This Is How You Make a Music Video
The moment that professional R&B singer-songwriter Lisa Bello walked into Studio 4 in the Paramount Center, she immediately smiled.
“This is so fire,” she said, checking out the set that Emerson students created for her. “This is cool…This is what I’m talking about, listening to the client and taking it to the next level. Great job everybody!”
This was the scene in Ryan Gibeau’s Music Video Production class, where students have been working with Bello this semester to create a live music video.
“I want the students to see the whole process of working with a client: meeting someone, developing content, recording content, delivering content, and seeing it released,” said Gibeau ’05, an affiliated faculty member in the School of Film, Television & Media Arts. “The intent of this exercise is designed to immerse them in every step of the experience in the hopes they learn how to recreate it their own way on their paths to becoming professional music video artists.”
Setting the Stage
On a Wednesday night this fall, students turned Studio 4 into a set to shoot the music video for Bello and her three-member band. Sebastian Anderson ’26 conferred with two members of the camera team, Claire Chen ’25 and James Wong ’26, debating the best lenses to use. They knew the first three takes would be the most emotive, and discussed the best way to capture close-ups of the band.
“I’ve never done a live music video before. It’s usually playback and lip-synching,” said Anderson, who’s worked on professional music video sets. “I want to pick up that energy [on camera]. This is totally new for me.”
Wong has worked on reality television shoots in China, and said the noncompetitive camaraderie among students in the class created a good working environment, as everyone had an opportunity to try different roles: camera operator, director, producer, set design, lighting tech.
The students knew the look they wanted to create for the set from meeting with Bello in October to discuss her vision for “MTAMM,” an unreleased song of hers. Bello and the class watched music videos, and talked about what they liked and didn’t like.
Looking to set the mood of the video, Isabella Gemma ’25 and Rylan Bradley ’25 discussed what props to use, and placed several candle-looking lights around the set.
“On camera they look like real fire,” said Bradley.
As the class readied everything, Paramount Soundstage Manager Travis Trudell and several student employees seamlessly worked with Gibeau’s students. Trudell and team showed them how to control the soundstage’s lighting, set up studio monitors and prep all the cameras and dolly.
Meanwhile, Gibeau worked with several students to lay a dolly track, and the band entered.
Keyboardist RJ Walters, a Boston Arts Academy music teacher, who’s been in commercials and videos before, dug the set. Bello fiddled with her in-ear monitor, and said she liked the moody lighting, real-life plants, and home-ish feeling of the set.
“I’ve worked with [Emerson] student engineers, and if I didn’t know they were students, I would think they’re professionals,” said Bello, who has previously performed live at WERS and the UnCommon Stage.
Scene 1, Take 1
Before turning on a haze machine, Gibeau said all soundstage doors were closing, to keep the haze in the room.
Producer and Assistant Director Ronan Miller ’27 called out the scene, clapped the slate, then Bello’s soulful voice filled the studio. While she sang of unrequited love, the instruments were digitally recorded, and could only be heard by the band through earbuds.
Between takes, Gibeau asked Bello to “really go whole body and soul” on the next take. Gibeau also encouraged students to proactively participate in giving feedback. Taking the cue, Sienna Leone ’26 stepped forward with her own note, giving the singer a sense of the frame, encouraging her to raise her hands so they would appear on camera.
“I told Lisa that all of her hand movements have been low [by her waist], and she’s got pretty tattoos,” said Leone, an aspiring music video director. Bello in turn followed Leone’s suggestion on every take.
Check out Sienna Leone’s Instagram post about working with Lisa Bello.
After a few takes, a 10-minute brainstorming break allowed the band to take a breather, and for the student crew to move cameras around to get different angles and close-ups.
“Anyone else want to operate [a camera]?” Gibeau asked, encouraging students to try out new roles and to not worry about being perfect.
As the class time drew to a close, students did one last take, Miller called out, “Alright everybody, that’s a wrap!” and a group photo was taken.
Gibeau said he hoped this project helped students feel comfortable working with professional musicians. “We’re breaking down the wall between a student and the professional by being professionals and providing a recording the musician can release and use for years,” he said.
In addition to that opportunity, students came together to create something meaningful.
“You’re in the room to help create and collaborate,” Gibeau said to students. “And you all belong in this room because you are capable of making great art.”
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