Over the past few decades, music video production has become a creative and effective way for artists to market themselves and their songs online or on television. But before the advent of modern digital media, music video production was limited to the industry pros due to the lack of equipment and technical know-how.
But now, thanks to the emergence of professional digital cameras, advancements in computer technology, and the Internet generation, anybody with the right gear and some basic knowledge in video production can make their own professional (or as close to professional as you can get) music videos. This enables amateur videographers and aspiring YouTube artists to create something that will allow them to promote their skills and attract a bigger audience.
If you’re interested in the process that goes into music video production, here is a step-by-step guide:
How to Make a Music Video
Music video production takes a long time—and an entire team—to complete, which is why professionals get paid a lot for a single video. But with these helpful tips, you can easily do it yourself and create a creative, well-produced music video that you can be proud of.
- Choose the song
- Gather your team
- Craft your storyboard
- Scout video shoot locations
- Secure your gear
- Start shooting
- Edit your video
- Render your video
1. Choose the song
Song selection is where it all starts. The genre, tempo, beat, and message of the chosen song will help dictate the story—as well as the look and feel—of your music video. Everything will revolve around the song, so it is crucial to choose well.
Artists usually want to create music videos for their upcoming singles. This is perfectly fine as it truly is the most logical step, since the artist is going to want to promote their new music. However, you may also want to consider choosing the artist’s most popular song instead, particularly if this is their first music video, because with a more well-known song you automatically guarantee that the artist’s fans/followers will want to watch it. If the artist’s songs are on YouTube, SoundCloud, or even iTunes, check the number of views or downloads of each song to determine the most popular tune.
2. Gather your team
To successfully produce a music video, you need people who can help you during the planning, shooting, and post-processing stage. Here is a short list of collaborators you may want to include in your team:
- Artists/Talents – The artists/talents will be the subject of your shoot. If the music video requires people other than the band or artist, you’ll need talents or actors who have the sort of look that you need to make your music video’s storyline interesting or believable. You can even get your friends or family members to do this—but of course, make sure they can act!
- Director – The director of the music video oversees the video production process. They make sure that everything, from camera angles to final editing, goes according to plan.
- Camera Operator – For professional quality output, you may want to look for a good cinematographer. You can always shoot the video yourself, but it helps to assign the task to another person who can focus on achieving the desired shots.
- Lighting Technician – A lighting technician will be in charge of the studio or outdoor lighting, as well as proper use and positioning of reflectors and diffusers.
- Technical/Production Crew – Your technical and/or production crew can assist you in anything, from holding the boom poles to assembling or preparing the music video set.
- Video Editor– Video editing requires a lot of skill, which can make or break your final output. We highly suggest that you get someone who knows the craft and can understand your vision for the video.
3. Craft your storyboard
After choosing a song and having a general idea of how the video will go, it’s time to make concrete plans for your shoot. Sit down with the artist and your team and have a brainstorming session over the theme, story flow, shots, and other important factors that you have to decide on for your shoot.
Once everybody agrees on a particular plan, create a shot-by-shot storyboard that you can use as your reference once you start shooting.
4. Scout video shoot locations
Find the perfect location that has the elements you need for the shoot. If time and budget are limited, you can use locations that are easily accessible to you and incorporate them into the plan before crafting your storyboard.
Once you have some sites in mind, do ocular visits and consider the present condition of each area so your lighting technician and technical crew can plan ahead in regard to the shooting logistics and required lighting. Also, make sure to secure area permits, if needed, to avoid any disruptions during filming.
5. Secure your gear
Before you can start shooting the music video, you will need to acquire the necessary gear. The specific items you will need will depend on the types of shots you want to create, your lighting requirements, and the shoot location—and of course, your budget.
Video production gear can be expensive, so if you don’t have the funds to invest in a plethora of high-tech video gear, a practical and budget-friendly option is to simply rent the equipment that you need.
6. Start shooting
The fun starts when you finally begin shooting your video. As much as you want to be fully prepared, keep in mind that productions rarely go perfectly as planned. The key is to stick to your storyboard, make sure your team is ready to carry out their tasks, and to be prepared to handle problems that may arise.
Another tip to remember if you want to avoid having to reshoot later on is to just keep the camera rolling. This not only gives you more candid material to use as fillers and precious behind-the-scenes clips, but also helps provide more than enough footage buffers before and after your planned shots, thus making post-production editing and cutting a little easier.
Bonus tip: You can save time and money (especially if you’re paying your entire team, as well as your talents) by using royalty-free stock footage. You can get these from free sources like Pexels or subscription-based sources like Shutterstock.
7. Edit your video
Now that you’ve got some truly awesome footage, it’s time to turn it into an actual music video! Editing makes up a huge part of the post-production process, and if you’re doing it yourself, it’s important to choose the right video editing software for your needs. Then, it’s all a matter of learning how to use the software (there should be plenty of YouTube tutorials on these) so that you can arrange your raw clips and piece them together to create the desired output. Once the shots are placed in order, transitional and other special effects can be added.
Remember to always backup your original copies, in case you need to redo any of the work.
8. Render your video
Congratulations! Now that you’ve finished making your final edits, you can render your master copy. Of course, don’t forget to review it one last time before showing it off to your artist or the public and to make a backup copy for safekeeping. Now, give yourselves a deserving pat on the back! The entire process most likely took several days or weeks, but all the effort and hard work should be worth it once you see the amazing video you’ve come up with.
Featured Image by Anastase Maragos on Unsplash.
