The Process Of Making a Music Video

Earlier in the year we had two film and TV directors come in and talk to us about virtually everything in the industry including film, music video and commercial.

These are the stages in which it takes to successfully create a music video.

1. A Video Commissioner at a record company, sends out a track to potential directors/ production companies. Giving them usually a couple of weeks to come up with a pitch.

2. The directors 'pitch' for the track with ideas and concepts, based upon a brief from the record company and the track they were given.

3. The record company then chooses the pitch they like the most and allocates them a budget; the producer looks after the budget and arrangements for anything they need during the process in the making of the video - a percentage is allocated to this role.

4. Director of Photography and Art Director (production designer) are taken on to assist with the process - the Art Director oversees the planning of the look to the video; scouting for the location, planning of shoot etc takes place (PRE-PRODUCTION)

5. The shoot then takes place, usually lasting a full day.

6. Off-line editing then takes place. An editor assembles all the footage over a period of a few days; record company and artist may want to see it and suggest changes to it.

7. Online editing. This is basically adding special effects and getting the final version ready.

8. Delivery of finished video to client and play it on TV, online etc.

This whole process (step 1-8) could take as little as 3-4 weeks these days as budgets have fallen steeply and demands are greater.