claudiacarawan's Blog: More Than You Know - Music Video

The Story Behind a Song and Music Video

In April of 2009 I reached a professional milestone in my life. I filmed my first music video (To clarify: This is a video not a slideshow/video --but high definition film). The opportunity came to me from out of the blue when a film student from Regent University (Kat Moon) contacted me through my MySpace page. She needed to film a music video as a class project and she was interested in my music. It occurred to me the story behind this song and music video would make a good blog. I will break it up into installments so I do not overwhelm you!

The journey of the song (from an inspired thought) to recorded music--and now to film is fascinating to me. While we filmed the video I cried, laughed, prayed and took it all in. I let myself be transformed by the process. The completed video will be posted to YouTube and Braveheart as soon as the editing process is complete but you can read the story here.

Stay tuned for the first installment
Part 1 The Inspiration Behind a Song

The Inspiration Behind a Song (and music video)
In 2008 an acquaintance of mine, Nancy Clark asked me to read and endorse her new book (My Beloved: Messages From God's Heart To Your Heart). I have never been asked to endorse a book before so I was very excited and very eager to read Nancy's book. Nancy is a lovely person with a gentle demeanor and an AMAZING story to tell. I met her 3 years ago when she was invited to speak to our church congregation. In a nutshell, she had a "near death" experience. Understandably, this event transformed her and she began to write.

Her book Beloved: Messages from God's Heart to your Heart was very inspiring and easy to read. The over-riding message in this book is of God's love beyond understanding, and as I read her book, this message was sinking deep into my being. I loved the peace I felt when I let the message sink deep inside. I thought I would try reading a few pages from her book every day right before I meditated.

Once I started this routine I immediately noticed I was experiencing an elevated amount of creativity. Many song ideas kept coming to me. I loved this heightened state of creativity. I sent her my endorsement for her book as follows...

"Every time I pause to read My Beloved: Messages From God's Heart To Your Heart, my outlook gets lifted and I experience more energy, increased creativity and a greater appreciation of God within. Nancy has written a book that will inspire many and help them feel closer to the presence of God." - Claudia Carawan
 
A Song is Born
For some time, there was a haunting melody that was stirring inside of me--an unfinished song. I knew I needed to put lyrics to this melody, but I didn't have a game plan for the song. It was currently residing in the land of Claudia Carawan's unfinished songs (along side many other half-baked songs) in my head. There was something childlike and eternal about the melody and it would not leave me alone. It kept playing in my head. It occurred to me this song could be about this love beyond comprehension. It felt like a good fit.

In a moment of inspiration I found "the hook" you are loved more than you know. Once I had "the hook" I started writing by listing all the "more than" metaphors I could think of. Before I knew it, I had a song I liked. I had a song with a message. Here are the lyrics to the song More Than You Know. I have also included information about Nancy Clark and her inspiring books BELOW.

More Than You Know
words & music Claudia Carawan
copyright August 2008 Heart Over the Bar publishing

More than the clouds up in the heavens
More than the sands upon the shore   
More than the colors of the rainbow
or the the poet's metaphor
More constant than the movement
of the ocean's ebb and flow
More than you can fathom
You are loved more than you know

More than the heat of Summer
or the power of the sun      
More than the mystery of the full moon
when the day is finally done
More than the countless icy crystals
in the Winter’s falling snow
Beyond your comprehension
You are loved more than you know

More than words could ever show
You are loved more than you know

More than the wisdom of ages,
More than you can understand
More than the power of music
to inspire the heart of man
More than the seconds in a lifetime
More frequency than the radio
Beyond your comprehension
You are loved more than you know

More than words could ever show
You are loved more than you know

More expansive and life changing
if you could feel it through and through
so take it easy on yourself and let this message carry you
Where ever you may go
What ever you may do
This love has got your back
This love will see you through
More than language can express
More than you could ever guess more...
You are loved more than you know

About Nancy Clark
Hear His Voice: The True Story of a Modern Day Mystical Encounter With God, is an inspiring account of Nancy Clark's near-death experiences and the divine mystery that illuminates our lives.  Her recently released book, My Beloved: Messages From God's Heart To Your Heart, is a collection of spiritual wisdom empowering people to transform every aspect of their lives, enlighten their souls, hearts, and minds.
 
More information about Ms. Clark, her work, and ordering her books can be found on her website: www.freewebs.com/nancy-clark

Stay tuned for the next installment
Part 2 Recording the Music

Recording the Music (the story behind a song and music video)

This blog entry is for those curious about the process of creating music.
I recorded this song just like the rest of the CD Fearless, starting the recording process at home in my living room. I used keyboards to duplicate the various sounds in the "band". I started with a mellow drum loop for the rhythm track because I wanted the song to have a contemporary feel. I recorded a haunting piano "hook" that weaved in and out of the song. I added another track with wurlitzer keyboard, which really gives the song a lighter, soulful feel. I recorded an electric bass sound too (all done on my keyboard).

Recording the Vocals
Lastly I hooked up my microphone and I recorded my lead vocals and background vocals. Recording with a sensitve mic (at home) is a challenge. I had to make sure the house was extrememly quiet. The hum of lights, appliances, or any sound --a growling stomach, street noises, like passing cars) can be picked up by the sensitive mic and be recorded with the vocal. My living room is not sound-proofed so it took a while to get everything quiet. When I was ready to sing, I slipped on my headphones and began... All of a sudden I heard a massive din. THUMP, THUMP THUMP. It sounded like an army of men marching in my house. In shock I turned around wondering what was making this loud noise. I was amused to see it was only Gracie (my dog) wagging her tail. I decided Gracie would have to go outside.

Finally, with the house quiet I sang the song until I was happy with the lead vocal. I wanted this song to start off soft and build to a BIG ending complete with full choir so next I tracked/recorded the choir voices. I had gotten a good start on this song, so I was ready to save the files on a DVD disk and send them to my magician co-producer Jody.

Enter Jody (My Co-Producer)
Jody is an amazing music talent. Producer, Musician, Songwriter, Engineer, Owner of Far West Audio in Richmond, VA He does a lot of national corporate advertising work so if you watch TV or listen to radio you have heard his work. I played the song for him. He smiled and was nodding his head. The creative juices were flowing in his brain... "That's nice, Claudia he said. I love that wurlitzer sound"! " That's cool".

As a producer Jody knows how to pack the most emotional punch out of a song. He knows how to build the momentum. He used the template I sent him and elevated the song. He found a better drum loop and layered more instruments on top of what I had tracked. He equalized the vocal so it was warm and intimate. I was thrilled with his work.

The last thing we tracked for the song was a "choir" Because we were overdubbing we only needed a few more voices. The male voice in the choir is none other than the amazing Rudy Faulkner www.myspace.com/rudyfaulkner I have blogged about Rudy before (Keep Pushing). It was a joy to watch Rudy work in the studio as he recorded take after flawless take onto the tracks. Then Jody's wife, my friend, Marna Bales and her daughter Macy (both fabulous singers) recorded more harmonies on top of what Rudy and I had already done. Our choir of 4 individual people sounded like a choir of 20 people thanks to overdubbing and Jody's fine mixing.

On the day we completed the song...I felt strongly that we had created something that would inspire others. I got chills. What was VERY nice was that a film maker also got chills when she heard the song. She got a vision for a music video and contacted me.

Stay tuned for the next installment

If you are curious and want to listen... you can go to myspace.com/claudiacarawan and listen to More Than You Know from the CD Fearless. I do not know how to post music to the Braveheart site.

A Star is Born

(Once upon a time I read a book and got inspired. The inspiration gave birth to a song. I recorded the song with great love. The song inspired a film-maker who contacted me and wanted to make a music video to the song. This blog is about my experience shooting a music video with this film-maker. Prepare to laugh with me as a "star is born").

I arrived on set one hour early and I met my directors (Kat & Richmond), producer (Mark) and the crew. There were about 20 people involved in this shoot and it was a challenge to remember everybody's name and job. The TV station we filmed at was like a maze. I hope I don't get lost, I worried. I noticed signs had been posted on the walls saying Claudia Carawan - More Than You Know Cast and Crew Only. There was a sign on my dressing room that stated Claudia Carawan "Star" More Than You Know. I laughed quietly to myself. I am a star! Mark rushed me over to hair and makeup and I was delighted to meet my hair/makeup crew. (yes... a crew, sounds a bit like NASCAR, doesn't it?) I couldn't help but notice they had a huge arsenal of beauty products. I thought to myself, this is a good sign as I am receptive to ALL the help I can get. (Nicole was my makeup artist and another lovely lady, Deloris did my hair. They gave me the star treatment. I looked in the mirror to take it all in. My makeup was flawless. Nicole even gave me false eyelashes! I have never considered myself a girly girl, but I was feeling seriously girly as I slipped on my gorgeous evening gown and sparkly heels. I Loook Good! I said to myself. I felt like a true southern belle.

All of a sudden I started to channel Scarlet 'O Hara...

"I'm ready for mah closeup", I announced in my southern drawl as I batted my new eyelashes. I was escorted to the set.

The TV studio was filled with cameras, lights and expensive equipment. The crew had moved a grand piano onto the stage. We filmed on a TV set that had a green backdrop (using a technique called Green Screen). The entire video was filmed on this "green stage" but later the directors will superimpose the beach (and a variety of other backdrops and special effects) behind us. Technology is amazing! Tonight I was to film at the piano with my background vocalists.

We lip synced to the original recording of the song. This means I had to lip sync the words and finger sync the piano at the same time. This was a challenge for me --but I LOVE a challenge.

Two of my girlfriends Zita and Marna traveled from Richmond to Virginia Beach to be my background singers for the video. I felt so blessed to share this milestone experience with them. Both ladies are wonderful singers and dear friends. Another fellow, Indio, a local film-maker was selected to be the male background singer. Indio has a great personality and this is his first opportunity to be IN FRONT of the camera (instead of behind the camera). They emerged from hair and makeup looking absolutely fabulous. My background singers started working on their moves and lip syncs and I began to offer suggestions and make jokes.

I turned to them and declared in my best Billy Crystal voice You LOOK MAhvahlous! Green is YOUR color! I was laughing at my own jokes. A member of the crew (Steve) walked around taking photos of the shoot and documenting this fun. Steve was my personal paparrazzi. Needless to say, I was somewhat overwhelmed by all this attention. It took a long time before we were ready to shoot and I noticed lights were hot. I felt a hot flash coming on.

Finally Kat, the director said she was ready to begin filming. We were posed perfectly on the stage with the perfect lighting. Without warning Nicole (from makeup) ran up on the set to powder my shiny nose. Kat said the magic word "ACTION" The music started... and we began...

My mind was focused on 10 things in this order.

lip sync the words PERFECTLY
suck in my stomach
work the camera
smile
be present
finger sync the piano PERFECTLY
suck in my stomach
deliver the lyrics
enjoy the process
suck in my stomach
I hope I don't have another hot flash

We filmed the song over and over so the director could pick and chose her favorite clips to use in the final video. This is a good thing, because I made oodles of mistakes. It is hard work (singing, syncing, smiling, sucking and flashing) all at the same time. When we were done for the evening, the cast and crew lavished me with praise. Claudia... we love your song! Great performance! This will be a wonderful music video! they exclaimed. I was enjoying all the the attention. However it blew my mind that everyone was centered on me. I was humbled by it all. Someone on the crew asked me "Ms. Carawan, would you like some bottled water"? I responded, "Sure, where is it? Do you want me to bring you one too"?

My girlfriend Zita shook her head and laughed at me. She whisperd, "Claudia, You are the star, here. Remember? They want to get the water for YOU".

I let this concept sink in. "Oh" I say. I would LOVE some water! I'm simply parched" I announced! (I was channeling Scarlet O'Hara again cause "parched" is not normally a word in my vocabulary).

After the shoot Marna, Zita and I changed into our street clothes and sat on the dressing room floor, faces still made up like glamour girls. Marna (the absolute professional) was checking her messages on her laptop. Zita and I ate cheezits as we sat on the dressing room floor. "I think I forgot to eat dinner" I said. "This day has been one giant BLUR. I feel like I am in a dream".

One day down... One more to go.

Stay tuned for More Than You Know #4 A Star is Born... The fun continues

More Than You Know #4 The Video Shoot Continues A Star is Born (Again)

(Once upon a time I read a book and got inspired. The inspiration gave birth to a song. I recorded the song with great love. The song inspired a film-maker who contacted me and wanted to make a music video to the song. This blog is Day 2 of my experiences shooting a music video with this film-maker. (Prepare to laugh with me as I discover my inner diva).

After the first day of shooting, Marna, Zita and I spent the night at the Marriot Hotel at Virginia Beach. I booked an oceanfront suite (complete with balcony) and I woke early to wash & dry my hair while they slept in. I sat on the balcony overlooking the ocean and let the ocean breeze dry my hair. I called my husband on my Blackberry... "Ed... you will not believe it. Everyone is treating me like a star"! He laughed at me... and reminded me to enjoy it while it lasts. I promised him no matter how big a star I become, I will continue to be a good wife and still cook dinner. He gently reminded me that he does the cooking. Details, details I moaned.

When Marna and Zita woke up we all enjoyed a moment on the balcony overlooking the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. It was a beautiful sunny day and it was unseasonably warm for an April morning. Marna, who never misses a thing, pointed excitedly to the water. Dolphins!, she exclaimed. We saw a number of dolphins feeding very close to the shore. At least 30 fins were bobbing in and out of the waves and a few show-offs jumped out of the water in a perfect arc. Oh THANK YOU GOD! Thank you for sending dolphins! Call me superstitious, but I thought this was a good omen.

The morning passed quickly so I departed for the studio leaving the ladies and the dolphins behind.

The 2nd day of shooting I was totally in the flow. I knew the drill. Makeup, hair, dress, get to the set. On the agenda for this day we were going to film the actors, and dancers and solo shots of me by myself. Zita, Marna and Indio were gone.

We were filming "on the beach" today. Actually, we filmed on green screen, but later the director will super-impose footage of the beach behind me.

I was wearing a long royal blue gown with flowing gauzy fabric. I don't normally wear long expensive flowing gowns (with heels) when I go to the beach, but in "video land" this is normal attire. The lights were still hot, but now they placed fans around me. One was aimed at my hair so it blew in the wind. The other fans were directed at the bottom of my flowy dress so it looked like I was standing in the wind. I was thinking all kinds of silly thoughts about the fans. The first thing that came to mind was this... I bet I will not have a hot flash today.

Then it occured to me. I had created this moment.... Everything in my life I take responsibility for, so I have co-created this moment with God. However, I think God has a sense of humor. In the past when I affirmed "I am surrounded by fans" I didn't envision electric fans.

I waited for the technicians to get the lights & fans placed perfectly so I stood stoically, a femme fatale standing on this "virtual beach" feeling like an actress in a Stayfree commercial. I gazed up toward the lights and praying quietly. My heart was full. I thanked God for giving me this amazing opportunity. I prayed that the message in the music video would go out into the world to help people. I prayed for clarity, guidance and humility. Steve, my personal paparazzi was taking my picture while I was praying for humility.

Kat and Richmond the directors were happy with the lighting. "That looks good" Kat says looking through the camera. "We're ready to shoot the scene" she said.

Quick as a flash someone appeared with powder for my shiny nose... another person ran up on the set to fluff my hair... Then I was overcome with it all... the dolphins, the lights, the fans, my dress, the powder for my shiny nose, my moment of stardom. I started to channel Scarlett O' Hara again and I declared loudly and dramatically with my southern drawl.

With God as my witnesss.... I'll nevah be hungry again![/i]

The cast and crew laughed. I'm sure my directors were concerned about my mental health.

Stay tuned for the Ending Claudia
www.claudiacarawan.com

More Than You Know Final Thoughts

About one week after the fliming of the video I started to come down from cloud nine. It was a gentle crash... but I really enjoyed being the "star" I have adjusted to normal life. I am back to my routine... teaching, singing, rasing a daughter, walking the dog, and yes I am powdering my own nose.

I am grateful for everyone who made this experience possible for me. I hope the overriding message of the song is one that comforts and encourages others. On some level creating the song and video transformed me. I learned that I was more than a mom, a wife, a teacher, or a musician.

I am a channel.

I realized how people impact one another. A woman wrote a book, which inspired me to write a song, which inspired me to record the song, which inspired Kat to make a film. I cannot wait to see where it will go... who it will touch... and what other amazing stories will be told, but one thing is certain.

When you are willing to TAKE ACTION on your inspiration, amazing things will happen.

I will post the video here as soon as it is ready. Thanks for tuning in!

love
Claudia Carawan

www.claudiacarawan.com

Dear Bravehearts Just in time for Valentine's Day I'm happy to share my completed music video for the song More Than You Know (off of the Fearless CD). This video was filmed in high definition film last April with a crew of 20+ (including dancers, actors, makeup, special effects and film crew). It was an amazing experience, and I blogged about it in detail! This is a milestone achievement for me. I hope you enjoy it and please share it with your friends.

sending love "more than you know"

Claudia Carawan
...positively soulful music and inspiration

www.claudiacarawan.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tiJevrKvk8

As we approach Valentines Day I wanted to send this message of love to you once more. I wrote the song More Than You Know in 2008 and the video was created by film students at Regent University. Please own the lyrics and feel free to share the video with those that may need to hear the message.

Claudia Carawan
positively soulful music and inspiration

www.claudiacarawan.com