I started in music video production over 12 years ago, first making music videos for independent artists in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, but after my fourth “indie” music video, I had my first major music video for U-God. of the Wu. -Tang Clan that aired on BET’s Rap City.
I got into music video production because I saw music videos on TV made with big budgets that were horrible. He always said “I could do much better with a lower budget”. So I put my money where my mouth was, brought a camera and editing computer and 17 music videos later, the rest is history.
Getting into music video production is very easy. Think about it. No matter where you live, there are music artists looking to pay someone to shoot and edit their music video, so you already have a hungry market. But when most directors get their first music video, whether independent or famous, they get 2 major things wrong. Let me explain.
First, if you want to get into music video production, there is one thing you need to know. Keep it simple stupid. Again, when I started I only had a camera (Canon XL1) and an editing computer. It didn’t have all the bells and whistles that most people in my field had.
When I got my first music video, I kept the concept simple. The song had 3 verses so I shot 3 different performance scenes (the scenes where you see the artists performing the song) for each verse and we went to many different places and shot secondary footage (scenes you see in videos musicals where nobody is acting, for example: car driving in slow motion or a sexy girl slowly grinding with someone in the club). It only took 2 days. When all was said and done, I sent it to BET and it aired on Uncut and Rap City. you got me right My first music video aired on national television.
I’m a big believer in “making it work with what you’ve got” and as a filmmaker you should always keep that in mind. A larger budget does not always mean a better final product. When you don’t have unlimited resources, you’re forced to think and make do with what you have, and some of the best music videos are born from that seed.
Next, you should know that to make a good music video you need good locations, extras, and props. More importantly, you should know that you don’t have to pay for any of these; at least I never have.
Let’s talk about my first music video and one of its main locations, crazy props and extras. I needed a church scene where a funeral was taking place and the choir was singing in the background. That meant he needed flower arrangements, a casket, an extra to play the man in the casket, a church, a reverend, and about 20 people to fill the pews. All I did to get these items was simply ask.
To get the casket, I went to a funeral home and told them I needed a casket for someone to lie down for a music video shoot. Keep in mind that when setting up a scene, you have to think in real time. Make your scene look like it would in real life. That’s when I realized I needed flowers to place around the casket, so I asked the funeral home where I could get flowers to decorate the scene. They pointed me to a florist they work with and gave me a large number of flower arrangements made just for funerals.
My next feat was to get a church. This was a bit more difficult since it was a rap video and most churches don’t agree with that kind of music. After being turned down by 3 different churches, I found one church that said yes. I had access to the choir and its reverend.
I had everything I needed for my scene without paying a hundred of my budget. To accomplish this, simply say “I need to use (item name) for a music video shoot, but we’ve exhausted our budget. If that’s ok, we’d like to use (item name) for our shoot and can credit you at the end of the video.” music video”.
I have never been told no (except for the 3 churches). Using this statement, I have used vehicles, schools, resorts, hotels, and many other props, locations, and extras from strangers that most directors pay for when they don’t have to. All it takes is asking.
Just knowing these two things will make your entry into the music video production field as easy as mine was, and if you’re already in the music video industry, use this information to keep more of your money in the music video business. of the budget in your pocket.
