Thinking of music video production? How about making a music video that can captivate your audience? Though it’s a great idea, however, for giving it a professional look you have to take care of the techniques than the tools. The good news is that you can make very impressive and professional-looking videos if you keep in mind some simple tips and tricks.
Some final Do’s and Don’ts:
Using a lot of light:
Lighting can turn the ballgame for you. It completely transforms the quality of your music video and gives it a very professional look. In case the light is not properly placed, then the video could look sloppy. However, this doesn’t mean you always need a lot of money for doing this. Sun is the best natural light source to make a video. It’s a good idea to do your filming in natural light in the morning or evening, as the light is softer at that time. But in case of artificial lights, ensure that the subject is illuminated or brightened by using a bright light that should be behind the person.Always have a clean background:
You should be careful about the background you decide to use for filming your video. A cluttered background can be very distracting so if you want a professional look for your music video, you must remember to use some solid-coloured background and ensure that your subject is standing many steps away from your backdrop so that there are no shadows on it. You must also check your video recording studio and take care not to shoot with a window in the backdrop as it can be reflective and can ruin the effect of your shoot.Remember the rule of thirds:
If you are doing film composition or music video production, you must remember the basic principle - the rule of thirds. Visualize a 3-by-3 grid laying over the landscape or frame you’re filming. Rather than positioning your subject exactly in the middle of the shot, you must place the subject along one of the grid lines. It should ideally be one of the points where two lines intersect, as those points are very strong areas of focus.Use the landscape mode for recording:
The first thing to make your videos look professional is to shoot using the landscape mode. Though portrait or vertical modes are fine in case the videos are to be seen on phone only. But if your audience will watch it on their laptop, TV, tablet, or any other device, then its orientation would jump out and look very clumsy. Also, the landscape mode has a wider frame, so more can fit into it.Shooting from various angles:
Another easy way is to cut from one angle to another to bring in some visual interest to your music videos. This technique is very beneficial in case you’re doing a product demo, how-to video, etc. You must also remember another tip; when you are changing perspectives, you should shift by a minimum of 45 degrees. If you shift lesser than that, then the intended effect won’t be created.Opt for a high-quality video editing software:
A suitable and good-quality video editing program can assist you in transforming your raw shoot into a polished and professional-looking finished product. Though simple tools such as Wave.video, Camtasia and iMovie are available, you could opt for something more professional like Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premier Pro.Some final Do’s and Don’ts:
- Don’t use excessive zoom: Zooming too much often looks cliché in the final editing. Mostly, only well-trained and experienced professionals who have very steady hands can pull this off.
- Avoid using extra special effects: It's advisable to use a few special effects in the video to create a certain kind of feel you want, instead of using too many effects to make a video look exciting.
- Add a zing with some sound effects: Your music video could be enhanced by using some sound effects. For example, if your music video shows someone walking on a street, then you can add the sound of footsteps at the beginning of the video.