You don’t have a song until you have video. If it’s worth putting out, it’s worth going all the way—and in 2025, that means having visual content to support it. That part is non-negotiable. What’s optional is whether you blow your whole budget on a director. And honestly, you shouldn’t.
One good editor paid up is worth ten fucking directors. You need content that’s true to you, scalable, and smart—not some $5,000 glossy thing nobody watches. Most artists can’t afford to shoot like that every time. And they shouldn’t want to. The real win is making something raw and honest that relates to people. That’s what lands. Not budgets. Not gimmicks. Not cranes or color grades. Just truth, cut the right way.
Table of Contents
Welcome to the Remix Era
Everything today is a mash-up. A remix. A hybrid of something you brought to the table fused with something familiar. Classical music if Tupac wrote it. Old soul with new tech. The point is: your content doesn’t have to be original in a vacuum. It just has to be true to you and understandable to other people. That’s the formula. That’s how things spread.
Forget What a “Music Video” Is Supposed to Look Like
This is where most artists get stuck. They still think a music video has to look like 2005 MTV. Big plot. Big setup. Big nothing. But the real truth? Official music videos are actually the easiest part—because you already have an idea in your head for what they’re supposed to feel like.
What’s hard is letting go of that idea. Looking around your room or the park near your house and seeing what you actually have to work with. That’s where it gets good. If you can use the textures of your real life to say something visual—something human—you win. You don’t need a permit or a RED camera. You need footage. Lots of it. Raw, honest, and shot clearly. The more the better.
Editing it? That’s our job. More on how to edit your videos for success here.
There Are Three Kinds of Video You Need
And they each play a different role in how your music reaches people:
- Official Music Videos – These don’t have to be big. They just need to feel cohesive. A concept, a mood, or even just you walking and looking like you mean it. You shoot the footage—we shape the narrative.
- Lyric Videos and Visualizers – These are the easiest to make. Often all it takes is a short loop—something you shot before or something simple and symbolic. Got old footage of your city? A hand writing in a notebook? That can become the core of a visualizer. Check your archives first.
- Vertical Short-Form Content – This is what gets strangers in the door. Reels, shorts, TikToks. Native vertical content—not chopped-up music video clips—feels spontaneous and real. That’s what works. And it’s the hardest for most artists because you can’t hide behind a storyline. You have to show up.
So What Should You Film?
You don’t have to get it all at once. But every shoot should be designed with range in mind. The goal is to give your editor (us) variety. Give us enough footage and we can turn it into an ecosystem.
- Lipsync your new single – Same 20 seconds, different settings. 10 takes. Easy reels.
- Freestyle over popular beats – Works every time for rappers.
- Covers – If you’re a singer, play something people know.
- Talk to the camera – Tell a story about the song. Or about your life. Raw always wins.
- Local footage – Show your world: streets, friends, crew, stores, rituals.
- Behind-the-scenes – Studio time, daily life, loading into shows, FaceTime calls.
- Acoustic sessions – Book a small studio or room, get clean lighting and sound, and just play.
- Studio bars – If you’re a rapper, put the phone right on your face in the booth and go off.
All of this gives us content to cut into reels, visualizers, lyric videos, and more. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It just has to be clear and emotionally real.
Tech Tips: Shoot Smart, Not Fancy
- Get both vertical and landscape footage. Don’t crop. Use a dual rig (more on that here).
- Use natural light or invest in a basic light kit for indoor setups.
- For audio, use a lav mic or field recorder—especially if talking or playing live.
- Keep everything in folders. Label them clearly. Back them up.
If you’ve got a friend to help you film, great. But they don’t have to be a pro. They just need to keep the shot clean and steady. The important part is that you get it shot. The edit is where it becomes something.
Don’t Chop Up Your Music Video—Film Native for Reels
This part matters. Most people just slice their music video into clips and call it a reel. Doesn’t work. People can tell. It feels fake. Real reels—the ones that work—feel like someone picked up their phone and captured something electric. That’s what vertical short-form content is supposed to be: raw magnetism.
It’s harder. But it’s what moves the needle. And it’s why official videos are actually easier—because they’re planned, scripted, and safe. Most artists aren’t magnetic on command. But if you are? Or if you’re willing to learn? That’s where the upside is.
Use Content to Target Specific Audiences
You shoot something in your hometown—we can run ads targeting people from that town. You freestyle over a Wu-Tang beat—we can run ads to Wu-Tang fans. You cover Fleetwood Mac—we can aim your video to show up before Fleetwood Mac videos. This is the power of having flexible, tailored, emotional video assets. And it all starts with the footage.
Is This for Strangers or Fans?
Always ask that. If it’s for fans, you can go deeper—slower stories, behind-the-scenes, vulnerable footage. If it’s for strangers, keep it tight and powerful. Strangers don’t care. You have to make them care. And that means leading with presence, not polish.
Recap: Shoot Raw. Edit Smart. Scale Fast.
You don’t need more directors. You need more footage and better editors. And we’ve got the editors. The job now is getting the right footage.
If you’ve already got stuff sitting in your cloud, great. Let’s see it. If you don’t, now you know what to shoot. And we’ll help you turn that into something real. Your visuals don’t need to be expensive. They just need to be honest, clean, and alive.
This is the new way to work. Start scrappy. Scale smart. We’ve got the rest.
360 Promo is a full-service music marketing, promotion, distribution and admin company. Learn more about us and what we do at 360promo.fm, follow us on Instagram at @360promo and contact us to tailor a plan that works for you.