Music videos are some of the most engaging pieces of content that you can put out as an artist. Not only do they help you extend the life of a single, but they also allow you to showcase different aspects of your brand, such as lifestyle and image.

Shooting music videos are a lot of work, but when done right, will help you take your career to the next level. So, in this post, I’m going to give you 3 tips to help you when making a music video.

1. Be Prepared

Being unprepared is one of the biggest time killers when creating a music video. I’ve seen numerous artists waste hours trying to figure out another location for their music video – on the day of the shoot. The more you prepare for your music video shoot beforehand, the smoother your shoot will go.

How to be prepared for your music video shoot

Know the exact locations for each scene in your video shoot

Create an itinerary or outline to guide you and the videographer

Make sure all props are purchased beforehand

Let everyone know their roles days in advance

Have the lyrics to your music memorized

Have each outfit ready for each scene

2. Have a Payment Schedule

You and your videographer should have a payment schedule. This reduces the risk of not getting a high-quality product and motivates the videographer to finish editing in a timely manner, so he can get paid.

Half Now / Half Later

One of the most common payment schedules involves paying the videographer half up-front and the other half once the video is completed. This is my favorite payment schedule because it not only reduces the risk but it’s much easier to manage.

Pay Per Milestone

Another payment schedule that’s also used involves paying the videographer per milestone achieved. What this means is that you and the videographer have set milestones and once those milestones are reached, the videographer gets paid a percentage of the total spend.

So if you and the videographer have set 10 milestones that need to be reached before the video is finished – the videographer would get paid 10% every time a milestone is reached. If there were only 5 milestones, then the videographer would get paid 20% every time, and so on.

3. Practice

Initially, I was going to put this under being prepared but decided it needed its own section. You have to practice your music before you start shooting your music video. You may think you know exactly what you’re going to do for each scene but that’s rarely executed well with artists that didn’t practice.

What to practice for your music video shoot

Hand / arm movement for lines you want to emphasize (I call these ‘Handlibs’)

Special facial expressions for moments you want to emphasize

Any dances

The involvement of friends (have them practice their roles)

Also, Don’t Forget

Be professional

I’ve always found it interesting how so many artists forget about being professional. I know I discuss this in my article about being a professional music artist, but you have to be professional. This is your business and brand. Nobody wants to work with someone who’s not professional.

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