music video top tips for student production

1. Make your own music video
Ten steps, ten tips

2. Step 0: limber up
• do some exercises with ‘found footage’
• learn to lipsynch with old student footage
• do a karaoke multi-angle version of a track
for fun
• re-make an existing video frame by frame

3. Step 1: choose a track
• Ideally provided by teacher as part of a
selection
• Can be a mistake to go for well-known artist/
your favourite artist
• Make it short !

4. Step 2: write a treatment
• Pitch for the material with a strong and
simple idea
• Have a clear concept which is workable !
• Be realistic in your plan

5. Step 3: Plan for
everything
• Storyboard- you can always shoot extra
• Plan people, places, props, costumes
• Get everyone’s mobile numbers
• Aim to shoot it early, not up against deadline
• Make sure your performers have rehearsed
and know the words

6. Step 4: set up a blog
• Use it to link to ideas
• Videos that influence you (YouTube)
• research the genre in detail!
• Photos that give you ideas
• Take recce shots on location and post them
• Do an animatic of your storyboard
• Put up all your ideas as an e-scrapbook

7. Step 5: know your
equipment
• Do test shots to try out effects
• Check any quirks of the camera
• Make sure you have tripod (and ‘shoe’)
• Is the tape loaded ?
• Do you know the edit program? -experiment
before the main thing
• Have you got the music and an audible
source?

8. Step 6: the shoot
• Shoot the performance at least ten times with
different set-ups
• Make sure you have plenty of cutaways
• Experiment with extra angles and lighting changes
• Don’t forget: lots of close-ups !
• Enthuse your performers- they must give it plenty!
• Shoot more than you think you will need

9. Step 7: capture your
footage
• Label everything you capture
• Organise it so its easy to find
• Don’t capture stuff you don’t need
• Break it into manageable chunks

10. Step 8: the edit
• Synch up performances first
• Get the whole picture rather than tiny detail
• Cut and cut again
• Aim for a dynamic piece of work
• Do any effects work last
• Upload a rough cut to your blog and get
feedback

11. Step 9: screening
• Hopefully you will have the chance for a big-
screen premiere
• Get feedback wherever you can
• Upload it to your blog via YouTube
• Get the artist to look at it and give you
feedback

12. Step 10: analysis
• Unlike the real world, you’ll have to produce
an evaluation
• Take advice about what is needed in your
evaluation
• Make use of your blog