How To Make Your Client’s Video Sound Extraordinary

So, your client hired you to create a video for them. You know exactly how select the right gear, shoot the scenes with proper lighting, and edit the footage into a crisp and effective video. But with video, the image is only half the story. You still need to add music to elevate your work from “sufficient” to “extraordinarily compelling.”

Unless you’re John Carpenter, it’s likely that you’re not both a filmmaker and a composer. To get the best music, you either hire a composer or search for something created in advance and licensed through an online library. Either way, to your client, you are the composer, so act like one. Ask the right questions. Follow the right steps.

Provide Multiple Options

Once you have music that works for the video, endeavor to find more. The best thing you can do when your client previews your work is to give them options. If you have only one score, you’re setting yourself up for a binary outcome — the music, and hence the video, will either be approved or rejected. If you preview three different music options, however, you’re now allowing your client to pick which one she likes best of those available, and the approval rate of the music and video will rise significantly.

Mix The Music Realistically

Don’t mix the music too loud in comparison to the other audio elements in the video. When you like the music that you’ve found or created, you naturally want to hear it as loud as possible. Remember, though, the music is at the service of the video, not the other way around. Take an objective approach to the mix and mix the music at a level where it’s effective, but not overwhelming.

Get Early Feedback

Go out of your way to get your client’s feedback and commitment to the music. If she loves the music early in the production process, you’ve just solved one of the hardest puzzles of the project, and the remainder will be significantly easier and more fun. Plus, your client will have the time throughout the rest of the production to go from just liking the music to falling in love with it.

Wrap Up

Music in video holds unbelievable power, and if you follow these steps and, more broadly, approach the project’s music from your client’s perspective, you’ll set yourself up for the success of the music and overall project.

Drew Silverstein | Founder, CEO of Amper Music | A.I. Music Composer