Table of Contents
My name is Leo Gallagher. I’m a cinematographer based in New York. I work mostly in documentaries, music videos, commercials, and some narrative work. Today, I’m talking about a couple of music videos I’ve done with the band Lawrence—an indie soul/pop group led by siblings Gracie and Clyde Lawrence. We’ve done a bunch of videos together, but I want to focus on two in particular: “23” and “What You Want.”
They’re both single-take, handheld music videos shot in a recording studio. I first met the band through a friend—who’s now an agent at WME—about four years ago, near the end of the most intense stretch of the COVID lockdown. We became friends over those years, but it started as a professional relationship. I was shooting behind-the-scenes videos for their YouTube channel. Eventually, they asked me to direct these single-take music videos, something I’d never done before.
Make the Viewer Feel Like They're in the Room
The goal with these videos is to make the viewer feel like they’re in the room with the band as the song is being recorded. We call them acoustic-ish because the versions are performed live and recorded in real time, then mixed afterward. They’re single uninterrupted takes, which creates a sense of immediacy and presence.
It’s about guiding the viewer’s eye to where we want their attention at any given moment—when the rhythm section comes in, when Clyde is singing a solo, when Gracie takes the lead, or when we move down the line of their incredible vocalists. Everything is motivated by the music. We think through the beats and rhythms ahead of time, and we find the best moments to move the camera on the day.
Let the Camera Reflect the Band’s Energy
A lot of the process involves working with the personalities of Gracie and Clyde, trying to elevate their energy and the vibe of the band with camera movement. They’re both incredibly talented and intuitive on camera. Gracie especially is deeply involved—she’ll walk through every shot with me. We often rehearse the full video on an iPhone before switching to a cinema camera. We’ll watch it back and tweak it: “Let’s stay on the drums for this kick,” or “Cut back to the vocalist here.” It becomes a rhythm, and each take gets stronger.
Work with the Natural Light You Have
For a shoot like this, I need to prep the space to shoot 360 degrees around the room. There’s usually a small sliver near the control room I avoid—just enough space to hide a key light that lifts the ambient level. I rely heavily on practical lighting in the studio, swapping in warmer tungsten bulbs and placing them carefully to highlight faces. If I find any dark spots on the monitor, I’ll hide small LEDs like Aputure MCs or Quasar tubes in the room—subtle pools of light that don’t pull focus.
“It’s really about using the natural studio light and just nudging it where it needs to go.”
Choose Gear You Know (and Own)
Everything’s handheld—either shoulder-mounted or holstered at my side. I used to shoot these on a Canon C300. Now I use an Alexa Mini, always with a Sigma 18mm lens, wide open. It’s all gear I own, which helps us stay flexible and shoot whenever the schedule allows. I’m also the only video person on set, so I collaborate closely with the recording engineer and assistant engineer to make sure instruments and vocalists are positioned in a way that works both sonically and visually. They run cables with care so I’m not tripping mid-shot.
Block Around the Music and Build a Flow
In “What You Want,” we start low—on the singers’ feet—then tilt up to reveal them as they hit the first note. Gracie enters from frame right and riffs her opening line. I pan across to catch the instruments while she slips behind me, making her way toward her next mark by the percussion section. That’s where she sings her next riff, and then she guides me all the way back to Clyde and the vocalists.
There’s a rhythm to the camera movement—a swirl that builds with the music. When the drums kick in and Gracie begins the first full verse, we’re exactly where we need to be. We wanted that moment of surprise too, where Gracie disappears from frame, then reappears: “Where did she come from?”
Collaborate with the Studio Team on Layout
For “23,” we pushed all the instruments to the sides, which gave us a large open space in the center. That let me move more freely with Gracie and gave the video a different kind of energy. These spatial choices happen in the morning, when we talk with the engineers about how instrument layout will affect both audio quality and visuals. There’s always a negotiation—I’ll want things moved closer, but the engineers are trying to avoid audio bleed. And that makes sense, because at the end of the day, it’s about the music.
“I’m just trying to enhance the performance. I never want to compromise the audio.”
Know the Song Inside and Out
If I had advice for anyone trying this, I’d say: know the song like the back of your hand. Understand the rhythm, the beats, the emotional arc. Where do you want to go big? Where do you want to pull back? Who should we focus on, and when? Having that internal roadmap going in is key—because once you're in the room, you’re tired, you’re sweating, your body hurts. You can’t be thinking it all through in the moment.
That roadmap also lets you stay open—to react to how the band is playing, how they’re moving, how they’re reacting to you. It adds an improvisational quality to the camera work that feels alive.
Pace Yourself, Physically and Creatively
Another piece of advice I give myself is not to burn out early. I tell the vocalists the same: don’t give 110% on the first take. These are long takes—sometimes seven minutes—and we do them again and again. I’m carrying a 30-pound camera the whole time, and there’s no cutting. It’s exhausting. But if everyone paces themselves, we can save our energy for the later takes—the ones that really count.
Between takes, we review footage and reset. By take 8 or 9, the movement becomes muscle memory, the rhythm becomes natural, and that’s when the magic happens.
Thanks for reading. I hope this was helpful, and good luck on your next shoot.
