeah, super small and.
Vineet
I know.
Meghan
Yeah. So, yeah, yeah, this is so. I’ve got a full pouch. Of like cables, this has way more cables than it. Has right now but. These are the things that I excuse me. Check. First I check my cables, I check any downloads, any connectors, any converters. Any then I come to my SD cards. Each camera has to have three SD cards available to it. Two in the camera, one as a backup. And all of these are especially because now we shoot is with a 7S. These are FX threes. We use the CF Express a card which are which is super super fast.
Vineet
Those are really expensive.
Meghan
Those are super expensive. Yeah, they they don’t. If anyone wants to get any, you should get the Sony tough cards.
Vineet
And the Sony ones that I think the a type or the double the price of the B type or?
Meghan
Yeah, the CF Express A will cost you anywhere. It will start from 38. 35,000 so.
Vineet
For 20,000 was understating into this well if you want to sponsor the show where available, but cheaper please.
Meghan
Yeah, man, I’ve been. Please make it a little cheaper. Let let us click more pictures. Let’s make more videos by our for ourselves so that we can afford those cards.
Vineet
Photos are easy. I just buy the, you know, whatever the the card photos are easy. I don’t need that speed.
Meghan
Yeah, photos are easy. Yeah, but once you start shooting like 4K because now it has become my standard 4K100. Yes, and I’ll shoot 100 FPS everywhere, so that I just have room to slow anything I want to so.
Vineet
So that so my camera automatically tells me even if I go there, it says by the way you. Can’t do this on this.
Meghan
Yeah, yeah, you need those. Uh, just three three cards. So yeah. Anyways, I I checked these smaller knickknacks first. Then I go to my camera, my laptop, my chargers, and and even in my cameras I do have a list. So every time I’m planning. I would actually love to share a link with you. After this it will be a template to have an Excel sheet which is like my Gantt chart for any project that I do. It’s not yeah it it has everything like your budgeting particulars, your extra expenses, it has like a budget. As well, and it has a sheet where I have the whole team written down what their job roles are. Which cameras do they have? Do they have a walk you or not? And so all of that is written there as well. So that when we’re live. We can. Our producer can make sure that everything is returned properly, but yeah, that’s that’s pretty much what.
Vineet
I do so then actually, let’s get to the. Other side the why we do what we do side the stylistic side. So broadly, I want to ask, how do you how have you developed your style over the years and how do you? How do you put some of yourself into each project, and how do you get to a stage? Where people can look at a project. And say, OK, this is Megan. How do you get to the Wes Anderson stage of music video?
Meghan
Music video.
Vineet
Music correct?
Meghan
There is a there there are. There is a misconception that, you know, copying things. Do you remember the Sam colder era? Were you into video? Did you do you know who Sam colder is? No. OK, so Sam colder is this. Uh travel videographer who started making videos of his travels. You know to Bali and to India and stuff like that. And he really, really blew up. In 20/17/2018 around that time 20/17/2018 and he had a specific look of colour. Today we call that the Orange and teal look.
Vineet
Ah, drive. What is that movie drive, right? That orange? That whole movie was shot in orange.
Meghan
Yeah. So it did exist. It did exist even before Sam called out. But Sam Calder started using it in his videos and he started using this font called Surfing Capital, which is like a paint brush font, you know, because his videos were a lot of, like diving. And this and scuba diving and, you know, a lot of travelling and stuff. And after that it it created a wave. Everyone was using the orange look the and the font. And even I have done that, I used to make these small biking videos and I used to use that look that LUT and that font before but. We at every at the end of every stage like this, where you’re heavily inspired by someone or you, you know, it’s just that you don’t know how to make that yours. You end up using their like you end up using it 1 to 1. Exactly how it is. But then you’re going to reach a point where I reached a point where I I was editing this one video and I was doing that. I was using some transition from some other artists, video or some other video purpose video and. I was working on some effect and I thought. What if I? Change this one value to this other value. You know, I know I have to keep this value whatever. X. Yeah, but I changed it to 100 and it looked something. It looked a little different and I liked it. That moment was a very important moment. That’s in. In retrospect, I realise. That when you are coming upright. It’s impossible for you to not create work that looks like someone else’s, because you like those videographers or those people who’ve made certain styles so famous they saw something in the world that we also see, and they recreated a version of that in a video. With a little of their spice. Yeah. So when you’re growing as a videographer, you it is going to happen. You are going to copy. But you are going to reach that one point where you want to use one effect soda salaks and that becomes a very important point for you to find your style. So OK, so how do I that’s how I got into my style was I. From there to now where I feel. Where I feel that. I don’t, I just document. I don’t. I’m not thinking about the edit when I’m shooting. Some of my colleagues, they when they’re shooting a music video, sorry. When they’re shooting a show or a concert, there are people who know exactly how the video is going to look because they know what moments they’ve shot. But for me, my style, I found out is being more in the moment and keeping that camera running. And justice recording everything. So I just like, take all of that footage and then I sit on the edit table and that’s where I direct my video.
Vineet
You basically love editing. I think this is the the there are people who love editing and there are people who hate editing so much that they’re like Nana. I will do everything possible to record as little as possible, but like.
Meghan
Yeah, but make it look good. Or get my get my final from.
Vineet
Yeah. So I have to edit for as. Little time as possible.
Meghan
Yeah, though I do love editing because I feel the way here. I started shooting when I started getting my own projects. Almost before that I was. Editing, shooting a little bit more editing. Right? Because I had resources to do that at a computer. So and I just wanted to start with with whatever I could. So that’s how I feel. I’ve got that love for editing and I love sitting in my room and looking just reliving those moments, but. That’s how I realised that that’s that that became my style is it doesn’t matter for me at this point. It doesn’t matter what lens it is, what camera it is like. I could have this camcorder, I could have any camera or any lens and I’ll. Keep records. Because I know how I’m going to build that like I have my ways, which you could probably call my style, which are some transitions and some J cuts. You know that I like doing some shake transitions that I love doing. So I know that there are when I when I’m in that zone and when I’m in the field and when I’m recording. There are these certain things that I will have already recorded without even without me even realising, which I’m going to use as transitions in my edit so, but when it does come to the music part of it, I don’t know. I mean it’s. It’s very. I I I I tend to forget what I’ve done at the end of the show. I I I want to be of more help in this moment, but I feel it’s more of more that I’m feeding off of the energy that I’m feeling there and then, OK, so you know, there’s a Dolly in short. OK. We do like at any concert the standard structure is you have a stage in right bank opposite the stage somewhere a little middle of the arena. You’ll have your effort, which is your front of house, which has your sound engineer or your light engineer, your VJ, everyone. And then there’s going to be a track in the centre for the pit axis. Basically some concerts have them some very rarely, some don’t, and so. You if you’re gonna. Like, if you’re going to walk from the efforts to the stage, you’re going to. Get a track in shot. I can take that same tracking shot in very different ways. I can have a low angle wherein I can make the audience bigger and the artist smaller because he’s at the end and I can really show the energy of the people. Like I can get these slow more shots of people head banging or. You know, just their hands, you know, things like that. These shots look good when there’s action happening in the background as well. So if there’s a confetti shot. Yeah, yeah. If there’s confetti going off or if there’s smoke going off, so now you just imagine this whole composition. And that’s so I would take that shot where I want to involve the people. In, if I want to show the artist to be bigger, I can I’ll put my gimbal on a monopod. I’ll or I’ll put my camera on a monopod and I’ll go above and then I’ll walk in so the audience becomes small. But you see the Grand Ness of that whole. But the choice, the way I make my choice in these moments is based on what song is being played based on what the artist is feeling. Because I know that the video is as much for the people as much it is for the artists, and as much it is for myself, you know, so you cannot. This middle spot, but for for that the way you train yourself for that is I listen to if I’m shooting with serial mouth, I’m gonna be listening to their music throughout that day. Even the day before.
Vineet
Sorry, which band you?
Meghan
Name. See them out. OK, so. Let me let me.
Vineet
See them.
Meghan
You did you. There is bhayanak mouth and see the mouth. Bhayanak moth is. This like metal like super grungy band and see their mouth is the they’re this Delhi based hip hip hop tour that will really popping off in the scheme I want to send you some music Vineet, so that you also understand what’s going on. You know, because the music dictates a lot. Music dictates the content, and in general, what’s happening in the space A lot. You know, there’s a lot of aggressive music coming in. You’re going to see a lot more grungy edits, a lot more, you know, stuff like that. So so. That’s important. Like you have to be connected to the music. You need to understand what you are going to shoot. Only then when you feel what the music makes a person feel, you will understand what the. How the audience? Feels, yeah. And then maybe somewhere you’ll understand what the artist feels. So yeah, that’s that’s how I go about any shot that I’m taking, it’s. Pretty much about the moment and how the artist is feeling how the audience is feeling, and because you’re an observer, right, you. No one, literally no one, is paying attention to you at a concert, so you it opens up so many amazing spots and there are like the audience will have a blind spot this close to them that I can have my camera this close to them and they won’t realise. Yeah, because they’re so tapped in. So that’s how there are things that you can. Used to help. This process is like I always have my the set list on my phone as my screen. Whatever, as my screensaver. Yeah, yeah. As my wallpaper. Yeah. So at any point, I can whip out my phone. I know which song is going to get played next. You talk to the management, you know, like, you make it a point to talk to the artist as well as to, you know, what, how they’re feeling right now. If there’s a recent release that they’ve put out, which. They’re gonna perform. You know, so you using all of these channels you build? Your shots and then you build your edit. All of this was going on, and the thing that holds all of these things together that brings all of these things together is how you experienced the concert, yes. You know, so yeah, I hope that I hope that enables someone to understand or at least enjoy your. Concert. If someone listens to this podcast and just goes and enjoys a concert, I would still feel like we’ve done something here.
Vineet
The 1st and I’m like now where what is the next thing happening in Delhi?
Meghan
You’re in. You’re in Delhi. OK, we’ll yeah. We’ll talk about this. Yeah, OK anyways.
Vineet
And so that’s the visual elements and basically that is that does communicate into your final video right into your.
Meghan
Final yes it does.
Vineet
Match between the clients saying no, this is exactly what we want. And you’re like, no, this is more my style. Is there ever a clash or do you end up doing none of this is what the client wants. I will do that.
Meghan
At times. When so, the projects that are the nature of projects is very different every time. Now I’m at a place where. I feel I have a certain style and I have people. I have artists reach out to me for that style but to but to get your it’s you have to kind of do. A little bit of. Both you know when in your right from your initial in yours, if you. Because, see. Getting a client brief and converting that into a product shows that you can understand how to solve a problem and you can understand a problem, right? Yeah. So it it more depends on the kind of project that there is if. It also depends on the kind of conversation I’m having. If I’m getting a call from an artist and he’s telling me that this is the song, this is a music video we need. Like I I’m leaving this to you. Then I make sure I communicate that. I’m going to make it how I experience it, but. At the same time. I like, I make sure the artist understands that what I’m experiencing is them and the music. So as I’m so I’m not like I’m not going. I’m not going off tangent from the. The the the experiencing of the track or understanding the brief. It comes from understanding what the client wants or who your client is, so I understand how the artist thinks all of that happens by spending time with them. By asking questions you know, by understanding why they make music like all of that, you pick up from conversations. There were times where as to just go talk to artists and not really care about it. To see the value that lied in those conversations. But now, like over the years, I realised that that is where I actually build this template, keep that, then they can throw any song. To me. Or any requirement at me, I can make it.
Vineet
And who’s your client? Is it the bands? Is it the agents? Is it? Who is or both depending on?
Meghan
Multiple. There are not. All artists are managed by agencies, so so some sometimes there’s management agencies that reach out that they’re my clients. Sometimes it’s artists directly. I’ve been working with. One of now he’s become a friend. I would like to mention. His name is Pavan and he’s this OG veteran rapper who grew up in London with roots in India. And I’ve been working with him for it’ll be a year in November and in that kind of a project is just me and him. Let it’s just literally the two of us. So we spent 10 days in Goa Shooting 8 music videos and it was just us. I used to listen to the track. We had a general theme. I knew what he wanted to show. I know how I can show something extra in this. I will just take the car out, like go shoot, come back with. The video. So. So, yeah, that’s it. Just takes understanding of the artist and then what your experience of that is. So you do have to like, there are moments where there is a clash where sometimes there is a miss like, you know, a misunderstanding where I feel that, oh, like I’m going to create whatever I’m going to create. And I tend to go 2 steps further into whatever I want to create or how I want. To show it. And then the client gets back, gets back to me saying that Megan, I think this is a little like this is not exactly what we’re trying to go for. But in those moments, you need to tell yourself like there were points where are used to get angry. Like was. It will keep guessing, you know, like, why are you asking me to change this? But you learn how to detach from, detach a little from your work and. Try to see it objectively.
Vineet
But you’re a creative right? So that I I guess there’s there is a clash between. I do know better than the client from a creative perspective. In this particular case. In a particular case, right? I know this will end up better if we go with my approach, right? Because it’s like partly you’re the expert.
Meghan
True, that is true.
Vineet
It’s a struggle in my head, like running a startup. I keep running into that battle constantly.
Meghan
That is true.
Vineet
I know best versus I need to pull back. Maybe I don’t know best. What is that?
Meghan
See the client telling you something is wrong. Is right, but the client telling you how to fix it is wrong.
Vineet
That’s an interesting.
Meghan
One. Yeah. Yeah, so. If the client is telling me key, there is a problem with this, so that means there is a problem with that and those are also actually two different questions. I feel what happens is we get stuck in. This is how I want to show it. You know, like, five years into your this kind of a career you start building. That you need to have an ego, but that also starts showing. So you just have to be extremely aware as to why you’re pushing for a certain thing. There are moments in projects where I realise, oh, I’m pushing for this only because I want to show this in this way, but that’s not why a certain that’s not why that project. Has started in the 1st place, right? It’s a form of expression for the artist, so I kind of gather myself. But in different projects it’s depending on the kind of communication I’ve had because artists do come. Sorry, artists do come to me with a requirement key. You know, there is a song and I want to show a visual of this sort on this song. Then me being the expert, I build a world around those 2-3 statements that they’ve given. But yeah, it’s just basically trying to detach from. Something that is work and something that someone is rendering as a service from you and something where you’ve been given entire like full creative liberty to do anything that you want. But now I’ve I’ve learned better to mention this, that. If you like, you’re coming to me saying that you need something done in my style, then it is going to be in my style and extremely. Me so that considering that. It is presentable, and it also expresses what you. Want to express? So so yeah, that’s because of that approach. I’ve been able to. Make a lot more styles. You know wherein I’m making entire music videos from images by using images, iPhone videos, camera videos, drone footage. It’s like a mixed media thing and that is something that I ever since I started creating videos for myself I realised that that’s more my style, you know where. It’s super abstract with things hitting you left and right, but you you realise that you’re still on that storyline, you know, all of these abstract things are hitting, are going along that storyline. But yeah, as long as far as it comes to the class. Keep your communication clear with the client, but. Also make sure that you are providing some kind of a unique perspective from your side, which you’ll get by understanding the client and asking the right questions. So add another point to it. The best way to do this to understand a client. Is 3 things. To be to be able to, you should be able to understand the problem. You should be able to solve a problem and you should be able to communicate how you are going to solve that problem. These are the three things you need to. Get any work done to be honest, not just videos. Anything like to run, yeah.
Vineet
Exactly. This is good because. We’re trying to figure out our own processes when we get video clients. We’re also trying to figure out between.
Speaker
Yeah, yeah.
Vineet
Getting a specific set of requirements. Versus getting creative input. Versus how much should we push back? No. You know it will look better this way. And it’s not easy.
Meghan
It isn’t easy. You it’s. It’s a tricky balance to find. But sometimes pushing I I believe that. Trying is better than you know, like to regret that I didn’t say anything, so I do try. I push in every project. If there’s something that’s gonna look better, I do push it and to a point where I’ve told clients on call, trust me, it’s going to look good. I’ve said this, you know as well and it has ended up looking good and but sometimes. The client still has persisted on wanting it according to them. So I’m happy that I pushed. They’re happy that they got what they wanted, you know, so just try to keep it. A win. Win situation, yeah.
Vineet
And I think that’s a good point to end on why we do what we do.
Meghan
That it is absolutely.
Vineet
Thank you so much, Megan, and thanks everyone for tuning in. This has been such a great discussion and I would like to convince everyone who’s watching. Trust me, we both love that length so much, but we’re not sponsored by.
Meghan
Yeah. So we should start a a like a campaign. A creative campaign on Instagram to get Sonny’s attention to be. Honest. Absolutely, yeah.
Vineet
Thanks guys. Thanks everyone for watching and listening. This is a podcast available on Spotify and other channels and this is a video on YouTube. So watch and listen. I don’t want to get into like, share subscribe, but yeah, hopefully you’ll come back and watch more. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
