“Everything but Paid” documents the experience of independent artists in a modern music industry that demands constant visibility, while offering limited support or compensation. The film follows both Gabriella Whited, a successful independent artist from Los Angeles, and myself, Sarah Lola. As an upcoming independent artist, my social location directly shaped the film’s point of view. I understand firsthand the financial stress and relentless work that come with being a small artist, and the film reflects the urgency I feel for change within the industry.
Since this documentary is meant to speak for all the millions of independent artists around the world, it is told primarily through a conversational-style narration. I purposely located myself as a participant in the film because I knew that showing my personal experience was going to get the message across far more effectively than if I were to simply observe other subjects.This insider perspective allowed me to portray the experience with authenticity, showing not only what independent artists do, but how it feels to do it. My social location as an independent artist who is early on in their career, barely making any money, yet having a strong passion shapes this voice. My perspective is not neutral, and I want the viewers to feel that. It was important to me that I narrated the film as if I was talking to a friend about my experiences. Mine and Gabriella’s intention when we recorded clips of us speaking was to educate and inform people about our experiences as artists, while maintaining a casual tone.
The story is mainly told through interviews, where Gabriella and I speak on behalf of other artists. I include close up shots of my music spaces and equipment, behind-the-scenes clips of a photoshoot, as well as older performance clips. I enjoyed using the “Ken Burns” effect when editing the still images, to add some movement. I used a close up photo of piano keys which showed a pattern and texture, which we learned about in the lab portion of the course. After an introduction which briefly introduces the topic of discussion and the hard work independent artists must do, I intentionally include a video of 5 year old me playing the piano, to convey a sense of nostalgia and passion. I also include a close up clip of Gabriella’s first time posting a song. These clips help to prove the point that being a small artist requires years of hard work. Additionally, my intention behind this was to show on behalf of other artists, that music is a passion and the music industry wants artists to forget that.
(It won’t allow me to embed the video here, it says that it is too large, but I have submitted it into canvas).
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