Theme
Your song has a vibe. It might be hopeful, sad, happy, angry, excited, etc. First, you need to identify your song’s vibe. What are you rapping or singing about? Is it funny? Is it mean?
What kind of song is it? Upbeat or slow? Understanding the answers to these questions about your song is very important.
If you’re struggling with this part, listen to the song and try to just pay attention how it makes you feel. How does it make you feel while it is playing? Does it make you feel sad? Does it make you feel happy? Does it make you laugh? Once you’ve identified the “feeling” or “vibe” of the song, write it down. It should be one word, the simplest way you can say it. here are some examples: “Happy” “Sad” “Hyped up” “Chill.”
This “vibe” will help you make major decisions about what the video looks like. In a way, the vibe of the song becomes the theme of the video. For example, if it’s a sad song, it should be a sad video. This will help the audience remember your song. Have you ever heard the phrase, “People will forget what you said and did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel?” These words apply to making videos as well.
Videos are pieces of content which have the ability to make people feel a certain way. All videos create specific feelings in the people viewing them. For your video to make more of an impact, it helps for the audio and visual aspects of the video to correspond with each other.
The shots in the video, when they support the message of the song, make a video much more memorable in the brain of the viewer. That’s why it’s important to find the “bigger picture” of your video.
Once that bigger picture is in place, you will use several “smaller pictures” – actual shots, locations, wardrobe, lighting, props – to support and make the “bigger picture” come to life.
This process is called “development” and nothing can start on your project without it. Many projects spend years in development. this part might come easy to you, it might not.
No matter what, take your time to really see in your mind the flavor of the video you’ll make, as it relates to the song. Once you’ve found your theme, you can use it to make the rest of your decisions about the video.