Notes with scragginess. Coffee marks on a split notepad. Concepts so outlandish you would have thought Salvador Dalí was co-writer. Most ideas for music video treatment template start like that. But turning that anarchy into a treatment for a music video? That is science and art—sometimes a circus performance.
So let us throw aside uncertainty. This is the breakdown of a music video treatment template to make your brainwaves jump off the page.
Headline first, first! Give the treatment the title based on the song name and artist. elegant and strong. You should not skip this stage; someone else will. Think of including a one-sentence slogan. Make it forceful. Imagine, not “a regular music video,” “a surreal journey through neon nightscapes.”
Then plunge into your “Concept Overview.” Approach this like sharing with a friend a dream you swear meant something. Share the central theme. There is no fluff and no tripwires. Two to three maximum harsh paragraphs. Speak with great power. If this is a ballad on heartbreak, what causes the sting here? Create the ideal mood straight immediately.
And then “Visual Style.” Your treatment comes to life here. Colors, light, camera moves—lay forth your vision. If you choose, use references from movies, paintings, hazy TikHub trends. Directors take great delight in a name-drop. Specify whether scenes will be bright, hazy and foggy, claustrophobic and blue, or graffiti-based scrawl. Be shockingly exact. If it suits, talk of “glitter bombs at dusk” or “lunchboxes exploding in slow motion”.
Turning now to “Story or Structure.” Provide a thorough but simple-to-follow summary of the video’s running order. Chunky writing is not as effective as bullet points. Scene by scene or beat by beat. For illustration:
Open on an empty lane; cat spills garbage can (funny, but creates mood).
Singer moves, globe flickers between worlds.
Chorus: dancers in fishbowl helmets
Add “Performance Element.” Whose in this? Does the band perform at a vacant bowling alley? Any hidden backup dancers, or a hypeman with a boom box? Clearly spell it.
Move now to “Inspiration & References.” drop three or four. Consider Sofia Coppola as old MTV’s equivalent. Toss in movies, music, art, anything that molded your perspective.
Not overlooked is “Locations & Props.” Make a list of important sites. Roofs, carnivals, kitchen sink full of plastic ducks—whatever suits. Talk about things that matter in props. A red umbrella can be rather important.
If it’s digital, wrap up with “Mood Board Suggestions”. Add images, color swatches, screen grabs. Pixel painting will help to define the mood.
Fast pro tip: Keep the treatment readable. Use strong headers, vary phrase lengths, if necessary use exclamation points. These pages are passed around. Not bore someone. One especially notable is lively writing.
Finally, always keep your audience under constant attention in your mind. Treatments are your tool for all the decision-makers in the music videos; they are not only for you. Fast hook them; never let go.