How to Make a Music Video: 7 Useful Tips

P.S.: This article includes insights from an earlier piece written in collaboration with Enrique Torralbo, winner of the Best Videoclip of 2015 for 'Cuarteles de Invierno.'

Music videos can be a powerful marketing tool, but other strategies can be just as effective, such as running pre-save campaigns, creating engaging content for social media, or building a compelling artist page. Unlike music videos, however, these techniques typically do not come with high costs. While a music video doesn’t necessarily need to cost $500,000, and a large budget doesn’t guarantee exceptional outcomes, it is generally seen as a significant expense for artists, particularly independent ones.

That’s why many indies wonder whether creating their own music videos is truly worth the investment. Well, that depends—certainly an unsatisfying answer. But let us elaborate. First things first, music videos are not exclusively for larger, more commercially successful artists—if that’s what you’re thinking. The budget for a video can range from as little as $500 to millions of dollars.

Sure, the production process, resources, and the final product will differ based on the budget—you might need to write your own script and concept for the video, use your phone’s camera, and shoot at your or a friend’s apartment. However, with creativity, talent, and a problem-solving mindset among those involved, it’s entirely feasible to create a music video with a low or almost nonexistent budget. At the same time, as we’ve already mentioned, a larger budget doesn’t mean a better video.

The value of creating a video depends on each artist’s goals and artistic pursuits, to be frank. Keep in mind that music videos remain the most popular videos on the internet, with nearly half of all internet users (49.6%) watching them at least once a week. This demonstrates how powerful music videos are as an art form and marketing tool.

Many professionals suggest that if an artist has established a considerable fanbase, wants to promote their music, and yearns for a way to express their artistic vision and connect with their audience—provided they have a budget for it—a music video can be very worthwhile for them. According to Vivian Fung, a JUNO Award-winning composer, music videos are like a “21st century business card, and can give presenters, commissioners, and organizations an immediate sense of your work.”

“If artists are able to solve the issues of time and money, high-quality music videos can be a powerful medium that acts as an extension of your artistic vision,” she noted in a 2024 article.

Things might be different, however, if your intention is to create a video aimed at promoting your music and attracting listeners and potential fans. Wendy Day, a well-known mentor and consultant for independent hip-hop artists, views music videos purely as a “turbo boost” for promoting one’s music. “I don’t want to have a great video because I don’t want people watching the video because it’s a great video. I want them listening to the song,” she said in a podcast.

And this is true for many artists out there—they simply want to promote their work, have people discover them, and build a fan base. However, there may be a more efficient way to achieve this than making a music video: short-form videos. Nowadays, short-form content is said to generate more ROI than fully produced music videos for independent artists striving to grow their fan base. Creating short-form content is also generally more affordable and time-saving than music video production—you can shoot videos using your phone and edit them with a wide range of editing tools, many of which are suitable for beginners or those with no editing experience.

Overall, if you have a budget and want to express your creativity, creating a music video can be a great endeavor. However, if you’re looking to grow your fanbase, it may be more beneficial to focus on simpler and more cost-effective content that promotes your music.

As Wendy Day previously stated, a video clip is primarily a promotional tool and should serve or enhance the song in some way. Even when creating a music video to express unexplored creativity and artistic vision, the song should inspire the music video's storytelling, not the other way around. The point of a video is to support the song by bringing it to life through visualization and projecting a specific image of the song and the artist.

If you create a wonderful music video with your music in the background, people are likely to watch it. They might love it, rewatch it several times, and even tell their friends and family about it. However, if the music is overshadowed by the visuals of the video, they probably won’t pay as much attention to it and may not listen to the song on its own. Remember that the ideal scenario is for someone to watch your music video, feel connected to the song through the emotions or the story the video evokes, and then visit a music platform of their choice to stream or download it. In an even better scenario, they might recommend the song to others or feature it on their playlist.

Remember that when done right, your music video can turn into a great promotional tool for your music, maximizing engagement, strengthening your relationship with your fans, and connecting you to a whole new audience that may absolutely adore your music.

Grabbing the camera and starting to film a video with a vague idea of what you want to achieve can technically work, but more often than not, this approach backfires. First of all, ideas are not always as clear as we may first envision them. We may have a concept that makes perfect sense to us, but in reality, it can be more challenging to execute than we anticipate. In the worst-case scenario, while the concept might be clear in our minds, it could either be impracticable or make little to no sense in practice. If you collaborate with an experienced videographer or director, they can provide feedback on your idea and suggest ways to maintain your vision while ensuring the production is feasible.

However, if you’re working alone or with individuals who may not be highly qualified, it's essential to think carefully about the technicalities of your video well in advance. The best course of action before the shooting day is to create a storyboard, screenplay, and/or an outline of all the scenes you want to shoot—and the angles from which to shoot them. Also, ensure you include the approximate length of each scene. This approach will benefit you for several reasons. First of all, it will reassure you that everything you envision is feasible and that the timeline aligns with the video's length. Secondly, it will provide you with a clear overview of the complete list of scenes you want to shoot, helping you gain better control and navigate what scenes have been filmed and which are coming next.

Moreover, you will focus more on the amount of footage you obtain during the video shoot, ensuring you have enough material. Filming a video can be tricky, and it is not uncommon to realize during the editing process that there is simply too little footage, or worse, that some crucial shots are entirely missing. Keep in mind that even filling two or three minutes can require a substantial amount of footage to create a quality music video. Not staying on top of every shot can be risky and may ultimately result in wasted time and resources.

A tip from us: If possible, try to film in sequential order. This will be very useful during the editing process, saving time and energy.

Advising you to initially keep it simple might not necessarily make you happy. And we completely understand! Your mind may be overflowing with countless ideas for the craziest videos ever, and we come in and suggest that you set those aside and concentrate on something much simpler and more straightforward instead.

However, as we mentioned earlier, producing a music video can be quite expensive, and unfortunately, some sacrifices may be necessary to stay within your budget while achieving the fundamental goal of filming a video. This doesn’t mean you should never strive to create an elaborate video that promotes your music and allows you to express your creativity—we believe the right time will come. We just want to offer some advice to help you make the most of your current situation.

There is nothing worse than a cool video idea that is poorly executed simply due to limited resources. In fact, attempting to produce a grand video concept without the necessary capacity, resources, and support can result in a tacky final product, leaving you disappointed, unfulfilled, and hundreds of dollars poorer.

There is beauty in simplicity—it just depends on whether you are willing to see it. Coldplay’s ‘Yellow,’ Arctic Monkeys’ ‘Cornerstone,’ and ‘10 A.M Automatic’ by The Black Keys are perfect examples of this.

A simple idea that could work well for your video is to film yourself performing your song. The reason this technique is powerful—yet straightforward—is that listeners can easily observe the range of emotions you experience while performing the track (whether it’s a happy or heartbreaking one), which ultimately can evoke those feelings in them as well. This connection makes the audience more engaged with the track and is more likely to encourage them to go to streaming platforms and listen to that song after watching the video.

When shooting a music video on a limited budget, it is crucial to understand all the resources at your disposal–from the essentials to those you might not even consider—and to be as inventive with them as possible.

And this encompasses everything—from camera gear to costumes, props, and location. Perhaps you have an old Halloween costume that would perfectly fit the video’s concept. You also have a friend who lives in a house with a garden, where you can shoot. Alternatively, you might use your local gym since another friend works there. You can even film the video on your phone and have your family members act in it.

The point here is that there are many more resources available to you than you may realize. Understanding what can be utilized and how you can benefit from them can save you a significant amount of money while still allowing you to create a video you love.

When planning a shoot and assembling your crew, your first intention might be to seek out more prominent names and highly qualified professionals in their respective fields. However, if your budget doesn’t allow for hiring such experts, you may feel that you’re on your own, need to ask friends for help, or must choose a cheaper option, which could mean sacrificing your entire vision.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. Just because a professional—a videographer, editor, art director, makeup artist, and others—is not yet known in the industry, it doesn’t mean they are unqualified or lack the experience needed for your project. In fact, collaborating on a video with someone who is, just like you, trying to build their name and reputation might be the best thing to happen to both of you.

When you embark on a research adventure and explore local creative connections, you're likely to come across individuals who are at the beginning of their journey but are very professional, competent, and take their work seriously. These individuals will probably be thrilled to collaborate with you and pour their heart into the project since the final product will surely enhance their portfolio.

This approach can be applied to almost any scenario–it doesn’t have to be when you’re shooting a music video. Working and building connections with creatives at a similar level, whether they are producers, stylists, or even aspiring booking agents, can provide wonderful opportunities and support your art in the long term.

Elaborating on the previous point, working with your friends on your video may not always stem from necessity; rather, it can be enjoyable and enhance the meaning of your video.

Friendship often embodies a relationship with someone you love, trust, and feel connected to. There may be no greater yet simpler promotion for your music than a video featuring you alongside someone with whom you share such a bond, reflecting on this connection. As mentioned earlier, music videos have the power to evoke strong emotions, regardless of the genre, often allowing viewers to relate because they have similar experiences. If you believe that your video could benefit from the presence of someone you share a deep connection with, it could be a great idea to recruit your friends.

This point may also be viewed as an extension of tip 4. If your friends or family members possess skills and experience that could benefit your video (meaning they can be considered resources at your disposal), feel free to ask them if they would like to be involved in your project. Collaborating with people you care about can certainly be a unique and joyful experience, in addition to adding value to you and your music video while making your production less expensive and faster.