It is time to take the first step in creating a music video and that step is BRAINSTORMING. If you don’t know where to start and your creative juices are not flowing, here are some things you can think about to start. When I am listening to a song, I start to imagine scenes in my head based on how the song is making me feel. I am visualizing how someone may be dancing based on the beat of the song. I am visualizing the general setting of a video based on if the song is dreary or uplifting. I think we have all sat in the car, listened to music, and imagined ourselves in a music video. At least I have. Your imagination can come up with so many scenarios. Be creative! How does the song you are using make you feel and what does it make you think about? Take that idea and make it live. As a musician, the music you create usually has some type of emotional connection to you. Does the subject matter in your song create a story or has a message? Inject that subject matter into your video like a movie. For example, Eminem (Marshall Mathers) has a song called ‘Stan’. The song is about a obsessive fan named Stan, who gets so upset that Eminem never notices him and ends up killing himself, along with his pregnant wife. It is very graphic, I know. The production and display of this song in the music video was portrayed so beautifully it was like watching a short movie. You cannot listen to ‘Stan’ and not think of the music video. They were made for each other. The ‘Stan’ music video won ‘Video Of The Year’ in 2001 at the ‘BET Awards’. If you are a band and you want to display how you may perform live, do live concert music videos. Even if you are a small band that only plays small local shows, collect as much footage of you playing as you can. You could even do an old school shot of your band playing in a garage. Write down all your ideas for scenes and plots.
What ideas come to mind when you are listening to your favorite song? How could you recreate that idea in a video?
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