How long does a music video take to make?
There is no single answer, because the shoot day is the shortest part. Here are the stages of a music video and what stretches or shortens each one, so you can plan around your release.
The shoot is the short part
People often picture a music video as the day on set. In practice the shoot is usually the shortest stage. Most of the time goes into the thinking before it and the edit after it, and both depend on decisions only the artist and their team can make: the release date, the budget, the concept and how many people need to approve the cut.
Billie is part of EYWA Records, so music videos are planned around the release rather than squeezed in after it. Here is how the stages run, and what changes the length of each.
Stage 1: the song and the release plan
Everything starts with the track and the date it comes out. The release plan decides what the video needs to deliver and when: a premiere, teasers, vertical cut-downs for release week, a visualiser for streaming. Working backwards from the release date is the single most useful thing an artist can do.
This stage is quick when the track is mastered and the date is set. It takes longer when the song is still changing, because the edit has to be cut to the final version. It also helps to decide early whether the video is the main event of the release or one part of a wider campaign, because that changes how much of the budget and the schedule it should take.
Stage 2: the treatment
The treatment is the written concept: the idea, the look, the locations, the performance and any story. It is where the artist and the director agree what the video is before money is spent. The treatment guide explains what goes into one.
A treatment comes together fastest when the artist arrives with references and a clear sense of the world they want. It takes longer when several people need to agree, or when the first idea is too big for the budget and has to be reworked. Once it is agreed, keep it as the reference point: most problems later in the process can be solved by going back to what the treatment said the video was about.
Stage 3: pre-production
Pre-production turns the treatment into a plan: locations, permissions, casting, styling, art direction, a shot list and a schedule. This is where most delays come from, usually for one of these reasons:
- Locations that need permission or a permit take longer to lock in
- Extras, dancers or actors need to be found and scheduled
- Outdoor shots depend on weather and need backup days
- Night shoots, cars, crowds or drone shots add planning
- Costume and set builds add lead time
Stage 4: the shoot
A performance video in one location can often be shot in a single day. A narrative video with several locations, cast and a performance setup may need more. The shoot moves fastest when the artist knows the song inside out, styling is sorted beforehand and the schedule is built around the light.
What slows a shoot down: late arrivals, unplanned outfit changes, weather, and locations that were never fully confirmed. Weather is the one nobody controls, which is why outdoor shoots usually carry a backup day or an indoor alternative in the plan.
Stage 5: edit, colour and finishing
The edit is cut to the track, and it usually goes through rounds of feedback. The number of people giving notes affects this stage more than anything else. A single decision-maker with clear notes keeps it moving; notes arriving from an artist, a manager and a label at different times slow it down. Agree up front how many rounds of changes are expected and who gives the final approval, so the edit finishes when everyone has seen it rather than when everyone has run out of ideas.
Once the picture is locked comes the colour grade, then any effects, titles and credits, then the master files. Visual effects, animation and heavy compositing all add time here.
Stage 6: deliverables
A release usually needs more than one file, and agreeing the list at the treatment stage avoids a scramble in release week. See video formats for social and web for the shapes each platform uses. Common deliverables include:
- The full video master for YouTube and other platforms
- Vertical cut-downs for Reels, TikTok and Shorts
- Teasers for the run-up to release
- Stills for artwork, press and social, which a photographer can shoot on the same day
- Loops or visualisers for streaming platforms
How to plan around your release
Work backwards from the release date, leave room for feedback rounds and weather, and start the conversation as soon as the song is close to final. Leave room after delivery as well, since platforms may need files ahead of the release date and teasers need to be ready before the video itself. When you are ready, send Billie the track and the date and the team will map out the stages with you. Music videos are quoted per project as Bespoke Production.
Questions
Can a music video be made quickly?
A simple performance video in one location with a small team can move quickly, but the pace depends on the concept, the locations and how fast feedback comes back. The safest plan is to start early and work back from the release date.
Does the song need to be finished first?
Ideally, yes. The edit is cut to the final version of the track, so changes to the song after the shoot can mean recutting the video.
What slows a music video down the most?
Usually unconfirmed locations, weather on outdoor shoots, and edit feedback arriving from several people at different times.
Is this a paid service?
Yes. Billie is a paid production company. Production Retainers are $1,500 NZD a month for Essential and $3,000 NZD a month for Creative, and Studio Partner is priced on enquiry. Projects outside a retainer are quoted per project as Bespoke Production, and Billie Private events are quoted per project.
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