How to Make a Music Video as an Indie Artist: 8 Useful Tips

Editor's Note: This article was originally developed with insights from Enrique Torralbo, winner of the Best Videoclip of 2015 for Cuarteles de Invierno, and has been extensively updated to reflect current industry trends and best practices.

There has been an ongoing debate in recent years about whether music videos are “dead” (which reminds us of the recurring discussion about whether the album is dead). So, are they really? Let's dissect it!

Historically, music videos have served as a powerful marketing and branding tool, inviting active participation from listeners and potentially expanding an artist's reach. However, in today's music landscape, there are other platforms and approaches that can be just as effective, such as pre-save campaigns, social media content, compelling artist pages, and editorial and curator playlist pitching. Unlike traditional music videos, 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 certainly doesn’t guarantee exceptional results – it is still generally viewed as a significant expense, particularly for independent artists.

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 a few hundred dollars to millions.

Sure, the production process, resources, and the final result will differ depending on the budget. You might need to write your own script, develop the concept yourself, use your phone’s camera, and shoot at your apartment or a friend’s place. However, with creativity, talent, and a problem-solving mindset, it’s entirely possible to create a music video on a limited – or almost nonexistent – budget. And as we’ve already mentioned, a larger budget doesn’t automatically mean a better video.

It's important not to underestimate the power of music videos – although, yes, bite-sized clips have definitely taken the lead in online discovery and engagement. Music-related videos account for 25% of all views on YouTube, which is not negligible. On top of that, as of Q4 2024, 48.2% of all internet users reportedly watched music videos every week, making them the most-watched video content type globally. These figures suggest that music videos can still generate immense value for musicians. The real question, therefore, is not whether music videos matter, but what an artist wants to achieve with them. The answer to that ultimately determines whether a video is worth the investment.

Many professionals suggest that if an artist has already built a considerable fanbase, wants to promote their music, and is looking for a way to express their artistic vision while connecting more deeply with their audience, a music video can be a worthwhile investment – provided they have a budget for it. 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.

The equation changes slightly, however, if your primary goal is discovery and audience growth. 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.

Day's comment seems to resonate with many artists out there. After all, most musicians simply want people to discover their work, listen to their songs, and become fans. And when it comes to audience growth, there may be a more efficient way to achieve those goals than producing a full-scale music video: short-form content.

Today, many industry professionals argue that short-form videos often generate a higher 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 less time-consuming than producing a music video. You can film content using your phone and edit it with a wide range of beginner-friendly tools, many of which require little to no editing experience.

That said, the rise of short-form content doesn't necessarily make music videos obsolete. Rather, it has changed the role they play in an artist's promotional strategy. Instead of being the sole visual asset supporting a release, a music video can serve as the centerpiece of a much broader content campaign.

Many artists now use a single video shoot to create multiple pieces of content at once: a full-length music video for YouTube, short vertical clips for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, behind-the-scenes footage, teasers, and promotional snippets. This approach allows artists to maximize the value of their budget while maintaining a consistent visual identity across platforms.

Overall, if you have the budget and want to express your creativity, creating a music video can be a fantastic endeavor. However, if your primary goal is discovery and audience growth, it may be worth prioritizing short-form content alongside – or even before – investing in a full music video. For many artists, the most effective approach is not choosing one over the other, but finding ways to combine both within a single release strategy.

As Wendy Day stated, a music video can be a powerful promotional tool and should serve or enhance the song in some way. Even when creating a video to express your creativity and artistic vision, the song should inspire the visual storytelling, not the other way around. The goal is to support the song by bringing it to life through visuals and helping listeners connect more deeply with both the music and the artist behind it.

The same principle applies whether you're creating a full-length music video, a visualizer, or a short-form clip for social media: the visual should support the music rather than compete with it.

If you create a visually stunning music video with your song merely playing in the background, people may remember the video but forget the music. They might love the visuals, rewatch them several times, and even share them with others. However, if the track is overshadowed by the imagery, viewers may be less likely to seek it out, stream it, or engage with it beyond the video itself. Ideally, viewers should come away feeling connected to the song through the emotions, atmosphere, or story the video evokes. In the best-case scenario, they'll not only watch the video but also stream or download the track, save it to their playlists, recommend it to others, and continue exploring your music.

When done right, a music video can become a compelling extension of your music, strengthening your relationship with existing fans while helping new audiences discover your work. Beyond increasing engagement, music videos can also influence listener behavior: according to one study, viewers were 1.8 times more likely to purchase a song after watching its accompanying video.

Grabbing the camera and starting to film with only a vague idea of what you want to achieve can technically work, but more often than not, this approach backfires. Ideas are not always as clear or practical as they initially seem. A concept that makes perfect sense in your head may prove far more challenging to execute than anticipated. In the worst case, it may turn out to be impractical – or even impossible – to pull off.

If you're collaborating with an experienced videographer or director, they can provide valuable feedback and suggest ways to maintain your vision while ensuring the production remains feasible. However, if you’re working alone or with individuals who may not have extensive video production experience, it's essential to think carefully about the technicalities of your project well in advance.

Before the shooting day, create a storyboard, screenplay, and/or a detailed outline of all the scenes you want to capture – including the angles from which you plan to shoot them. It's also worth noting the approximate length of each scene. This approach will serve several purposes. First, it will reassure you that your ideas are realistic and that the amount of footage you're planning aligns with the intended length of the video. Second, it provides a clear overview of the entire project, helping you keep track of what has already been filmed and what still needs to be captured.

Planning ahead also helps you stay on top of the footage you gather, ensuring you have enough material. Filming a video can be tricky, and it is not uncommon to reach the editing stage only to realize that some crucial shots are missing or that there simply isn't enough material to work with. Keep in mind that filling even just two or three minutes can require a surprising amount of footage to create a quality music video. Failing to keep track of every shot can be risky and may ultimately result in wasted time, effort, and resources.

When planning your shots, it's also worth thinking about where your content will ultimately be published. As discussed earlier, many artists today don't just create a long-form music video for YouTube. They simultaneously produce content for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and other platforms. To make the most of your shoot, consider capturing footage in multiple formats, including both horizontal and vertical shots. A single filming session can provide material for a full-length music video, short promotional clips, behind-the-scenes content, teasers, and release-day assets, helping you maximize both your budget and your effort.

Creating a music video is a major achievement, but the work doesn't end once the final edit is ready. No matter how creative, visually stunning, or professionally produced your video is, it won't do much for your music if nobody sees it. That's why it's important to think about distribution long before the shooting day arrives.

Before you start filming, ask yourself a few key questions:

• Where do I want to publish the video?
• Which platforms is my audience most active on?
• Am I planning to rely on organic reach, paid promotion, or a combination of both?
  What budget, if any, can I dedicate to distribution and promotion?

Answering these questions early on can help shape not only your release strategy but also the video itself.

For example, if you plan to promote your release on TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts, you'll likely want to capture additional vertical footage during the shoot. Similarly, if you're planning a YouTube Premiere, press campaign, or newsletter announcement, you'll want to have promotional clips, teaser content, and visuals ready well before the release date.

Fortunately, artists today have access to a wide range of promotional tools. Beyond uploading your video to YouTube, consider announcing the release across your social media channels, running an email campaign, sharing teaser clips, and reaching out to relevant blogs, media outlets, playlist curators, and content creators ahead of the premiere. The more prepared you are, the easier it will be to build momentum around your release.

If you have a website, artist page, or smart link, make sure your music video is featured there as well. Every additional touchpoint makes it easier for fans – and potential fans – to discover your work.

Ultimately, the success of a music video often depends as much on distribution as it does on production quality. A well-planned release strategy can help your video reach the audience it deserves from day one.

Advising you to keep things simple at first might not be what you want to hear – and we completely understand! Your mind may be overflowing with countless ideas for the craziest videos ever, only for us to suggest scaling things back and focusing on something more manageable.

However, as we've already discussed, producing a music video can be quite expensive, and staying within your budget may require a few compromises. This doesn’t mean you should abandon your creative vision or stop dreaming big. Rather, it means finding ways to bring your vision to life that are realistic, achievable, and aligned with the resources available to you.

There is nothing worse than a cool video idea that is poorly executed because the necessary budget, equipment, or support wasn't there. In some cases, attempting to create a large-scale production without the required resources can result in a final product that feels underwhelming, leaving you disappointed, unfulfilled, and hundreds of dollars poorer.

The good news is that a successful video doesn't have to be a complex narrative production. In fact, many of the most memorable videos rely on a simple concept that is executed exceptionally well. Coldplay’s Yellow, Halsey's Finally // beautiful stranger, The Little Mess You Made by The Favors, and 10 A.M Automatic by The Black Keys are great examples of how relative simplicity can be just as powerful and engaging as spectacle.

There are plenty of ways you can let your song shine in a music video. One of the simplest yet most effective approaches is to film yourself performing your song, whether on a stage, in a rehearsal space, or in a studio. Performance videos tend to work particularly well because they place the focus directly on the music. They also allow viewers to connect with the emotions behind the song by watching the artist perform in real time. This connection can make the audience more engaged with the track and more likely to stream it after watching the video.

If performance videos aren't your thing, there are plenty of other formats worth exploring. Visualizers and lyric videos remain beloved among fans because they dive deeper into the story, themes, and emotions behind a song. Long gone are the days when lyric videos were just static backgrounds with text layered on top. Today, they can be highly creative visual experiences in their own right.

Animation can also be a fantastic option, especially for artists looking to create a distinctive visual identity without the logistical challenges of a traditional shoot. Depending on your budget and skill level, you can either collaborate with an animator or experiment with some of the more beginner-friendly tools available online, like Adobe Animate, Adobe After Effects, or Opentoonz.

Another increasingly popular approach is to involve your audience directly. User-generated content campaigns can encourage fans to create videos featuring your music, whether through trends, challenges, dance routines, or other creative concepts. With their permission, you can then compile this content into a music video that promotes your song while also strengthening your connection with your community. Great video examples that implement this method (at least to a certain extent) are Amazing Day by Coldplay, Stuck with U by Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber, and Rivers of Mercy by Tears for Fears.

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

This applies to virtually every aspect of the production, from camera gear and costumes to props, locations, transportation, and even the people around you. Perhaps you have an old Halloween costume that perfectly fits the video’s concept. Maybe a friend has access to a rooftop, workshop, rehearsal space, or garden that could serve as an interesting filming location. Perhaps another friend owns a camera, works at a local venue, or has experience with photography, editing, or graphic design.

Don't overlook everyday tools either. Many modern smartphones can capture surprisingly high-quality footage, and there are countless affordable or even free editing tools available online (more on this later). Depending on your concept, you may not need expensive equipment at all.

The point is that there are many more resources available to you than you may realize. In fact, some of the most creative music videos are memorable not because they had the biggest budget, but because they made clever use of limited resources. Understanding what you already have access to can save you a significant amount of money while still allowing you to create a video you're genuinely proud of.

The role of AI in music and the wider creative industries has been a major topic of discussion in recent years. It's fair to say that opinions remain divided on how much artists should incorporate AI into their work to keep it authentic. Here, however, we're not necessarily suggesting that you use AI tools to create an entire music video (although, if that's something you're interested in, feel free to explore it). Instead, we see the greatest value of AI in video production in planning, organization, asset management, and overall production coordination.

Although the end product is a music video – a certainly creative endeavor – a lot needs to happen before the camera starts rolling. As we've already discussed, you'll likely need to plan your shots, create a storyboard, build a timeline, and handle various logistical tasks. AI can help simplify these processes by breaking large projects into smaller, digestible steps, generating structured timelines and operational schedules, visualizing ideas, and helping you stay on top of the entire production process.

For instance, Storyboarder.ai excels at building a comprehensive shot list from a rough script or concept, while Drawstory and Storyflow can assist with creating mood boards and mapping out your video's visual direction, scene by scene. If you're working with a more complex storyline with more scenes, Filmustage can generate script synopses, analyze filming locations, and identify potential production risks and challenges. Studiovity, meanwhile, serves as an automated asset list, featuring all items required before production starts. It can also tag talent, props, locations, and wardrobe based on your screenplay or concept document.

And if you're looking for a more versatile, all-around tool, platforms like Notion AI can help you brainstorm ideas and concepts, outline individual scenes and aesthetic angles, summarize notes, organize research, and format production calendars, all from a single workspace.

When planning a shoot and assembling your crew, your first inclination might be to seek out established professionals with impressive portfolios and years of experience. And it makes sense – after all, you likely want to create the best version of your video possible. However, if your budget doesn't allow for hiring top-tier videographers, editors, art directors, makeup artists, or other specialists, that doesn't mean you're out of options.

In fact, some of the most rewarding collaborations happen between people who are building their careers at the same time. Just because a creative professional is not yet well-known in the industry doesn’t mean they lack the skills, professionalism, or dedication needed for your project. On the contrary, collaborating with videographers, editors, art directors, makeup artists, and other creatives who are building their careers can benefit everyone involved. You will gain valuable support for your video, while they'll have an opportunity to expand their portfolio and showcase their work.

When you start exploring your local creative community, you're likely to come across crazy-talented people who are passionate about what they do and excited to work on meaningful projects. These creatives will likely be thrilled to collaborate with you and pour their hearts into the project, which is often the not-so-secret ingredient behind something truly memorable.

You should also not forget about the people already in your life. Friends and family can often contribute more than you might expect, whether by acting in the video, helping with logistics, lending equipment, offering locations, or sharing skills that are relevant to the production process.

Beyond the practical benefits, involving people you love and care about can add a unique layer of authenticity and meaning to your video. Fans often enjoy seeing artists include partners, friends, or family members in their videos. It can make the final product feel more personal, relatable, and emotionally engaging. For example, friendship is built on trust, connection, and shared experiences, qualities that often translate naturally on screen. If your song explores themes such as love, friendship, nostalgia, loss, or personal growth, featuring people with whom you share a genuine bond can help create moments that feel more honest and emotionally resonant.

All in all, sometimes the strongest creative community is already around you. You just need to invite it into the project.

This tip might seem redundant, but we want to emphasize the importance of editing. Editing is the final push to bring your vision and ideas to life. It can add true magic to your music video, transforming raw footage into a polished final piece. This includes introducing scene transitions that match the video's pace, correcting the colors, adjusting brightness and contrast, adding background effects, and much more.

It's not just the technical aspects, though. Editing also plays a crucial storytelling role. The order of the shots, the pace of the cuts, and the way scenes transition into one another can completely change how viewers experience a song. A thoughtful edit can build tension, emphasize emotional moments, highlight important lyrics, and make sure that the visuals feel naturally connected to the music.

Overall, a well-edited video can boost viewer engagement and encourage people to watch until the end. For this reason, we advise you not to take the editing of your music video lightly. If you have some editing skills, that's great – it's one less task to outsource. If you're not skilled in editing, we'd suggest finding someone qualified to deliver the results you're looking for. Alternatively, if you're interested in learning, consider working with someone who can teach you the fundamentals as you go.

Of course, hiring an editor requires resources. However, someone who is still building their portfolio and reputation may be open to working for a relatively modest fee. Still, if you're certain you want to try on your own, there are plenty of editing software programs that will handle much of the work for you, like CapCut Desktop or DaVinci Resolve. They offer presets and templates for transitions, effects, and color grading that can speed up the process while delivering relatively high-quality results. Many of these tools also include AI-powered features that can handle repetitive tasks such as captioning or object removal. We also recommend sticking to a simple editing style: include quick cuts, jump cuts, and overlays rather than complex effects.

Keep in mind that a clean, well-paced edit is often more effective than one overloaded with effects. While transitions, filters, and visual effects can certainly enhance a video, they should support the song and concept rather than distract from them.