How to EASILY make a Professional Music Video
By Kevin Waczek
Are you ready to avoid the fuss involved with making music videos? In this blog post, we are going to break down a music video into its simplest parts. This is not only a great guide for videographers, but for musicians too. I know many musicians who are getting into video production to support their own brand. There are 5 important components in creating a quality music video: location, lighting, coverage/inserts, music, and an engaging edit. Music videos can vary in complexity and originality. Narrative videos (often grand productions by popular artists) are going to be difficult to shoot. What I am going to talk about in this post is what I like to call live performance videos: a music video that gives the illusion of a raw live performance. These are particularly engaging videos because they produce a feeling of intimacy by giving the illusion of a personal performance to the viewer. Without further ado, let’s roll camera and jump into the first step.
THE “FILMMAKER’S VAULT”
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#1 A Doable Location
Right out of the gate, choosing an ideal location will be difficult for some of you. Think of a location not as a large room, but rather a wall or a corner because that is probably all you’re going to be showing in the video. It is almost always better to shoot into corners because they provide more depth then a flat wall. After you have found a suitable wall or corner, think like a set decorator and use things around your house to beautify the area. Throw up a tapestry, light bulbs, or musical instruments. Consider using different colors and textures to make your background more interesting. Also, think outside of your own home. There are probably plenty of beautiful locations within a 20 minute drive from where you are.
#2 Strong Lighting
If you’re shooting outside, lighting is easy. The sun has got you covered. If you are indoors and do not have any sort of lighting set up, move your location near a window and take advantage of the sunlight. Make sure you DO NOT have a window or strong light source behind your subject while shooting. For more dynamic lighting, position yourself next to or at a 45 degree angle from your light source. If you do have access to lights, then you don’t have to worry about time of day.
#3 Coverage/Inserts
Coverage involves shooting the necessary shots of the video. The amount of people and instruments you have in your video determines the amount of necessary shots. If you have one performer, then your coverage would amount to a wide shot, medium shot, close up, and an instrument shot. That is only 5 shots! If space or location is a problem, then skip the wide shot. If you have two performers, double the amount of shots and add an over-the-shoulder shot for each performer. When you break down the music video into basic coverage, it makes the process much easier. Finally, film your inserts. Inserts are shots that are of objects that are not your performer. Some examples of an insert are detailed shots of instruments or the environment, which serve to break the monotony of the performer’s image. Tip: DO NOT lock down your tripod. Your performer should move as they perform to maintain the interest of the viewer. Follow their movements and constantly adjust framing. Try to always fill the frame with action.
#4 Music That Bops!
This one seems pretty obvious, but the music in the video should be PRE-RECORDED and the artists are singing along to the music on playback for the video. Recording live sound brings its own challenges and requires more equipment. This is something we won’t go into in this blog post, but if you’re interested in this topic leave a comment below.
#5 An Engaging Edit
Where a music video really comes together is in the edit. A couple of simple ways to spice up your edit is to cut on the beat. Cut after phrases are finished, not when the performer is in the middle of a phrase unless you are cutting to movement or an impact. Lastly, cutting between shots with smooth, well-executed camera work will boost your production value and keep the viewer entertained. Stay away from shaky shots. Just like in filming a typical film, fill the frame with action.
EXAMPLES!
In this first video, there are two performers. The location is a home recording studio. The lighting is high key. I covered both performers and provided inserts of the instruments. The music was pre-recorded and the edit follows the instructions earlier in the post: cutting on the beat and dramatizing the best parts of the song on screen.
In the second example, I only used one light. I reused the same location as the first video, except I turned off all the lights but one. The small lights in the background and the reflective surface of the desk provide depth in the shot. I placed 1 LED light at a 45 degree angle on our talent and used a three foot diameter diffusion panel to soften the light hitting the performer. This type of lighting is low key and has clear shadows. What the diffusion panel does is help soften the shadows and help the light wrap around the talent’s face instead of having very sharp shadows. This is an artistic choice. The coverage was simple, and I added movement and inserts to energize the video. Basic coverage is a starting point from which you should branch out and add creativity to your shots. The highlight of the video was the music (good job Noah). Lastly, the edit mirrored the most interesting shots in correlation with the song’s highlights, and always filled the frame with action.