How to Shoot a Music Video on a Budget

You don’t need a huge budget to make a good music video.

I’ve always thought that one of the biggest mistakes artists make is assuming that a professional-looking music video requires an expensive camera, a giant crew, a bunch of actors, and ten different locations.

It doesn’t.

A bigger budget gives you more options, but having more options doesn’t automatically make the video better.

If you’re an independent artist working with a limited amount of money, the goal should be to spend your money on the things people will actually see.

A good concept, a good location, good lighting, strong performances, and a well-planned edit can take you a lot further than an expensive camera sitting on a tripod in a boring room.

Here’s how I would approach shooting a music video on a budget.

Start With the Idea

Before you worry about cameras, lenses, or locations, figure out what the video is actually supposed to be.

What’s the song about?

What does it feel like?

Is it aggressive?

Dark?

Funny?

Emotional?

Weird?

Minimal?

Chaotic?

Cinematic?

The visual style should have some connection to the music.

You don’t need a complicated story either.

A simple concept executed well is usually better than a complicated concept that you don’t have the resources to pull off.

If you have $500 to spend, don’t design a $10,000 music video.

Design a $500 music video that looks like it was supposed to cost $500.

You Don’t Need Ten Locations

One of the easiest ways to blow through a music video budget is trying to shoot everywhere.

Every location adds time.

Every location adds transportation.

Every location potentially adds permits or fees.

Every location requires setting up and breaking down equipment.

You can make an entire music video in one location if the location is interesting enough.

A warehouse.

A parking garage.

An empty building.

A street.

A basement.

A field.

A bedroom.

A studio.

Even an ordinary location can look completely different depending on how you light and frame it.

Instead of asking, “How many places can we shoot?”

Ask:

“How much can I get out of this one place?”

Use Lighting to Change the Location

This is one of the best tricks for making a small production feel bigger.

You can change the appearance of a location without actually changing locations.

Move the lights.

Change the colors.

Change the direction of the light.

Move the artist.

Change the lens.

Change the camera position.

Shoot toward a different wall.

Shoot close-ups that hide parts of the environment.

You can potentially get several completely different visual setups from the same physical location.

That’s much cheaper than driving across town every thirty minutes.

Don’t Spend Your Entire Budget on the Camera

This is probably the most common mistake I see people make.

Someone gets a few thousand dollars together for a music video and immediately wants to spend most of it renting the biggest camera they can find.

A camera matters.

But it’s not the only thing that matters.

I’d rather have:

• A reasonably good camera
• Good lenses
• Good lighting
• A good location
• Enough time to shoot
• A solid concept
• Good editing

than spend the entire budget on one expensive camera and have nothing left for everything else.

The camera records the image.

The production creates the image.

There’s a difference.

Use the Equipment You Already Have

If you already own a camera, lenses, lights, a gimbal, a tripod, or other equipment, use it.

Don’t feel like you have to rent an entirely different camera just because somebody online says it’s better.

Learn your equipment.

Know how your lenses look.

Know how your camera handles low light.

Know your autofocus.

Know your stabilization.

Know your picture profiles.

Knowing your gear can be much more valuable than constantly buying new gear.

Shoot at the Right Frame Rate

You don’t need to shoot everything at 60 FPS just because your camera can do it.

For a cinematic music video, 24 FPS can be a great foundation.

If you want slow motion, shoot specific shots at 60 FPS.

That gives you more flexibility without forcing the entire production into a higher frame rate.

It also gives you another visual tool during editing.

If you want to understand the differences between frame rates in more detail, check out my article on 24 FPS vs 30 FPS vs 60 FPS.

Plan Your Shots Before You Start

One of the cheapest things you can do is plan.

It costs nothing.

Before the shoot, figure out what shots you actually need.

For example:

• Wide performance shot
• Medium performance shot
• Close-up
• Moving shot
• Detail shots
• Environmental shots
• B-roll
• Slow-motion shots
• Experimental shots

You don’t necessarily need a massive storyboard.

Even a basic shot list can save you a huge amount of time.

And time is money.

If you show up without a plan and spend half the shoot figuring out what you’re doing, you’re wasting resources.

Shoot Multiple Performances

If you’re making a performance-based music video, don’t record the song one time and assume you’re done.

Shoot multiple full performances.

Change the camera angle.

Change the lighting.

Change the location within the environment.

Change the artist’s movement.

Change the energy.

Get different versions of the performance.

When you get into the edit, you’re going to be extremely happy that you did.

It gives you options.

Get More B-Roll Than You Think You Need

B-roll can save an edit.

Get shots of everything.

Hands.

Shoes.

Clothing.

Cars.

Buildings.

Street signs.

Objects.

Textures.

Lights.

People walking.

The environment.

Anything that fits the visual world of the song.

You may not know where you’ll use those shots while you’re filming.

That’s okay.

You’d rather have too much usable footage than realize during editing that you don’t have enough material to cover a transition.

Use Natural Light

Natural light is free.

That’s a pretty good deal.

You can get some incredible-looking footage just by paying attention to where the sun is and how it’s hitting your subject.

Golden hour can give you beautiful warm light.

Overcast weather can give you soft, even lighting.

Direct sunlight can create extremely hard shadows.

You don’t always need a giant lighting package.

Sometimes you just need to understand the light that’s already there.

The trick is learning how to position your subject relative to the light.

Find Interesting Light at Night

Night shoots can also be great for low-budget music videos.

Streetlights.

Storefronts.

Parking lots.

Gas stations.

Neon signs.

Car headlights.

Buildings.

Traffic.

City lights.

There are a lot of practical light sources around you that can become part of the production.

Instead of trying to recreate every light yourself, look for environments that already have interesting lighting.

Borrow or Rent What You Actually Need

If there’s one piece of equipment you genuinely need, consider borrowing or renting it instead of buying it.

Maybe you need:

• A specific lens
• A gimbal
• A particular light
• A fog machine
• A monitor
• A tripod
• A wireless microphone
• A specialty camera accessory

You don’t need to own every piece of equipment that you use.

Renting one important piece of equipment for a day can be much more affordable than buying something you’ll barely use.

Keep the Crew Small

A massive crew isn’t always necessary for an independent music video.

Depending on the production, you may be able to work with a very small team.

You might have:

• Director
• Camera operator
• Assistant
• Artist

One person can sometimes handle multiple roles.

The more complicated the production becomes, the more people you may need.

But if you’re shooting a simple performance video, there’s no reason to build a twenty-person production around it.

Use Wardrobe Strategically

You don’t necessarily need expensive costumes.

You need clothing that fits the visual concept.

Think about colors.

Textures.

Silhouettes.

Patterns.

Accessories.

Contrast.

If the location is visually complicated, simpler clothing might work better.

If the environment is plain, interesting clothing can help add visual information.

And if you’re shooting multiple setups, changing one or two pieces of clothing can help make footage from the same location feel different.

Don’t Forget Production Design

Production design doesn’t have to mean building an entire set.

It can be as simple as deciding what’s inside the frame.

Move things.

Remove distracting objects.

Add something interesting.

Change the background.

Use props.

Use practical lights.

Use furniture.

Use objects that connect to the song.

Sometimes cleaning up a background is more valuable than adding something to it.

Look through the camera before you start rolling.

Shoot for Social Media Too

If you’re already spending money to shoot a music video, think about what else you can get out of the shoot.

Don’t just shoot the three-minute music video.

Capture material for:

• Instagram Reels
• TikTok
• YouTube Shorts
• Behind-the-scenes videos
• Teasers
• Album artwork
• Promotional photographs
• YouTube thumbnails
• Artist announcements

You can even shoot dedicated vertical footage while you’re there.

One music video shoot can become a content production day.

That’s a much better use of your money than getting one finished video and never thinking about the footage again.

Don’t Cheap Out on the Edit

This is another area where people sometimes underestimate the work.

You can shoot incredible footage and ruin it in the edit.

The editor needs to understand the song.

They need to know when to cut.

They need to know when not to cut.

They need to match performances.

They need to keep the footage synchronized.

They need to work with the color.

They need to make the final video feel cohesive.

Editing is where the production actually becomes a finished piece.

Don’t think of it as the boring part that happens after filming.

It’s a huge part of the music video.

Color Grade the Footage

You don’t need an insane Hollywood color grade.

But your footage should look consistent.

Correct exposure.

Correct white balance.

Consistent skin tones.

Consistent colors.

Then develop the visual style.

Maybe that’s high contrast.

Maybe it’s desaturated.

Maybe it’s colorful.

Maybe it’s dark.

Maybe it’s warm.

Maybe it’s cold.

The grade should fit the music.

And remember: a LUT isn’t a replacement for color correction.

A LUT can be part of your workflow, but you still need to make the footage work.

Use Your Budget Where People Will Notice It

If you’re working with $500, you can’t afford to do everything.

That’s okay.

Figure out what matters most.

Maybe you spend money on the location.

Maybe you spend it on lighting.

Maybe you rent a specific lens.

Maybe you pay for a good editor.

Maybe you need a vehicle or production design.

Spend money on the things that will actually appear in the finished video.

Don’t spend money just because something sounds professional.

Example of a Low-Budget Music Video

Let’s say you’re an independent rapper with $750 to spend.

You could potentially build something like this:

Location: Free or very inexpensive

Camera: Equipment you already own

Lighting: Existing practical lights + inexpensive rental

Crew: Small

Shoot: One full production day

Editing: A significant portion of the budget

Color: Included with editing

Social clips: Created from the same footage

You don’t need to recreate a major-label production.

You need to make something that works.

The Biggest Budget-Saving Trick Is Planning

This is probably the most important thing in this entire article.

Plan the video before you shoot it.

Know what you’re doing.

Know what you need.

Know where you’re going.

Know what shots you need.

Know what equipment you need.

Know what time you’re shooting.

Know what footage needs to be captured at 24 FPS and what you want at 60 FPS.

Know what performances you need.

Know what you want the final edit to look like.

The more prepared you are, the less time you waste.

And wasted time is one of the easiest ways to turn a cheap music video into an expensive one.

You Don’t Need a Huge Budget to Make Something Good

I’ve always liked the idea of figuring out how to make something work with whatever resources are available.

That’s especially important for independent artists.

You probably aren’t working with a major-label budget.

That’s fine.

You don’t need one.

You need a concept that fits your resources.

You need people who know what they’re doing.

You need to use the location intelligently.

You need good lighting.

You need good performances.

You need enough footage.

And you need to actually care about the final edit.

A $500 music video with a great idea can be more memorable than a $20,000 music video with no personality.

The goal isn’t to make the most expensive video.

The goal is to make the best video you can with what you actually have.

That’s how you make a music video on a budget.

By Pop Hitchcock