Music trends come and go, but one thing stays the same: nothing is more memorable than a great music video.
Think about the first time you looked up a music video for a song you’d fallen in love with. Seeing it come to life on screen, along with melodies that had already completely captured your heart, was indescribable.
Likewise, discovering a new song through its music video can create a powerful memory and experience for a viewer.
Good music videos make existing fans happy; they also turn first-time watchers into long-time listeners.
So, putting all the pieces together, it can be hard to figure out exactly how you want to capture your sound visually. What story do you want to tell? How do you make a music video by yourself, or with a low budget?
If you have an iPhone and computer, you’re in luck. You can make a music video on your own at home.
If you do have a budget, then we’ll cover some of the points you should keep in mind as you work on creating the perfect idea and finding the best people to shoot your video.
In this article:
- How to make a beginner music video
- Can you make a music video at home?
- 5 things you need to make your own music video
- Should I hire someone to make my music video?
- How to get your music video seen
How to Make a Beginner Music Video
A beginner music video does not have to come across as low-budget or amateur. In fact, having limited resources and minimal experience guarantees a level of authenticity that big-budget artists just can’t match.
That’s right, you have something amazing and original to offer your audience by having less than someone with a big music video budget.
The first thing you’ll want to do is ask yourself, “Why this song?”
If this is your debut single, why did you choose it to introduce your music to the world? If it’s not, the question still stands. You’ve chosen to shoot a video for this song because it means something special to you.
Identify these core feelings, because they’re exactly what you’ll want to capture through symbols or imagery in your video.
Develop Your Concept
Watch other artists for inspiration. See how they carry themselves, how they time different shots, and what feeling they create. How do they establish visual interest without outshining the song?
Look up artists you love, ones you don’t know, and everything in between. Fall down the rabbit hole of YouTube’s sidebar.
And don’t hesitate to look outside your genre. Lots of artists draw inspiration from people you would never expect them to listen to, let alone seek to emulate in their own music video.
If you plan to have a story, go along with your video, grab a pen and paper and start storyboarding. This is the process of drawing out your music video scene-by-scene.
Each cut matters, especially if you’re using timing in sync with your rhythm to create powerful emotional scenes for viewers.
Make sure you consider camera angles, closeups, and types of shots you want to incorporate. These have a big impact on how a music video unfolds, and they help keep viewers engaged.
Scout Locations
Where will you shoot your video, and do you need any special permissions to film on location? If it’s your first music video, or you’re new to video making in general, keep things simple. Nothing is easier than filming in your own house or backyard.
Opt for one or two locations rather than multiple. This makes the process simple and saves you time and money.
As far as locations go, you can think about either using nature to your advantage of crafting your own sets. There’s no right or wrong answer. Think about budget, practicality, and permissions along the way.
Generally, it’s best to stick with public spaces or private ones you can use without having to pay or worry about being interrupted by passersby. If you look at a lot of artists’ public videos, they tend to show clips of them wandering around, having fun, or exploring rather than belting out their best hit in the middle of a crowd.
Plan Your Shoot
Putting a shoot together isn’t always easy, but it’s important to pull together the most important elements before you pick up a camera. Here’s what you should have established before shooting:
- How many days you’ll film
- Where you’ll shoot
- What equipment you’ll need
- Clothes, makeup, hair, or costumes
- Music, equipment, and props
These things should be arranged before shooting so you have everything in place when it’s time for the camera to roll. If you’re shooting everything solo, then a tripod will be a must.
If you have other people in the video, then make sure you coordinate your schedules, and they know anything they need to do or bring beforehand.
Hire Anyone You Need
Whether it’s a videographer, lighting person, or video editor, research different contractors and get some price quotes. Choose the best option based on budget, availability, and the quality of their work.
Bear in mind that you don’t have to hire anyone. There are thousands of free video filming, editing, and publishing tutorials on YouTube that beginners can follow along with ease.
Get the Right Equipment
You may decide to rent an expensive camera, but you can also just use an iPhone or comparable smartphone to film a music video. If you’re hoping to capture multiple angles at once, you can set up several cameras to shoot different positions.
However, you can also just film something two or three times to get different angles on one camera and splice them together during editing.
Speaking of editing, you’ll need a good video editing software. Adobe Premiere Pro is the most well-known, but it’s definitely not your only option. Filmora and InVideo are fantastic alternatives that are far more affordable.
If you have a Mac or iPhone, iMovie is entirely free.
Can you make a music video at home?
You can definitely make your own music video at home. This is by far the easiest way to go about filming your first music video. There are also a couple of benefits, too.
- It’s free aside from any equipment or props you need.
- You’ll feel more comfortable being in your own house, which will show on camera.
- You don’t have to worry about getting permissions or having complications on shooting locations.
- You can shoot whenever it’s most convenient for you, entirely on your own if you want.
If you’re making a music video at home, then think about what space you’ll need to set aside. Some cool videos take place entirely in a person’s bedroom. A performance in a closed room has a classic feel that you can dress up with interesting lights.
Want water in the mix? You can use lighting, a full bathtub, and a bath bomb to make magic happen on screen right in your bathroom.
Make sure that while you’re shooting, you play your track on a speaker so you can sing along to the words. You’ll mute the audio and add the final MP3 over the footage in editing.
5 Things You Need to Make Your Own Music Video
Making your own music video doesn’t have to be super expensive or complicated. Here are five things you’ll need to capture the best footage for your first video.
Good Lighting
That’s right, it doesn’t even have to be paid. Natural lighting does wonders, and it’s always preferred over artificial illumination. Make sure you have lots of sunlight to shoot.
And if you’re shooting at night, explore what type of lights are best for night shoots and see how you can rent them. Color-changing LED bulbs are also affordable to create a wide-range of effects.
A Quality Camera
A modern iPhone or smartphone works just fine. In fact, an iPhone 13 shoots footage comparable to a several-thousand-dollar professional camera.
Check out this article to see how its image holds up to a $5,000 CanonR5.
A Realistic Concept
In this context, we mean as realistic as possible to shoot. Get as imaginative as you want, but make sure you’re able to actually capture whatever you want to convey on camera. This may mean scaling some larger-than-life ideas down to be more practical and budget friendly.
Don’t forget the magic of video editing, after all. There are tons of special effects that you can add post-production that can transform a video’s final reel.
Time
It will likely take anywhere from 10 to 20 hours to film your first music video, even if you’re doing it all solo and in a relatively simple environment. Check out this video by artist Suave Punk. He is a film student from California who started off making music in his bedroom.
The video for “Heat Death” is incredibly simple at its core, but it never once feels boring. You can pull off something just as great on your own, but you will need to have time to manage shooting different angles, changing clothes, and setting up different scenes.
Confidence in Your Vision
A lot of things happen during filming that can make you wonder if you can really pull this off. Don’t sweat it, roll with the punches, and be open to making changes as you film.
Things might happen that actually alter your final video, but they could wind up adding depth and nuance you wouldn’t have dreamt up on your own.
Confidence is key because it affects not only how you shoot but also how you perform on camera. Even if you’re just sitting on a bed, staring down your camera lens, how you feel in that moment will show on screen.
Warm up, take a lot of practice shots, and build your confidence so you’re 100% on when it’s time to actually shoot.
Should I hire someone to make my music video?
You can hire a videographer to shoot and possibly edit your video. Many also offer ideation services, so they could help you come up with a concept and get everything you need to make it happen.
While hiring actors, makeup artists, lighting people, and a cameraman are great, they aren’t necessary.
Think about what really matters most in your first music video. Is it looking like a blockbuster film or actually showing the world what this song feels like to you through a visual story?
Hiring a full team for a music video can easily cost over $10,000, which isn’t in most up-and-coming artists’ budgets. And that’s okay! Thanks to free tutorials, accessible equipment, and the power of your own imagination, you can make your own music video without a full team behind you.
How to Get Your Music Video Seen
Of course, once you’ve actually made a video, the biggest question is how to get people to actually watch it.
Make sure you hype up your music video before its release date! Take behind-the-scenes sneak peeks and post them on TikTok and Instagram. You can even use YouTube’s Shorts feature if you have an audience there.
You can also post teasers, have people guess what they think is happening in a scene, or let them even pitch in through polls to make some decisions during filming.
Keep this simple, e.g. “Which shirt is your fave?” or “Blue lights or green?”
You should also make sure to tag your music video properly. To optimize for search results, use this formula:
Your name/your band’s name + SONG TITLE + (Official Music Video)
Be sure to share your music video online and promote it on social media once it’s live. After that, stay active, keep posting, and work on building your audience. As more people discover your music, they’ll naturally explore and check out your videos, too.
Get Your Music Heard
Novecore offers a free way for you to sell your music on all major platforms around the world — without the headache.
Check out our plans today and see how we can help you manage music distribution across Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and more.
We handle the business while you keep doing what you do best: making music.
