The Choreographic Video (and Other Dancing Tales)
Unlike other types of videos, the choreographic video is one that must combine as seamlessly as possible music, dance, movement, dynamism, and rhythm. Not that other kinds of audiovisual design don’t hold these elements deep down—many works without choreography feel even more dance-like because the videographer has “danced” with the camera (and not always in the good sense). But jokes aside, editing and especially problem-solving in the context of a choreographic video can be quite challenging. I’m not about to give a masterclass here, but I do think I can break down some of the journeys and processes behind producing a piece of this nature—for my own benefit and hopefully yours too, dear non-existent readers.
So let’s take it step by step. Actually, let’s imagine it in chronological order:
A dancer chooses a piece of music for their next choreography. With extreme dedication, they spend at least a couple of hours (minimum) surfing through what the chosen song evokes. They test steps, dynamics, speeds, time signatures, musicality, complexity—an array of factors that turn movement into more than a random sequence of poses. That creative process alone, in my humble opinion, is invaluable. It’s a way of expressing something noble with nothing but an idea, an emotion, and the body itself. The creator of a solo routine or group formation is without doubt the main agent and the one laying the foundation for the whole project.
Then comes the organization with other dancers, whether learners or professionals, who follow and learn the choreography. For a moment, all are coordinated, connected on the same frequency, moving in unison or in harmony, expressing the same feeling. They become parts of a unified collective. Each person—with their own personality, history, and thoughts—finds something in common with someone who, under normal circumstances, would never move in the same way. The composition—as we might call it—works beautifully even with human errors. All those hearts join together, and magic arises after practice and dedication. That’s why I’ve always admired dancers, and in fact, my sister belongs to this noble guild.
After all that pure process comes showtime, the performance, the moment to shine. This can happen on stage or—here’s where we come in—in a video. One that immortalizes all the previous work and adds to its character.
And as we well know, there are many variations and complexities.
A live performance can be recorded on the spot with multiple cameras, by either skilled personnel or less experienced ones who are still giving it a try, and then an editor synchronizes every angle and chooses the best shots for certain moments.
A performance for a music video, however, can be more complex—especially if we’re talking about more than one dancer on stage, moving cameras, empty moments the editor must fill with magic, and above all, hours (yes, in my case it’s hours 😢) spent making sure the timing aligns with both music and movement in an elegant way. That’s exactly what I’ve been experimenting with over the last two months.
The Production
Personally, I haven’t yet had the opportunity to record a choreographic video myself (let’s blame lack of opportunities—and especially the lack of a remotely decent camera). But thanks to personal criteria and some deep-diving research, I have an idea of what’s needed and what happens during the shoot.
PRE-PRODUCTION: Plan a group organization around a concept, costumes, makeup if necessary, imagine the final product broadly (or in professional settings, much more in detail). Plan separate shots, solos, or any variation of the choreography, keeping in mind it’s being performed for the camera and someone will later piece everything together like a puzzle. Roles are assigned, the location and camera organized. If possible, practice camera movements for certain scenes, etc. The more planned, with more people capturing good footage and troubleshooting along the way, the less post-production will suffer.
Some newbie tips (aka tips for me):
Make sure you have enough storage before recording.
Test lighting and acoustics beforehand.
Check the camera/phone battery is fully charged and have spares.
Always aim to record extra takes. It’s better to have too much than too little. Do it from different angles—close-ups, wides—so editing has more options and the result has more chances to be the best possible.
PRODUCTION: Record 😃. With a reasonable checklist ready, it’s easier to focus and not waste time.
Keep a written log of the best takes for easier editing.
Avoid moving the camera too randomly—shaky or inconsistent moves are a nightmare for the editor.
Ensure the music plays clearly during recording so dancers can keep time and the editor doesn’t spend 5,000 years syncing :,)
Communicate constantly with the dancers so they understand the vision and instructions for each shot.
POST-PRODUCTION: Guard the footage with your life. As soon as it’s recorded, make backups so all the work isn’t lost in some tragic accident O.O. If the editor is different from the shooter, send footage and notes ASAP.
And then… EDIT.
Done, we have our video. Okay, not really. Editing can be the most draining part depending on the quality of the shots and the project planning (unbiased opinion, of course 😅). In the worst case, you’ll face all kinds of issues born from poor pre-production planning, which must be solved patiently—otherwise frustration can lead to perfectionism and wishing everything were easier (classic beginner move… aka me).
But I’ve found some approaches to make the process more bearable for my future sanity. So here, dear cat who’s probably the only one reading this… drumroll please…
🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 How to Edit a Choreographic Video Without an Existential Crisis 2.0 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
More Than Just Aesthetics
A dance music video has priorities that go way beyond looking pretty. For example: you want to show the entire group as much as possible, while also highlighting the front dancers whose expressions the camera captured best. Another big thing is making sure the choreography steps are visible—and if someone falls out of sync, you can mask it with a cut to another shot. The goal is simple: both the video and the choreography need to look their best. (And of course, you don’t want to cut to a close-up of the least experienced dancer the moment they mess up!)
Organizing the Footage
The basics first: rename your clips so you can find the best takes quickly in your editing software. You can do this in the footage folder on your computer or inside the editing program. Personally, I recommend doing it in the folder to keep things clean from the start—unless you’re working on a shared project, where everyone needs the original clip names to stay consistent.
In that case, you can keep the original ID number and just add descriptors to make it clearer. For example:
MVI_1234_good_frontal_take1234_v1_best1234_group_final
This way, your teammates can still refer to clips by their original number, and you get the clarity you need for editing. It’s the best of both worlds.
Also, don’t forget to create folders for music, images, logos, or any other extra materials. And for that extra professional touch: review the footage as soon as possible after the shoot. That way, you’ll catch technical issues early. If possible, share some takes with the dancers—they usually have a sharp eye for how their movement looks on camera, and their feedback can be invaluable before you dive into the full edit.
Syncing to the Music
Once everything is organized, import it into your timeline. The first essential step: sync the clips to the music.
How? Well, the manual way is listening to each clip, matching them one by one with the track. Easy, right? NO!!! Okay, technically yes, but it’s painful. Luckily, in Premiere we have the Synchronize tool, which saves tons of time—as long as the camera audio actually picked up the music during recording.
Here’s how I do it:
Place the official audio track in Audio Track 1.
Put each clip (with its own audio) on separate layers.
Select all clips + the audio track → right-click → Synchronize.
In the popup, select “Clip Start” and “Audio Track Channel 1.”
And voilà—in a few minutes, everything lines up with the music. Then you can delete or unlink the camera audio unless you want to keep some of it (like footsteps, intros, or outros).
Building the Sequence
Now comes the patience game. Start organizing your timeline: color-code layers, drop markers, and work methodically. I recommend building a rough cut first to show the client, then moving to more detailed edits.
The key is visual coherence. If a shot is crooked, fix it with rotation and scale. For shaky, complex shots, use Warp Stabilizer in After Effects (via Dynamic Link from Premiere). Honestly, I’m still learning how to optimize the parameters for different clips, but so far it’s been a lifesaver.
When transitioning between takes, try to match movement—a hand, a turn, a kick—so the viewer’s attention flows naturally. In editing lingo, that’s a match cut.
Above all, remember: the dancers should shine. Pick their best takes, balance visibility across the group, and avoid favoritism unless the project calls for it.
My Editing Workflow
Once everything is synced, I duplicate the sequence. The original stays untouched as “SYNC COMP,” and the duplicate becomes my working “MAIN COMP.” That way, if things go wrong, I always have a backup.
From there, I hide layers and focus only on the best-marked clips for each segment. The extras? I don’t delete them—just drag them to higher tracks (with the eye icon turned off), re-label them, and keep them handy for possible inserts. Sometimes they save you during tricky transitions.
The process is basically trial and error: experiment, cut, review, repeat. Show the base version to the client, get feedback, and then refine. Always aim for rhythm and flow that feel natural—too many flashy transitions can pull the viewer out of the experience, unless the music itself calls for it.
Exporting
For delivery, settings depend on the client’s needs. But as a general rule:
H.264 codec is standard.
8–10 Mbps bitrate for HD (1080p).
15–20 Mbps bitrate for 4K.
For social media: Instagram allows videos up to 10 minutes with a max file size of 650MB, while YouTube benefits from keeping the bitrate as high as possible to preserve quality.
Final Thoughts
Editing choreographic videos might look like “just another format” (like those makeup tutorials everyone thinks they can do), but in reality, they’re complex. Every second counts, and sometimes a transition hangs on a single frame. Continuity depends on how well you observe the dancers’ movements and composition.
For me, this process has been incredibly rewarding. It gave me tools, confidence, and patience. Other video types will probably feel much easier after this.
At first, editing these projects feels overwhelming—like every decision could ruin the whole thing. Then, when you finally sync a couple of shots and it doesn’t look like a drunk monkey edited it, you feel like Spielberg. And just when you think you’ve mastered it, a dancer out of sync or an impossible-to-stabilize shot comes along and smacks you back into reality.
But honestly, that’s the beauty of it: learning, problem-solving, and slowly turning technical hurdles into creative allies. Because let’s face it, nothing says “professional editor” like solving problems without frantically searching YouTube tutorials at 3 a.m. while crying over your keyboard.
