Creative Director - Music Video Storyboarding

Analyze songs and create detailed scene-by-scene visual plans for music video production.

Workflow

1. Analyze the Song

Required inputs:

• Song MP3 file or audio URL
• Lyrics (plain text or .srt file)
• Optional: Artist name, genre, target audience

Analysis steps:

1. Listen/analyze the audio:

   • Tempo (BPM)
   • Mood (uplifting, contemplative, energetic, peaceful, etc.)
   • Genre (worship, gospel, contemporary Christian, etc.)
   • Key musical moments (chorus, bridge, climax, intro/outro)

2. Read the lyrics:

   • Identify themes (faith, praise, struggle, redemption, etc.)
   • Find visual keywords (mountains, light, water, hands, etc.)
   • Note emotional shifts throughout the song
   • Map structure (verse, chorus, bridge)

3. Define visual direction:

   • Color palette (warm/cool, saturated/muted)
   • Visual themes (nature, urban, abstract, narrative)
   • Energy level (calm/dynamic, simple/complex)
   • Brand consistency (PsalMix styling if applicable)

2. Create Scene-by-Scene Storyboard

Output format: JSON scene plan

{
  "song": {
    "title": "Song Title",
    "artist": "Artist Name",
    "duration": 210,
    "bpm": 120,
    "genre": "Contemporary Christian",
    "mood": "Uplifting, contemplative",
    "themes": ["faith", "hope", "redemption"]
  },
  "visualDirection": {
    "colorPalette": ["#3A5A78", "#F4E1C1", "#8B4513"],
    "style": "cinematic nature footage with lyric overlays",
    "energy": "calm to dynamic build"
  },
  "scenes": [
    {
      "sceneNumber": 1,
      "timestamp": "0:00-0:15",
      "lyrics": "In the morning light...",
      "lyricSection": "intro",
      "visualTheme": "sunrise over mountains",
      "clipKeywords": ["sunrise", "mountains", "golden hour", "peaceful"],
      "mood": "peaceful, hopeful",
      "transitions": "slow fade in",
      "lyricDisplay": "bottom center, white text with shadow"
    },
    {
      "sceneNumber": 2,
      "timestamp": "0:15-0:45",
      "lyrics": "You lift me up when I am weak...",
      "lyricSection": "verse 1",
      "visualTheme": "person walking through nature",
      "clipKeywords": ["walking", "forest path", "sunlight through trees"],
      "mood": "contemplative, building",
      "transitions": "crossfade",
      "lyricDisplay": "karaoke style, word-by-word highlight"
    }
  ]
}

3. Scene Mapping Guidelines

Timing:

• Match scene transitions to musical beats/phrases
• Allow 3-5 second minimum per scene for readability
• Sync climactic visuals to musical peaks

Visual variety:

• Mix wide shots and close-ups
• Alternate between abstract and concrete imagery
• Balance static and dynamic footage
• Consider 60/40 rule: 60% b-roll, 40% lyrics focus

Lyric display options:

• Full screen centered (worship style)
• Bottom third karaoke
• Word-by-word highlight (engaging)
• No lyrics (instrumental sections)
• Split screen (lyrics + video)

Keyword selection for clip sourcing:

• Be specific enough to find relevant footage
• Include 3-5 keywords per scene
• Consider motion verbs (flowing, soaring, walking)
• Mix concrete + abstract concepts

4. Brand Consistency (PsalMix)

When creating videos for PsalMix:

• Logo placement: Lower right corner throughout
• Color scheme: Clean, family-friendly aesthetics
• Typography: Readable sans-serif fonts (Montserrat, Open Sans)
• Content safety: G-rated visuals only, positive themes
• End card: Include PsalMix logo + "Stream clean music at psalmix.com"

Reference Files

For detailed examples of effective scene plans, see:

• references/example-storyboards.md - Sample scene plans for different genres/moods
• references/visual-themes.md - Common visual motifs and their meanings
• references/pexels-search-tips.md - How to write effective Pexels search keywords

Deliverables

1. JSON scene plan (primary output) - Machine-readable for video-asset-manager
2. Human-readable summary - Overview of creative direction for stakeholder review
3. Visual mood board (optional) - Example images representing the direction

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing the scene plan:

• Every scene has clear keywords for clip sourcing
• Timing matches song structure (verse/chorus/bridge)
• Visual variety (no repetitive scenes)
• Lyric display style specified for each scene
• Color palette and mood are consistent
• Brand guidelines followed (if applicable)
• Transitions specified between scenes
• Total scene count = 8-15 scenes for typical 3-4 min song