CONVENTIONS OF A MUSIC VIDEO

By Megan Sellar

PERFORMANCE

Performance based music videos only show the band or artist performing the song. It is one of the cheapest and easiest types of music video and is normally used to promote the main artist. Performance based music videos enable the artist to show off their skills and ability to perform enabling viewers to personally connect , identify and relate to their style of music. It can also be beneficial for the artist as their image can be portrayed to a wider audience leading them to be more easily recognised by the public at home and abroad. However successful performance based music videos can be difficult to produce as they take up a lot of time and require a large variety of shots to keep the viewer interested. An example of a good performance based music video is ‘Ariana Grande - Problem.’ The music video mainly consists of her miming to the camera and dancing followed by background dancers. To make the video look more appealing she has also included visual effects .

NARRATIVE

Narrative based music videos primarily follow a storyline or several storylines that run parallel to each other throughout the music video. The storyline typically involves the music artist or actor portraying the story through the lyrics of the song or sometimes the overall theme of the video. Narrative music videos can also be divided up by the two different types: linear and fragmented. A linear narrative features the story in chronological order, starting at the beginning and finishing at the end. A good example of this would be ‘Katy Perry – Thinking Of You’. The narrative follows a story of a woman who’s lover has gone to war as she tries to supress her feeling with another man leading to her guilt as her first lover is killed. However, a fragmented narrative challenges the audience and leads them to piece together the story and make sense of it as a fragmented narrative can start in the middle of the action and return to the different parts of the storyline throughout the video.

MIXTURE

Most music videos include a mixture of both narrative and performance. The director of the video includes both a story that relates to the narrative alongside scenes of the artist performing. Typically these music videos provide a selection of short quick cuts between the two types of video to give a balanced performance. This helps to keep the audiences attention and maintain their interest in both the narrative storyline and the actual artist themselves. These videos can be more complicated, therefore being more expensive to produce. One video that has a good example of a mixture of all these things is ‘Beyoncé – If I Were A Boy.’ Throughout the clip, there is a constant change in scenes between the narrative story and performance. The clip begins with shots of the main protagonists against a while background and changes to follow the story of the woman who takes the place of her husband for the day .

CAMERA ANGLES AND MOVEMENT

The positioning and framing of the camera isimportant as it defines the position from which the image is created. A still or moving image can be depictedby; angle, height, level and distance. It is important to consider these when producing a music video as a range of different camera angles can invoke different emotionsand narratives in a music video. Performance based music videos typically include several close up shots of the main protagonist enabling the audience to engage with the artist through their facial expressions, use of body language and hand gestures. One example of a music video which involves this is ‘Let Me Down Gently’ by La Roux’.

The movement of the camera is also important in a music video through the use of dolly, zoom, wipe and many more. Narrative based music videos typically include a selection of different camera movements to convey a story. Camera movements are also used in performance based music videos to highlight the pace of the singer and their surroundings which form the background. An example of a narrative based music video which uses a range of camera movements is ‘I Need Your Love’ by Calvin Harris featuring Ellie Goulding.

EDITING

Editing is an important process which concludes the making of the music video. The process involves the editor piecing the video together with a varied amount of different camera shots while ensuring they fit with the lyrics of the song. Pop songs generally involve camera shots which are cut to the beat to keep the audiences interest and make the video flow whereas slow songs include slow motion and longer cuts to fit the speed and emotion of the song. Editing also includes special effects such as continuity editing which is used in narrative based music videos to tell a story and parallel editing which is used in mixed music videos to show a visual comparison between the narrative and the performance.

Editing also plays a big part within the production of the soundtrack as CGI is sometimes used by directors to convey a story within the lyrics of the song. For example the music video ‘Thunder’ by Jessie J includes computerized scenes of thunder which have been altered to fit with the lyrics of the song. Another example of this effect is the music video ‘Jar of Hearts’ by Christina Perri which shows clips of falling leaves to convey the emotions of the song, engaging the audience.

MISE-EN-SCENE

Mise-en-scene refers to everything that is involved in the music video. The three main components of mise-en-scene include; subject, lighting and setting.The subject refers to the main protagonist within the video which is an essential element in the production of any music video as viewers needs to be able to connect with the artist. Lighting and setting is also very important as they help determine the success of the video. A music video which uses a combination of light sources and beautiful settings is sure to catch the viewers interest . Props and costumes are also an important element of mise-en-scene helping to attract a wider audience. The artist Katy Perry primarily

focuses on mise-en-scene in many of her music videos, showing off her extravagant and excessive outfits. One example of this is her music video ‘Dark Horse’ featuring Juicy J. The video is set in Ancient Egypt with an Egyptian styled theme. Katy Perry, herself is also dressed as an Egyptian princess . The video also includes a variety of different settings which have been specially made for the music video.

SOUND

Music videos incorporate different sounds which can be used in a number of different ways for artistic effect. Narrative based music videos typically include diegetic sounds to help create a sense of realism. A good example of this is ‘Jason Derulo – What If’. The music video includes diegetic sounds of glass smashing against the hard floor and a clock ticking to demonstrate the change of time as the man is shown to try and save his wife from a car accident. The different sounds help the scene look believable . Some narratives also include narration, helping to tell a story. The most common type of narration used in narratives is a voice-over which helps put things in context and explains the basics of the story conveying what the viewers can see. However, a few narratives also include an subjective voice which is mainly used in television programmes enabling the audience to hear what the actor is thinking.