2. How are music videos generally made?
What is the production process?
The 3 stages in which a music video is made are:
■ 1. Pre-Production: In the music industry, the first thing to do is to choose a production company which the record
label, managers etc. know will produce a good video. It also includes hiring the crew and building/planning sets. In this
stage there should also be a story board in mind with a structured plan of how it will be made. This should be
discussed with the crew and production company.This could take several months to get right and have several
meetings with everyone involved. Then the budget is made in order to restrict certain things.
■ 2. At this stage more crew will be hired to help with the production of the video, and then once they know everything
is in place, filming will begin. Hundreds of takes will be taken so that they have plenty of footage to work with and
create the video. Stills will also be taken and used if necessary.This is probably the most important part of the
production process, because if this part goes wrong then the entire video will go wrong and the video may not be
made.
■ 3. Post-production- The final stage is where the video is put together and edited. There would be a separate team of
crew who work in the graphics department who specialize in putting effects together and getting the lip syncing in
time with the music.The video will then be duplicated hundreds of times ready for different formats and also ready
for distribution. Parts of the video may also be used for advertising the video, as well as the stills they will use for
Digipaks.
3. What is the purpose of a music video for the
company/artist that makes them?
■ MusicVideos are a huge part of our visual language and of our consumption of music and
entertainment. Music on the Internet is listened to most of the time. So from a recording label
point of view, an artist needs something bigger than just a song to get noticed.They need
strong visuals in a video to give them a larger competitive advantage over other musicians.
Music videos form a large part of an artist’s platform and their presentation. When you can
stream music anywhere and everywhere, a music video is a focal point—it draws your attention
into the artist.
■ A video also connects an artist and a listener. In many ways, they are an important medium for
contemporary pop culture and technology. A music video is an advertisement for the not only
the song, but for the Artist too.They draw attention to the music the artist is creating and also
Illustrates the song. Music videos also appeal to a visual audience and enable an individual to
express emotions.They tell a story.
■ Videos also give the chance for the companies to earn more money as they are promoting a
‘brand’ that they make profit from if their music sells.
4. Famous music video Directors and why
they are successful in their craft
■ With the invention ofYouTube and the increasing affordability of camera equipment, music videos out
there have not only become deeper, but a lot harder to sift through. Many rising artists or wannabe’s on
YouTube upload Music videos in the hope they will be noticed, something of which has happened to stars
in the past, ‘Jessie J’ and ‘Justin Bieber’.
■ While more famous directors like Spike Jonze and David Fincher all made their names producing music
videos in their early years, the majority of today’s talent remains largely unknown to the public. Jonze
has a unique style to his filming. It may be his role as a big-budget movie director as well, but his videos
do have a cinematic feel.
■ While he’s more known for directing Hollywood blockbusters like Se7en and The Social Network, David
Fincher’s music video resume is pretty large as well. His work includes JustinTimberlake’s “Suit &Tie”,
Madonna’s “Vogue” and Aerosmith’s “Janie’s Got A Gun”.
■ Jake Nava’s work is definitely becoming prominent in the music video world too. His work includes
Beyoncé’s "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”, Adele’s “Someone LikeYou” and Usher’s “Burn”.
5. How much money is spent on the
average music video?
■ Many bands wrestle with the question of how much money a music video will cost, and
emerging filmmakers also struggle to know how much they should charge for their work.
The estimated producer and director fees are £500 – £1250/day per person and that’s
without the camera operators, equipment rental, lighting gear, costume, permits for
locations, actors etc.
■ David Bowie's video for the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes" was the first music video to exceed
the sum of $500,000. Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream", which is claimed to be the most
expensive music video ever made costing $7,000,000 in production fees.
■ The total cost to produce a professional music video can range
from £20,000 to £500,000 and up.There are a handful of music videos each year in the
seven-figure budget range, but those are exceptions in the overall market.
6. How do audiences access music videos?
Where can they be seen?
■ YouTube is the second biggest search engine and the largest streaming music service worldwide, so
discovering new music videos is easy.
■ TV remains one of the main ways for audiences to access music videos. Channels are dedicated to
broadcasting music videos with different genres to cater to all audiences. Popular channels like MTV are
still part of keeping music videos current.Vimeo provides HD videos that create platforms for artists and
content creators to share their work.
■ ITunes is a key part of the corporation, Apple.They sell singles, albums,TV programme's and movies at a
fee.This fee singles out small audiences that are prepared to pay these prices.The most successful music
videos for ITunes came from Beyoncé's self-titled album that featured 17 music videos which fans were
eager to purchase.The fees encourage illegal downloading or going to alternative streaming likeYouTube
or MTV to see music videos for free.
■ Music video success will depend on the platform on which they are shared on. Free streaming services like
YouTube andVimeo continue to increase their audience base which helps artists build their brand. It also
keeps music videos apart of the promotional package for artists.
