Music videos are a must for any band or artist aspiring to become famous and gain a fanbase. However, production companies charge a fortune for those, and most beginners can’t afford it. 

Luckily for you, making a music video isn’t as hard as it sounds. As long as you have a defined budget, a good team, and an idea, you’ll do just fine. 

Here’s a roundup of all the steps you need to take.

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Choosing the right song for your music video will determine its success. It’s an easy mission, but it’s the most vital step.

Before you choose your songs, you need to consider a couple of factors. For starters, it’s better to choose a short piece. A video for a 3-minute or longer song will take more time than you think to edit and produce. Consider selecting a song that goes for 1–2 minutes maximum.

Additionally, choose a song that inspires your band members. If the band is indifferent to the song’s meaning or sentimentality, you’ll struggle to shoot a good music video.

Lastly, make sure you’re covering copyright costs if you’re using a song that’s not yours. Creating the video without doing the necessary paperwork can cause you to end up in a bad legal situation.

Step 1: Choose the Right Song

A music video can’t be done with two of your friends and your little brother. You’ll need a full crew—each person with a dedicated task.

For instance, aside from the band members, you’ll need a cameraman, a lighting person, the actors, and a director. If you need more people for the camera and lighting, it’s up to you. As for the actors, their number depends on your idea for the video.

The director needs to be a single person, and he’ll be in charge of the production process.

When shooting, you’ll need to consider the needs of your team. They’ll need a food break for eating, and you’ll have to provide them with food. If you can’t do that, be clear from the start that they’ll have to bring their own food.

Step 2: Cast Your Crew

Ideally, it would be best if you recruited individuals who already have their equipment. Having to buy the equipment yourself will cost you a fortune, and you may not have the necessary knowledge to buy all gear. You’ll need cameras, lights, and production gear. If you don’t know what to look for when buying each of them, you’re in for some setbacks.

Your second-best option is renting the equipment. A lot of community art programs offer to rent their equipment for budget prices. Alternatively, you can visit your local art college and ask for help. You may even find some students willing to join the crew with their gear.

Step 3: Get the Equipment

In video production, every wasted minute costs you money. Whether it’s for the rented equipment, the studio you’re shooting at, or your crew members’ rates, you need all the time you have on your hands. To do that, you need to properly plan your shooting beforehand. 

Planning for your video includes creating your storyboards, making a list of the cast and gear you need for every shot, and briefing the director to handle the scheduling of the production.

For the storyboard, you can download a ready-to-use template from Google and use it to sketch your scenes.

Step 4: Plan Your Shooting

When the big moment—AKA the filming— comes, you need to be ready to implement every scene as you imagine it and stick to your schedule. Bear in mind that every scene will need sufficient time to set up and shoot, even if it only lasts for ten seconds in the actual video. 

So, try not to get too preoccupied with every single shot; you’ll find yourself with a lot of scenes left to shoot and only half of the time left. 

Furthermore, try to have a couple of good takes for each scene so you have enough footage for editing. If you have an extra cameraman, you can shoot from other unplanned angles. You may find some amazing footage afterward you didn’t know you could get.

Step 5: Film Your Video

All great bands in history started by filming themselves playing live. By doing that, you’ll capture the live concert with all its energy, audience interactions, and atmosphere. Using these scenes in your music video along with your original footage will spice it up and add a fun flair to it.

You may set some challenges for your band to shoot such scenes. For example, set only one chance for the live footage, so your crew will have to play the song only once. If it fails, you won’t include it in the filming.

You can also do a trick that’ll make matters much easier for you. You may stage a live performance instead of filming it. That way, you’ll choose the audience yourself, and you’ll be able to control everyone’s movements, along with the lighting and the sounds. You can also repeat the performance as many times as you need to get the perfect shots.

Step 6: Capture Live Footage

After you’re done recruiting, planning, and filming, it's time to choose the right editing software for finishing the video. Luckily for you, there’s some excellent software available for reasonable prices, so you won’t have to pay much. If you’re an Apple user, you can use iMovie—Apple’s basic video software.

Alternatively, you can use Adobe Premiere Elements if you use a PC. It’s an ideal choice for beginners.

If you plan to add plenty of effects to set your music video apart, you’ll want to opt for a more professional choice. In this case, you can go for Adobe Premiere Pro or Apple Final Cut.

Step 7: Choose the Right Editing Software

Filming a music video needs patience, passion, and plenty of planning. However, it’s not as hard as you imagine it to be. If you have the right team, your mission will be a breeze. You’ll end up with an excellent video for your band and some good filming memories!

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How to Make a Music Video