Pre-production planning is essential to creating a professional looking music video. Plan out what kind of music video you would like to make. Do you want to go with the latest trend in music videos, or do you want to create a music video that has never been done before? Plan out what the central focus of your video will be, as most acclaimed videos will have some sort of theme or motif that will weave the piece together. If you want to tell a story, storyboard so that you have a flow of action and continuity. If you want concert footage, plan when and how you'll get the necessary shots.
Many people think that a shaky camera is in. However, consider your options before going hand-held; if done incorrectly, a hand-held camera can expose an amateur production immediately, and make the audience motion sick. Smoothly moving camera motions can make your shots much more interesting. Jarring, abrupt movements with the camera will ruin your work if consistently used.
When filming a music video, make sure you have complete coverage on multiple items, such as close ups on faces, instruments or even props for motifs you wish to emphasize. These will make your editing process much more creative, and allow for the quick cuts required to make an interesting music video.
The editing process may be the most important step in the process of music video production. Done correctly, this will make your music video an instant hit; done incorrectly, it will bore your audience.
To prevent this, you will want to cut on the rhythm without making the rhythm predictable. Pace your video to the music's rhythm, but don't cut on every beat or your video might end up looking more like a slide show.
Inserted shots and cutaways can add depth to your production. A faraway shot of your band or singer may look nice for a second, but immediately cutting into a close up of the emotion on their face can jolt the audience and add visual excitement. Likewise, if an important prop or motif comes into the frame, cutting to a close up of it can instantly add importance to that item, a detail that would be lost without the inserted close up shot.