About Us and Frequently Asked Questions
How To Scout Directors and Commission Music Videos
- What Does RadarMusicVideos Do?
- Is It Worth Using Radar?
- How Much Does It Cost To Use RadarMusicVideos?
- How To Post a Music Video Brief
- Music Video Budgets
- How To Attract Directors to Your Music Video Brief
- Rankings
- How To Use Rankings
- How To Shortlist Treatments and Commission a Music Video
- Who Manages Production and Delivery?
How To Promote Music Videos
How To Get Director/Producer Work
General Stuff
How To Scout Directors and Commission Music Videos
- Radar provides a way for DIY artists, indie and major record labels to discover and work with talented music video directors worldwide. We've connected hundreds of artists, labels and directors. Here's some testimonials.
- Some people describe us as a matchmaking service.
- Artists and labels create music video briefs from their dashboard. We deduct a small fee - 15% or less - and promote the brief and remaining budget to the hundreds of music video directors in the network. Artists and labels see treatments submitted to their brief and click through to directors' resumes and reels.
- Some directors are multi award-winners, some are pretty new. To help identify who's who, we rank directors according to their experience and previous success.
- Commissioning through Radar is easy and straightforward. If you'd like us to, we can also help promote commissioned videos; we've generated over 3 million views on other video sites. This promotion is free of charge. For music videos in Radar's Featured Videos channel, we run a sales distribution service to mobile and stores worldwide, including iTunes. See FAQ How To Promote Your Music Videos for more information.
- Read testimonials from artists and labels who used us, see what they say.
- Take out a Free Account and get a feel for Radar. You get notifications of new briefs, you can see key features in the headlines though you won't be able to see details. You get the roughly monthly newsletter which includes links to recently commissioned videos. If you want to explore, Blog>Commissions News tells you who's commissioned and Videos>Commissions shows every video commissioned.
- It's fine to brief your usual contacts at the same time as advertising your brief on Radar. It's a non-exclusive service, though if you find a treatment through Radar you agree to commission through us.
- Radar maximises the number of directors who see your brief, the ranking system makes it very easy to shortlist treatments and it's easy to access resumes and reels. Our optional promotion service is free of charge, available only for videos commissioned through Radar and often hugely effective. We regularly generate additional thousands of video views and often tens or hundreds of thousands. Your URL is always included in accompanying text.
- There is no additional charge on top of your music video budget for artists and labels using Radar to commission and promote music videos.
- We publish your brief with a production budget of 85% of your total budget, or minus $600/£375, whichever leaves the greatest production budget. The figure is automatically calculated when you create your brief. If you commission, we invoice you for the remaining 15% or $600/£375, whichever is the lesser amount, payable within 3 days of invoice.
- There is no charge for our promotion of your commissioned video.
- If your video is featured, ie eligible for sales distribution, we deduct a charge at source, based on a % of your sales. No charge is made up-front. Sales distribution is only offered to featured videos and can't be requested - more info in 'How To Promote Your Music Video'.
- Music Video Directors are charged a quarterly or annual payment for a Premium Account, which gives directors access to music video briefs. More in 'How Do I Get or Cancel a Premium Account?'
- Open a Free Account.
- Go to Me > Dashboard and click “Post a Music Video Brief”.
- Add info, links, Mp3 and a lyrics .doc. Adding an image looks good but isn’t essential. Mp3s need to be under 8 Mb or they won't load. Only Premium Account holders will access Mp3s, but they are downloadable. To reduce risk of sharing off-site make Mp3s much smaller than 8mb. Alternatively, link to a streaming-only track on your own site or MySpace. Lyrics are useful for directors, you’ll be asked for them if they’re not there. If you can’t supply them, mention you can’t in the brief.
- Hit ‘Submit'. The brief comes to us for moderation. We check it all makes sense, then publish and publicise.
- Only admins can add to or change briefs once published, so take care to add everything you think is useful when you create your brief, not forgetting the lyrics .doc. Contact us if you need to add to or amend your brief, we'll get onto it as soon as we can though we may not be able to update your brief immediately and please note we don’t re-publicise briefs.
- Higher budgets attract better directors. More experienced directors have other commercial work and can afford to ignore low budget briefs. Lower budgets attract fewer treatments and usually far less experienced music video directors.
- Please be realistic! Don’t brief for a top-class video or for a successful artist on a low-class budget.
- Budget classifications:
- a total budget between £3.5k - 5k / c$5k - 7.5k / cEuro 3.5k – 5k is promoted as a high budget brief,
- a total budget between £1.2k - 3.5k / c$2.8 - 5k / cEuro 1.2k – 3k is promoted as a mid budget brief,
- a total budget below £1.2k / c$2.5k / cEuro 1.2k is promoted as a low budget brief.
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- The bigger the budget, the more high ranking directors will submit treatments.
- Artist-featured briefs only attract local directors. Non artist-featured briefs are open to all directors in the network. They can also be more creatively interesting than artist-featured, performance videos.
- ‘Open to ideas’ gives most creative freedom to directors, a good thing for attracting treatments. However, if you have strong ideas about what you want to commission, brief with specific storylines or ideas.
- Good extras to budget, eg free location or providing insurance cover make a difference to directors and are worth mentioning.
- If you have professional plugging and PR lined up for the video, mention it in your brief.
- Good deadlines make your brief more attractive.
- 7 - 10 days is good for treatment deadlines. Unless you’re planning to go through treatments at the weekend, deadlines are better set for Sundays rather than Fridays.
- 4 weeks is good for delivery deadlines and 6 weeks for animation.
- Directors are ranked 1-10, calculated according to online success, TV success, success with awards/festivals, previous commissions.
- Rankings can only be seen by the commissioner, the director concerned and admins. Directors can’t see other directors’ rankings.
- We only take videos linked to Radar into account when we’re ranking, but you’re welcome to link to your website too.
- Every director who submits a treatment gets ranked at treatment deadline, as long as there is clear and sufficient information in their profile.
- 10 Most Experienced Director - has made music videos with substantial industry and public recognition, major clients, substantial TV, has won world-class awards and/or achieved very large view counts.
- 9 Very Experienced Director - has made many music videos with good industry or public recognition, ie established clients, TV, prestigious awards and/or large view counts.
- 8 New High Profile Director – recent prestigious awards and/or substantial recognition for their music videos, but has made only 1 or 2 music videos.
- 7 Experienced Director - has directed 3 or more music videos and has won festival awards and/or achieved good view counts.
- 6 Very Experienced Creative - won prestigious awards or substantial view counts in other filmmaking formats or has a senior, non-directing role in music videos. Up to 3 music video director credits for smaller labels, unsigned clients or fan videos.
- 5 Underground Director - has directed 3 or more music videos for relatively low profile or unsigned clients.
- 4 Mentored Director - treatment submitted from a junior staff member at a music video production company. If commissioned the director will get editorial or production support from the production company.
NB this is only applied to corporate accounts. - 3 Experienced Creative – up to 3 director credits in other filmmaking formats or has creative but non-directing role in up to 3 music videos.
- 2 Mentored Student - treatment from a current media student. If commissioned they will get editorial or production support from the educational establishment.
NB this is only applied to corporate accounts. - 1 Starting off - has directed 0 to 2 music videos for small or unsigned clients. Music videos for higher profile clients are fan videos. Some other filmmaking experience.
- 0 Not Ranked - the member has not made any work or hasn't filled in enough detail on their profile for us to rank them.
- A black star on a profile means the director has previously been commissioned through Radar.
- A white star means the director has videos featured in Radar.
Stars on profiles
- To help commissioners identify the best directors treating on briefs, we rank directors 1-10 based on previous video success, eg view counts, features, TV, other clients and awards won.
- A higher ranking director will almost certainly make a better music video than a lower ranking director, regardless of the treatment. Skill, experience and previous success count for a lot.
- Wait until your treatment deadline has passed, many directors submit treatments at the last minute. You’ll get an email reminder when your deadline is reached.
- Click on ‘See my briefs and treatments’ in your account.
- Colleagues and band members can access the brief and treatments using your username and password.
- Click through to directors’ profiles to see biographies, music videos and showreels.
- All directors are ranked. 10 are the most successful and experienced directors, 1 are the newest and least experienced directors.
- Contact directors via their profiles.
- WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU ASK FOR AND CONTACT REFEREES FOR ANY DIRECTOR YOU ARE CONSIDERING. Radar isn’t a production company (ie we don’t help you through production) and we can’t testify whether individual directors can work to treatment, budget and deadlines. All directors in Radar expect you to request references.
- If you are commissioning, confirm by ticking the checkbox next to your chosen director on your brief. This also triggers the deposit you put down to be transferred into our accounts as a fee.
- If you don’t get treatments you like, you’re under no obligation to Radar and owe nothing to Radar.
- RadarMusicVideos isn't a production company, we don't go through production with you.
- Once you decide who to commission, Radar step out of the relationship between you and your chosen director. Arrange contract, production, insurance, casting, locations, scheduling, delivery and cashflowed payments direct with them.
- If you are having problems getting your music video delivered to treatment, to deadline or to budget please let us know. All directors on Radar agree to deliver to treatment, to deadline and to budget, we can ban directors from the site if they don’t fulfil.
- Don’t forget to get references from people who have worked with your director before – did the director deliver to treatment, to deadline, to budget?
- If the video requires actors/other participants, approve castings before they’re agreed.
- Use a contract. Radar doesn’t supply or advise on contracts. If you don't have one or can't find one we recommend at least a written agreement covering key points like a payment schedule, insurance and delivery dates.
- Don’t forget your video must include the text “Commissioned using RadarMusicVideos.com” on the end credits, with the Radar avatar. Directors are also aware of this requirement.
How To Promote Music Videos
- Premium members can link videos to their profile from the 'link video' tab on their account.
- Directors are welcome to invite comments and feedback from other members. Usual rules apply, ie comment on other people and they’re more likely to comment back.
- Directors are welcome to include ‘behind the scenes’ content for their videos. Stills, making of videos and blog posts can all be linked to the video.
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- Some Premium members’ videos, made outside Radar, are selected for the Featured Videos category. All videos linked to the site are viewed as they come in by site editors within 2 weeks of being linked.
- Selected featured videos are given access to our promotion networks across 8 major video sites, We have +5000 subscribers there, many of whom are influential blog editors.
- Selected featured videos are also promoted in Facebook/RadarMusicVideos, +1000 fans.
- All commissioned videos can access our promotion support.
- All commissioned videos are included in the ‘Commissioned Videos’ category which display on the front page of this site.
- High budget video commissions are given optional access to our promotion networks across 8 major video sites, We have +5000 subscribers there, many of whom are influential blog editors.
- Selected commissioned videos are also promoted in Facebook/RadarMusicVideos, +1000 fans. - Hook up with @RadarMusicVideo on Twitter, we can retweet news about your commission and links to your finished video.
How To Get Director/Producer Work
- Radar provides a way for music video directors to connect with DIY artists, indie and major record labels worldwide to make music videos. We've connected hundreds of directors, artists and labels. Here's some testimonials.
- Some people describe us as a matchmaking service.
- Music video directors pay a small quarterly or annual fee for a Premium Account, where they access full details of all music video briefs. All Premium Account holders can submit treatments, complete resumes and link videos to their profiles.
- Some directors are multi award-winners, some are pretty new. To help artists and labels identify who's who, we rank directors according to the experience and previous success described on directors' profiles. High budget briefs usually attract high ranking directors. Lower ranking directors have a better chance of winning smaller budget commissions, so building their reel and ranking.
- Finding artists and labels who are looking for music videos is easy and straightforward through Radar. We also promote commissioned videos; we've generated over 3 million views on other video sites. For music videos in Radar's Featured Videos channel, we run a sales distribution service to mobile and stores worldwide, including iTunes. See FAQ How To Promote Your Music Videos for more information.
- Directors across the world have been commissioned to make music videos through this site. Have a look at "Commissioned Videos" to see who's been commissioned and what they made.
- About half the briefs that come onto the site can be made in any location, ie the artist is not featured and it doesn't matter if you create the video in Tokyo or Toronto, New York or Newcastle. You can be city-based or country-based, anywhere in the world and be able to submit treatments to very many briefs.
- Read "Testimonials" from directors who joined, see what they say.
- To dip your toe in the water risk-free, take out a Free Account. You get notifications of all new briefs - you can't see details but you can see headlines. You can subscribe to 'Commissions News' in the blog, keep track of who is commissioned and see their profiles. You also get the monthly newsletter which includes links to recently completed commissioned videos.
- If you're still not sure, upgrade to a Premium Account for 3 months, it's the cheapest way to join. It's easy to cancel your Premium Account and it's fine to flip between Free and Premium Accounts. Your profile info and video links are saved when you downgrade and you can add to them again when you're in Premium Account mode.
- Premium accounts allow users to create a profile, link music videos, see music video briefs and submit treatments.
- Quarterly and annual subscriptions are available. Current rates are displayed on the sign up page.
- To get a Premium account, open a free account and click on ‘upgrade’ in ‘My Account’
- Subscriptions are recurring, next payments happen automatically. We always send an email reminder to your registered email address 7 days before the next payment is due.
- You can cancel payments anytime from ‘My Account’. As soon as you cancel your payment in Paypal, your account in Radar is returned to a Free Account. The most efficient time for you to cancel is 6 days after your reminder email.
- It's fine to flip between Free and Premium accounts. Your profile information and video links are all saved if your downgrade to a Free account, though you can only add to them again by upgrading to a Premium account.
- Premium account holders can view briefs in full and submit treatments. Free account holders see brief headlines and can upgrade anytime from the link in ‘My Account’.
- The budget quoted on the brief is the total budget available, unless otherwise stated in the brief.
- Treatments can be submitted up 22.00 GMT on treatment deadline day. Leave enough time for the submission process - eg time to cut and paste, add attachments, deal with unforeseen problems like a computer crash and so on.
- There isn’t a standard format for treatments. You are welcome to attach mood boards as pdfs. We don’t accept sample video files but you’re welcome to add a link to files hosted elsewhere (nb this is for treatment videos only, link showreel videos to your profile).
- Access your treatment from ‘My Account’.
- You can't edit your treatment after treatment deadline! The site will not allow you to put the treatment back with the brief and will allocate it instead to a random live brief, so take care to have the treatment as you want it before deadline.
- We recommend commissioners always ask for references, so please be prepared to supply them if you are shortlisted.
- We don’t forward feedback on individual treatments from commissioners or from Radar.
- Make sure your profile is accurately completed. The mechanism of Radar is constructed around rankings, based on information given in directors’ profiles.
- Commissioners’ first impressions will be from directors’ avatars, rank and treatment headlines they see on their brief page.
- We recommend artists and labels shortlist from the highest ranking directors who have submitted treatments. Every director who submits a treatment is ranked from 1-10, based on previous video success, eg view counts, features, TV, other clients and awards won.
- Higher ranking directors are more likely to be commissioned for high budget briefs. Lower ranking directors are more likely to be commissioned for low budget briefs, where they have less competition.
- Directors who submit treatments are automatically ranked by treatment deadline. Directors can request ranking prior to submitting treatments by email.
- Be explicit about who has directed the music videos linked to the profile. Unclear attribution about who directed what is the most common reason for profiles to remain unranked.
- We only take into account videos added to Radar when we’re ranking. You’re welcome to link to your website but ranking doesn’t take your website into account.
- Please only add music videos, commercials and add short film only if it has significant music soundtrack.
- Rankings are based on explicit rather than implied information in profiles. If profiles are hazy about roles, awards or commissions, we assume junior roles, entered rather than won, fan-made rather than commissioned.
- If you want a video considered for featuring, it has to be linked to the site first. Radar editors view all videos linked to the, usually within 2 weeks. See Music Video Promotion; Featured Videos
- There are three types of profile: individual, partnership or group.
- Ranking is an assessment of the director or directing partnership NOT the director’s production company! Individuals are welcome to mention their own production company within their profile however. Rank is calculated according to specific video credits, the commissioner, online success, TV success, success with awards/festivals. The person or partnership described on the profile must be the person who submits the treatment and the person who directs the video if commissioned.
- We have no problem helping repped directors find work though we recommend you let your production company or agent know you’re a member. Many repped directors are already using Radar.
- If you want to team up with another director for one-off treatments, say so in your treatment and link to the other director's Radar profile or website.
- As groups per se don’t make music videos, they can’t be assessed and group profiles are always ranked at 0. Potential commissioners make their own assessments of group profiles. Alternatively, a member could choose to take out individual accounts for each director in a group, or apply for a Mentored Director account, see below.
- A Mentored Director’s account is for production companies, designed for junior staff to access and pitch on briefs. Each treatment is vouched for by the production company. If commissioned, the production company agree to support the director with eg production equipment, editing or executive support. Although the individual directors may have few if any director credits, all treatments are ranked at ‘4’. It costs x2.5 the annual Premium subscription, email info@radarmusicvideos.com to set up a Mentored Director account.
- A Mentored Student account is for universities and colleges, designed for students to access and pitch on briefs. Each treatment is vouched for by the course leader. If commissioned, the university or college agree to support the director with eg production equipment, editing or executive support. Although the individual directors may have few if any director credits, all treatments are ranked at ‘2’ It costs x5 the annual Premium subscription, email info@radarmusicvideos.com to set up a Mentored Student account.
- News about commissions is posted on the brief as soon as we get it.
- Commissioners may take a while to reach a decision and there may be no news for some time. We know directors are often juggling nightmarish schedules but please don’t request updates as all we can say is there's no news yet. Sorry. We regularly email commissioners when we don’t have news - it’s in our interests too to get a quick decision, we don’t get paid unless a brief goes to commission.
- Once you are commissioned, Radar step out of the relationship between you and your commissioner. Arrange contract, production, insurance, casting, locations, scheduling, delivery and cashflowed payments direct with them.
- If the video requires actors/other participants, get commissioners to approve castings before they’re agreed.
- Use a contract. Radar doesn’t supply or advise on contracts. If you don't have one or can't find one we recommend at least a written agreement covering key points like a payment schedule, insurance and delivery dates.
- Don’t forget your video must include the text “Commissioned using RadarMusicVideos.com” on the end credits, with the Radar avatar (the starey girl). Commissioners are also aware of this requirement.
- Link the finished video to your profile and email the link to us, we’ll put it in the ‘Commissioned’ videos category.
- If you are having problems getting paid please let us know. All commissioners on Radar agree to pay the full budget advertised, we are able to ban commissioners from the site if they don’t fulfil.
General Stuff
- Directors:
- Must use the ‘submit a treatment’ link and may not contact commissioners directly with treatments or other offers.
- May not offer inducements such as offers to make videos for less than budget.
- Directors’ treatments and ranking are private to the director, potential commissioners and admins. Treatments and ranking are not available to other directors or users of the site. - Clients:
- Agree not to commission until the treatment deadline is passed. - Clients and directors:
- Agree to carry the credit “Made using RadarMusicVideos” and the RMV avatar in the end credits for commissioned music videos. - Commenting:
- Please treat other people well on the site. - Spamming:
- Repeated posting of the same or similar comments or posts with no relevance to context are treated as spam. - Adverts:
- Advertisements for member services or projects can be posted in the members’ own profile and in member services in Q&A. If you want to advertise calls for entries or other music video opportunities, you're welcome to use our Facebook group Music Video Events. A newsletter of wall posts goes to all group members.
- Requests for or offers to make free videos are not allowed. - Sharing content:
- Content from briefs, apart from the brief’s headline, may not be shared or reproduced.
• We respond to email queries usually within hours; at weekends or unusually busy times, within 48 hours latest. - Full terms and conditions here.
- Sanctions:
- we reserve the right to block users.
- How do I add videos? Upgrade to a Premium account, a link appears in ‘My Account’.
- Video is not showing. Videos set to private in the host site won’t display in Radar. If the host site thinks your video breaks copyright, they may take your video down without notifying you.
- Delete videos from the edit tab on the video page.
- If your credit card on Paypal expires it will automatically unsubscribe you from Premium membership. If this happens to you, just email us and we'll help sort it out.
- Cancel emails. There is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of every mass email you receive from RadarMusicVideos, just hit it and confirm you wish to unsubscribe from the mass emailing.
- Cancel your paid subscription. If you have a Premium account, unsubscribe via your Paypal account. This will return you to a Free account, your content will be preserved.
- Delete your account. Send an email to info@radarmusicvideos.com with a request to delete your account. This will remove all your content from the site.