Elon University alumna Alysse Miller said she always found a connection between visuals and music. So when she graduated in 2009, she found a perfect fit directing music videos. Now, she is the director of photography at a regional television show, Sound Situations .
" It's a fun job," Miller said. "But it's definitely corporate, which is why I love Sound Situations so much. It lets me be creative and explore my passion of live music."
Sound Situations runs bi-weekly on Raleigh's public access channel 10 and focuses on local musical talent in the Triangle. Every 30-minute episode showcases two bands and shows them performing in different settings.
Sound Situations' music videos are different than other music video interpretations.
"We don't think that music videos need all the fireworks, the glitz, the glamour of those you see on MTV," Miller said.
The videos are captured in one take and the crew aims to summarize the performer and his or her surroundings in a single attempt. "The end product is stripped down, intimate and beautiful," Miller said.
The team at Sound Situations learned how to produce a successful show through trial-and-error.
"We learned very quickly how to communicate and what elements were needed to make the show work," said executive producer and host Kelly Reid.
Miller is known among her colleagues for her commitment and passion for her work at Sound Situations.
"She was the first member of the production team that signed on, and since then she has consistently amazed me with her enthusiasm, her expertise and her upbeat attitude," said director Suzy Hooker.
Although the first season finished, Sound Situations paired with Hopscotch Music Festival to film the Marsh Woodwinds Sessions.
Marsh Woodwinds is a music sales and repair shop on North Person Street in Raleigh that specializes in rare musical devices and wind instruments and restored vintage instruments. Upstairs in the shop, there is a stage and room for a crowd.
"We found it befitting and invited some of our favorite Hopscotch acts to play a small set for an intimate present audience and for our TV and Web followers," Miller said.
Hopscotch Music Festival is an annual three-day event in downtown Raleigh. It is co-presidenting with Sound Situations to create The Marsh Woodwinds Sessions.
"We showcase local artists and have them perform in intimate settings," Miller said. "Whether that's a porch, a music store or on a small loft overlooking the Raleigh skyline, the performances we capture are nothing short of amazing."
The bands perform about five songs on location and then the Sound Situtations team selects one or two to feature on the show.
"We'll release out first band, Dinosaur Feathers, very soon and could not be more excited," Miller said.
While at Elon, Miller made good use of her time, she said.
"I spent about 10 hours a day in McEwen when I went to Elon," she said ."It was like my second home."
She said working for ESTV prepared her for the real world.
"I spent weekends renting out cameras and making music videos in the dorms. I spent nights in the editing labs chugging Red Bull while staring at Final Cut Pro," Miller said.
By the time she graduated Elon, she claims she could run a production from start to finish by herself. Miller recalls these early videos as a way to measure her growth.
"Even then I knew making a video was about capturing those special moments," she said. "Not everyone has an eye for that, but I think it's my specialty"