How to Film And Edit a Music Video: A Step-By-Step Guide

In this article, we’re going to teach you everything you need to know about creating music videos. We’ll start with sharing 4 steps to film a music video and end with how you can edit the final product. By the time you finish reading this article, you’ll be well on your way to knowing how to film and edit music videos!

How to Film a Music Video: 4 Easy Steps

Ever thought about creating a music video, but don’t know where to start? Here are 4 steps you can take right now to film the next fan-favorite music video:

 1. Plan the Music Video’s Content

The first step to filming an epic music video is to narrow down the production’s concept. Music videos could be reflective and dramatized or fun and quirky. The direction of a music video is a collaborative process usually involving the musician, the record label, and a team of directors and producers. 

Before you even start casting the crew and filming, it’s vital to know what type of music video you want to create. Let’s take a look at 3 common forms of music videos you can film:

1. Storytelling: Possibly the best and most engaging type of music video. These music videos commonly feel like a short story with a main character and an arc, as well as a sort of story structure. One of the more memorable music videos with storytelling themes is Michael Jackson’s Thriller. It starts with Michael and his girlfriend previewing a scary movie ironically named “Thriller” in theatres. The girlfriend frantically runs out of the theatre in fear, and Michael chases after her trying to comfort her. Suddenly, the world-famous song begins to play in the background as Michael’s girlfriend runs from him believing he’s turned into a zombie. In the end, it’s just a figment of her imagination—or is it? The audience is left with a cliffhanger and feelings of dread. Storytelling can add to the song in ways other music video forms can’t.
2. Experimental: While some music videos rely on stories, others require creative concepts and heavy editing. Experimental music videos commonly don’t involve the singer in the spotlight, but rather use visual effects and random footage to produce a unique production that promotes self-expression. There aren’t any rules when it comes to experimental videos. The creative team is simply experimenting with ideas to piece together a never-before-seen musical masterpiece.
3. Performance-driven: These videos are probably the most popular forms of music videos. Miley Cyrus’ Flowers, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, Beyonce’s Love on Top, Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child O’ Mine—each of these videos features the musician or band in the spotlight as the viewers watch them perform. That’s exactly what performance-driven music videos are—filming the artist(s) performing the song in various scenes. This style of video can be extremely simple or the team can add touches of innovation to make it pop. To differentiate a performative music video, try shooting in multiple locations or adding a choreographed dance that syncs with the song. Editors can even add animation effects in the post-production process to create a music video that stands apart from the others.

Every music video starts with a blank slate. It’s up to the production team to create the magic that engages viewers and makes the song stick in their heads for months on end.

  2. Hire the Crew and Get the Necessary Equipment

Whatever idea you came up with in the planning process, you’ll need an experienced crew to film the music video of your dreams. Below are some of the roles you’ll need to fill:

• Cameraperson(s)
• Actor(s)
• Lighting Technicians
• Conceptual Artist
• Director(s)
• Producer(s)
• Choreographer
• Editors

The number of crewmembers you need depends on the type of music video you create. When hiring the crew, consider their amount of experience and area of specialization, and ask for their portfolio to ensure their style of work aligns with your project.

Ideally, each professional you hire will come with the necessary equipment such as cameras, microphones, props, lighting, and more. However, if your team doesn’t have the needed gadgets for filming and editing, you have the option to buy your own or rent high-quality equipment. 

  3. Create a Storyboard for the Shoot

The storyboard is the backbone of filming your music video, and it’s something you’ll reference over and over again during the filming process. After you hire the crew, it’s time to sit down and work out what shots you’ll need and how the music video will flow together. A music video’s storyboard is an entire layout of the order your music video will follow. Storyboards can include sketches, random ideas or inspiration, a description of each shot, arrows to include how each shot connects, and more. The artist can start out singing on a stage with the spotlight illuminating their face, for example, or the backup dancers can come in on a certain beat or lyric and exit the stage at another selected time. Every detail of the music video needs to be planned and written down. This will save time and help your crew know exactly what is expected of them. Take a couple of hours to a few days to jot down every idea you have for the music video and form it into a seamless production. 

While writing down a template for your music video, it’s also important to put together a shot list. A shot list explains every shot that’s needed for the music video. In these lists, you’ll want to include camera angles, whether the scene is zoomed in or out, and even the types of camera lenses you’d like to use. Creating a shot list can be a team effort, and you’ll want to take time to sit down with the entire crew to plan out each shot as well as the equipment needed. 

When writing down a shot list and curating a storyboard, keep in mind that you’ll need to create a schedule for filming. Keep in mind that every extra hour of filming means you’re spending more money on the crew you’ve hired. Schedules generate an easy flow to filming and post-production, and they ensure you won’t be wasting time sitting around throughout the day.

  4. Film Footage

So you’ve got the crew hired and the shot list and schedule in hand. It’s time to film your music video! There are a few different shots you can capture during the filming process. Here are 3 types of footage that musicians often use in music videos: 

1. Live Performance: First, you need to film the artist or band performing the song live. This creates a special opportunity to capture the energy and excitement of the musician’s song. You can find multiple locations or use a single spot to film the performance. After finding the perfect filming spot, set up a loudspeaker to play the recorded song so the artist can sing along with it. It may feel a bit odd, but this is an important step to ensure the artist is synced up with the final edit and audio of the video. During this time, be intentional about camera placement, backgrounds, color schemes, and even wardrobe changes to make these shots more enticing to viewers.
2. Narrative Shots: Next, you can shoot narrative footage. These can be specific if you’re making a storytelling music video or they can be B-roll shown throughout the artists’ performance. For narrative shots, you’ll want to take risks. Don’t be afraid to try something out of the box like utilizing aerial videography to capture the artist from above or filming the crash of ocean waves while the sun sets. These narrative shots are often what the audience remembers most about music videos. More than the performance, the viewers are attracted to breathtaking visuals and one-of-a-kind camera angles. Don’t play it safe. Work with the crew to craft footage that blows audiences away and adds some spice to the final production. 
3. Stock Footage: If you’re working with a low budget or don’t have time to film narrative shots, you can easily use online stock footage. Make sure to look for royalty-free videos that are up for grabs to the general public. Websites such as iStock, Pixabay, and Adobe Stock have videos you can use in your production. Placing this footage in your video can add a differentiating element that helps the music stand out against the competition.

Following the filming stage, your music video is ready to be edited! We’ll share a few tips on how to get started in editing music videos.

How to Edit a Music Video

Editing a music video is an exciting step that helps the production come together. To begin, you’ll need to find reliable editing software. If you need a cost-effective platform, iMovie or MiniTool MovieMaker are great options. Perhaps you have a higher budget and you need a high-end video editing program. Adobe Premier Pro, Final Cut Pro, or Wondershare Filmore offer fantastic software tools to try out. 

Once you decide on an editing app, you can insert the song track for your video in the software. This will be the ground you build upon for the entire music video. Next, you can add and edit the performance shots to create a cohesive video. This is when you’ll want to place B-roll footage throughout the content and ensure it flows together naturally. If your music video has a narrative theme, edit that footage to piece together the story you want to tell audiences. Make sure it follows a timeline, includes a climax, and ends with a resolution or cliffhanger. You can also space out this narrative throughout the artists’ song by overlaying the story footage on top of live performance shots. 

After you’ve edited and put together the footage, you can add in visual effects or color grading before you share the video. If you’ve chosen to make an experimental music video, this is when you’d add in the self-expression ideas you had for the production. When you feel your music video is complete, it’s time to upload it to an online platform and watch the world be amazed at what you created!

Hire an Experienced Music Video Production Team to Share Your Song With the World

Now that you’ve seen all that goes into filming and editing a music video, do you feel overwhelmed at the thought of doing it alone? That’s why Avalanche Studios is here to help you out. Our team of award-winning directors, producers, and artists are experts at telling a story through visual productions. We have a passion for partnering with musicians and record labels to share music with the world in a way that captivates audiences. 

We can help with any type of music video you’d like to make ranging from storytelling to performance themes. For over 25 years, we’ve partnered with labels and artists to create the perfect music video that captures the vision they had from the start. Whether you need visual effects added or want our crew to help with the entire production, Avalanche Studios has got you covered. Request a quote today to bring your music video to life!