Production

5 Music Video Production Lessons from Directing Ssaru x Fathermoh's 'Kwanini'

2 June 2026·6 min read·Nataka Inc

Every music video teaches you something. Here are five production and creative lessons from directing 'Kwanini' — insights that apply to any artist or brand commissioning video in Kenya.

Every project leaves you better. "Kwanini" — the official music video for Ssaru x Fathermoh, directed by Nataka Inc — is one of those productions that compressed a huge amount of learning into a short shoot window. Here are five lessons we're taking forward.

Lesson 1: The Song Tells You Everything You Need to Know

Before we did any location scouting, any mood board, any creative deck — we listened to "Kwanini" dozens of times. Not in the background. Actively, with our eyes closed, paying attention to what images came up, what feelings the track produced, what visual rhythm felt native to the music.

The song already contains its own visual language. The director's job is to discover it, not invent it. Visuals that fight the music — that feel imposed rather than revealed — always feel wrong, even if the viewer can't name why. Start with the music. Let it lead.

Lesson 2: Casting Chemistry Is a Production Decision

Ssaru and Fathermoh have a genuine artistic chemistry that goes beyond the track. On set, they have a natural dynamic that the camera responds to. This is not something you can manufacture in post-production — it either exists in the room or it doesn't.

When you're briefing a music video shoot, think carefully about the relationships and dynamics you're photographing. The most interesting frames are almost always the ones where something real is happening between the people in them.

Lesson 3: One Strong Location Beats Five Mediocre Ones

There's a temptation — especially when budget allows — to shoot across many locations in search of variety. "Kwanini" reminded us that depth in a location beats breadth across locations. When you really commit to a place — when you understand its light at different times of day, its geometry, its texture — you find images within it that you'd never discover if you were rushing to the next spot.

Nairobi is full of locations with enormous visual depth. Find the right one and stay there long enough to unlock it.

Lesson 4: Brief Your Artists, Not Just Your Crew

Production meetings with the director, DP, and art director are standard. What's less common — and more valuable — is a deep creative brief session with the artists themselves. What do they want to feel in front of the camera? What are they nervous about? What's the version of this video that would make them most proud?

When artists are briefed properly, they arrive on set prepared. They've already done the internal work. The performance you capture is the result of their preparation, not just the luck of the take.

Lesson 5: Great Post-Production Multiplies Everything

The footage we captured for "Kwanini" was strong. The edit and grade made it exceptional. There is no great music video without great post-production — the colour, the timing of every cut, the sound mix, the way the final delivery lands on YouTube versus Instagram versus a TV screen.

Budget for post-production the same way you budget for the shoot. The cameras stop rolling, and then the real shaping begins.