Do you want to shoot your own royalty-free music video but have no idea where to start? Here you will find some tips on what equipment to use, where to shoot, how to get people in a group, and other things. Real practice at home will allow you to quickly master the intricacies of musical craft.
Tips for Beginner Music Video Makers
You may have your own ideas for music, but no idea where to start. On the half way of comprehension, doubts may arise. How to begin, what place to choose for shooting? Are there any tricks you can use to make the process easier? Perhaps using simple sound effects will make the clip more creative? And when you finally start, a voice of doubt begins to haunt you, repeating: without professional equipment and a team of specialists, this is impossible.
But this voice is wrong. There are many tips for preparation, equipment, lighting, composition, placement, and more that will make creating a music video easy, making it accessible to any beginner.
Brainstorming ideas
The first way is analyzing YouTube. On YouTube, you can find a wide variety of music videos and identify your favorites. If you haven’t resorted to YouTube, then it’s time to do it. It’s not difficult at all, watch a few dozen clips and highlight the ones you like.
If possible, it is worth watching the clips with your future music craft partners. In this way the brainstorming process will take less time, and you will quickly choose the topic of your own video. At the same time, discuss what the video will include, and look for the lowest quality music videos to understand what to avoid. It is important to understand that you do not need to spend the entire budget allocated for one video. The main thing is that it is creative and intriguing, even low-budget projects achieve success if there is potential.
Location
It is necessary to choose a shooting location. How about a basement or living room of your own home? Maybe, but only if the room is spacious and not cluttered with tons of things.
You can take into account garages and backyards. This is a good option, so it’s worth looking for the best spots in town. If you have no idea, reach out to your friends, family, or loved ones. They can give you good advice.
Don’t be afraid to use your connections. Do you know the owners of event halls, pubs or underground music studios? If you don’t, there may be people who know people you know, people who know this and that. Ask them for permission to shoot your video, mentioning its title in the credits.
It will be better if you use your connections. This is not bad, and sometimes it helps a lot. Are you familiar with the hosts of event halls, pubs or underground music studios? If not, then perhaps your acquaintances know such people or acquaintances of acquaintances. Ask for permission to shoot the video, promising to thank him or to mention his name in the credits.
If you are planning on shooting, then consider parks and alleys. But before that, inquire about the legality of these actions. It may be that filming is prohibited in the locations you have chosen. In this case, you will lose time and your video, since it will be impossible to return to the same place.
Equipment
If you are just getting started making music videos, and you are not sure if this is right for you, it is better to be careful and set aside a small budget that you can fully spend. The equipment can always be changed for the better. Budgeting is a crucial process. Think a lot before buying equipment, compare with other types in the same price range. Choose only what you can afford and like the most.
List of equipment needed to shoot the first music video.
You will definitely need a video camera to shoot all the material. Later, all the footage will be transferred to the video editing program, where everything will be combined into one whole and finished video.
There are video cameras of low HD quality and high FullHD quality, respectively, the HD is cheap, and the FullHD is more expensive. It all depends on the budget and your requirement. HD quality camcorders are suitable for interview clips, quick advertising videos. But a TV-quality music video will require a FullHD camcorder.
Lighting
Good lighting is essential for a quality clip. If your camera shoots in high resolution and has a night mode, then significantly less lighting is required. However, if you are shooting in natural light, then the lighting kit can be purchased in small quantities, or not at all.
Cheap cameras do not do well in low light, so keep that in mind. Lighting kits are sold at an affordable price and in large quantities, so there is no need to spend your entire budget on one look. This way, you can play with the light by adding shadows and dim colors. This will make the video more mysterious. Everything is at your discretion.
Transport is also significant. Sometimes you have to change the place of shooting, and moving so much equipment and group of people is a laborious process. There you will need a transort. Think about it ahead of time. Who will drive the car? Which transport to choose? Take one or two? It all depends on your equipment and the group of people you work with.
Other equipment you may need:
Camcorder carrying bag.
Tripod.
Spare batteries for the camcorder.
External mic.
Extra storage memory.
Props.
Don’t forget to think about the you cooperate with. Grab some snacks and drink. Raincoats and blankets may be needed depending on the season and weather.
Don’t worry if you haven’t found a suitable background. It can be changed using the green screen. To do this, you need to shoot all the scenes in front of it, and later your video editor will edit the background, taking into account your requirements. The main thing is that no one is wearing green clothes or accessories, otherwise they will merge with the background, after which it will be problematic to remove this problem.
Composition
Composition or framing is how the main character of the clip is placed in the frame. The finished video may feel different due to framing. For a stylish composition, you can experiment with foregrounds and backgrounds, change the camera angle, add walking spaces, and more.
Conclusion
It’s important to understand what you need in order to shoot a music video. The filming process can take much less time if you already have experience with video recording. Grab your camera and train with friends at home, outdoors and elsewhere. Experiment with lighting, colors, filters, all this will come in handy in the future shooting of your clip. Don’t be nervous and don’t look back. The greatest artists in the world always continue to work, no matter what critics say about their work.
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