Music Videos

The purpose of the Music Video

Promotes a single and/or an album Promotes the artist or bandCreates, adapts or feeds into a ‘star

image’ Audience entertainment Helps to set the ‘meaning’ of a song

through the use of images

Basic structures

In 3-4 minutes a typical music video combines a mix of live performance, narrative, and other visual imagery including computer graphics and animation.

It does this to advertise the band/artist and song

Music Videos

Often contains a number of different elements:

Performance Narrative Concept:

Thematic SymbolicIdea based

Performance

Many music videos include performance of the artists as part of the video

It was from clips of performances that music videos developed

For example:Bon Jovi – You give love a bad name

Often contain shots of the artists performing Can be a live stage performance, with shots of artists and audience Can be the artists in “real life” situations eg warming up, talking, fooling

around Often includes lots of close ups of the artist There can be a particular visual style that goes with the artist (a motif) eg

particular clothing, actions, props, type of images. Often the artist can appear to perform in an unusual place - all lip-synched

eg a field, a rooftop

Performance

Narrative

Often the video tells a story either that features in the lyrics or is suggested in the lyrics eg girl dumps boy

This narrative can be like a Mini film, with a beginning, middle and end

Or it can suggest some links to a story It can promote a film with clips form the film

included telling a story For example:

Taylor Swift – You belong with me

Narrative

Because it is only 3-4 minutes it can be very fast paced, lots of shots and cuts use inter-textuality with films, tv and other videos mimic other film and tv genre eg horror or sci fi sometimes the story can contradict what is seen for effect sometimes the artist is a part of the story, or an observer or completely separate

Concept

Thematic Symbolic Idea based

Narrative or performance is not the most dominate aspect.

Concept - Thematic

There are lots of common themes in music videos Depends on the genre of music Eg Heavy metal bands go for perfomance

dominated clipsRap has lots of “street” imagesdance routines are common for many female artist performances

Concept - Symbolic

Use of lots of symbols to build up meaning eg graveyard…death Lots of use of montage -lots of images to create meaning

sometimes often contradictory Lighting often used to suggest mood Fast paced - often only a few seconds per shot to build up meanings

Concept – Interesting Idea

Visually stylish – ‘artistic’ mise-en-scene dominates

Experimental use of camera/editing Fast pace Conspicuous lighting and cinematography Often break the rules of continuity editing

Some Other Codes and Conventions

Visually stylish – ‘artistic’ mise-en-scene Cutting related to the rhythm of the music Intercutting between performance and images or story Experimental use of camera/editing (hand held camera, distortion

of colours) Often break the rules of continuity editing. Can use lots of jump

cuts Lots of use of digital effects