Creating Music Videos On A Budget

With the advancement in technology it is easier than ever for a musician to be in complete control of their career. One aspect that has become even more accessible is creating your own music videos.

Before you would have to be signed and have financial backing to create a decent music video, but now it can be as simple as having a good idea and a decent camera to create one yourself. Doing it yourself can be a real experiment in trial and error for many artists. It’s not an easy thing to do, but if you can find a way to make it work for you then it can be a very rewarding experience.

There are two places to start with a music video: idea and budget. Having a great idea and learning how to shape that idea around what is readily accessible to you is an important thing to learn. You don’t have to create a big grand idea to get your point across and sometimes being simple is the best way to move forward. If you’re starting out, not throwing all your ideas into one video can be the best thing to do. It will give you the space to let potential fans see who you are as an artist and it can give your song breathing room. So picking an idea, and then sitting down to figure out how much money you have to work with is vital to creating a video.

It helps to keep a notebook of ideas with you, especially as the idea begins to grow, you can sketch things out and work out how to get your idea going. It can help you with removing details that are too extravagant and too costly and help keep your ideas flowing together. Talking with other artists or people who have an ear for music and insight for viewing something cool will be vital. It can help keep everyone involved happy, and sometimes it can help to push the video forward maybe into another direction that will work even better.

What also helps it to ask yourself about what you want the video to portray. Is it an emotional aspect or a political statement? Do you have a specific image in mind when you listen to it, or is more abstract? It’s important for you to know what imagery you want to accompany the video. Sit down and listen to your song several times with your eyes closed, what goes through your head when you listen to it? That can be a great exercise to do especially if you get stuck at any point.

The other side of making a video is actually making the video. Figuring out how you can do that. Do you know people who can film and/or edit? Do you want to do it all yourself? It’s important to know how you want to physically make the video. If you’re having people help you, figuring out the financial side of that will help with your budgeting. If you’re doing it yourself it’s a great idea to practice and do figure out how you best work with filming and editing.

Anyway you decide to make the video and how to best show the world who you are as an artist is all about experimentation. Don’t be afraid to try something new and to experiment with different things. It helps you find who you are an artist, and you can be surprised at what you can find. You may find a new way of working on a song or collaborating with someone that pushes your work further than you could have thought.

Affordable Camera To Shoot Music Videos:

MiniDV is currently the most popular format for consumer digital camcorders. MiniDV camcorders are typically more affordable than their HDD and DVD counterparts.  A good MiniDV should cost around $200. Each MiniDV tape will typically hold an hour of footage at normal recording speed and quality. MiniDV tapes are available for purchase at not only electronic and camera stores, but also at drugs stores and grocery stores, making them easy to find while your on vacation. There are literally hundreds of MiniDV camcorders available; both in standard and high-definition. And add the fact that to get a HD camcorder that could produce better video quality footage, one would have to spend in excess of $3500 for that camcorder that could produce higher quality video.

Written By: Jay Brown