Musicians and Bands : Create Promo Videos Without a Video Camera

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April 20, 2011{ 37 Comments }

iStock 000000783626XSmall 300x198 Musicians and Bands : Create Promo Videos Without a Video CameraSure, content is King…

But what if you don’t have the tools to create compelling video content? Don’t fret! You don’t need to own video production equipment or hire Michel Gondry to promote yourself and your music on the highly visual realms of YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, etc. Instead, use someone else’s tools.

Here are a few options:

1. GoAnimate and Xtranormal Movie Maker allow you to create animated videos by simply entering text/dialog. Here is an example, where two funny looking bear cartoons discuss writing a novel. But you could use these tools to make a short, entertaining video about your upcoming CD release party or to discuss the making of your latest album.

2. Stupeflix allows you to easily create a video slideshow of existing photos and clips. Make a photo montage of your recording experience, of your recent tour, of your favorite fans, etc.

For tutorials and examples, click HERE. If you create a video using any of these tools, upload it to YouTube and share on Facebook. But we’d love to see it too. Feel free to post a link in the comments section below.

-Chris R. at CD Baby

Sell your music on Amazon, iTunes, Rhapsody, Spotify, CD Baby, and more!

Chris Robley's Author Bio

  • Linda

    haha That is so cute, but it is hard to understand a lot of what the characters are saying.
    But it is also only a first attempt
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScCnGyjRdCY

  • http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Maladronia-Institute/108144006712 droit

    Made several pic-montages with video-editing software. Here’s one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0xbm4Tkecc

  • http://www.officialn-o.com N-O

    I love this post. I’ve been looking for way to promote my music

  • http://www.LinneaGood.com Linnea Good

    Here is what I made on iMovie on my Mac! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqtBfAsy-uo
    Linnea

  • http://www.leighmarble.com Leigh Marble

    I didn’t have a video camera, but I did have some basic video editing software on my home system. So I searched for films in the public domain to pull footage from, and reassemble into a kind of a concept piece video. I found an old b-movie called “Wild Guitar”, starring Arch Hall Jr as a teen rock n’ roll sensation. There were lots of great narrative elements of the film that I was able to re-appropriate to fit the song.

    Here’s the result, pairing the “Wild Guitar” footage with my song “Lucky Bastards”:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWYcpOTGpzM

  • http://www.TonyBarkerMusic.com Tony Barker

    The montage on the front page of my website was done with a borrowed camera that cost less than a hundred bucks. The editing was done on a software package that I bought for $80, and came with a Photo editing program that rivals PhotoShop.

    Before that, I did several videos on the free program that comes with my computer called Windows Movie Maker, and I’m told that the Mac version blows that out of the water.

    The question now becomes, “Is the quality so low that it keeps the bigger venues from thinking that I’m a professional, or have I successfully demonstrated that I can play live?”

    The audio on the big Bike Rally was destroyed by the line of washing-machine-sized subwoofers lined up in front of the stage, so I had to get creative with the editing.

    I hope this helps!

  • http://www.rochelimit.ca Roche Limit

    These are great suggestions. I also managed to make a music video using the free Google program Sketch Up with great results. It took a while because the program isn’t really meant for this but it turned out great and has thousands of views.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Nj8438BfM

  • http://www.phaseslikethemoon.com Paula Boyd-Sutor

    I’ve used FRAPS, a free program that allows you to capture video games and also some of the visualizations from Windows Media Player to create machinima videos using Sims 2 and Second Life like this:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrQED06GEfM
    And then recently I put together a quick video using a still photo and colored visualizations:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwtTs3UgRBo
    Not really a music video, but I thought it was a more interesting way to present a track rather than just a straight still photo.

  • http://njnnetwork.com Stephen Pate

    Get a video camera, even an iPhone or Flip camera. Those things are amateurish. Musicians need to show their creative spirit. Somebody in the group or connected with the group has video skills. Video is absolutely essential to promote music. The quirkier the better.

  • http://www.robhewz.com Rob

    That is all well and good but I would think that you would want to use your video to work as a performance tool for you but if not, something is better than nothing. The hard thing to do no matter what you have is getting proper exposure for your project. I really don’t think that people care to watch something that they feel didn’t take much to create. I’m just sayin……
    You won’t get multiple views if the video is not engaging
    Always Do Your Very Best at All Times You Are Creating a Body of Work!
    This is a video my wife and I produced for one my singles

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk-SrXveeT8

  • http://www.culturekultur.com salva maine

    Another interesting option is to use live recordings from the fans. I edited this video using two ‘mobile’ recordings and our video proyections for the show:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkJ7Jeb8woc

  • http://www.drewstephenson.com blinddrew

    Leigh Marble & Roche Limit, excellent videos I thought, genuinely things that made me want to keep watching as well as listening.

  • Linda

    I thought this thread was about showing what you did with those little programs youtube is offering.
    I also have other videos, but I think these are a cute and different way to run a short ad to promo your music.

  • http://www.celticharpmusic.com Anne Roos

    How is this different from Animoto (which has been around for a while)? Better? And how so?

  • http://www.wix.com/sugargliders/hq steve w

    Great article fantastic tools some awesome stuff going on here thanks heaps
    heres my thing
    http://youtu.be/pYeKFPrKNqc

  • Zorro123

    Overall, very interesting.

    Here is a little something. Slide show music video. Produced via WMV. Market specific to Texas. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18cJK-eHWPM

  • http://nappilyblue.webs.com NappilyBlue

    Thanks so much for the tip! I made an animated short to promote my upcoming L.P. ( http://bit.ly/iiay7e ) and already the buzz is afoot!

    Keep the great tips coming!

    Blue

  • http://www.hookjawbrown.com Hookjaw Brown

    I have been told by everyone that YouTube has more searches for music than any other site, so I bit the bullet and put up a video pic montage – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k78ffVPNpY

    It was amazing how much it helped my standings in Reverbnation. The Stupeflix looks like fun stuff.

    Thanks
    le Hook

  • http://www.redrivermusic.biz Michelle

    Why not just use Movie Maker, for that matter? Xtranormal is kind of stilted, for music purposes. I’ve used it for fun stuff, but not for music. Not to be a wet blanket, but if you’re looking to gain viewers, you have to have a regular video; not a slideshow. Believe me, I know, because all I have available to me are slideshow capabilities. I hope others have found success using the slideshow option. We haven’t had hardly any views. That said, this is my favorite of those I’ve done: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrmUS9fZmjc

  • Jade

    I didn’t have a digital camera so I made this crazy vid on my cheap web cam at home with Sony editing software: http://youtu.be/w90f8Vuiw78

  • http://www.nikkiteeuw.com Nikki Teeuw
  • http://www.nikkiteeuw.com Nikki Teeuw

    And another
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTTAXWHiQNU
    Feel free to leave feedback!

  • http://www.youtube.com/pianosoulos PianoSoulos

    Youtube is great for music promotion, what I have found works best is looking for creative commons stock video footage, I chop up the clips, slow them down and speed them up, to synchronize the clips with the music, seems to work out fairly well. Visuals to go along with the music is almost as important as the music in some cases.

    Here is an example:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2GxWvNOVxw

    Thanks,

    • http://www.roserobbinsonline.com Rose Robbins

      Hey, this is nice. What program do you use to edit the videos?

  • http://www.jimpellinger.com Jim Pellinger

    Nice article. I too like to find copyright free stock video on the web and use this footage to edit a video for my songs. The Prellinger Archives is a good source for this. If you’re interested, check out my video for my song “Move To Mexico”

    http://youtu.be/M0ovnk2g5lM

    • Chris R. at CD Baby

      Nice. Prellinger is great! A few years back, Kristiana Weseloh made a music-video for my band THE SORT OFs using nothing but public domain, archival footage from the Prellinger collection. I think she actually used some of those same bits that you had in your video. Check it out at http://vimeo.com/14614577 if you’re interested.

  • http://www.roserobbinsonline.com Rose Robbins

    Here’s my first attempt – golly, its fun!

    http://youtu.be/AFSmNueYwl4

    • Chris R. at CD Baby

      Rose, funny stuff!

  • http://www.roserobbinsonline.com Rose Robbins

    I’m so addicted to making these videos!! I have a whole series on YouTube right now, about the Desperate Barista….this is my current favorite:

    http://youtu.be/IoW0k81S_Pg

  • http://muzik4machines.com muzik4machines

    i did a couple with goanimate and pimped em in final cut
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZH6seMBF9Q
    and
    my first attempt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch3McHMsPuY

    funny lil videos

  • http://www.facebook.com/lokeybw Lokey

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCRkYSS1E-s

    this was my first attempt using Adobe After Effects. Unfortunately the release date has been pushed back to the end of this month (in case you’re interested). Also feel free to comment and to “like” Lokey on facebook. you can check out some more music there.

    • http://members.cdbaby.com CD Baby Admin

      Cool idea. Like a video press release. You might want to consider putting your website’s URL as the first sentence in the video description (below where the video displays), to make sure it is visible whenever someone views your video. Also, you could add a YouTube annotation to the video itself when the release date appears saying “album release delayed until…” or whatever you feel like is the message you want to get across at that point.

      • http://www.facebook.com/lokeybw Lokey

        thanks for the feedback. i will definitely use your ideas. i do actually have a new and better video ready with snip-its from different songs, for when the CD is actually out for sale. that way i’ll be able to start posting the new video and get a new buzz.

        • http://members.cdbaby.com CD Baby Admin

          Sure thing!

  • Ta’ fxkz

    i animate free fonts on windows movie maker :D

  • Bwade24

    I see you only create one character for free on Go!animate site,then you have to pay for the rest ? Am I missing something. Not being cheap. Just checking if you guys are creating animations for free. Cheers!Cool stuff.

  • http://members.cdbaby.com CD Baby Admin

    Just goes to show you don’t need a big budget or fancy tricks. Thanks for sharing.