You gotta begin somewhere
In this day and age YouTube is an emerging band’s best friend, the majority of Ancient Bards’ fans discovered us thanks to a random click on our video, found on the related videos column. When we started playing together things went fast, at the time Daniele had already composed the basics of almost 3 albums, we participated in some contests in order to realize what was our impact on the public, if we were convincing on stage; we recorded The Alliance Of The Kings, sent the master to some labels and before we knew it we had a record deal with Limb Music and Products. At that point we knew that it was essential to shoot a video of our most catchy song, but we didn’t have the experience, or the money, so we managed to do things the best way we could and, with a couple of friends, we made the video for The Birth Of Evil. “Cheesy” is the most used word by the users in the comment section, are they right? Well of course they are, look at us! Do we regret or feel ashamed of what we did? NO!
You gotta begin somewhere, and we started right there, in a grotto with inadequate lighting, clumsy miming, bad hairstyles and odd shots. That was US in 2009.
It’s a step you have to go through if you’re the new band in town, if you don’t have anybody to bankroll you and your project; being mocked a little is the price we pay for having the satisfaction of knowing that we made it all on our own. We still are confused and surprised though, because that badly treated video currently has more than 1.100.00 views! Consider that it’s not even on our channel, but on the one of the guy who made it for us (he’s the one who wrote “zero-budget” on the description box, the choice of writing that unhappy detail wasn’t ours), if it was on my channel I would probably change the preview image lol. With that being said I would like to thank all of our fans: we love you, without your amazing support we wouldn’t be able to grow and get better, so we promise that if you keep on loving us we’ll do our best to provide you not only with good songs, but also with good related media! 😉
People always point out what they hate about something, how about you tell me what you like about the video? I’m very curious, be original and funny, I’m always ready for a good laugh at myself!
Take a look at it one more time to refresh your memory:
Hugs, take care
Sara
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Do you know what I love about the video Sara? I love that you can clearly see you’re a beginning band, inexperienced with music videos and the world you were entering. And even though that is clearly visible, the best part is that the music is so solid and strong, and sounds like you’ve been in the music business for years. So who cares if the video isn’t HD? It proves that you sure are talented musicians, and that’s what matters for me. I rather see 100 bad quality, “zero-budget” videos and have the chance to see you live on tour once than see 10 expensive high-quality videos. Nevertheless, the video is not the worst ever. I’ve seen videos that ruined the song because the video was so bad :p
Hi Ilse! I really hope Ancient Bards will be able to play in the Netherlands and meet you!
I’ve seen MUCH cheesier videos by much bigger metal acts so personally I don’t think it’s a bad video, except for how frantically the shots change. I love Rhapsody of Fire, but those guys make some dreadfully cheesy yet high budget videos!
Enjoying the blog so far, Sara. Thanks
Thanks Rike, I’m glad you like the blog! 🙂
the clip isnt that bad and you look awsome as always!
Thank you!!
Dearest Sara (and all the Bards),
I fully admit that pretty much everything you said in your article is 100% true.
I discovered the video/band from a “Recommended” click off to the side of another video I was watching, and upon first watching it though to myself “Yeah, this is kinda cheesy.”
BUT, the music, and especially your fantastic voice, sold me, regardless of how much “no budget” you had for the video.
You could 100% tell it was the start of something. A band with a great sounds and vision, but no huge backing to put together a big flashy CG-laden video,
But, that’s ok, cause THOSE look pretty cheesy too, most of the time.
Bottom line is, it doesn’t really matter how much money or flash a video has behind it, in the end, it’s the music that speaks FOR you.
And in this case, Ancient Bards carries through the hills with a voice louder than that of a thousand other bands who strive to have what you guys have.
I know this is just my opinion (as we all have them, expecially on the good old anonymous internet), but keep doing what you are doing, and I cannot WAIT for the 3rd entry in the saga.
Thank you for being awesome.
Hey Wil, thanks for your words!
Aside from how stunning that dress is (the things a girl notices, right?) I love your self control – I’d be dancing and jumping around like a fool lol! The song is a stonking amazing first song, and the video is not that bad, I think it’s adorable 😉
Between you and me… i kinda couldn’t move because my heels kept on getting stuck in the tuff! 😀
Rough video for sure. Bordering on camp, even. But I understand where the amount of viewers came from. Catchy tune, unique vocals, obviously skilled band.
I am proud to say that I am one of the countless fans who “discovered” the Ancient Bards exactly as you described (October 26, 2011 to be precise – the video was “Unknown Female Symphonic Metal Bands [Part 1]” it played a portion of “Birth of Evil” which led me to check out the full video). I am also proud to say that since that date I have been, and continue to be, an ardent fan and supporter of the band as well as additional projects within whichthe individual members are involved! Now, regarding the video, what I like about it is the simplistic approach, sure you can say “cheesey” or “low budget,” but that is what makes it special. It is just the band and the song. No actors, no action scenes, nothing to draw your attention away from watching the band at work and listening to the song. Don’t get me wrong, using actors and action scenes can greatly enhance a video (such as it does in “To the Master of Darkness”) but for a first video having just the band and the song is the best approach (in my opinion). I do have two comments/questions pertaining to the video; #1 How were you all able to keep Martino glued to one spot for an entire video shoot? After seeing countless live videos, that man is always in constant motion all over the stage. Oh he was still animated but I don’t think he ever budged from his spot in the video. #2 At about 2:37, during Martino’s bass solo, you’re staring upwards. Did the grotto have bats that had you worried?
Hahahah tha’s right, Martino is so restless on stage! Somebody must have really glued him to the ground!
I can’t seem to remember the reason why we looked up… we didn’t plan it!
Greetings from Minnesota USA! What I love about this video is that, like most in the metal genre, the amount of authenticity and integrity is incredibly high. Poor quality (be it visual or audio) can’t hold back earnestness, hard work, and the authentic vibe that is produced when a group of people get together, work hard, and make a product. Keep up the excellent songwriting and musicianship… its a great combo and keeps real music alive! Looking forward to hearing from you guys for a long time to come (I might suggest hopping aboard 2014’s 70,000 tons of metal cruise if you can!) Take care!
Hi Kevin, thank you!
Hi Sara! The video isn’t that bad, I’ve seen worst with bigger budgets (The fox song for example, unbearable…). At least you guys have musical talent, that’s the most important thing isn’t it? I hope someday you will find your way across the Atlantic and have a show in Montreal, there’s a good metal scene here. Ciao Bella!
You know, Sara, that video may lack technical polish but I think it overflows with energy and enthusiasm, and its simplicity lets your music speak for itself. I was looking at random videos last week and clicked on yours and was instantly hooked on the music and when you started singing I felt “wow, she’s really putting her heart into that!” And I have to add how much I love your look in that video–makeup, hair, dress–gorgeous! Looks like you’ve got another Canadian fan.