I mostly shoot weddings. But some of my favorite days with a camera have nothing to do with them. This one was a rehearsal room in Milan, a wall of amps, and a hardcore band of friends of mine writing new songs.

The band is Already Buried. The video is 15 seconds long, and it was one of the most fun things I’ve shot all year.

Who are Already Buried?

Already Buried are a hardcore band from Milan, formed in April 2024 after a long break. The members come from two early-2000s Italian bands, Abel Is Dying and To the Embers.

Abel Is Dying were a Milan metalcore band formed in 2004. According to Last.fm, they released three demos and one full-length before splitting in 2010. Years later, some of the same people got back in a room together. Guitarist Gigio told No Echo they wanted to play again mainly for fun, and to find a sound that took them back to where they started.

That fun turned into a real record fast. Their debut EP, Bad Things Happen and People Get Hurt, was built entirely DIY. Drums were recorded in a friend’s basement, guitars and bass at the members’ homes, and vocals at Trai Studio. Stefano Santi of SPVN Studio handled mixing and mastering. The singles “Mirror Lies” and “Nice Shoes” came out first. Gigio cites Guns Up!, Cold World, Strife and Terror among their influences. Punktuation Mag compared the EP to Hatebreed, Terror and Madball, and picked “Pusher Price” as its favorite track.

The vinyl is a 12″ limited to 100 copies on translucent neon green wax, released through Rebuilding.

• Listen to the EP on Spotify
• Read the full band feature on No Echo
• Read the EP review on Punktuation
• Vinyl pre-order on Rebuilding
• Follow them on Instagram

Filming a hardcore band in a rehearsal room

I went to see them while they were working on new material. No lighting setup, no crew, no plan. Just me, a small room and a band that plays loud.

That’s exactly where I like to shoot. A rehearsal room is honest. The light is bad, the space is tight, and everyone is there to work, not to perform for a camera. If you stay out of the way, you get the real thing.

The gear: Nikon ZR and Blazar Talon 35mm anamorphic

I shot the clip on a Nikon ZR with a Blazar Talon 35mm T2.1 anamorphic lens, recording in Red Raw 4k/25p.

The 35mm anamorphic is a good fit for a small room. It’s wide enough to fit a band into a tight space, and it gives you the stretched oval bokeh and horizontal flares anamorphic is known for. Pointed at stage lights and amp glow, it looks heavy and cinematic without any extra work. If you want the full technical rundown on this lens, I wrote a test here.

The Nikon ZR is the camera I now reach for when I want to shoot raw and keep the rig small. For a day like this, small matters. Nobody in a rehearsal room wants a big setup pointed at them.

Why a wedding videographer shoots hardcore bands

Because it’s the same job. Whether it’s a wedding in Lake Como or a band in a rehearsal space, I’m watching for the moment that’s actually happening and trying not to get in its way. Doing different kinds of work keeps my eye sharp for weddings too.

This is also why I started the Beyond Weddings section: to show what I film when nobody hired me to film a wedding. You can see my wedding work on alexsofoweddingfilms.com or follow me on Instagram.

Need a music video or live band video in Milan?

I’m based in Milan and I shoot music videos, live sessions and band promos as well as weddings. If you’re a band and want something like this, get in touch.

Note: Already Buried are friends of mine. Check the band’s links above for official releases.

Watch the Video here