Step-by-step Professional Video Preparation Series: How to create a music video

Since the invention of YouTube in 2005, music videos are one of the most viewed and searched for digital content. Now that we’ve explained what video equipment to consider for your production, making music videos may be within your reach. A high quality music video will require additional important steps in pre production, especially if you are the composer or the performer or the visionary behind-the-scenes. Luckily, DMV productions has lots of experience and advice to share with you, so let’s get started! 

We receive multiple calls every week from musicians who would like to make a video as a way of creating a piece of art, documenting their work, and getting their message out into the world. Before we explain the steps to create a music video, let us start with the most important piece of advice we can give you… “it’s never as simple as you think it’s going to be”. 

Even if your music is one and a half minutes for example, do not assume that creating a video will be a short process too. Unless filming a video on your smartphone is the style you are looking for, it is not as simple as pressing “record”. Producing a one minute video, let alone five minutes, requires accurate planning, envisioning, and attention to detail. Because there is less time to develop a storyline and characters, there is also less time to create a visual narration to accompany the music. All narration must fit within the length of the music, which takes a special kind of creative thinking. A music video is particular because the visual will need to line up with the sound. Is your music prerecorded or performed live? Will you lip sync or air-play, or will you need to consider recording live sound as well? 

This all boils down to two things: before you film music, both your music and your video concept must be completed. But don’t worry! That’s where we step in and provide some guidance. 

Understand Your Message

Defining the intention or message can help your video land in the right place and reach the right audiences. Your definition will not only help the day of shooting go smoothly itself, but also the pre-production stage in getting materials assembled, as well as in the editing room when it comes time to stitch together the footage. 

Search by Mood

Part of your definition will be understanding the mood your music invokes. What was the original motivation for writing the song? What emotions come up when listening to the composition? Decide what role you want your music to play in the overall message of your video.

Create a shot list

Most videographers require a shot list, which is a production storyboard created by both the director and cinematographer, and is composed of details and practical information necessary to capture every shot within a given scene. If your video is more grassroots, you could approach conceptualisation by browsing through still images to draw inspiration for a music video concept and create a mood board out of them. This is not so much a shot list or a storyboard as it is a collage of images to represent the vibe that you’re looking to achieve. The final outline is called a treatment, which can be presented to a larger team or potential investors. YouTube also has a ton of tutorials…

Location scouting

Have you heard the popular adage, “Location, location, location.”? Location decisions are crucial to making a music video, but there are several factors to consider when choosing a setting. Find a location that fits your budget and video concept. If your video is a performance-based video, a studio or a live music venue can serve your purpose effectively and if you’re on a budget, you can see if the venue can provide a discount for use of the space in exchange for marketing the location on their behalf. You can also find locations for your music video on peerspace which can reduce your search efforts and help you stay within budget. You can choose between indoor and outdoor locations. Each of these demands their own unique production requirements which could range from ambient settings to natural landscapes and acquiring permissions beforehand to shoot. Make sure to scout the space with who will be filming since it’s not only what you see and like but what the camera is able to capture. 

Trust us—unless you’re filming in a studio, you’re going to want to figure this out beforehand. Weather can play a massive role in terms of your location decision. An outdoor location would require you to plan well ahead on the weather conditions and how they may affect the production of your music video. It may also cost you more to have to cancel an outdoor shoot for which you would still be charged because the other professionals have set aside time for your production. At least now you know the risks and can plan accordingly!

Choose Your Genre, Pace & Tempo

According to your written preparation, you can now choose the type of shots to accompany them. This is where the director of photography becomes important. Do you wish to express a joyful narrative in an upbeat way with dynamic shots and fast cuts? Or to express the same message with a slower peaceful expression? Is melancholy always a slow tempo? Or is it best flipped on its head and shown as a more dynamic struggle or a promise of love? This is where your preparation becomes essential and film making becomes poetry, because the artistry lies in choices like these. Think about your defined artistic intention from all sides, and make sure to send a copy of the song you wish to work on to the DP so they can listen to it and consider what visual they see when they hear the song. They will work with the editor who will arrange the footage in a way that matches and moves with the backbeats and other instrumentation in the music. This will create a layered and interesting video that will make you stand out.

Live performance-based music video

Shooting live performance videos can be tricky – after all, you’re shooting in real time. Depending on how many cameras you are using, you will need to think about takes, shots and angles. A three camera setup is a tried and tested method especially for live shows because multiple cameras afford the ability to cover different parts of the performance and the band members all at once. A one-cam set up, similar to a film production, may serve you better when filming a pre recorded song. In both cases, be mindful of camera placement so you don’t see equipment in the background, especially if you’re filming in a small space. When it comes to shooting live events, you’ll definitely need to record audio from a soundboard. This will ensure your audio is top quality, and it is best to get an audio recording device that can record signals from an XLR or 1/4″ audio output and run on batteries. Don’t forget about cables and other accessories you may need, too!

Rehearse Before Shoot

Time is not necessarily your friend. Rehearsing a day before or a few hours before a shot should help you and any crew identify the shortcomings that exist, regardless of the type of music video it is. This will reduce frustration if things go wrong on the day of the shoot itself, and is key in ensuring costs are in control and the time to finish shooting isn’t extended. Remember to mark during your rehearsal and keep your energy, and that of your crew, for the actual shoot!

Film in Small Segments

If you are not filming live music, segmenting your script into smaller takes will make your job much easier both while shooting, as well as during editing your music video. It also lends a certain level of flexibility to post-production with easy-to-use clips. Here are few tips:

1. Shoot Multiple Takes. Even the best of filmmakers mess up sometimes, so make sure you take multiple takes of each scene to give yourself more shot options in the editing process. Even if your first take seems to have gone perfectly, get another two or three, just in case. Also, the sound and movements of lips need to be synced properly and this might require the editor to take scenes from different takes. 
2. Shoot from a Variety of Angles. Try and get shots from a variety of angles so you can choose the shots you think work best in the post-production phase. 
3. Shoot B-roll Footage. “B-Roll” or background footage is a great way to make your video more interesting and add a variety of visuals. If you plan when you’re going to use B rolls in advance, you’ll be doing yourself a favor by saving a lot of time later on. 

Time To Edit

Once you’ve got the audio and video footage, editing can begin. At this stage, you can identify the best shots and cutaways to use, and start mixing, editing and cleaning the audio. It’s always best to get the audio mastered, too! If you’re new to editing, or need some further tips, check out these articles on the best free video editing software. 

Final Tweaks 

Now that your video is almost good to go, take a break and return with a fresh pair of eyes. Send it out to honest friends and collaborators and get different opinions and act as the director when looking through the footage. Pick out any angles that you want to extend or feature more, make sure everything is in sync, and add any transitions or filters. Then, export and share your live performance video with the world. Go you!