Step-By-Step Guide to Making a Music Video

Step-By-Step Guide to Making a Music Video

A music video can help you promote your brand through social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and more. Contrary to what you may think, a music video doesn’t need to cost a fortune. What’s most important is that you have a good idea, a good team, and a well-defined budget. Let’s check to Step-By-Step Guide to Making a Music Video.

Some production companies charge a fortune for even the simplest promotional videos, but you can do it yourself. Or, if you are willing to give an up-and-coming filmmaker or producer a chance, they will often do it at a low cost (maybe even free of charge).

Before you begin producing your music video, it is important to plan and consider a few key things. Here’s a step-by-step guide for how to make a music video.

Choosing the Right Song

While it might seem like the best idea to simply make a video for your next upcoming single, that may or may not make the most sense. Here are a few other factors to consider when choosing a song:

ü Think ahead or recycle an old song.

 It will take a lot longer than you think to shoot, edit, and produce a music video. If the song is three minutes or longer, your “new” single might already have come out by the time you’ve published your video. Instead, consider selecting a song that has done well in the past or use a single that is planned for release in the future, after you plan to publish your next single.

ü, Don’t merely think in terms of a “single.” 

Honestly, in these days of Internet streaming, any track can be a single. Therefore, you might pick a track from an album that you had a great music video idea for in the past, even if that track wasn’t originally planned as a single.

ü You might want to start small.

 For every minute of a song in a music video, it can take you and your crew anywhere from 2-10 hours of shooting, editing, and finishing. The longer you take, the greater your risk abandoning the project.

Casting the Film Crew and Getting Equipment
However complicated (or simple) your shoot is, you’ll need a team. If you have a team, everyone should be clear on what they are responsible to accomplish. Here are some of the roles that you will need to fill:

Cameraperson: 1 or more individuals

Lighting person for any indoor shots: 1 individual

Actor(s): the number of individuals varies based on what kind of video you seek to create

Director: 1 individual that everyone acknowledges as “in charge”

Band members: this should be obvious, but make sure that all your members are on board and able to commit to their scheduled shooting days

As you build your team, consider their individual needs. If you’re shooting through mealtimes, either provide food or at least remind crew members to bring food and set aside time for people to eat. If you are shooting all day, or for several hours, encourage the crew to take breaks

Planning the Shoot

Wasted time can cost you more money (if you’re renting by the hour/day) or sour relationships (where you called in favours). Most film crews who do more “hanging out” rather than working, are simply responding to the lack of planning. So take a few minutes (or hours) to think through how this music video will be filmed.

It is customary to build storyboards for each shot. This will ensure that you don’t miss anything and that you can describe to your crew what you need. Feel free to Google “music video storyboard template” to find and download a template to work from. Sketch out each scene in the box and describe the scene underneath

Using Stock Footage

You can spice up your video by adding stock footage, but you’ll need to be aware that almost all video footage is subject to strict copyright law. Making use of footage without the copyright holders’ express permission is illegal.

However, there are also sources of footage that you can use legally. Royalty-free footage is footage you can reuse in any setting, without asking permission or paying the copyright holder a fee each time you use it; but you may have to pay a fee to obtain it in the first place. Lastly, there are several free stocks, royalty-free sites to check out before paying for stock footage.