How to Plan a Music Video

Bypophitchcock

A good music video usually starts with a good plan.

That doesn’t mean every music video needs a massive production schedule, a giant crew, or a 30-page treatment. Some of the best music videos are incredibly simple.

What matters is knowing what you’re trying to make before you start spending time and money making it.

I’ve found that music video planning is really about answering a few basic questions:

What is the video about?

What should it look like?

Where are we shooting?

What do we need?

How are we actually going to get it done?

Once those questions are answered, the rest of the production becomes much easier.

Start With the Song

The song should be the starting point.

Listen to it repeatedly before you start planning the visuals.

Pay attention to the structure and the changes throughout the track.

Listen for:

  • Intro
  • Verse
  • Chorus
  • Bridge
  • Beat switch
  • Instrumental sections
  • Vocal changes
  • Drops
  • Outros
  • Major lyrical moments

Think about the personality of the song.

Is it dark?

Aggressive?

Melancholic?

Funny?

Chaotic?

Atmospheric?

Experimental?

Minimal?

The video doesn’t necessarily need to literally represent the lyrics.

Instead, think about what world the song belongs in.

That can give you a much stronger starting point for the visual concept.

Decide What You Want the Video to Accomplish

Before choosing locations or buying equipment, figure out what the video is actually supposed to do.

Maybe the goal is simply to create an interesting visual representation of the song.

Maybe you’re trying to introduce a new artist.

Maybe you’re promoting an album.

Maybe you’re building an artist’s visual identity.

Maybe you’re creating something specifically designed for YouTube.

Maybe you want a video that can be broken down into dozens of short-form clips.

The purpose of the video can influence the way you plan it.

For example, if you know you’ll need vertical clips for social media, you can intentionally capture some shots that will still work when cropped vertically.

Planning for the final use of the footage is important.

Choose the Type of Music Video

There are a lot of different ways to approach a music video.

Performance Video

The artist performs the song directly to camera.

This is one of the simplest formats and can still be extremely effective when the cinematography and location are strong.

Narrative Video

The song is accompanied by a story.

The artist may or may not appear as a performer.

Conceptual Video

Instead of telling a traditional story, the video is built around an idea, visual theme, or atmosphere.

Experimental Video

This can involve unusual editing, abstract imagery, strange locations, unconventional camera work, or other techniques that don’t fit neatly into a traditional format.

Hybrid Video

You can combine all of these.

For example, you might have performance footage as the foundation while building a loose narrative around it.

There’s no requirement to choose only one approach.

Develop the Main Concept

Once you understand the song, figure out the central visual idea.

It doesn’t have to be complicated.

A concept could be:

An artist performs throughout an abandoned industrial building while the lighting and environment become increasingly chaotic.

Or:

An artist moves through different locations that represent different sections of the song.

Or:

The entire video takes place in one room, but the lighting, wardrobe, and camera movement constantly change.

Those are enough to start planning.

The concept gives the rest of the production a direction.

Build a Visual Style

Once you have the concept, think about how it should look.

Consider:

  • Color
  • Lighting
  • Camera movement
  • Lens choice
  • Locations
  • Wardrobe
  • Composition
  • Editing
  • Production design
  • Texture

You can make a simple moodboard with reference images.

You don’t need to copy another artist’s music video.

Use references to communicate things like:

“I want this lighting.”

“I want this kind of environment.”

“I want the camera to move like this.”

“I want this color palette.”

Visual references can make communication much easier.

Set Your Budget

Budget affects almost every other decision.

Before planning a huge production, figure out what you can realistically spend.

Your budget might include:

  • Camera equipment
  • Lighting
  • Locations
  • Crew
  • Transportation
  • Props
  • Wardrobe
  • Food
  • Makeup
  • Production design
  • Editing
  • Color grading
  • VFX
  • Insurance
  • Storage
  • Music licensing if applicable

You don’t need to spend a fortune to make a good music video.

But you do need to know what resources you actually have.

Don’t Build a $10,000 Idea With a $500 Budget

This is one of the biggest planning mistakes.

If you have a small budget, design the concept around what you can realistically accomplish.

A simple concept executed extremely well can be much more effective than a massive concept where every part of the production feels underfunded.

Instead of asking:

“How can I make this look expensive?”

ask:

“How can I make this look intentional?”

That’s a much more useful question.

Choose Your Locations

Location is one of the biggest parts of the visual identity.

Think about what environments actually fit the song.

Potential locations include:

  • Warehouses
  • Parking garages
  • Streets
  • Forests
  • Apartments
  • Studios
  • Rooftops
  • Businesses
  • Industrial spaces
  • Empty lots
  • Homes
  • Downtown areas
  • Natural landscapes

You don’t necessarily need multiple locations.

One great location can carry an entire music video.

Scout Your Locations Before Shooting

If possible, visit the location before production.

Don’t rely entirely on photographs.

Look at:

  • Lighting
  • Power
  • Backgrounds
  • Noise
  • Space
  • Parking
  • Accessibility
  • Weather exposure
  • Available practical lights
  • Time-of-day changes

Think about how the location will actually work with your camera and crew.

A location can look incredible in a photograph and be extremely difficult to shoot in.

Get Permission

If you’re shooting somewhere you don’t own, make sure you’re allowed to film there.

Private properties, businesses, buildings, parks, and other locations may have different rules.

Depending on the production, you may also need to consider:

  • Crew size
  • Lighting equipment
  • Tripods
  • Vehicles
  • Drones
  • Special effects
  • Noise
  • Operating hours

Figure this out before the shoot.

Decide Who Needs to Be There

You don’t necessarily need a giant crew.

For a small independent music video, you might have:

  • Artist
  • Director
  • Cinematographer
  • Camera operator
  • Assistant
  • Lighting person
  • Makeup artist
  • Production assistant

One person can also fill multiple roles.

The important thing is knowing who is responsible for what.

If you’re doing most of the production yourself, write down the different jobs you’ll have to handle.

It is much easier to manage a shoot when you know what you’re responsible for before you arrive.

Decide What Camera You’ll Use

Your camera should support the production rather than determine the entire production.

Think about:

  • Resolution
  • Frame rate
  • Dynamic range
  • Low-light performance
  • Autofocus
  • Lens options
  • Stabilization
  • Recording format
  • Storage requirements

A mirrorless camera can produce excellent music videos.

You don’t need a dedicated cinema camera just because you’re making a professional-looking video.

Good lighting, composition, locations, movement, and editing can matter much more than the name written on the camera.

Choose Your Lenses

Lens selection should be part of the planning process.

Wide lenses are useful for:

  • Environmental shots
  • Large locations
  • Close perspective
  • Dynamic movement

Normal focal lengths are useful for:

  • Performance
  • Medium shots
  • Natural perspectives

Telephoto lenses are useful for:

  • Close-ups
  • Compression
  • Isolating the artist
  • Detail shots

Think about how the lens affects the feeling of the shot.

Don’t choose lenses simply because they’re technically impressive.

Choose them because they support the image.

Plan the Lighting

Lighting should be considered before production day.

Ask:

Where is the light coming from?

What should the artist look like?

What should the background look like?

Where should the shadows fall?

What colors should be present?

You may need a full lighting setup.

Or you might only need natural light and a small LED.

It depends on the concept.

The important thing is having a plan.

Plan the Wardrobe

Wardrobe is part of cinematography.

Think about how the artist’s clothing will interact with:

  • Backgrounds
  • Lighting
  • Color palette
  • Location
  • Movement
  • Other people

If the artist is wearing black clothing in a nearly black environment, they may disappear.

If the background is extremely colorful and the wardrobe is equally colorful, there may not be enough separation.

Sometimes that is exactly what you want.

The point is to make the decision intentionally.

Plan the Performance

If the artist is performing the song, figure out how you want the performances to work.

You may want:

  • Wide performance
  • Medium performance
  • Close-up
  • Handheld performance
  • Gimbal performance
  • Static performance
  • Low-angle performance
  • Side profile
  • Walking performance

Don’t rely on one take.

Get multiple complete performances from different perspectives.

That gives you much more freedom during editing.

Create a Shot List

Once you know the concept, locations, and performance style, build a shot list.

It can be as simple as:

Location 1

  • Wide establishing shot
  • Wide performance
  • Medium performance
  • Close-up
  • Tracking shot
  • Detail shots

Location 2

  • Wide
  • Handheld performance
  • Side profile
  • Low angle
  • Slow motion
  • Environmental B-roll

Final Section

  • Experimental shots
  • Performance close-ups
  • Detail shots
  • Ending shot

You don’t have to follow it perfectly.

It’s there to make sure you don’t leave the shoot thinking:

“Fuck, we forgot to get that shot.”

Plan the Video Around the Song

A music video should have some kind of visual progression.

Think about what happens as the song develops.

For example:

Intro

Establish the environment.

Verse

Introduce the artist.

Chorus

Increase the visual energy.

Second Verse

Change the location or camera style.

Beat Switch

Completely change the visual language.

Final Chorus

Use the strongest performance footage.

Outro

End on a memorable image.

This is just one possible structure.

The point is to give the video progression.

Plan Your Camera Movement

Think about how the camera should behave.

Should it be:

  • Static?
  • Handheld?
  • Smooth?
  • Fast?
  • Slow?
  • Erratic?
  • Circular?
  • Tracking?
  • Locked down?

A gimbal isn’t automatically better than handheld.

A tripod isn’t automatically more cinematic.

The movement should fit the song and the moment.

Decide Where You Want Slow Motion

If you know you want slow motion, plan it before shooting.

Shoot the necessary sections at a higher frame rate.

For example:

60 FPS → approximately 1/120 shutter

when you’re working from a 24 FPS project and want smooth half-speed footage.

You don’t need to shoot everything at 60 FPS.

Save it for moments where slowing down the action actually adds something.

Think About the Edit Before Shooting

This is one of the most important parts of planning a music video.

You should have at least a rough idea of how the footage will be edited.

Think about:

  • Where cuts might happen
  • Which sections need more coverage
  • Where the energy changes
  • Where you might use slow motion
  • Where you might use B-roll
  • Where a location change could happen
  • Where a visual effect might occur

You don’t have to know the final edit.

You just need enough of a plan to capture the footage you’ll need.

Shoot More Than You Think You’ll Need

You don’t want to finish a shoot and realize you have almost no options.

Get multiple angles.

Get multiple performances.

Get details.

Get environmental shots.

Get unusual shots.

Get different focal lengths.

Get different camera movements.

Once you’ve captured your essential footage, experiment.

Some of the best shots can come from simply trying something that wasn’t originally planned.

Create a Production Schedule

Once everything is planned creatively, figure out the actual logistics.

For example:

12:00 PM — Crew arrival

12:30 PM — Lighting setup

1:00 PM — Location 1

1:30 PM — Wide performance

2:30 PM — Close-up performance

3:30 PM — B-roll

4:00 PM — Location change

4:30 PM — Second location

6:00 PM — Golden-hour shots

7:00 PM — Night sequence

8:00 PM — Wrap

The exact schedule depends on the production.

The important thing is giving yourself realistic amounts of time.

Give Yourself Extra Time

Don’t schedule every minute.

Equipment takes time to set up.

People take time to move between locations.

Lighting takes time.

Things go wrong.

You might discover something you want to shoot that wasn’t planned.

Leave room for that.

A little extra time can make a huge difference.

Prepare Your Equipment

The day before the shoot, check everything.

Camera

  • Camera body
  • Lenses
  • Batteries
  • Chargers
  • Memory cards
  • Tripod
  • Gimbal
  • ND filters
  • Cleaning supplies

Lighting

  • Lights
  • Stands
  • Batteries
  • Diffusion
  • Reflectors
  • Extension cords
  • Power strips

Production

  • Shot list
  • Schedule
  • Location information
  • Wardrobe
  • Props
  • Playback device
  • Song file

Don’t wait until you’re standing at the location to find out you forgot something.

Prepare the Music Playback

If the artist is performing, make sure the song is ready for playback.

Use the exact version you’re planning to edit with whenever possible.

Make sure the artist can hear it clearly.

You should also know where the song starts and how you’re going to synchronize the performance footage during editing.

Good playback makes performance shooting much easier.

Plan Your Data Management

This gets overlooked constantly.

If you’re shooting a lot of 4K footage, you’re going to generate a lot of data.

Before shooting, decide:

  • Where footage will be stored
  • Where it will be backed up
  • How files will be organized
  • What gets copied first
  • What your working drive will be
  • What your backup drive will be

Don’t treat the memory card as your permanent archive.

Get the footage backed up as soon as practical.

Plan for Social Media

A music video isn’t necessarily just one piece of content anymore.

You can potentially get:

  • YouTube video
  • YouTube Shorts
  • Instagram Reels
  • TikTok clips
  • Behind-the-scenes footage
  • Photos
  • Teasers
  • Trailers
  • Album artwork
  • Promotional stills

Think about this before shooting.

If you know you’re going to need vertical content, capture footage that can survive a vertical crop.

You can also intentionally shoot some vertical footage during production.

Have a Backup Plan

Things happen.

A location can become unavailable.

The weather can change.

Equipment can fail.

Someone can get sick.

A business can close.

You don’t need a backup plan for every possible disaster.

But you should have alternatives for the things that could completely stop production.

For example:

Primary location → Backup location

Outdoor shoot → Indoor alternative

Natural light → Artificial lighting option

Gimbal → Handheld/tripod

Good planning isn’t assuming everything will go perfectly.

It’s being prepared when it doesn’t.

Let the Plan Change

Once you’re on set, don’t become a slave to the shot list.

If you discover an amazing location, use it.

If the sunlight suddenly looks incredible, shoot it.

If the artist comes up with a better idea, try it.

If an accidental moment looks better than the planned shot, don’t ignore it.

The plan is there to give you direction.

It isn’t there to prevent creativity.

A Simple Music Video Planning Workflow

If I had to reduce the entire process down to a basic workflow, I’d do this:

1. Listen to the song

Understand the structure and mood.

2. Define the purpose

Know what the video needs to accomplish.

3. Choose the format

Performance, narrative, conceptual, experimental, or a combination.

4. Create the concept

Figure out the central visual idea.

5. Build the visual style

Choose colors, locations, lighting, lenses, wardrobe, and movement.

6. Set the budget

Know what resources you actually have.

7. Scout locations

Find places that support the concept.

8. Build the crew

Decide who needs to be involved.

9. Create the shot list

Make sure you have enough coverage.

10. Create the schedule

Give yourself realistic production time.

11. Prepare equipment

Check cameras, batteries, cards, lighting, and everything else.

12. Shoot the essential footage

Get complete performances and important shots first.

13. Experiment

Once you have coverage, try things.

14. Back everything up

Protect the footage.

15. Edit around the song

Use the structure and energy of the music to shape the final video.

Final Thoughts

Planning a music video doesn’t mean removing the spontaneity from the process.

It’s the opposite.

When you know your locations, equipment, schedule, shot list, lighting, and general creative direction, you don’t have to spend the entire shoot solving basic problems.

You can actually focus on making something interesting.

You also don’t need a huge budget to plan a music video properly.

You need a good idea, realistic expectations, enough preparation, and an understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish.

A simple music video that is thoughtfully planned can be much more effective than an enormous production that was never properly organized.

Plan the important stuff. Leave room for the unexpected. Then go make the video.

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