Music Video Production: What To Expect | Production FAQ
Are you a singer or a member of a band? Would you like to have a music video produced to showcase your talent? This blog post will walk you through some of the basics of music video production and what to expect.
Before reading onward about music video production, you might be wondering who we are. Tiger House Films is a creative production company in Los Angeles that serves artists worldwide. Our mission is to approach each and every music video production with technical precision and extreme creativity. We pride ourselves on creating dynamic and visually stunning content. We hope you’ll consider us for your music video production needs. If you would like more information, request a free copy of our music video production guide, a helpful document that will walk you through the entire process from start to finish.
In our eyes, there are seven major stages in music video production. Here they are, with a brief description of each stage.
Free Consultation
A potential music video production should always begin with a free consultation. (We offer free consultations to all our prospective clients, with no obligation.) During the consultation, the music video production company should get to know you, your style, what you envision for your music video and much more. Expect a rough estimate of the music video’s cost when the consultation is over. It should then be up to you to decide if you want to move forward with the music video production company. When the consultation is over, ask yourself if you feel satisfied with the initial interaction between your band and the company.
Music Video Collaboration
Once you to decide to move forward with a production company, expect their creative team to help you finalize a story for your music video. Ideally, the music video production company’s staff will communicate back-and-forth with you several times regarding changes until both sides are satisfied with the finalized concept. Why the back-and-forth? Some musicians have a simple vision in mind, while others have a more intricate concept in mind. The music video production company should be able to tell you if your concept fits your budget, and if not, how you can both compromise to achieve a music video that everyone’s satisfied with.
Music Video Pre-Production
In the pre-production phase, the music video production company should propose shoot locations, film permits, catering, lighting, camera equipment, crew, shot listing, story-boarding, scheduling and more. While we said it all in one sentence, make no mistake: there is a tremendous amount of detailed work involved in pre-production. This is where the expertise of the music video production company really comes in handy, saving you much time and effort. It’s important to get the music video produced correctly, without mistakes that may cost you time and money. Any remaining questions you have should be addressed here, prior to finalizing the shoot dates. Pre-production can be highly technical in nature, so if you don’t know much about equipment and lighting, for example, ask the production company to elaborate on the details in layman’s terms so you can learn more about their choices and recommendations. Creative collaboration is encouraged as the video is purely a representation of the artist or band.
Talent Selection
Some music videos feature only the singer or band, while other music videos feature actors and models alongside the artists. The music video production company should be able to screen talent or work with local casting services and talent agencies to ensure that great talent is auditioned for your music video. You may also want to ask if you get to be a part of the casting. Some musicians are hands-off and want this casting process done for them with video of the final round of auditions sent to them, while others are very hands-on and want to be a physical presence in the casting room. In the end, you’ll want to ensure the music video production company and the band come to a mutual agreement regarding the talent.
Shoot Dates
Prior to the shoot date, the music video production company should provide you with a call-sheet and schedule for the day of the shoot. If you aren’t used to reading a call-sheet, they can look a bit daunting, so don’t hesitate to ask questions.
On the day of the shoot, you will tell your music video’s story on film, scene-by-scene. Expect a music video shoot day to last at least eight hours, if not twelve or more. Though this sounds lengthy, it’s important to understand why. Each scene in the music video may be shot multiple times and from different angles or perspectives and lit properly to give it a cinematic feel. This gives the music video production company’s editor and director many choices to work with in the editing room so they can tell your story perfectly.
Post-Production and Editing
During the post-production and editing phase, the music video production company should review the raw footage taken on the shoot dates and carefully place it together to tell your story. They should also complete color correction, audio mixing that synchronizes your pre-recorded audio with the film footage, and any visual effects that may go into the video. If you have not yet professionally recorded the audio of your song for the music video, ask the production company what your options are. (For example, at Tiger House Films, we can arrange for this to be done during pre-production at a professional recording facility.)
Finalizing Your Music Video
At this stage, the music video production company should present you with a rough draft of your music video and make sure you are satisfied with the finished product. A limited amount of tweaks are available for the initial production cost, and further edits can be negotiated on an hourly basis. Once the music video is approved and finalized, you should receive a finished copy on DVD or Blu-ray along with Full HD and Internet compression Quicktime files. Promotional clips of the music video may be provided upon request.
Thanks for stopping by the Tiger House Films blog, and we look forward to speaking with you about your music video production needs. In the mean time, check out some IMVDB Database music videos.