A Guide to Choosing Best Music Video Equipment

Shooting a music video can be exciting, but it can also be somewhat overwhelming for filmmakers and musicians new to the process. If you're unfamiliar with music video shoots and aren't sure how to approach them, you're likely asking, "what equipment do I need to make a music video?" To effectively put your music video together, there are several pieces of music video equipment that can help you produce and edit your videos.

Why is it important to have the right equipment?

Music videos tend to be more stylistic than other types of productions, with meticulous planning needed to get timing right along with numerous dynamic angles and quick cuts that keep viewers engaged. As such, there are several key pieces of equipment needed to shoot a music video and put it together in post-production.

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How to choose music video equipment

A lot of the same equipment you would use for other types of videos will be useful for shooting music videos. Some equipment to consider includes:

Music video cameras

Of course, the cameras you use will dictate the overall quality of your videos. For many music videos, you may need multiple cameras to capture a variety of angles, which will come in handy when editing. There are many types of cameras you can use for music videos, including camcorders, action cameras, cinema cameras, and DSLRs, but it's best to use the same type of camera for each shot for consistency. Also, consider which cameras are most affordable without compromising quality.

Music video lighting equipment

For music videos, lighting is one of the most important considerations. Depending on the tone of the music featured in the video, you'll want to choose appropriate lighting that complements it. You may opt for natural daylight and shooting at particular times of day, or you may film on a closed set with carefully composed lighting. In some cases, you may use both, filming at dawn or dusk with some additional artificial lighting. In any case, you'll want to find the right music video lighting equipment that helps you achieve the perfect look and feel for your videos. You may also use the three-point lighting system, which would consist of a key light, fill light, and backlight, along with a possible fourth background light.

Music player

Oftentimes, musicians lip sync while shooting a music video, in which case having a music player on hand can help make this more natural and accurate. A music player can also help with editing, giving the editor context for specific shots during post-production as they can hear the song when synced with the footage.

Headphones

A good pair of headphones can also help monitor the sound throughout the shoot. If musicians are performing live as opposed to simply lip-syncing, headphones can make it easier to accurately gauge sound quality and consistency. Consider getting professional headphones with a combination of noise cancellation features and comfort.

Multi-cam software

Once you've finished shooting your music video, another piece of equipment needed for music video production is reliable video editing software. It's best to have software that includes a wide range of editing features to give you complete control over your production. However, it's also vital to have multi-cam software for many of these productions if you film from multiple cameras to capture different angles. Multi-cam software such as VideoStudio can make it easy to record and organize footage from multiple cameras. With VideoStudio, you can easily import footage from two or more cameras and edit it with a variety of pro-grade features.

Conclusion

With all of this equipment behind your music videos, you'll be able to achieve perfection with your next project. Keep in mind the kind of budget you're working with, and know that you can always upgrade to even better setups as you develop your skills and grow your budget.

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