Music Video Production
How Long Does It Take to Make a Music Video? Realistic Timelines
The honest answer to how long to make a music video is 3 to 6 weeks from locked brief to final cut for most independent releases, and 6 to 10 weeks for anything with a built set, a cast, a choreographer or heavy visual effects. A stripped-back performance clip can turn around in 7 to 10 days if the schedule is clear. Those numbers assume one shoot day. The trap almost every artist falls into is booking the shoot with 2 weeks to spare before the single drops, then discovering the edit, the label revisions and the colour grade all needed to happen after the camera stopped rolling. This guide breaks the timeline down by video type and by production stage so you can work backwards from your release date and hit it without rushing the part that matters most: the edit.
Key takeaway
Work backwards from your release date, not forwards from today. For a standard performance or narrative video in Adelaide, give yourself 4 to 6 weeks from the first conversation to the file you can send to distribution: roughly 1 to 2 weeks of pre-production, 1 shoot day, and 2 to 3 weeks for edit, revisions and grade. Book the shoot before the song is even mastered if you have to, because the camera day is the easiest part to schedule and the edit is the part that eats time.
The 4 stages every music video moves through
Every music video, from a $500 one-camera live clip to a fully art-directed concept piece, passes through the same four stages. Understanding where the time actually goes is what lets you plan a release date you can trust.
Pre-production (1 to 3 weeks): the treatment, the shot list, locations, permits, casting, wardrobe, props and scheduling. This is where a video is won or lost, and it is the stage artists most often skip. A clear brief here can save 2 edit rounds later.
Production (1 day for most videos, 2 to 3 days for larger concept shoots): the actual filming. A single well-planned shoot day covers the vast majority of independent releases. Multi-location or multi-look videos push this to 2 days.
Post-production (1 to 3 weeks): the edit, sound sync, colour grade and any visual effects. This is the longest and least visible stage. The first cut usually lands within 5 to 7 working days of the shoot, then revisions and the grade follow.
Revisions and delivery (3 to 7 days): your feedback, the changes, the final grade and the export in the formats you need (16:9 for YouTube, 9:16 for Reels and TikTok, sometimes a square cut for feeds). Build this buffer in. It is real and it is where deadlines quietly slip.
Realistic timelines by music video type
Not all music videos take the same time, and matching the format to your deadline is half the battle. Here is what to expect from brief to final cut for each common type we shoot in Adelaide.
Performance video (band or artist performing to camera): 1 to 2 weeks. One location, one shoot day, a fast edit synced to the track. If your song is mastered and the location is sorted, this is the quickest route to a polished clip and the safest choice when a release is close.
Studio or single-look concept video: 2 to 4 weeks. A styled set, controlled lighting, a defined visual idea but no large cast or narrative. The extra time sits in pre-production styling and a more considered grade.
Narrative video (a story runs alongside the song): 4 to 8 weeks. Casting, locations, a shooting script and often 2 shoot days. The edit takes longer because you are cutting a story to a rhythm, not just covering a performance.
Full concept video with sets, VFX or choreography: 6 to 10 weeks or more. Built sets, green screen, dancers, multiple looks and heavy post work. This is award-tier work and it cannot be rushed without it showing on screen.
Lyric or motion video: 1 to 3 weeks. Often no live shoot at all, so the timeline is driven entirely by design and animation rounds rather than a camera day.
Across 25 plus years and clients including Jessica Mauboy, Taylor Henderson, Nathaniel, Dino Jag and Hindley Street Country Club, the pattern holds: the shoot is rarely the bottleneck. The idea and the edit are.
How Adelaide-specific factors change your schedule
Filming in and around Adelaide comes with a few local realities worth planning for so nothing catches you out.
Locations and permits: shooting in the CBD, on council land, in the Botanic Garden or at a venue often needs a permit or a booking, and lead times can run 1 to 3 weeks. Private studios, warehouses and homes need nothing but a signed agreement, which is why so many quick-turnaround videos are shot indoors. If your concept needs a public Adelaide landmark, start that conversation early.
Light and weather: Adelaide summers give you long, reliable golden-hour light, which is a gift for outdoor performance shoots. Winter and shoulder seasons are less predictable, so an outdoor shoot may need a weather-backup day built into the schedule, adding a week of flex.
Travel radius: we cover Adelaide metro and within 100km of the CBD as standard, so the Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and the Barossa are all in easy reach for a single day. Locations further out are available but add a scouting and travel allowance to the plan.
Cast and crew availability: a small independent shoot needs little notice, but the moment you add dancers, actors, a hair and makeup artist or a second camera operator, you are coordinating diaries. That coordination, not the filming itself, is usually what sets the earliest possible shoot date.
How to plan backwards from your release date
The single most useful habit is to treat your release date as fixed and count backwards. Here is a worked example for a standard performance or single-look video dropping in 6 weeks.
Week 1: lock the brief, treatment and budget. Confirm the shoot date. Sort location and any permit.
Week 2: finalise wardrobe, shot list and logistics. Have the mastered (or near-final) track in hand so the edit can cut to the real audio, not a rough mix.
Week 3: shoot day.
Weeks 4 and 5: first cut delivered, your revisions, then the colour grade.
Week 6: final exports in every format you need, plus a few days of buffer before it goes to your distributor and socials.
Two rules keep this on track. First, give feedback in one consolidated round rather than trickling notes over days, because scattered revisions are the biggest hidden time cost in post. Second, get the audio finalised before the edit begins. Re-cutting a video to a remastered track after the fact can cost you a full extra week. If your deadline is tighter than 3 weeks, tell us up front and we will steer you toward a format that lands cleanly in the time you have rather than a concept that will feel rushed.
Frequently asked questions
Can a music video be made in a week?
Yes, a straightforward performance or one-location video can go from brief to final cut in 7 to 10 days if the track is mastered, the location is locked and you keep revisions to a single round. Concept videos with sets, a cast or visual effects cannot realistically be completed in a week without the result showing the compromise. If you have a hard deadline that close, the smart move is to choose a format built for speed rather than force a bigger idea into too little time.
How long does the editing take after the shoot?
For most music videos the first cut arrives within 5 to 7 working days of the shoot day. Add 3 to 7 days for your feedback, the revisions and the colour grade, so plan on 2 to 3 weeks of post-production in total for a standard video. Narrative and VFX-heavy videos take longer because the edit is doing more storytelling and technical work, not just syncing a performance to the track.
How far in advance should I book my Adelaide music video shoot?
Book 3 to 6 weeks ahead for a standard release, and 8 weeks or more for a full concept video with a cast or built sets. The shoot day itself is easy to slot in, so the real reason to book early is pre-production: treatments, locations, permits and crew coordination all need lead time. If your single already has a release date, start the conversation as soon as the song is mastered, or even before.
Does JLM Studios film music videos outside Adelaide?
Yes. We cover Adelaide metro and everywhere within 100km of the CBD as standard, which includes the Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley for a single shoot day. We are also available Australia-wide for larger projects, with travel and scouting factored into the plan. Call 0424 965 133 or email jlmstudios75@gmail.com to talk through your timeline and release date.