Music Video Treatment Template

A treatment is the pitch for a music video: the idea, the look and what happens in each part of the song. One page, filled in, then blank.

Use this template
  • FitsOne song, one page
  • IncludesFilled example and blank
  • CostFree to copy

Updated

An anime music video frame: a girl with a red scarf rides a bicycle through a rainy neon city at night
Lyric video: white lyric lines over a glowing city skyline at blue hour reflected in a river
A six panel color anime storyboard of two swordswomen on a bamboo bridge at night and a lantern falling into the river

Frames from the example, made in Ziztu with invented people.

The template

A treatment is read by an artist, a label or a producer before anything is made. The example is the page for Neon Bike, an upbeat synth pop song. It is short on purpose: one idea, one look, five sections.

Music video treatment

Neon BikeYour title here

The idea

Three lines. If the idea needs a paragraph, it is not simple enough yet.

Song
Neon Bike, upbeat synth pop with a bright female lead
Concept
A girl rides through a rainy neon city to a place she cannot name, and the city is the only thing that sings back.
Type
Narrative with a few performance shots
Feeling
Lonely at first, then free

Look and sound

Say what it looks like, not what it is like.

Style
2D anime, rain on every surface, soft focus on the lights
Color
Neon pink and cyan against a dark blue city, one red scarf
Camera
Low and moving beside the rider, then one big crane shot
Repeating image
The red scarf in almost every shot

Section by section

What happens in each part of the song. Keep each row to one picture.

SectionTimeWhat we seeFeeling
Intro0:00 to 0:04Rain on a neon street. An empty bicycle against a wall.Waiting
Verse0:04 to 0:14The girl ties her red scarf and rides past shop windows, the street blurring.Leaving
Chorus0:14 to 0:20A wide crane shot as she crosses a bridge, lights on the water.Freedom
Bridge0:20 to 0:25A close-up of her face, rain and a smile.Closeness
Outro0:25 to 0:30The bike rolls on without her, the scarf caught on the handlebar.A question

The pitch

The sentence you say out loud when someone asks what the video is.

One line
A girl, a bicycle and a city that glows because she is passing through it.

Paste it into Google Docs, Word, Notion or any text editor. It is free to copy and use.

The fastest way to use it

On your own

  • Copy the template into a document and fill it in.
  • Find an image tool, a video tool and a voice tool, and move your work between them.
  • Keep the same faces, places and style yourself, shot after shot.

In Ziztu

  • The idea box opens with the example already written. Change the names and press go.
  • Studio plans the shot list, makes every shot and adds the music, in one place.
  • Character sheets keep the cast looking the same in every shot.
  • 40 free credits, no card: write the script, cast your characters, draw the storyboard and hear the voices. Video starts at $12.
Use this template

How to fill it in

  1. 01

    Write the idea in one or two sentences

    Name the song, the concept and the feeling at the start and the end. Keep it short enough to say aloud.

  2. 02

    Describe the look, not the mood

    Choose a style, two main colors and one accent, and say how the camera behaves. Pick one image that repeats.

  3. 03

    Map the sections

    Give each part of the song one picture and one feeling, and write about how long it lasts.

What makes it work

One idea per video

A treatment that explains three ideas is a treatment nobody remembers. Choose the strongest and cut the rest.

Show the repeating image

The scarf, the bike or a color gives viewers something to hold, and makes a short video feel like a story.

Write the pitch line last

When the sections are clear, one sentence about the whole video becomes easy to write.

More templates

An anime music video frame: a girl with a red scarf rides a bicycle through a rainy neon city at nightStoryboardMusic video storyboardA shot for every line of the song, with time, camera and look.Lyric video: white lyric lines over a glowing city skyline at blue hour reflected in a riverLyric planLyric videoEvery line with its start time, on-screen text, background and motion.A lone figure on a hill under a huge open sky, the top of the frame left empty for a titleShot listAnime openingA 90 second opening shot list cut to the song, with real frames.A six panel pencil storyboard: a rainy bus stop, a girl with an umbrella, a kitten in a box, her brother stepping off the bus, her smile, the two sharing the umbrellaStoryboardStoryboard templateSix panels with shot, action, camera and time, filled in with a real example.

Frequently asked questions

What is a music video treatment?

A treatment is a short document that pitches a music video: the concept, the look, the structure and often a few references. Directors write them to win a job, and artists use them to agree on an idea before anything is made.

How long should a music video treatment be?

One to three pages. The example here fits on one: an idea, a look, a section by section plan and a pitch line.

What goes in a music video treatment?

The song, the concept, the type (narrative or performance), the look and sound, what happens in each section and a one-line pitch. Add references and a budget when you pitch it to someone.

Is Neon Bike a real song?

No. It is an invented song for this page, and the frames are made in Ziztu with invented people.

Can I make the video from the treatment?

Yes. Press Use this template to open the idea box with the treatment written out, or try the AI music video generator for a short anime clip. In Ziztu Studio you plan every shot to your track.

Is the template free?

Yes. Copy it as text, download it as a Markdown file or print it to PDF without an account.

Related tools

A singer walking through a tunnel of hot-pink and electric-blue neon lightAI Music Video GeneratorDescribe the video and pick a track from our music library.A figure on a hilltop under glowing lanterns in a peach and violet skyAI Lyric Video MakerPaste your lyrics, add your own song or pick a track, then a background and a format.A six-panel storyboard sheet on a sky-blue backgroundAI Storyboard GeneratorDescribe one scene and get a six panel storyboard planned like a director would: a wide to open, an insert, a reverse angle and a close-up at the turn.An anime girl running along a seaside railway at sunset as a train passesAI Anime Video GeneratorType a scene and get a 5-second anime clip in about a minute.A singer with braids at a vintage microphone in violet and hot-pink lightAI Singing Voice GeneratorPaste your lyrics, pick a genre and a voice. You get your words sung as a full song with music.

From the blog

Best AI Music Video Generators: 5 Tools Ranked (2026)11 min readHow to Make an AI Music Video From a Song8 min read
An anime music video frame: a girl with a red scarf rides a bicycle through a rainy neon city at night

Turn the template into a scene you can watch.

40 free credits, no card: write the script, cast your characters, draw the storyboard and hear the voices. Video starts at $12.

Try it free