The first realization I've had about music video is that there are few, if any, that do music video full-time. Most video people come at it from another focus: Weddings, Corporate Video, News, TV Commercials. Not that they necessarily intended to go there in the beginning, but that's where the cash is.

The second realization is that to a video person, audio is an irrelevant by-product to their cool video. One high-end video shoot I did saw literally hours spent getting the cameras & lighting right. I, on the other hand, had to fight hard for a 5 minute soundcheck, and I irritated quite a few folks to get that.

The third realization is that video companies ALWAYS arrive late. I'm there at 12 noon for a 7pm show, and they'll buzz in at 6:00pm and start barking orders. In video land, freelancers are booked for a 10 hour day, and I imagine it gets pretty tight in music land. I know I get close to my 15 hour limit myself.

This being the case, If I were choosing a Video company I would look for the following:

1)	A company that has done a considerable amount of Music work - Just goes without saying that they should know the "lay of the land", getting good shots, etc. Oh, and working for "local access cable" doesn't cut it.
2)	A company that has some respect for audio - The REAL way to do a music video is to have SMPTE time code (an audio signal) recorded on the audio tracks AND the video decks. Then after you overdub & mix the music in the recording studio, you lock up the audio & video and transfer your awesome studio mix onto the video master. Most video companies I've worked with on music jobs don't even know what SMPTE even is! This could be a test for any video company... if they don't know what SMPTE Time Code is, I'd wonder what else they don't know. Most video crews just want a mix, which I can give the at the recording, but can't possibly be as good as your studio mix. They don't know what SMPTE is, or they don't think it's worth it because it's "Just Audio". Well this is YOUR audio, you make the call.
3)	A company that shows up on time - I'd hammer this one out in advance. Be there by X time, or you pay less, I'd be that hard line about it. It's just plain un-professional to show up an hour before the show.
4)	A company you feel comfortable with - Completely non-technical, but how you feel after talking with a vendor is every bit as valid as the technical specification involved. If you don't feel right sending them a deposit and trusting they'll show up, move on baby.
5)	A company that has suitable equipment - If you're just looking for a video for your own viewing, then any kind of video will do. You'll probably run into SVHS or these days DV Cam. The pitfall to DV Cam is that DV Camcorders are designed for consumer use, and it can be difficult/impossible to feed an audio mix, you have to use the camera mic (yuck). If you're looking to RELEASE this as a professional video, then you need to be recording Betacam. DV & especially SVHS will get destroyed in all the editing you'll be doing. Most all the video you see on TV was shot on film or Betacam. If you haven't got the money to go Betacam (and it is expensive) then I would hold off until you do. If I can help with any technical questions, I'd be glad to help.

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