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:

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)
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)
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

JSON scene plan (primary output) - Machine-readable for video-asset-manager
Human-readable summary - Overview of creative direction for stakeholder review
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

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