Your dream is creating a beautiful video and you have done it! Now it’s time for the final touches, the special effects, the editing, the final wrapping on your beautiful package. But can you do it all or is it time to enlist the help of a music video editor to get the perfect final product?
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The Important Components of A Video and a Music Video
People love watching videos. They just do. Whether it’s a music video or a video set to music, more and more people are spending time watching video. If someone watches your video that is fantastic. If more people watch it that’s even better. So having a compelling, captivating, shareable piece should be one of your goals. And if it’s a music video or not, having some sort of music is one component that makes it that much more successful.
But, there’s more to it. As Storyteller tells us, Video production is more than simply pressing the record button on your video camera. You’ve got three phases, pre-production, production, and post-production.
Pre-production
This is essentially the planning phase of making a video. You may not even touch your camera during this time. It’s a lot of, well, planning. According to the article above, you will probably work on these things:
- Video strategy/goals
- Budget/scope
- Story selection
- Project timeline
- Script creation
- Talent/characters
- Production team/equipment needs
- Location Scouting
This is when you’ll meet with your team, figure your budget and time frame, write the script, and find your talent. Because a good video needs those elements to be good. A video without some sort of script would be a mess and without talented characters or voices, you won’t be credible. You also need to know your budget and timeline or you’ll be in for unhappy surprises.
Production
This is the part most of us think about when we think about creating videos. This is the filming. The fun part! This is where you can bring your vision to life. Remember, a lot of what you film may be cut, so film extra and you can even try a couple of different styles to get the best shots.
Post-Production
This is where the magic happens. All of the pieces begin to come together. Your video gets edited and put back together. You find your music and special effects. You put that all together. But wait, is it getting a bit complicated and looking messy? This is where you may want to hire some help to get the most professional piece you can, and one person to help you out is a music video editor.
What Can a Music Video Editor Do For You?
We may automatically think music videos when we hear music and video together, but it’s so much more than that. Great videos incorporate music and that music helps tell the story, represent the brand, and elicit emotions. As Mynd says,
Music touches us, makes the moving images seem more romantic, more beautiful, or more interesting, and brings dynamism and mood to the video.
And a music video editor can help you incorporate just the right touches of music into your video. Sure, they can also help with actual music videos, too, so you can’t really go wrong here.
Set the mood
The article from Mynd also shares how music sends an effective message. You can change the vibe so much through different music, and an editor has the knack to do this. Think about it. You have a video of people at dinner. Play orchestral, calming music and you set a calm mood regardless of what they’re doing. Play indie, upbeat music, and all of a sudden, the mood changes; it’s brighter, livelier. You can make it nostalgic or romantic or chaotic all with music. When you can add music to your video, you can create something to evoke just the right emotion.
Create an intro and outro with the help of a music video editor
Music is an integral part of an intro and an outro no matter your video. This is the time to connect with your audience and set your tone. Your intro draws them in and your outro leaves them with that feeling. When these parts connect with each other and connect with your target audience, you are creating success. And it can be difficult to do all of this, but a music video editor can do wonders to bring all together. Enlisting a video editor adding music rather than you doing it all can make a lot of sense and bring a lot of relief.
Keep it cohesive
Having your music match your video is all-important. Remember we talked about how different music can evoke different feelings? That’s what an editor can do. They can keep your music in line with your video and your purpose while evoking those emotions. They’ll keep it geared to your audience and know how much or how little to incorporate. Part of being cohesive is not overpowering the video, but adding enough music to make it impactful.
Music video editors know rules and regulations
Music video editors should be aware of all of the rules and regulations regarding music copyrights and licensing. You don’t want to spend so much time creating your fabulous video that coincides with your brand just right, and then innocently add music that is going to get you a lawsuit. A music video editor can help you out here, with what music you can or can’t use and how you can use what you want.
Finding the Right Music Video Editor for You and Your Video
You’re starting to think that hiring a music video editor sounds like the right thing for you to do. But how do you find one? And not just anyone, but someone that can share your vision and know what you want? There are a few different ways to go about this, one is hiring an individual freelancer and another is working with a service that has music video editors inhouse. A video editor adding music can be huge to your work, so let’s make sure you find the right one.
Freelance – A freelance video editor should have a wide range of skills, from filming to editing and they should have high-end skills in incorporating music and special effects. When you look to hire a freelancer, you can talk with them directly, do some negotiations, and check out their work. You can have them work on more than music if you’d like help in other areas, too. Sometimes it can get tricky finding one because you want someone reputable and experienced, but most of us are on a budget, too. Often people employ film students and find great success this way.
Agencies and Services – Sometimes people don’t like the negotiations or dealing directly with an editor so they work with an agency or service like our Bunny Studio. This way you get what you want and don’t need to worry about the details. You share as much as you can about your project, hand it over, and you get it back in your timeframe. Check to make sure the service you are thinking about will guarantee your satisfaction. After all, if you’re not happy with the piece, it’s not worth it.
Skills a Music Video Editor Should Have
Any editor for video should have certain skills. This list from National Careers is a general overview of what a good video editor should be skilled at:
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- knowledge of media production and communication
- the ability to work well with others
- knowledge of computer operating systems, hardware and software
- to be flexible and open to change
- the ability to use your initiative
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- excellent verbal communication skills
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Along with these, a music video editor should have a strong knowledge of different genres of music and music trends. They should also know music history and audience appeal.
You may think that music knowledge is all that matters, along with technological skills, but part of editing is listening, flexibility, and that attention to detail. An editor who can listen to their clients, take what they say, and make it come to life is a great editor. So it’s much more than simply having editing skills, they’ve got to have that insight, vision, flexibility, and communication. Without those skills, well, they’re just adding music. Not magic.
Adding Music
Maybe your video is a corporate piece or an educational video. Music is still important. It brings the audience in and helps them focus. Remember, it shares those emotions and creates connections. However, your music doesn’t have to overpower everything else. Think about foreground versus background music and the volume of that music. These are things a music video editor can help you with.
If your video is a music video, well, that’s where the music is the star and the editor will just fine-tune everything. But if your video isn’t about the music but about the visuals or words people are saying, the music should enhance it, and that can be trickier. Adding music completes your video, but it has to be done right. So if you think this can be better done by a professional, go for it.
The Big Takeaway on Working with a Music Video Editor
Music is the magic of your video that brings it all together and touches your audience. Music evokes emotions and can leave your audience with a certain feeling. It can help your video represent you and what you stand for. It may seem simple, but there are a lot of details to think about when adding music. Sometimes its best to let a professional music video editor handle this part. You can find an editor in a number of different ways, and if you’d to hear how we can help you, please reach out! We’d love to help. When you allow someone else to take on this part, you can focus on all the other things to make your video just what you want.
