A music video can help you promote your band 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. 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 take a few key things into consideration. Here’s a step-by-step guide for how to make a music video.
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:
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.
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.
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.
Make sure that your song truly inspires the band. You will not like every song that you and your band create or play. Music videos should be authentic expressions of the song’s creators. Even the best filmmakers struggle to put a good video together if the band does not feel inspired by the lyrics and sound of the song they’ve selected.
If the song is not yours, consider copyright costs. Do not assume that a song that is not yours is okay to use for your music video. However, if your budget permits your band to produce a video for a song from someone else, that does not already have a video or single out on it, get the paperwork in place to move forward legally.
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.
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.
Make sure that your song truly inspires the band. You will not like every song that you and your band create or play. Music videos should be authentic expressions of the song’s creators. Even the best filmmakers struggle to put a good video together if the band does not feel inspired by the lyrics and sound of the song they’ve selected.
If the song is not yours, consider copyright costs. Do not assume that a song that is not yours is okay to use for your music video. However, if your budget permits your band to produce a video for a song from someone else, that does not already have a video or single out on it, get the paperwork in place to move forward legally.
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:
Camera person: 1 or more individuals
Lighting person for any and all 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 clearly 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 meal times, either provide food or at least remind crew members to bring food and set aside aside time for people to eat. If you are shooting all day, or for several hours, encourage the crew to take breaks. Ideally, you'll be able to recruit a team that can provide their own equipment. If you have to get equipment yourself, then you'll want to get the best that your budget allows. Even though prices have come down in recent years, buying a camera, lights, and gear will still set you back a small fortune. As such, renting gear is usually the best bet. Many places have community arts programs that allow you to rent equipment for lower rates. You can also check out local colleges in your area to see if they are willing to help. Who knows? You might find a few film students willing to let you use their gear in exchange for allowing them to be on your crew and get experience.
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 favors). 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” in order to find and download a template to work from. Sketch out each scene in the box and describe the scene underneath. After completing your storyboard, make a list of the equipment and casting you need for each shot. Share your finished storyboard with the whole crew and discuss each shot with the appropriate teams. Ideally, you should also create a schedule identifying who is needed when and where. Most importantly, make sure that your camera and lighting crew know what your expectations are for each scene. If you are a band member, you are probably in the scenes yourself. Those actually shooting the video will be able to see what you can’t and make suggestions accordingly. If you’ve cast a video director (someone other than yourself), you will need to only brief him/her on the storyboard first. The director can then handle the meetings with crews, scheduling, etc.
Filming On the day of shooting, be focused and stick to the plan. Keep a careful record of the shots you've made for the sake of editing. Always allow plenty of time for shooting. Even though the finished scene may only last 10 seconds, it could easily take several hours to set up and shoot. That being said, don’t get so preoccupied with getting the “perfect” shoot that you take six hours on one shoot and have only six hours left to finish the remaining 15. Ideally, you'll have several good takes for each scene. You can never have too much footage, and the re-take may capture something that you hadn't noticed the first time around. While it is never a good idea to deviate from the storyboard, there are extra things that the crew can do to provide a nice touch to the available footage. For example, if you have more than one camera, ask the “idle” cameraman/woman to keep shooting from other angles (not in sight of the main camera) or in between scenes. This technique often affords golden footage that you didn’t realize you could get. Additionally, some of the best shots might be candid moments with the set and crew.
Comments