Is there any commercial art format out there that’s more wildly creative than the music video? We think not!
Creating a music video is an exciting venture that combines creativity, technical skills, and storytelling.
Whether you're an aspiring filmmaker, a musician, or both, this guide will walk you through the essential steps to produce a captivating music video.
Additionally, we’ll explore the use of animation to add a unique touch to your video.
So let’s dive into the process of making a music video, from concept development to final production.
If there’s one rule to creating a music video, it’s that there are no rules.
You’re truly free to do whatever you think works best.
A music video can be anything from a mere visual complement to the song featuring live performance footage to a full-blown audio-visual artistic piece that adds whole new dimensions to an existing work and can even stand alone as a work of art.
And with the rise of digital platforms, creating a high-quality music video has become more accessible than ever, and therefore, even more important.
That said, there’s still a broad outline of the process of creating a music video from conception to completion:
The first step in making a music video is developing a concept that complements your song.
Think about the story, mood, and visuals that will best represent your music.
Consider the themes and emotions conveyed by your song and how you can translate them into a visual format.
A treatment is a detailed outline of your video's concept.
It includes the storyline, visual style, and key scenes.
This document will serve as your blueprint throughout the production process.
Once you have a solid concept, write a script that outlines the dialogue (if any), actions, and key moments in your video.
This script will guide your shoot and ensure you capture all necessary footage.
Create a storyboard to visualize your script.
This series of sketches or digital images will help you plan each shot, angle, and transition.
Storyboarding is crucial for both live-action and animated videos.
Depending on your budget and the complexity of your video, you may need a crew.
This could include a director, cinematographer, lighting technician, makeup artist, and more.
For animated videos, you'll need animators and possibly voice actors.
The best way to go is to hire a video production company to help you in this process.
Choose locations that align with your video's concept.
Whether you're shooting in a studio, outdoors, or in a specific venue, make sure the setting enhances your video’s visual appeal.
On the day of the shoot, ensure you have all the necessary equipment, including cameras, lighting, and sound equipment.
Follow your storyboard and script closely, but be open to improvisation if it enhances your video.
Animation can add a unique and engaging element to your music video.
Whether you’re creating an entirely animated video or integrating animated segments into live-action footage, this step requires specialized skills and software.
Decide on the animation style that best fits your music and concept.
Options include traditional 2D animation, 3D animation, stop-motion, motion graphics, and more.
Each style has its own advantages and disadvantages, aesthetics, and technical requirements.
If you're not an animator yourself, hire a professional or collaborate with an animation studio.
Find a good team of concept artists, graphic designers, scriptwriters as well as animators.
Provide them with your storyboard and any specific instructions.
A good team will work closely with you, understand what you are trying to do, and help you bring your vision to life.
Edit your footage using video editing software.
This involves cutting and arranging scenes, adding transitions, and syncing the video with your music track.
Pay attention to pacing and ensure the visuals enhance the song's rhythm and mood.
Add special effects, if needed.
A lot of special effects today are done in post-production thanks to the rise of CGI becoming the de-facto standard.
Color grading is a vitally important but little-understood step in the video production process.
This evens out the tones and balances the colors to give your video to achieve the desired look and feel.
This step can significantly impact the final product's visual quality.
Ensure the audio quality is top-notch.
Clean up any background noise, enhance the music track, and add sound effects if necessary.
Upload your finished music video distribution platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and social media.
Ensure your video is properly tagged and described to maximize discoverability.
Promote your music video through various channels, including social media, email newsletters, and your website.
Collaborate with influencers, music blogs, and online communities to reach a wider audience.
We wrote an entire separate blog post on promoting your music video, check it out here.
To give you some inspiration, here are some of our personal favorites!
Call us biased, but we firmly believe that animation has the ability to express emotions, ideas, and concepts that simply cannot be communicated as clearly in any other format or medium, period.
And what better proof is there than this deliciously strange animated music video for “Cold Cold Heart?”
This song is the result of the unlikely team-up of Dua Lipa and Elton John, mashing up two fairly old pop hits from yesteryear into one slick, modern track.
It’s such a bizarre idea, it simply shouldn’t have worked– and yet here we are, half a billion views later.
The music video is suitably as charmingly quirky and hard-to-define as the song itself.
But what’s not hard to miss, is that warm fuzzy feeling it plants squarely in your heart.
This was one of the most expensive music videos ever made (and that’s already a long list!).
Black or White was a flagship anthem attacking racism in general, but also Jackson hitting back at the seemingly endless criticism of his physical appearance.
Infectiously catchy as you would only expect the King of Pop to pull off, the music video was more of a mini-movie akin to a true Hollywood-level production, complete with A-list actors and unbelievable special effects.
“Money For Nothing” pushed the very limits of technology at the time. In an era where Microsoft Windows 1.0 was brand new, even the concept of wire-frame 3D computer animation was practically science fiction.
The video was almost not made at all, as Mark Knopfler was unimpressed with the idea of music videos in general.
He was a bit of a purist who hated gimmicky stunts.
He only relented when his girlfriend at the time insisted it was a good idea.
The rest, as they say, is history.
The response and critical acclaim are credited with legitimizing not only the concept of an animated music video but arguably the music video artform entirely.
From this moment onwards, it was without question that one could not seriously release a single without a music video if you expected widespread airplay and success.
Rick and Morty is a hit sci-fi animated TV show with a cult following.
The folks at Run the Jewels are a critically acclaimed rap/hip-hop duo who have been compared to Rage Against the Machine for their powerful, politically charged lyrics.
So this collaboration is truly a dream team-up.
The music video is visually stunning and colorful and serves as an animated mini-episode of the cartoon duo having yet another ultraviolent inter-dimensional space adventure.
Dethklok is a virtual animated death metal band, comparable to the more famous Gorillaz.
The band exists in the fictional world depicted in the Adult Swim animated series “Metalocalypse,” a show perhaps best described as “being both a satire of, and loving homage to, heavy metal counterculture.”
While the band is fictional and animated, their music has been critically acclaimed in the real world.
The creators even formed a real-life band to go on tour!
While most of our clients tend to be corporate types, every now and then we get a client who gives us the opportunity to flex our creative muscles with something like an animated music video.
Here’s two that we helped bring to life:
It’s tough being an up-and-coming band, trying to stand out and get noticed.
So New York-based Sanctioned to Life asked us for an unusual music video that wouldn’t break the bank.
It was quite a fun challenge for us to fit a character animation video on a tight budget, but we found creative ways to pull it off.
And we’re pleased to say they were delighted with the results!
Our client was a fan of the old Looney Tunes-style classic animation, rather than the more high-tech 3D stuff that’s popular today.
So with this in mind, we blended character animation and hand-written kinetic typography to enhance the music video with a layer of storytelling.
With animation, you’re constantly thinking outside the box!
Creating a music video is a rewarding process that allows you to express your music visually.
Whether you opt for live-action, animation, or a combination of both, careful planning and execution are key to producing a captivating video.
By following these steps, you'll be well on your way to making a music video that resonates with your audience and showcases your artistic vision!