Ten Steps/Tips to Making a Music Video

We were given an article that told us the ten steps to making a music video at A level which was written by Pete Fraser - below is the ten steps summarised;

1. Research - It's best to always research into other works and other music videos to get ideas for your own, it's also a better way to get acquainted with what a music video actually is, after all, it's not just some visuals with a song, does it have a narrative? Is it trying to tell a story? Music videos have try to sell both the artist and the song to the public and be worthy of many replays.
2. Getting into a group - This is thinking about who you will work with for this project and is quite a crucial decision. Many question whether it's best to work with your friends which may not always be the case as there are many distractions when it comes to working with friends and such. If you do though, it's best to exchange numbers to get quick contact with one another so there's no excuse as to turning up late and such.
3. Choosing a track - If a teacher has decided on what song to use for the music video, then that's the hardest part out of the way but if not, then it's best not to choose your favourite song so you don't get annoyed with it in the long run, after all, it's going to be repeated several times and you're bound to get annoyed of it after a while. But it's also best not to pick a song that you hate since you'll most likely get more annoyed at it than ever before and feel like quitting, it's often best to pick one that's not your favourite and not you most hated one as you won't have much of an attachment to the song itself.
4. The pitch - Even if your teachers haven't set a date for such or anything, be prepared to pitch for the track you have chosen. This usually includes a single page of ideas which are simply expressed and would enable anyone reading it to make it simpler and not get confused about much. The pitch is part of your planning and will be a useful document to look back on when it comes to writing and reflecting on what has and hasn't changed in the long run.
5. Look at previous students work - Looking back on these will make it easier to think about what you can achieve as well as you'll be looking at material from a similar context to your own. Yet previous students work should give ideas on not only what would work well in a music video but also what to not include/do, for example;
   1 . Don't use well-known songs
   2. Overdone effects which shouldn't be used to disguise bad footage
   3. Aimless driving around
   4. Scenes that involve things like booze, fags or drugs (even simulated)
   5. Shots of people just walking around
   6. Sped up footage or footage that rewinds backwards due to lack of material
   7. Zooms, can get annoying if overused
   8. "Found footage" - it should only be your own unless there's an exceptionally good reason.
   9. Atmosphere-less stage footage (remember to keep trying to create an atmosphere)
   10. Over the top stories (this isn't a tv drama!)
   Though you should be able to find good parts through looking at previous students work like; consistency through to the end - a clear sense of genre and artist - well-shot footage - a powerful performance-  a good simple effective idea - judicious cutting.
6. Planning and shooting - Keeping track of your time is crucial to say the least as there's a deadline and it's best to keep on top of your own work in order to make good progress in your work. It's often noted that it's best for students to be under pressure as they work quicker and often achieve good results, so it's best to keep in mind of your deadline for your work. There's also storyboarding, it's best to storyboard your work to plan ahead of it all, gather your props, find a good location, arrange make-up and costumes of your crew and those who are performing. It helps you to remember if you've forgotten anything needed. The last thing, which is a definite must, check that the tape is in the camera, check if it's the right one and make sure you can shoot the work - making sure you know all the basic controls and that the tripod, if you use one, is working specifically for the shoot. Make sure to remember other basic things like; is the camera batteries fully charged? Do you have the correct lighting? Don't forget your music or, if you do, make sure you have a back-up source. Keep checking your footage early on and put it onto a device which you know will be safe for the footage to stay on.
7. Editing - Load your footage into the editing program and this needs to be done properly/sensibly as it's quite important, don't just leave your computer on as there's obviously those few people who will mess about with it but also remember to look at your footage straight away after uploading it to the computer. This is so you can get rid of any unnecessary footage instantly and get on with you work when it comes round to editing it properly later. Naming your files is quite important as it keeps it easier to maintain your work and find it later. Do not use over the top effects, use them sparingly and in a planned fashion so you do not go over your time as well as to make it so that it doesn't look tacky. Line up your material for lip synching as that's quite an important thing to do for when it comes to music videos as it can also be seen as the hardest part of the entire project, especially when it won't line up correctly. You must always expect to make compromises as not everything can go your way.
8. Screening and feedback - There will be a time when your product will be showed to others, so expect questions and feedback, or even ask your audience for feedback if they don't give you any, always ask about for improvements for your work and try to get other forms of feedback too. This can include having a copy of it in order to get more people to view your work which means you can always ask for more and more advice on how to improve it.
9. Writing - When it comes to the writing side of it all, follow the guidelines provided to you by your teacher and don't try to fill your writing with excuses like blaming the equipment or the people you worked with. This will not get you any marks, you should focus on covering things like;
   - Covering the whole process
   - Use technical language where needed
   - Include your feedback and comments on the work
   - Place your video in relation tot he industry (for example, what is it for?)
   - Relate it to real examples and their conventions
   - Include an analysis of the finished product using the tools you would use to analyse the real examples
10. Marking - This is the part that you do not need to worry about, just leave it to your teachers!