How to hire a music videographer

A music videographer films your music video, and usually edits it too. The right one makes your song look like a movie. Here’s how to find a good one in New Jersey or New York City, from a team that has filmed over 1,300 music videos.

What a music videographer does

A music videographer brings the cameras and lights, films your performance and the story around it, then cuts it to the song and color grades it. A director shapes the concept and the videographer captures it. A lot of videographers, us included, also help direct on set, so ask how much guidance you’ll get on the day.

The crew depends on the shoot: one or two people for a simple performance video, three or more for bigger productions.

Start with their videos, not their prices

• Watch whole videos, not just a reel. A reel shows the best three seconds of every shoot. A full video shows whether the edit holds up for three minutes.
• Look for videos like yours. Performance videos, live sessions and story videos take different skills. If you’re a band, look for bands. If it’s a story, look for stories.
• Check the light and color. Natural skin tones, night scenes you can actually see and a consistent look from shot to shot are the signs of someone who lights and grades properly.
• See who they’ve worked with. Views, labels and repeat clients tell you how other artists felt about the result.

What should be included

Prices only compare when you know what’s in them. Every AHP package includes:

• Filming on 6K cinema cameras
• Lighting
• Editing
• Color grading in DaVinci Resolve
• 1-hour revision session
• Full 4K export
• 25–⁠100 edited photos

Editing takes two to three days on average, always under a week, and your revision round is a one-hour session where we make changes live, together. Ask every videographer you talk to how they handle each of these.

What a music videographer costs

Our packages are priced by film time, the hours we spend shooting once we arrive:

• 2 Hour$1,000Perfect for a one-location performance video.
• Half Day$1,800Ideal for a multi-location video.
• Full Day$3,000Best for concepts with a story or multiple locations.
• Virtual / XRfrom $5,000Extended-reality music videos unlock a whole new level of creativity.

Travel is $1 per mile from our base in Stanhope, NJ, and studio or location fees are separate. For the full breakdown, read how much a music video costs, or build an estimate on our pricing page.

Questions to ask before you book

• How much film time do I get, and when does it start? With us it starts when we arrive, and travel between locations counts toward it. Extra time on the day is $500 an hour.
• Can we film more than one song? There’s no limit to how many videos we shoot in your film time. Our singer-songwriter sessions fit 3 videos into 2 hours for $1,000.
• Who edits it, and how fast? The same team that films it. A first draft arrives as a private YouTube link, usually within a week.
• Do I get photos and the raw footage? Every package comes with 25–⁠100 edited photos. The raw footage is $500 extra.
• How do payment and booking work? We take 50% to reserve your date. The rest is due 7 days after the shoot or when your video is finished, and before the final files are sent.
• What do you need from me? A WAV or MP3 of the song, your logo if you have one, and you, rehearsed and ready to have fun.

Finding a music videographer near you

We’re based in Stanhope, New Jersey, about 50 miles west of Manhattan, and we film all over New Jersey and New York City, from Manhattan rooftops to studios like Power Station in NYC and WRECK’D Productions in Tinton Falls. See our film locations and music videos in NYC.

Videographer or director?

You don’t have to choose. Most of our shoots are performance videos in a studio, filming a concept the artist already has, and that’s exactly what a videographer is for. With us you also get someone who has directed a lot of music videos and can help direct on set, so the day runs smoothly and the video looks the way you pictured it.

Want help with the idea itself? Our director add-on goes further, with pre-production and concept creation, location scouting and the shot list, and it works with any package. More on our music video director page.

Still comparing teams? Read how to choose the right music video production team.