Plan out your music video. Stop motion is traditionally made with clay figures, but the process can be made with anything including toys, Legos, humans and essentially any props. Write a brief treatment of what you want to feature in your music video.
Create a list of any props and sets you may need to create for your project. If you want to create a small band set, find miniature instruments and music accessories for a unique set that looks almost real if properly planned.
Storyboard your project. This includes all the camera angles and every scene for the music video. A music video is, on average, around three minutes long. That equals some 5,220 different photos you need to take in order to fill up at least three minutes of footage, as each second of final video requires at least 29 pictures.
Create the props, characters and sets so that you can run a rehearsal of the music video. You do not need to create every framed movement, but you should do a run-through of movements and positions to plan out your final taped segments.
Set up your equipment. For a music video, you will need a professional digital camera, a tripod, multiple camera-memory cards and a laptop to view the footage. A few lights will also make the look of your video more professional. Extra people will help make the production move smoothly and quickly. The extra people help position all of the different characters in the production, man the cameras and control the lights.
Begin taping your production. This is the longest process in the production because each frame can take a long time to set up. Follow your script and storyboards to make sure everything is being taped according to plan. If a mistake is made, you may need to start again, so using multiple takes from multiple cameras can prevent technical errors.
Upload the footage to your computer, using an external hard drive to help save space. Sort the pictures by scene, take and angle. This will leave you with dozens of folders, but it will make the editing process a lot faster.
Edit your project. Work on one scene at a time. Import all of the photos into a video editor's timeline using chronological order. Before adding audio or effects, render the photos to real time. Render all of the photos together by exporting the video and then increase the speed of the rendered video clip using the video editor's effects. Test out different speeds until you achieve the one you like the best.
Add all of the rendered clips into one complete project. Now is when you can actually use the footage to edit for the music video. Import the music file that you are editing with. Add this file to the editing timeline. This will help you match sounds and beats to different cuts and editing points.
Because static shots will become boring, use as many different cuts and shots as possible. By mixing angles, the animation will look more authentic and real (live-action music videos usually feature multiple shots).
Finalize your project with any effects and titles. Preview your project to check the flow and catch any awkward moments. Use a motion blur effect to make the animation look smoother. Most editing programs feature this tool and it can overlay the whole production.