music videos

Among CVW’s staff past and present are two former French horn players, a handful of guitarists of varying skill but similar taste in guitars, one decent bass player and one terrible one, a programming genius who makes creating music accessible to anyone with the internet, three home recording enthusiasts, and at least three trumpeters…that we know of.

Several years ago, our client load shifted from predominantly monthly work for huge corporations to project-based work for a variety of clients. As a natural irregularity arose in the absence of motion graphics with rigid rules, we started thinking about what types of projects we wanted to go get, and several of us thought it might be fun to seek out music video clients.

This isn’t without precedent. CVWmedia started in 1988 as a capture company specializing in concerts. We’ve hit it a little harder since then, thanks to friends, family, bandmates, and one former intern (some of those titles overlap) who trusted us to make video magic. Here are a few recent ones we still love.

Travis Linville – “Wishes”

First came the mood lighting. One perk about having your office in a building with an antique wedding venue attached is that said venue can be the impromptu backdrop for any number of video projects. We blacked out the windows and used vintage bulbs to create a focused, peaceful vibe for this band performance video:

We followed up with Travis for a few solo performances as well, first at Opolis in Norman and then at his home in Tulsa…a pretty good quarantine activity.

Kyle Reid – “Call Me”

Then came the storytelling. We pitched and produced a super sweet video for Oklahoma artist Kyle Reid that’s heavy on the nostalgia of discovering a love for music when you’re young. Our main actor Asher Loveland was a natural!

The Nghiems – “Ain’t Nobody”

Then came the time travel. We took an idea from wildly creative brothers James and David Nghiem, as well as character designs from their bassist and illustrator extraordinaire Mike Allen, and ran with it.

In Oklahoma, I count the Nghiems as far ahead of the game in terms of paying attention to artwork and video. So many great songwriters and musicians forget people want other stuff to look at!

Lyric Videos

We do moving pictures, but we also do words. After “Ain’t Nobody” wrapped, we also made a spaced-out lyric video for the Nghiems, starring their one-time mascot K. Serene, no?

We also did a couple of lyric videos we can’t share here, but just know that if your company has a large house band that writes excellent song parodies for your holiday parties, we’re here to help you ignite a singalong.

Experimental Videos

As Travis Linville prepped for another record release, we pitched a couple of wild ideas, and he and his team at Black Mesa Records went for them. We love it when that happens.

First, we followed Travis and his band around Tulsa with our 360° camera, capturing scenic locations and inserting a little 360° humor along the way. This one’s highly interactive, so make sure you look around!

For the wackiest song on his record, we decided to take the metaphorical and make it very, very literal. Watch as our little stop-motion monster parades through canyons, castles, and everywhere else.

As the music industry regains its post-pandemic footing, we’ve got a few other concepts we’re working on right now, but we can’t quite talk about those yet. If you’re a musician or musician-adjacent and have—or want—an idea for a music video, let us know!