Start with the song, not the prompt
Map the intro, verse, lift, chorus and outro before thinking about individual shots. The best visual ideas are attached to a change in energy, not sprinkled evenly across the timeline.
Write one sentence for each major section. That short treatment keeps every later decision connected to the record.
Choose one visual spine
A music video feels intentional when the imagery has a repeatable rule. That rule could be a recurring location, a fixed character, a palette shift or a camera behavior that returns with the chorus.
- Lock the character and wardrobe before expanding the world.
- Give the chorus a visual event the verse does not have.
- Reserve the biggest camera move for the strongest musical turn.
Cut for the feed without flattening the idea
Make the main cut first. Then reframe the strongest moments for vertical and square outputs instead of composing every shot for three formats at once.