FEATURES OF MUSIC VIDEOS

BY LAURA VAABEL

SVEN CARLSSON AND THE COMMERCIAL EXHIBITIONIST

THE PERFORMER ISN’T ALWAYS A PERFORMER WITHIN MUSIC VIDEOS, THEY CAN MATERIALIZE THE COMMERCIAL EXHIBITIONIST. THEY HOLD THEIR OWN BODY IMAGE, SHOWING OFF EVERYTHING TO GAIN SUCCESS- THEIR VOICE, FACE, LIFESTYLE AND RECORDS ETC. THE COMMERCIAL EXHIBITIONIST WILL WANT SUCCESS AND SO TRIES TO EVOKE THE CHARISMA OF STARDOM AND SEXUALITY, HE/SHE WISHES TO BE A CELEBRITY, AN ICON. IN THIS VIEW, THE PERFORMERS ARE RESTRICTED ON HOW THEY CAN PERFORM, SELL THEIR VOICE, FACE AND LIFESTYLE ETC.

SVEN CARLSSON AND MODERN MYTHIC EMBODIMENT

THE ARTIST IS PERCEIVED AS BECOMING ONE, OR A NUMBER OF "MODERN MYTHIC CHARACTERS OR FORCES". THEY ARE REPRESENTING DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE FREE FLOATING DISPARATE UNIVERSE OF MUSIC VIDEO. MOST PERFORMANCE MOVIES MAKE THE PERFORMER NOT A PERFORMER ANYMORE.

CARLSSON

• ONE OF THE MOST COMMON METHODS OF ANALYSIS IS TO BREAK UP THE MUSIC VIDEO INTO BLACK AND WHITE BOXES. ALMOST EVERYTHING IS THEN PERCEIVED AS OPPOSITES - RUBBISH OR ART, COMMERCE OR CREATIVITY, MALE OR FEMALE, NATURALISM OR ANTI-REALISM, ETC. BINARY OPPOSITES DRIVE THE NARRATION OF THE MUSIC VIDEO FORWARD.

• CARLSSON THINKS THAT MUSIC VIDEOS ALL FALL INTO 2 CATEGORIES, CONCEPTUAL AND PERFORMANCE. PERFORMANCE VIDEOS REFERS TO THOSE THAT SHOW THE ARTIST SINGING AND DANCING, CONCEPTUAL VIDEOS REFER TO THOSE THAT INCLUDE SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE ARTIST THROUGHOUT THE VIDEO. SNAP OUT OF IT, BY ARCTIC MONKEYS USES A CONCEPTUAL MUSIC VIDEO, WHILST THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR LITHIUM BY NIRVANA CONSISTS OF A PERFORMANCE MUSIC VIDEO.

HERE IS A GIF I MADE FROM THE ARCTIC MONKEY’S MUSIC VIDEO, SNAP OUT OF IT. I DID THIS IN ORDER TO REPRESENT HOW THE VIDEO IS ONLY CONCEPTUAL AND PORTRAY HOW THE VISUALS MATCH THE LYRICS. IF GIF DOESN’T PLAY, CLICK THIS

LINK: HTTPS://GIPHY.COM/GIFS/MONKEYS-STEPHANIE-ARCTIC-JB1FPHI5JYXWY

THE TELEVISION BARD

THIS IS ANOTHER TYPE OF PERFORMANCE IN MUSIC VIDEOS. THEY ARE A SINGER STORY-TELLER WHO USES ACTUAL ON-SCREEN IMAGES INSTEAD OF PERSONAL IMAGES. THE TELEVISION BARD MAY ACT WITHIN THIS STORY, THEY TRANSFORM THE CLICHÉD STORY OF THE LYRICS UTILIZING ON-SCREEN IMAGES TO CREATE AN INTERESTING STORY.

ELECTRONIC SHAMAN

SOMETIMES THIS PERSON IS INVISIBLE AND IT IS ONLY THEIR VOICE AND RHYTHM THAT CONTROLS THE VISUALS. THEY CONNECT IMAGE AND SOUND, POTENTIALLY CREATING NEW MEANING TO THE LYRICS.

THE MUSIC• IF A MUSIC VIDEO IS LACKING AN OBVIOUS

NARRATIVE, BASED ON VISUALS AND LYRICS, IT USES UNIFYING ASPECTS THAT

ARE A DISTINCTIVE TRAIT OF MUSIC. IMAGES ARE BOUND TOGETHER BY THE BEAT AND OTHER MUSICAL FEATURES. 

• CERTAIN MOVEMENTS MAY BE SYNCHED WITH THE BEAT OF THE MUSIC. THIS CAN BE SHOWN IN THE EXAMPLE GIF BELOW

OF HARLEY QUINN MOVING HER HAND IN SYNCH WITH THE BEAT OF THE MUSIC, TAKEN FROM THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR HEATHENS BY TWENTY ONE PILOTS.

• IF GIF DOESN’T PLAY, CLICK THIS LINK: HTTPS://GIPHY.COM/GIFS/JJB9RK2HWD0IC

LYRICS AND THE PERCEPTION OF MUSIC VIDEOS

• OFTEN LYRICS ARE GIVEN A NEW MEANING WHEN A MUSIC VIDEO IS FORMED FOR THE SONG, THIS MAY BECAUSE THE ARTIST HAS CREATED A METAPHOR WITH THE VISUALS THEY HAVE USED.

• PEOPLE MAY PERCEIVE MUSIC VIDEOS DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING ON THEIR ACTIVE SOCIAL ASPECTS, LIKE FAMILY, REGION, COUNTRY ETC. THEIR INTERACTIVE LAYERS OF PERCEPTION MAY BE INSTINCTIVE, INTER-SUBJECTIVE AND INDIVIDUAL. THIS WOULD ALL INTERACT WITH PERSONAL MEMORIES. ON TOP OF THIS, SITUATION VARIABLES CAN ALSO COMPLICATE THE PERCEPTION OF A MUSIC VIDEO.

MUSIC VIDEO STYLES• A STANDARD MUSIC VIDEO CLIP IS ONE THAT CONTAINS THESE THREE VISUAL TRADITIONS; A FILMED SINGER

IS BLENDED WITH INSERTED IMAGES AND THE PRESENTATION IS ARTISTICALLY INFLUENCED BY THE EXPERIMENTAL FILM TRADITION.

• THERE ARE 3 TYPES OF VISUAL TRADITION IN MUSIC VIDEOS; PERFORMANCE CLIP, NARRATIVE CLIP AND ART CLIP.

• PERFORMANCE CLIPS ARE THOSE THAT CONTAIN MOSTLY FILMED PERFORMANCE, THIS WILL SHOW THE ARTIST PLAYING THEIR INSTRUMENT/SINGING IN AT LEAST ONE SETTING. THESE CLIPS ARE POPULARLY TAKEN ON STAGE OR IN A STUDIO, BUT THEY CAN BE TAKEN ANYWHERE, LIKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET OR ON THE MOON. A PERFORMANCE CLIP SHOT WALKING DOWN THE STREET HAS BECOME A CLICHÉ AND CAN BE SEEN IN THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR BITTER SWEET SYMPHONY BY THE VERVE. THIS PERFORMANCE CAN BE OF 3 TYPES; DANCE, SONG OR INSTRUMENTAL. THEY CAN ALSO BE A COMBINATION OF 2 OR ALL 3 OF THESE TYPES.

• NARRATIVE CLIPS ARE ONES THAT ARE MORE EASILY UNDERSTOOD AS A SHORT SILENT FILM TO A MUSICAL BACKGROUND. THESE WILL CONTAIN A VISUAL STORY THAT WILL BE EASY TO FOLLOW. THEY HAVE NO LIP-SYNCHRONISED SINGING. AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THESE WOULD BE THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR UB40’S RED RED WINE.

• ART CLIPS HAVE NO PERCEPTIBLE VISUAL NARRATIVE AND CONTAIN NO LIP SYNCHRONISED SINGING.

LINKS BETWEEN GENRE AND MUSIC VIDEO STYLES

• IT IS NOT OFTEN THAT THERE IS A LINK BETWEEN THE MUSIC VIDEO AND THE GENRE OF MUSIC, BUT THERE ARE SOME LINKS BETWEEN THE STYLE OF THE VIDEO AND THE GENRE. FOR INSTANCE, DANCE MUSIC VIDEO CLIPS ARE SOMETIMES ART CLIPS AND THE EDITING TECHNIQUES USED FOR MUSIC VIDEOS TO SOFT BALLADS IS MOSTLY MIXING. THE ROCK GENRE USUALLY USES CONCERT CLIPS WITH INSERTED NARRATIVE SHOTS,

ABSTRACT FORM

• MUSIC VIDEOS TEND TO STICK TO ONE THEME THROUGHOUT, THIS MIGHT BE KEEPING SOMETHING THE SAME/SIMILAR THROUGHOUT. THIS IS KNOWN AS ABSTRACT FORM.

• PICTORIAL ELEMENTS ARE THE SMALL SECTIONS WITHIN WHICH A MOVING IMAGE MAY BE DIVIDED INTO - QUICK ZOOMING IN AND OUT, SHORT CUTS, COLOURS, SHAPES, MOVEMENTS, SETTINGS, CLOTHES, FOOTAGE ETC.

• AN INTRODUCTION TO A MUSIC VIDEO OFTEN INCORPORATES THE BASIC PICTORIAL ELEMENTS, WHICH WILL DEVELOP TO VISUAL MOTIFS.

CONVENTIONS

• MUSIC VIDEO CONVENTIONS AREN’T USUALLY SIMILAR TO THOSE OF THE FILM INDUSTRY’S. FOR INSTANCE, BACKLIGHTING EFFECTS IN MUSIC VIDEOS MIGHT BE THOUGHT OF AS REFERRING TO FILM NOIR, HOWEVER IT IS MORE LIKELY THAT THEY ARE TYING IN ASSOCIATE THE VIDEO WITH LIGHTING CONVENTIONS OF LIVE PERFORMANCES.

• IN MUSIC VIDEOS, NARRATIVE RELATIONS ARE HIGHLY COMPLEX AND CAN BE CREATED BY THE INDIVIDUAL AUDIENCE MEMBER OF THE VIDEO.

• IN MY OPINION MUSIC VIDEOS ARE SEPARATE TO ANY OTHER FORM OF MEDIA AND CREATE THEIR OWN CONVENTIONS.