Continued Exploration - How to Make a Music Video?

     In today's world, music is often paired with a video to help the listener to gain a visual representation of the song. Music videos can help advertise their music on multiple platforms. With all of this technology today, it is very common to see many artists and bands go with this route because it is extremely important for the success of their music. Occasionally, these videos go through an extreme process to fulfill the artist's vision. Other times, they can be quite simple, but effective. Either way, the process to create a music video is much more complicated than you may initially think.

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

The Devil in I - Slipknot

How To Make A Music Video

    The process of creating a music video varies greatly depending on the artist's needs. Regardless, one of the first steps is to understand the message of the song. You have to know what emotions you are trying to invoke in the viewers. 

    This is when you start preparing a storyboard to give a general idea of the layout of the music video. Common elements in music videos include performances, storytelling, and CGI/VFX. Although every music video is different, most videos follow the common format using these elements previously mentioned. 

    For example, The Weeknd uses these aspects in his music video of Blinding Lights below:

Blinding Lights by The Weeknd - USA, 2020

Watch the Behind the Scenes HERE.

    After you have prepared and figured out your whole storyboard scene by scene, the next part is to take your ideas into reality. Locations are extremely important as it for your music video as it determines how the viewers interpret the song and its message. Locations can be fake with CGI and greenscreens, while others can be real locations with practical effects. Sometimes it can be entirely animated. 

    

   This is the case for Lincoln Park's song called Lost. The main singer, Chester Bennington, has unfortunately passed away, but they were able to find unreleased songs from the band. So to create a music video with the entire band, they had to do an animation.

    Watch the animation of this music video below:

Lost by Lincoln Park - USA, 2023

    When you have figured out the storyboard and locations, next are the equipment, casting, and crew. Depending on the music video and its budget, you might need to spend thousands of dollars on camera equipment, lighting, props, etc. Additionally, you may need to have an additional cast to add to the video according to the storyboard, whether they are main characters, side characters, or background characters. This may require a large crew to stay organized and control every aspect of the set.

   The next part is the actual filming of the music video. This is when you use basic filming tips like lighting, audio, composition, focal length, etc. However, the entire filming process itself is incredibly complicated and I believe that needs a whole separate blog post to thoroughly explain it.

    Finally, the last step is post-production. This is when everything comes together into the final video. This process is when you grab all of your footage and edit it into one cohesive video, matching what you have envisioned from the beginning. Post-production can include cutting clips, sequencing clips color grading, CGI/VFX, audio, and final delivery. One example of crazy post-production is a song called SICKO MODE by Travis Scott.

Pay attention to the post-production elements in this video below:

(WARNING: Explicit at some parts)

SICKO MODE ft. Drake by Travis Scott - USA, 2018

Conclusion

    Now you have everything you need for a music video! Every topic discussed is very simplified and they need much more information to provide the full process. Making a music video is complicated as it can involve a considerable amount of people and can take an enormous amount of time and money. However, if you research and follow every step of production, while investing time and money, I think anybody can do it because creating music videos can be very important for the artist.

Musical Elements of Blinding Lights

    This song follows the basic form that every pop song has, but it also has a post-chorus that plays the melody from the intro and the vocal melody from the chorus by a synth. The form of this song is an intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, post-chorus,  2nd verse, 2nd pre-chorus, 2nd chorus, 2nd post-chorus, bridge, 3rd chorus, 3rd post-chorus, and outro.

    What makes this song catchy is the melody and the drum rhythm. As stated before, the melody of this song repeats throughout different sections with an 80s-style sound to it. The drum rhythm is extremely simple, but it also has this 80s sound to it.

Musical Elements of Lost

    Dynamics throughout this song are very prominent. This is due to the layering of instruments and vocals. During the choruses, there are distorted guitars and vocals combined with a louder drum beat. During the verses, there are mostly electronic elements with soft vocals. This creates this volume shift in this song.

    The chords and melody in this song are also very simple. This song is in the key of Am and it plays at 105 BPM. The chords consist of Am, C, G, and Dm in the verses, C and G in the pre-choruses, and Dm, F, C, and G in the choruses. The song is centered around the vocals and that electronic instrument that plays the melody in the background.

Musical Elements of SICKO MODE

    This song has a unique form compared to other hip-hop songs. It has 3 distinguishable parts that change BPM from 139 to 155 with random slowdowns in-between. The 3 parts are separated by the rappers, instruments, melody, and rhythm changes. It starts off with Drake in the first part, Travis Scott in the second part, and Drake in the third part.

My Opinion

    I believe music videos are crucial in this modern world full of technology. Videos are necessary for the visual representation of the music. It can give the music a deeper meaning for the listener/viewer. There are multiple media platforms where videos are the main priority. These music videos can help advertise and share your music with new people. The song examples that I have presented eariler show that videos can be useful for any genre of music, like pop, metal, or hip-hop.

    The entire process of music video production can be very challenging for most people. Many essential steps in this process can require a large amount of time and money. However, there are some people who specialize in making music videos so you don't have to do it by yourself. Either way, I think music videos are definitely worth it.

Sources

Aditi from InVideo. “How to Make a Music Video — The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need.” InVideo - Online Video Creator for Content and Marketing Videos, InVideo, 14 Nov. 2020, invideo.io/blog/how-to-make-a-music-video/#filming-your-music-video. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.

Adobe. “How to Make a Music Video for Beginners | Adobe.” Www.adobe.com, www.adobe.com/creativecloud/video/discover/how-to-make-a-music-video.html.

Adriano, Daniel. “Linkin Park - Lost (Chords).” Tabs.ultimate-Guitar.com, tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/linkin-park/lost-chords-4639898. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.

“Behind the Track: The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights | Production and Arrangement Breakdown - Notetracks.” Www.notetracks.com, www.notetracks.com/blog/behind-the-track-the-weeknds-blinding-lights-production-and-arrangement-breakdown.

NFI EDU. “How to Make a Music Video: 17 Steps to Make a Great Music Video.” NFI, 19 Sept. 2020, www.nfi.edu/how-to-make-a-music-video/.