Music videos are so varied that it’s pretty much impossible to categorize all the ways they’ve been created. There are collected visuals for certain genres and eras, of course, and certain styles that artists like to stick to. But the act of making a music video can be something so personal that it really depends what you’re into. If you’re into low-budget and nostalgic DIY music videos, this is the right place.
Ring Doorbell Camera
This technique for a DIY music video is a bit more modern, and there are two recent examples to pull from already. In August, Australian indie band Maple’s Pet Dinosaur dropped their song “lego” with a video they filmed on their reluctant neighbor’s Ring doorbell. A couple of months later, Luminati Suns, a band of three young brothers whose parents are in the band Walk off the Earth, released their single “note to self.” The video was similar to Maple’s Pet Dinosaur, starting with the kids asking their mom to use the doorbell for their video.
The response to both music videos has been great, with social media blowing up about the unique and nostalgic vibes. The Ring camera has a fish-eye lens, which brings to mind alt-rock videos of the 90s and 2000s. Definitely a low-budget (ideally free) yet inspired method of making visuals. Especially for two young bands of clever indie rockers.
Old-School Camcorder
With a turn toward the nostalgic in recent years and the resurgence of all things analog, an old-school camcorder is perfect for making an affordable DIY music video. There are plenty of video cameras on eBay, for example. After that, the only real limit is your imagination. This technique would be perfect for punk or alternative bands who want to recapture the days of grainy, lo-fi visuals. However, folksy singer-songwriters would also benefit from the blurry softness of camcorder footage.
Examples of this DIY technique in action include “Montreal” by Roosevelt. The editing here is delightfully vintage, and when paired with the song it calls to mind something straight from the 70s. Another video is “Shimmer” by Parasite Farm. These visuals lean more 90s/2000s grunge but modernized with deliberate editing.
Stop Motion
Stop motion is definitely an underutilized method of DIY music video-making, mostly because it takes a lot of patience on a bigger scale like that. For bands who aren’t as dedicated to visuals, this one might not work. But for singer-songwriters or folk artists looking for a twee aesthetic, stop motion could really come through. Technically, that musical style has kind of run its course after taking over the 2010s, so stop motion might not have a clear-cut home anymore. Still, that just means it’s ready for a comeback.
A great example of stop motion is the stunningly vintage music video for “Cold Comfort” by Caro. The transitions and movements of all the objects are so smooth that it’s clear this video was a dedicated labor of love.
Random Footage
Random footage is a fantastic tool for a DIY music video when you don’t want to create an involved narrative or don’t really have any definitive visuals. This way, you can walk around with a digital camera, camcorder, or just a phone and create a music video in your own backyard. This is a great technique especially for big cities, but it’s also relevant for road trips or even nature hikes. There’s literally no shortage of places to record interesting footage, all you have to do is look around.
Latvian rock band Židrūns has a music video like this for their song “Inga Mūžamziedošā.” The video blends abstract footage into a patchwork of seemingly unrelated images. Also, by using what looks to be a green screen, the video takes on new layers with overlapping footage.
Photo via YouTube/Roosevelt/Greco-Roman Records
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