Music videos ask more of a building than most shoots do. You want three looks by lunch, a floor that survives a dance crew, room for a crowd of extras who all showed up at once, and a door wide enough for whatever the treatment says has to be in frame. That's a lot to ask of one address.
It's also why we hear from a lot of directors and label teams. We're Ambient Plus Studio at 585 Wells St SW in Atlanta's West End, a 1910 cotton factory that our owner Jason Ivany restored in 2007. Over 25,000 sq. ft., several distinct rooms, and a building that photographs like a location instead of a box. Here's how a music video day actually works here.
When shooting a music video in Atlanta, choose a studio with multiple visual settings, convenient load-in access, adequate power, and space for performers and equipment. Check for cyc walls, lighting options, vehicle access, wardrobe areas, and crew facilities. Confirm rental hours, sound equipment, parking, and additional services before booking to keep production organized.
Planning a music video shoot across our stages
The thing that makes a music video expensive is moving. Every company move burns an hour, splits your crew, and puts your talent in a van. The pitch here is simple: get your looks under one roof, then spend the day shooting instead of driving.
Four looks that don't resemble each other
Start with what the treatment needs. Stage 1 is 10,000 sq. ft. of hardwood under 15 foot ceilings, with exposed brick, large factory windows, and a one wall cyc measuring 28 feet by 14 feet. That's your performance floor and your clean cyc in the same room.
Stage 4, our Skylight Studio, is where a lot of music videos end up. It's 2,800 sq. ft. with white brick and corrugated block walls, a corner cove cyc, a full mirrored wall, a built in curtain divider, and effects lighting across the RGB spectrum, all under a ceiling that slopes from 18 feet to 12 with a nominal skylight overhead. The mirrored wall and the color work give you a look you can't fake in a plain white room, and the curtain divider lets you build two setups and flip between them.
Stage 3 is the smaller footprint at 2,000 sq. ft. with 11 foot ceilings, hardwood, exposed and painted brick, and medium sized factory windows. Stage 4 has quick access through to it. Then there's the Quonset, 10,500 sq. ft. of industrial garage with concrete floors, skylights, and a corrugated metal shell. There's an old mail truck and a flower wall on site there too, and yes, people put both in videos. The Quonset has no HVAC, which matters for a long summer day.
Multiple stages can be combined, so a bigger production can hold all of this at once rather than choosing.
Getting the truck, the car, and the crowd inside
Load in is where music video days go sideways, because the gear list is rarely just gear. Stage 1 has ground level access, and Stage 3 has ground level load in and load out. The Quonset offers ground level and dock high unload with drive in access, so a vehicle can roll onto the floor and become part of the shot instead of a parking problem.
Power runs to 200 amps total across the house, with an 80 amp outlet in Stage 3. Electrical distribution is available as an add on when the lighting package is heavier than the room's standard draw.
Sound, playback, and how loud you can actually get
We don't have strict noise limits, though compliance with local ordinances is required. For playback and anything you need run on the day, house audio and visual is available as an add on, and so is a crew to run it. Worth raising in your booking conversation early, since it isn't automatic with the room.
Back of house, which is most of the day
Talent has to change, get styled, and wait somewhere that isn't the set. Stage 1 has a hair and makeup room, a separate wardrobe room, and a kitchen with refrigerators, ovens, and microwaves. Stage 3 has its own kitchenette with a refrigerator and microwave, a hair and makeup nook of about 100 sq. ft., a single restroom, and an optional private entrance, which is useful when talent needs to arrive without walking through the whole crew.
Rooms you aren't shooting in can run as production offices, workrooms, mills, or storage. Stage 2 is the exception. It's our workroom and isn't set up for shoots.
Booking, gear, and parking
Stage 1 and Stage 3 book as a full day at 12 hours or a half day at 6, with overtime by the hour. Bookings include tables and chairs, storage space, parking access, and furniture setup and breakdown. Add ons cover security, a parking team, house audio and visual, electrical distribution, and a setup day if you want to build before the shoot morning. We keep film and photo gear for rent in house as well.
Conclusion
Bring your treatment and we'll walk you through which rooms it maps to, where the truck goes, and what needs to be added on. Most of what matters on a music video day is hard to judge from photos, so it's worth standing in Stage 4 and seeing what the mirrored wall and the color work actually do before you commit to it. Come see how the rooms connect and where your looks land. Call 404-436-1360 or get in touch through our site to book a walk through or request our Film Production and Photography Pricing Guide.
FAQs
Can we shoot multiple looks in one day?
Yes. Stages 1, 3, 4, and the Quonset each look different, and multiple stages can be combined.
Can a vehicle be driven onto set?
The Quonset has ground level and dock high unload with drive in access.
Is there a cyc wall?
Stage 1 has a one wall cyc at 28 feet by 14 feet. Stage 4 has a corner cove cyc.
Is sound equipment included?
House audio and visual is available as an add on, along with a crew to run it.