How to make a music video

The first step to making your first music video is to find the overall idea, your music video concept. It can simply be a visual image or a complex storyline. Most of the time, the artists align their music videos with the lyrics of their songs. When thinking about your music, you probably have images coming to your mind. What are they? What message do you want to convey? What emotions do you want to trigger in your audience? These can be good starting points. From there, you can start brainstorming and creating a mood board to elaborate on your initial idea.

Also, it would be best if you thought about your branding. What image do you want the people watching your music videos to have of you and your music? Is your idea matching with your branding?

Remember that having a solid concept aligned with your will help make your music video stand out and make you and your music memorable.

Storytelling is an essential aspect of music videos and movie making in general, as it allows the audience to connect with the song on a deeper level. A compelling music video tells a story that complements the song and triggers emotions in the viewer. It can be a straightforward narrative that follows the song’s lyrics or a more abstract visual interpretation of its meaning.

First, as the video director, you must have a clear idea about your song’s theme and message. With that in mind, you can create a story that aligns with your message and showcases your unique style as an artist. Also, try to put yourself in your audience’s shoes: what type of story would resonate with them?

Remember that you are creating a video. So what would make your video visually appealing? What decor will you use? What costumes? What colors and lighting? You can even add special effects to enhance your video.

Once you have a clear idea of your concept for your song, it will help you determine the script of your video, the location where you will film all the footage, the film crew who will participate and gather the clothes and accessories you want to use before you start shooting.

It would be best if you made a clear plan before filming, so it’s produced efficiently. Especially if you want to film in several locations and involve a few crew members in your video shoot. So craft the script, schedule when and where you will film, ensure crew members are available and prepare all the equipment (filming equipment and clothes) ahead of time. 

Don’t forget to check the weather if you decide that your video shoot will be outside. Depending on the vision you have of your video, you may want to adapt your schedule to it. 

A detailed plan before you start filming will help you create a music video that stands out by ensuring all aspects of the footage are thoughtfully considered and executed.

One of the crucial aspects of planning your video is to figure out which equipment you will use. For sure, the quality of the equipment will determine the quality of the final product. You don’t necessarily need to have a professional video camera to film your videos. You can use your smartphone, even if the image might be less quality, and it will have less advanced features than a professional camera. Anyways, make sure that the camera you are using can handle the quality of image you want and the lighting of the place where you are filming your videos. Filming during the night or when it’s raining, for instance, can be more challenging. If you want to use special computer effects like slow motion or time-lapse, ensure your video camera supports them. Also, considering getting a tripod is a great idea to ensure the image is stable unless this is your desired effect for your video.

Before filming your videos, you should learn camera, filming and lighting techniques to help you create a memorable and professional-looking music clip.

Lighting helps you give a certain vibe and emotion to your video. You can use natural light to have a natural effect on your video. You can also use artificial light to create, for instance, a more retro, romantic or dramatic look to your video. You can buy affordable lighting kits online to create the lighting you want for your video concept. Good lighting can also help control the image’s exposure, contrast and color temperature.

Filming techniques like full-length, medium or close-up shots enable you to focus your audience’s attention on the crucial details in your video. Use full-length shots in your footage to make people focus on the places where the videos are filmed. Medium shots are better if the action should be the centre of attention. In contrast, use close-up shots of the person’s face when what they say is important or to convey emotion more efficiently. You can search for and use plenty of other film techniques in the shooting process of your music video.

Once you have filmed all your video sequences, editing and post-production are the final stages. They involve taking the footage captured and shaping it into the final video.

During the video editing process, we organize, trim and assemble the footage in a first draft of the music video with video editing software. This is where the story is put together, and we think about the pace and rhythm of the video so it’s aligned with the song. It’s also the stage where the audio track is added along with the visual and audio effects. For the visual effects, you can, for instance, modify the color of parts of the video and create transitions between the different shots. For the sound effects, you can, for example, create a panning effect in the music track to give the illusion the sound is moving around the listener or create an echo. There are tons of visual and audio effects that you can use to make your video unique.

A thing that my clients are always forgetting is that the work is not done yet! Why would you have worked so hard on your music video if it was not for it to be seen by everyone? So you have to promote it once it’s released. Music is a product, and your audience is like your clients. So if you want to be a professional artist, consider your music career a business you want to grow.

There are a lot of different ways to promote your music video. It’s essential to consider your target audience and where they spend most of their time online. 

You can use social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Those platforms will allow you to share your video with your followers and engage with them through comments and direct messages. Interaction with your audience is essential. You want to build a good relationship with them so they keep following you and looking forward to your subsequent releases. Also, TikTok and the Reels of Instagram, for instance, are good ways to reach more people than those already following you.

Creating a music video can be expensive, but it’s possible to make a good music video without spending too much money. You have to be strategic about how to produce it, knowing where to cut costs without sacrificing the video quality.

Concerning video equipment, you can minimize expenses by choosing cheaper equipment like your smartphone to capture your music videos. You can also rent or borrow the equipment from someone you know.

Before choosing the locations of your video footage, make sure of the budget it represents. Instead of renting a space, think about public spaces or at home. Another good way is to use a green screen to add any background you want during the edition phase.

Work with your band members, friends and family if you need additional people in your video. They will be glad to be part of it, and you will have a nice footage moment together.

Making a music video can be a complex and challenging process, and it’s easy to make mistakes that can negatively impact the final product. Here is a list of 5 common mistakes to avoid:

1. Not having a clear concept or story: Without a clear idea of what your music video will look like, you will lose a lot of time. And the message of your video might not have the desired effect on your audience.
2. Not properly planning the production: Lack of planning can lead to delays, problems on set and a less polished final product. Also, it could lead to spending more money because you might have to shoot several times, missing some essential parts of your video.
3. Not paying attention to the details: This can include poor sound quality, bad lighting, or poor camera angle. These small details can have a significant impact on the overall quality of the final product.
4. Not considering the target audience: It’s essential to keep in mind the audience you want to reach and what music video type will appeal to them.
5. Not promoting the video effectively: Even if you have a great music video, if you don’t promote it effectively, it will not be seen by as many people as you want, and your hard work won’t pay off.

Technology is constantly evolving, and it’s changing how to make a music video and how people consume it. 

One way technology is changing the game is through the use of drones. Drones allow for unique aerial shots and can be used to capture footage in hard-to-reach locations.

Additionally, AI and machine learning advancements are being used in music video production, such as automatic color correction, object tracking and motion stabilization.

Technology is also changing the way music videos are consumed, with the rise of streaming platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo, allowing audiences to watch music videos on-demand from anywhere in the world.