HOW TO MAKE A MUSIC VIDEO

For decades, music videos have been crucial to an artist's career and legacy. And although the youth of today access music videos in different ways than their parents, music videos old and new rack up millions of views every day, which is why the industry still spends a lot of time, money and energy creating them.

Here’s our expert, step-by-step guide to how to make music videos. Who knows, perhaps you’ll soon be well on your way to creating the next classic – a music video to join the pantheon of greats alongside Luis Fonsi’s ‘Despacito’, Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’, Childish Gambino’s ‘This is America’ and Doja Cat’s ‘Say So’.

How to Make a Music Video:

• Song
• Equipment
• Planning
• Budget
• Filming
• Editing
• The Edit

How to Make a Music Video

Song

So, obviously, the first thing you need to create a music video is a song. The best music videos of all time are informed by the genre, vibe and lyrics of the song at the centre of the production. Here are some of the best examples:

Inspired by Genre

Taylor Swift’s 2020 album Folklore marked the singer’s return to her folk-country roots, and the first single, ‘Cardigan’, was released alongside an enchanting music video that couldn’t be more rural if it tried. Patently, Swift’s goal was to exhibit a new era in which the singer was to honour the genre(s) that initially made her fall in love with music.

Inspired by Vibe

One of the most memorable music videos in recent years is Doja Cat’s ‘Say So’ video, which embraces a ’70s aesthetic. To complement the track’s flower-power disco feel, the singer-cum-rapper packed the almost four-minute film with vibrant costumes, glitzy accessories, retro-tech and to-die-for home interiors. This video alone rocketed Doja’s career to new levels. The moral of the story? Sometimes, let the vibes sit in the driver's seat.

Inspired by Lyrics

Childish Gambino’s ‘This is America’ was a hit that came out of nowhere, which broke ground for numerous reasons. Listen to the lyrics, and you will discover the artist is touching on a range of pressing matters, including gun violence in the USA. To ensure the message of the lyrics wasn’t lost within the upbeat nature of the track, Gambino worked on an artistic music video that seeks to encourage audiences to pay attention to the points that the artist is raising.

Equipment

Once you’re settled on your song and a vision for the music video you want to create, it’s time to purchase (or rent) your equipment. When it comes to how to film a music video, here are the three key things you’re definitely going to need if you don’t have them already.

Cameras

Unless you’re planning on creating an animated music video, such as Daft Punk’s ‘One More Time’, you’re going to need to get your hands on some cameras. Naturally, the better the camera you invest in, the better the quality of your music video; although, having said that, it’s not uncommon for artists to use outdated tech to create a nostalgic, retro look.

No matter what type of camera you decide on for shooting music footage, we recommend you secure multiple devices so that you can capture it from various angles and, in turn, have options when it comes to the editing stage of the production process.

Discover how you can use multiple camera angles to switch things up by watching Deee-Lite’s ‘Groove is in the Heart’.

Lighting Equipment

Lighting is hugely important when it comes to music videos – especially if the music video you’re looking to create tells a story. Although it’s not uncommon for music video producers to film scenes without any lighting equipment, having the equipment within reach can open up a whole new world of possibilities.

If you’re new to artificial lighting, you may want to try out the three-point lighting method that’s popularly used in a variety of media projects, including film and television. As the name suggests, the method involves three light sources strategically placed at different angles around the subject. This illuminates the subject, making them – or it – the key focus within the scene.

Looking for some lighting inspo? Personally, we love how Adele is always the primary focus of her ‘Oh My God’ music video, no matter what’s going on around her, thanks to the expert use of lighting.

Audio System

As the artists are lip-syncing in their music videos, it helps if there’s a stellar audio system on set to help the vocalist get into the moment and lip-sync as accurately as possible.

Ariana Grande always gives a convincing performance in her music videos, which makes us wonder what type of audio system she and her team are opting for when it comes to production. Something by Bose, perhaps?

Planning

The best way to plan anything is to ensure you have an answer to all of the most obvious questions. The main questions you should be asking yourself when organising your shoot are how long will it take, what’s the budget, who’s going to be in it, and where are you shooting it?

An element that the pros bring into their planning is a treatment, together with moodboards and storyboards. This can help you to pin down what kind of budget you need – and potentially how long it will take to film your video.

The Treatment

A treatment is a short document outlining the concept, direction, aesthetic and style of the video. You can think of your treatment for your music video in the same way as the script for a film – it provides the building blocks and the structure for everyone to follow. There’s no right or wrong way to do it in terms of how long it is – you can create a one-pager, or something more detailed that’s up to 10 pages.

Often, when crafting your treatment, you may realise that your concept will take you way over budget. Or that your concept is out of sync with the style or tone of the music, so it’s a useful exercise in lots of ways.

The most effective music video treatments have plenty of visual images for reference – don’t make it too descriptive, as people reading it may tune out.

Find out more on how to write music video treatments courtesy of The Buff Nerds:

Moodboards

Creating moodboards (also known as idea boards or theme boards) can help you to put together a succinct treatment and will provide the foundations for a storyboard and shot list.

Moodboards are a practical way to take your creative ideas and bring them to life in the real world. In film-making, the story will intrinsically have a tone, emotion or mood – work out what you’re trying to convey through your video. Plus, they’re a great reference for your team, from the director to the stylist.

There are various free apps to create moodboards, which include templates to make life easier. Online moodboards can include images, video, links and colour references. Collect your materials – such as stills from previous shoots, client references or images you’ve saved from Film Grab, Instagram or Pinterest.

Then add in inspiring examples of movement, animation or sound from YouTube, Vimeo or Shotdeck. Once you’ve gathered all your inspiration together, arrange them by exploring your composition, and introducing some hierarchy. Choose a key element to anchor your board, and adjust the size and position of the other elements to show their importance in your overall vision. Then pop in a few written notes – such as how you’re thinking of using lighting or props - to finish off.

How Long Does It Take To Shoot a Music Video?

The length of time it’ll take to shoot a music video will depend on the variety of scenes you want to feature within it. More often than not, music videos will feature different storylines that combine to give the video an overall flavour. Of course, the more variety you’re planning on including, the longer the filming process will take.

If, on the other hand, you want to film the music video in just a few takes in the same location, you’ve got more chance of wrapping up the shoot in a day or two. Keep on track and on schedule by creating a shot list.

A great example of a music video that would’ve only taken a few days to film is ‘APESHIT’ by The Carters. Filmed entirely in The Louvre, Jay and Bey switch things up by suiting up in a range of different ensembles.

Who Is Going to Be in the Music Video?

It’s paramount that you consider who is going to be in the music video you’re working on, as every music video is different. If the artist is anything like Britney, there will be a fair few dancers showcasing their moves. Whereas an artist such as Drake will feature a range of extras and guest appearances. Or what about Sia, who has used stand-in and muse Maddie Ziegler in many of her music videos, including ‘Chandelier’.

Once you know who’s going to feature in the video, you’ll then have to establish their availability and put together your shooting schedule.

Where Will You Film the Music Video?

Speaking of location, you must think carefully about the most suitable space to film your shoot. If you’re looking to film inside or on the grounds of a premises, you’ll need permission from the building’s owners.

If you’re looking to film outside, you need to consider the weather conditions that you’ll be dealing with that day. If you want to film in a remote location (Beyoncé’s The Gift album comes to mind), you must consider how the entire team – camera crew, stylists, dancers etc – will get there safely and on time.

What are the other elements you’ll need to plan? Wardrobe, hair and make-up are three of them. Refer back to your treatment and moodboard – is the mood fashion-forward? Psychedelic? Set in space? According to your concept, you may need to hire costumes and props.

Hiring a professional stylist, if you have the budget, can make a big difference in terms of making your video look 100% how you want it. They’re experts in knowing what does and doesn’t work on camera and they’ll have contacts from costume designers to designer labels who may want to lend you clothes for the shoot.

Take a look behind the scenes as stylist Maeve Reilly works on a fashion-driven video to create seven different looks for Dixie D’Amelio’s ‘Psycho’ video:

And if you’re shooting with green screen, then check out our article, which gives you tips on wardrobe to make sure your star doesn’t appear as just a floating head on the screen…

Hair and Make-up

Hair and make-up need to support the overall look. If you’ve got limited resources, you may get your artists to do their own make-up and hair. But if you’ve got the budget, again, it’s worth bringing in the experts and finding a make-up artist (they’ll often do hairstyling too.)

Share your moodboard with them, and ask for their input and advice on creating the look you want. Remember to factor in whether you’re shooting outdoor, in natural light, or indoor, as different lighting will affect how the make-up looks on screen.

Budget

Making music videos can be expensive, which is why you need to establish, and stick to, a budget. And while it’s true that more money means more opportunities, a true creative will find ways to bring their vision to life, no matter the budget. Let’s take a look at a high-budget and low-budget video and see how the producer of each has used the resources available to them.

‘No Love’ – Summer Walker, SZA and Cardi B

Released in March ’22 alongside the single, the ‘No Love’ music video stars the three artists that collaborate on the track – Summer Walker, SZA and Cardi B. The costumes are extravagant; the props, opulent; the settings, dreamy; the dancers, the crème de la crème. Not to mention, each artist has the best hair and make-up team on their side. The result? An out-of-this-world adventure that’s polished to the nines.

‘Red Barz’ – Cardi B

Before the glitz and glam, Cardi B created music videos the only way she knew how. In the 2017 video for ‘Red Barz’, the rapper – dressed in all red to complement the theme of the track – and her friends can be seen in the video together in different urban locations. It’s impossible to compare this with ‘No Love’, released five years later, as the vibe is completely different, but one thing’s for sure: this video was created on a fraction of the ‘No Love’ video.

For a fun, super-low-budget approach, you might need to be Harry Styles and James Corden, who attempted to film a music video for ‘Daylight’ in three hours and with a budget of just $300.

Filming

Finally, you’re at the filming stage! All of the pieces of the puzzle are put together and you’re ready to go. Our advice is to nominate a director, or even think about hiring an external director who puts everything and everyone in the right place to make some music video magic. You may even want to consider letting the director take creative control – tell them what you envisioned and what you want the outcome to be, and watch them turn your project into their own. Here are some examples of music videos directed by acclaimed directors.

‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’ – Missy Elliott

Hype Williams is, arguably, the best music video director ever; and one of our favourite music videos directed by the Queens-born creative is the music video to Missy Elliott’s ‘Supa Dupa Fly’. Throughout the video, Hype brings the rapper into his world using his signature fish-eye lens camera, special effects and futuristic backdrops.

‘Da Funk‘ - Daft Punk

If Hype Williams isn’t your favourite music video director, Spike Jonze likely is. The American director, who also counts himself as an actor, musician and photographer, has created music videos for the likes of Fatboy Slim, The Beastie Boys, Arcade Fire and Daft Punk. But our favourite music video directed by Spike is Kanye West’s ‘Only One’  ft. Paul McCartney. Personally, we feel as if no one else would’ve been able to exhibit the raw being of Ye quite like Spike.

‘Falling Back’ – Drake

Whether you’ve heard of Director X before or not, he’s the man behind some of your favourite music videos released over the last few years, including those for Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’, Iggy Azalea’s ‘Fancy’ and Ariana Grande’s ‘34+35’. Most recently, the director proved to the world that he’s still got it with his video for ‘Falling Back’, the first track from Drake’s seventh studio album Honestly, Nevermind to get a video.

If you require further guidance, we recommend you watch Monkeypixel’s video about shooting a music video.

Editing

The final step to making a music video is to take all of the captured footage and turn it into something that is either the same length as the song or slightly longer. Here are three things you could think about adding to your video during the post-production process.

CGI Landscapes

If you have a tech whizz on your team, it’s completely possible that they may be able to quite literally take your music video to new worlds by creating CGI landscapes. Just look at Doja Cat and The Weeknd’s video for ‘You Right’ – the entire thing is set light years away from the Earth we know.

Titles & Title Cards

It’s not uncommon for title cards to be used in music videos, especially if that music video stars Lady Gaga. In her 2020 party hit ‘Stupid Love’, the pop star places a title card at the very beginning of her video to set the scene, which is swiftly followed by a CGI graphic that informs viewers of the title of the song and, in turn, the music video.

Background Music

There are hundreds of music videos out there that feature scenes before, during and after the song commences which add to the story told within the video. One of the most famous examples is Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’.

Plus, if you require any background music or sound effects, we invite you to check out our range of licensable compositions via our playlists, collections and latest albums pages.

The Edit

Now that you’ve got a clear idea of what it takes to produce a music video, it’s time to put all your knowledge into action. And for more top tips, discover our articles on The Edit, our regularly-updated hub featuring hundreds of articles full of inspiration, expertise and news. There are deep dives on everything from the most-watched music videos of all time to how to use green screen, film-making editing software and more.