Video-Live #3 "Shallow" ~ Lady Gaga
Third song in our Video-Live series on our YouTube channel!
While waiting for the next Studio-Clips, we're keeping up the pace with at least one new video posted on social media every month.
I'd like to remind you that those subscribed to our Newsletter not only get to choose the next song featured in these Video-Lives, but they also receive the audio the following month. 😮 You wouldn't want to miss out on that, right? And it's completely FREE! 🎉
1. The poll
More and more of you are taking part in our polls to help us choose the titles for these videos. 25 people cast their votes, and "Shallow" clearly came out on top.
Thanks to Nafiros, MagicIronSam, Noella, LaFamiiiiille, Gtel69, F5PBG, Thalionwenn, Hermione, MysterFrez, AFresnil, Freya, Goozeberry, BK_Chester, SorciereOzAxolotls, Rower, LucMarcheCiel, Coualcahuet, Joh, Astari0th, SebJack16, Lydia.Lawson, Fofffie, Monaloup, Magalilou, ArtAlex_Bgo pour votre participation 😘!
During our last Twitch live streams, many viewers were hoping to see "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum get picked... We'll have to wait for it to be suggested in another poll for it to have a chance at being recorded.
2. Song Introduction
Do we really need to introduce "Shallow" by Lady Gaga? The song was released in 2018 alongside the film A Star is Born by Bradley Cooper, who stars in the lead male role opposite Lady Gaga. The movie, which revolves around music, fame, and downfall, features "Shallow" as its iconic theme, illustrating the couple’s inner struggles. We first learned this song for Karine & Guillaume's wedding, and since then, it has become a staple in many of our concerts where it’s highly requested.
What is this song about? According to Wikipedia: "In the lyrics, the two characters question whether they are content with who they are. They are self-aware, describing 'the highs and lows of fame' and those of addiction in the lines: 'In all the good times, I find myself longing for change, and in the bad times, I fear myself.' The songwriters suggest that the drowning metaphor in the lyrics could be both literal and about heartbreak, addiction, or shattered dreams."
Shallow (lyrics)
Man: Tell me somethin' girl, Are you happy in this modern world? Or do you need more? Is there somethin' else you’re searchin' for? I’m falling In all the good times I find myself longin' for change
And in the bad times, I fear myself
Woman:
Tell me something boy, Aren’t you tired tryin' to fill that void?
Or do you need more? Ain’t it hard keeping it so hardcore?
I’m falling In all the good times I find myself longin' for change
And in the bad times, I fear myself
I’m off the deep end, watch as I dive in, I’ll never meet the ground,
Crash through the surface, where they can’t hurt us We’re far from the shallow now
In the sha-ha-sha-ha-low (x3) We’re far from the shallow now
3. Our version
Just like our cover of "Murder Song" last month, our version stays true to the original: guitar, piano, two voices, the same arrangement. Once again, there's no need for more than the creation from the film, which has already proven itself to audiences.
The focus here is clearly on the vocal performance, the raw emotion, if I may say so. At least, that’s how I feel when I sing it. It’s a demonstration, but more importantly, a revealing of oneself. Although it’s a "lovesong," it reflects depression and the dangers of falling into darkness alone. The couple, united, tries to fight off these dark thoughts, but are they strong and stable enough to make it through? Is it really in the depths, far from the surface, where one heals, where one emerges happy? I don't get the sense that this is the case in this story, and the film confirms that quite well...
4. Filming
So, this was our third Video-Live, and we’re still figuring out how to capture both the sound and the visuals.
This time, we switched places (Cloud on the left, me on the right) so the guitar would be more "open" on screen. We used the same setup as last time with three Canon cameras: the RP in the center, the new R8 on the right side of the screen capturing the guitar, and the 70D on the left for my face.
Three cameras might not seem like much, but thanks to 4K, we were able to do a close-up on Cloud during his one verse at the beginning of the song. Yes, we had to make some choices about the shots because we refuse to do "cutaway shots" (that is, filming ourselves in playback over the good take to get extra footage from another angle, due to a lack of cameras).
But this meant I was on the side of the PC tower, which was blowing a lot of air during the second half of our 20th take! Alex, our sound engineer, had to manage this new background noise as best he could...
Yes, you read that right: 20 takes. Twennnnty... Between setting up (or tearing down the streaming setup, depending on how you look at it) and the takes, we spent at least 7 hours on this, finishing at 1 a.m. 😬 (Note to self: that’s too much).
But why so many takes? Because just before starting, we agreed on a slightly different chord progression than we’ve been used to since 2019... The not-so-great idea! If there’s one thing my brain hates, it’s last-minute changes. So, it took me a ton of takes to overwrite the old version and avoid hesitations and wrong notes. And of course, there were the usual mishaps like "wrong lyrics," "forgot to start," "oh no, camera 3 stopped before the end, we can’t use that take," "oh, we’re out of batteries," "nope, didn’t like my performance"... 🤯
This was a particularly difficult song for me to record: an eternity passes before I finally start singing and playing, I was too focused on the piano during so many takes, and I was beginning to think we’d never get through it (but I’m stubborn and persistent, even when I’m frustrated with myself). I also had to be extra careful not to strain my voice too much while delivering the powerful performance the song demands. I’m not sure I could have managed this as well a few years ago.
For Cloud, it was a new organizational challenge managing the cameras (it's never fun to modify the stream setup, because everything has to be reinstalled afterward...). On the performance side, he had to stay focused on keeping the arpeggios clean (it’s so stripped down at times that you have to be even more precise with the chord changes) and maintaining the tempo. However, he could have kept going to get an even better take.
The 20th take wasn’t perfect either, and there were some vocal inaccuracies that Alex was able to fix by patching in three words from previous takes that were spot-on. In the edit, you can’t tell at all because we’re so used to singing this song. We’re not fans of "cheating," but in this case, we had no choice. Pressed for time, it was the best option. And finally, we’re relieved and happy! That’s the magic of the studio, despite the constraints of live recording: Alex worked hard to do justice to each instrument, even though everything was bleeding into the mics. Despite the narrow margin for error, he did an amazing job. The result is clean, accurate, it still feels live, and the guitar shot with the blurry piano in the foreground looks great—in short, we are proud of this version that will live on the Internet, and we hope it finds its audience.
On the editing side, Cloud is getting more comfortable and is exploring new tools each time to be more creative: better managing color grading or reducing the flickering effects of the piano’s LEDs in close-ups (they were too distracting). He’s pretty happy with the result, although unfortunately, after a mishap, he could only export the project in 1080p instead of the planned 4K (once again, due to time constraints... It’s impossible to wait 5 hours for export when the clip is scheduled to go live at 10 p.m.).
That’s the problem with taking on projects in a rush: you often have to deal with last-minute unforeseen events and just make do (or do without...).
5. To wrap up
Do you like our version of "Shallow"? You could receive it for free in high-quality right in your inbox if you subscribe to our Newsletter (only in french for now, max one per month, and we don’t sell your data) before September 4, 2024... After that, you’ll only be able to listen to it on our YouTube channel.
Thank you so much for your invaluable support 🥰. These Video-Lives are funded thanks to Twitch subscriptions and bit donations during our live streams (Mix/Mastering + equipment). Additionally, your comments on YouTube, likes, and shares help us gain more visibility and lend us credibility with event organizers. 🫶
What’s in store for the 4th Video-Live? Probably Cloud in the lead... We’ll be reviewing the various suggestions we’ll present to you soon...
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