See a music video treatment as your compass and map rolled together. The correct music video treatment template can be your North Star whether your dream images are neon-drenched, a story involving time-traveling baristas, or a somber performance piece shot in a car wash. Let us now focus on what is important for building yours.
First, begin with an arresting logline. Cut your whole video idea down into two short lines. Imagine telling your grandmother the same—she picks it up right away. Before you have even written one camera direction, the opener should convey a clear feel, subject, and aim.
The notion breaks down next. This is your opportunity to go bananas with imagination—do not merely state what you see on TV but also arouse the passion of the music. Say so if the chorus seems like pyrotechnics. Point that out if the songs unspool like cassette tape. Let your analogies snap crackle and pop without restraint.
Mood boards and references now abound. Show your director and staff images that complement the song. Grab photos, sketches, color schemes—whatever brings the vision to life. It’s not cheating; it’s like everyone could follow a treasure map.
Examine structure closely. Treatments are most effective when they arrange the video’s flow—intro, major scenes, bridges, outro. Think in acts or beats, much as in a prose storyboarding. Even original ideas gain from a skeleton. Nobody wants a house designed with spaghetti blueprints.
Not overlooked are style notes. Clearly state film stocks, lenses, animation techniques, lighting moods. Dreamy soft focus, like a memory you half-remember, might convey more than just “use a 50mm lens.” Most of the time, vivid language beats jargon.
Add pragmatic concepts and logistical considerations. Say why it matters if you want a complex crane shot at sunrise. Emphasize any killer outfit change or particular choreography moment if they exist. Combine nuts and bolts with the arts.
At last wrap with a handwritten remark. Tell the reader the reason this video is important. People stay interested in something short and sincere. Perhaps the song got you out of a difficult situation, or you have always imagined this narrative every time you hit play.
That is a terrific basis for a treatment template that sings. Experiment, play about, toss jelly at the wall to find what sticks. Starting with a single wild concept on a page, your next music video may begin with the launchpad—and the appropriate template is here.