How to Become a Music Video Director?

The music video is an essential component of the music industry.  Are you trying to become a music video director?  If the answer is yes, then you need to learn how to make a music video.

Given the glamour and money involved, many filmmakers dream of becoming a successful and famous music video director.

Some musicians don’t have the luxury of having a big music company to get financial help.  These musicians still want to make a great video by hiring a talented music video director. The musician needs the help of the music video director to help their song become a success.

What A Music Video Director Must Know

There are so many things make a great music video director.

Remember that music is as much a product as it is an art form. For any popular single, the golden rule of thumb is that it MUST have a music video. Sometimes, as in the case of the Korean hit “Gangnam Style”, the video can actually make a song into a global phenomenon.

In order to create a successful music video, the director must fully understand the music and its audience.  This interpretation is the key to a successful music video.

Choose carefully what kind of project you want to work with

Making a music video is not easy.  There are things you need to consider before getting into the music video industry.

Firstly, you have to ask yourself what kind of project you want to be involved in. Not only should you accept work that you think can help you grow as a video music director, but also that which inspires you. Chances are, for example, if you don’t like the song, you won’t make a great video.

Instead, pick a song and artists that you are so passionate about. This will greatly enhance the inspirational process. This will more likely make your project a success.

Make a Brand for your Name

Also, remember that you are also striving to make a name for yourself in the industry. Your name will become your brand, just like with Nike.  Make sure that you are consistent with the genre of music, or at least the style, that you pick so that you will develop fully as a music video director.

Branding your name with a specific genre can help you dramatically boost your client list. Not only will this help you gain success, but it will also help you earn a lot of money.

It is essential that you assert full control over your projects.  Do not let musicians or any artist take over your vision. It is your name that is at stake, so be assertive.

How to film the music video?

You can direct your music video any way you want.  But as a newbie, you might not know the basics.   These guidlines will help you make a better music video.

5 guidelines on how to film your music video:

1. Establish positive image for the musicians.

The music video that you will be making should include footage of the musicians.  If you are using just one camera for the video, you will have to shoot several takes from different angles. This means moving around a lot if you are filming a concert. If you have never done this before, practice, practice, practice.

Make sure that the musicians act out the song at the right speed. When shooting from different angles, consistency is king.

Musicians should be schooled on where to stand, their overall position, and movement to make it easy to edit the takes into one seamless video.  Make sure to shoot each shot from different angles to give yourself lots of scope in the editing room. This also helps cover up mistakes such as bad lip syncing.

When shooting a music video, it is important that you should use a monitor.  You can easily mistakes in the monitor when compared to just using the LCD of your camera.  You have to identify your problems regarding clothing, skin issues, and some color issues.

Before shooting the music video, let your actors rehearse first. School them on your plans and let them rehearse to synchronize their movements.  If there are dancers, they should be in sync with the actors and musicians.  This will give you the chance to make sure that things go smoothly, and with the limited number of takes.

2. Make sure everything is in sync with the music.

To do this, when shooting a music video, you should play the song out loud.  This will help musicians to sync with it. The viewers might think the musician is not singing the song if not in sync.  The musician should play their music just like in their recording.  If the musician sang softly in the recording, it should be the same while filming the music video.

3. B-Roll Studio footage is very important.

It is easy to edit your final film using B-roll footage. If you video musicians at a microphone, you need to get some B-Roll of the hands and close-up shots of their lips near the microphone.

4. The next step is the story segment of your film.

Storyboarding is an essential aspect of filming even a music video. Songs tell a story, and it is essential that your music video tell one too.

5. It’s all in the edit.

Make sure that your music video is completely in sync with the audio. Next, put your film together how you think best fits. Hopefully, you will not have filmed too many cheesy scenes and will now have a great music video to please the band and their fans with.

That’s it. Hope these tips helped.

Subscribe Us –