MUSIC VIDEOS – STYLES, CONVENTIONS AND TECHNIQUESBy Christopher Tuck

STYLES - POPULAR MUSIC GENRESPopular Music Genre Videos generally reflect the genre of the music. In the two examples below, the chaotic heavy metal feeling from Children Of Bodom is very different to the large scale locations and dancers of the Psy music video. The genres will also be reflected in the costumes used. A mainstream video will have a variety of fashionable costumes whereas the costumes of another genre will generally reflect the style of the artist/audience.Psy – Gangnam Style – Pophttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0

Children Of Bodom – Trashed, Lost and Strungout – Heavy Metal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVifw7Atg2Y

STYLES – IN-CONCERT AND ‘AS LIVE’ FOOTAGEIn-Concert Music Videos show the artists of the song doing a live performance of it. Some of them even use videos from a real gig rather than a staged one. Audiences generally enjoy these music videos as they want to see the artist playing the song rather than just hearing it. In some cases, it can be used to represent the feeling of a real concert. However, artists need to ensure that they lip-sync by singing in the same way to the studio version of the song. Examples of these videos are shown below:Bon Jovi – It’s My Life – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx2u5uUu3DE

Metallica – Sad But True –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8MO7fkZc5o

STYLES – ANIMATION (STOP MOTION, DIGITAL)Some music videos use animation, whether it be for the whole video or just part of it. This can range from stop-motion animation to digital. Two examples of these videos are shown below, one of them is wholly animated and the other is only partly. The music video for A Little Piece of Heaven is wholly done using computer animation whereas the Happy Hour music video features section of stop-motion Claymation. Animated videos can be enjoyed by anyone as they allow for visual effects that would not be possible in real life such as flying. Avenged Sevenfold – A Little Piece Of Heaven – Wholly Animatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VurhzANQ_B0

Housemartins – Happy Hour – Partly Animatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_TMUJIWwyI

STYLES - NARRATIVEA Narrative Music Video has a story for the audience to follow whilst they are listening to the song. These differ to interpretive music videos in that the narrative does not need to be exactly following the lyrics of the song. Shown below, the Metallica video follows a pair of soldiers and their camaraderie whilst serving in the middle-east. The Depeche Mode video follows a person’s life of poverty and isolation.Below are examples of two narrative videos:Metallica – The Day That Never Comes –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlahvvymkxc

Depeche Mode – Peace – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZLcc64LPU8

STYLES - SURREALISTSurrealist music videos use unconventional images that the audience do not anticipate and they can often be described by audiences as absurd. The idea behind these videos is that the surprise factor will make the video more memorable to the audience. The Sex Dwarf video features bondage imagery and characters with dwarfism engaging in it which is a shocking and surreal experience for the viewer. The Basement Jaxx music is surreal instead as they put their faces on monkeys to play the song. Below are two examples of surreal music videos:Soft Cell – Sex Dwarf – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39NHW8V-WEk

Basement Jaxx – Where’s Your Head At? – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rAOyh7YmEc

STYLES - PASTICHEA pastiche music video is when an artist imitates somebody else’s style. This is usually light-hearted and done with respect for the person who is being imitated. The Man Like Me video is imitating the style of people who lived in the 80’s including their behaviour and appearance. Below are two examples of pastiche music videos:Man Like Me – You’ll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties – 80’s partyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gm9rxNxyDU

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody – (Theatrical/Play)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQ

STYLES - PARODYA parody music video ‘takes the mick’ out of the original subject matter of a song. Many artists found fame through parody music videos such as Weird Al Yankovic and The Midnight Beast. By using humour in your video, an audience member can get another type of enjoyment from it. Here are two examples of parody music videos:Weird Al Yankovic – White And Nerdy – (Parody of ‘Ridin’ Dirty’ by Chamillionaire)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9qYF9DZPdw

The Midnight Beast – Tik Tok Parody – (Original by Ke$ha)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4npUdfEmbQ

STYLES - REFERENCINGSome music videos may reference other subjects where these be cultural/historical events or another person. Soundtrack videos may even make reference to the films that they are from in the music video. People like ‘reference’ videos as they can enjoy the song as well as the extra entertainment from the subject being referenced. They can also be used to promote each other. The One video has clips to Johnny Got His Gun to accompany the lyrical references to it in the song. Two examples of referencing music videos are shown below:Will Smith – Men In Black – (references the film of the same title – Men In Black (Sonnenfield, 1997))http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSRF3slguhI

Metallica – One – (References Johnny Got His Gun (Trumbo, 1971))http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzgGTTtR0kc

STYLES - HOMAGESome artists use their music videos to pay respect to another text that has influenced them or just one that they like. This reference can be noticed by the audience or encourage them to engage with the original text as well. For example, the Smooth Criminal video pays homage to the costumes and scenery used in a scene in the film The Band Wagon (Minnelli, 1953). Two examples of homage music videos are shown below:Michael Jackson – Smooth Criminal – (Homage to Fred Astaire in The Band Wagon)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaAaFAnaZN4

The Scissor Sisters – Let’s Have A Kiki – (Homage to Paris is Burning, a 1990 documentary film)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGCD4xb-Tr8

STYLES - INTERPRETIVEAs mentioned previously in the narrative section, an interpretive music video is one where the directors interpret the lyrics of a song using them to perform a narrator function making the videos often quite literal. Two examples of interpretive music videos are shown below:Tenacious D – Tribute –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lK4cX5xGiQ

R Kelly – Trapped in the Closet – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFosUj6A22c&playnext=1&list=PL9F5B80E56D446962&feature=results_main

STYLES -IMPRESSIONISTImpressionist music videos are more ‘artistic’, taking their name from the art movement of impressionism. These music videos are likely to include features such as soft light, soft edges and flowing and intermingling colours. These create a very aesthetically-pleasing video and increasing the amount of attention that is paid to it. Examples below:The Fray – How To Save A Life – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjVQ36NhbMk

Adele – Rolling In The Deep –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEDA3JcQqw

STYLES – INFLUENCE OF COMMERCIALSThe style or narrative of some music videos are influenced by the world of advertising and commercialism. This could be for allusion (see conventions) or parody purposes. Some music videos can also be seen as advertisements for a specific way of life. Examples below:Fergie – Glamorous – This is promoting the glamorous lifestyle that comes with a lot of money.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0SyUgw98tE

Pulp – Common People – This is promoting the working-class lifestyle in comparison to the ignorance of the wealthy.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuTMWgOduFM

CONVENTIONS – LYRIC INTERPRETATIONWhen creating a music video, one of the conventions you will think about is lyric interpretation. When a director listens to a song, they will create a video based around what their interpretation of the lyrics are. Our own interpretation may then be based around the visuals produced as well as our own opinion of the lyrics. A good example for demonstrating differences in interpretation is Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band – Turn the Page. Upon it’s original release, it was interpreted to be about a musician who got anxious when looked at. However, when Metallica did a cover of the song, a second music video was released for their version. This video interpreted the song as about a woman who is a prostitute to get money to look after her young daughter.

CONVENTIONS – EXTENDING SONG’S MEANINGA song’s meaning can be extended which means that the action and images featured in the music video are being used to the promote the meaning of the song. This leaves the song open to other interpretations. An example of this is in the music video for Madonna’s Like A Prayer which features imagery of burning crosses and what appears to be a depiction of Jesus as a black man whom she kisses. Therefore, the interpretation could be a statement against racism, as it was intended. However, a lot of controversy sparked up at the time under the grounds that she was boasting a provocative blend of sex appeal and religion which people found objectionable.

CONVENTIONS – CONSOLIDATING SONG’S MEANINGRather than extending a song’s meaning, you can consolidate it so that, rather than opening the meaning of a song, you are using images joined with the sound and music which has an emphatic effect on the message that the music video is promoting. An example of this is for Avenged Sevenfold’s song ‘Gunslinger’ which is about those that you leave behind when going to war.

CONVENTIONS – ALLUSIONAllusion is when a reference to a person, existing text, place or event is made within a music video. It could be fairly obvious or totally discreet but either way, many music videos feature conventions such as this. For example, in the music video for Metallica’s ‘All Nightmare Long’ which makes reference to the Tunguska event in 1908 as well as the speculative conjecture that circulated around it.

CONVENTIONS – LINKS TO OTHER ARTISTSIn a different way to allusion, music videos may also make reference to other artists. This means that the video could be either paying homage to that artists style or parodying their style (or previous videos). An example of this is David Brent’s ‘If You Don’t Know Me By Now’ where Ricky Gervais is featured paying homage to the style of artists such as Simply Red.David Brent: Simple Red:

TECHNIQUES – CUTTING TO BEATOne of the techniques used in creating a visually pleasing music video is cutting the shots you take and matching them to the rhythm of the song. This will, in turn, establish a rhythm to your edits as well. The pace of a song can appear to be increased by using lots of cuts to increase the pace of the video. An example of this is: Avenged Sevenfold - So Far Away – During finger-picked intro around 3:30 in, the shots cut through archive footage after each bar of music making it a prime example of cutting to beat editing.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7ry4cx6HfY

TECHNIQUES – EFFECTSAs with any video, visual effects can be a good way of attracting audience members. Aesthetically gratifying effects will enchant audience members and technically impressive effects may also attract another audience who may be interested in the complexity of what you have done. The effects used should be appropriate to the genre of the song.Devildriver – Pray For Villains – This song falls into the Death Metal sub-genre which justifies the videos use of dark, torturous effects to make certain subjects appear evil or possessed such as the lead singers glowing red eyes.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4G4FcPzeIw

TECHNIQUES – MIMING AND LIP SYNCIf the music video includes elements of live performance, the artist would need to mime the lyrics and music to the track so that when the audio was overlaid, they would sync. The example below is created entirely through having various celebrities, talent and members of the public lip-syncing/miming the lyrics of the song from various, unrelated locations. Nickelback – Rockstar – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmeUuoxyt_E

TECHNIQUES – PLAYBACK AND LIP SYNCSometimes the speed of the song is changed for certain effects when filming such as fast paced video with normal paced audio. This would be done by getting the artist to sing the song at half the speed in the video and then doubling the footage speed, meaning that the lips are now synched to the track but everything else runs faster. Directors/artists sometimes implement this technique into their music videos as it creates a strange ‘alternate reality’ sense to it and can also work excellently for semiotics such as life moving in the wrong direction.Coldplay – Yellow – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MwjX4dG72s

TECHNIQUES – MULTI-IMAGEThe multi-image technique means that multiple images are shown on the screen simultaneously. Whilst the old practice involved projecting multiple and repeatedly varying images onto a screen, innovations in non-linear editing make this process more efficient meaning that split screen is the contemporary equivalent. This technique allows multiple ideas to be shown on screen at once, allowing different imagery to be juxtaposed to create an overall semantic interpretation. An example of this technique is:Eminem – Without Me – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVkUvmDQ3HY

TECHNIQUES – CAMERA MOVEMENTSJust like in other media texts, the way that the camera moves has a great impact on the aesthetics and effectiveness of a music video. They can be used to create excitement and add to the tone of the video. An example of where the camera is moved to good effect is:Survivor – Eye of the Tiger – This follows the band on their walk through the streets from face on. They walk with a powerful stride which the camera matches, keeping them level and creating pace for the music video accentuated by the cutting to beat editing used with the strong bass line and clearly structured versing.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btPJPFnesV4

TECHNIQUES – CAMERA ANGLESAs with movements, the way a camera is placed will have a huge impact on the meaning and tone of a music video. By having a variety of different shot lengths and angles, you can create a music video that is more visually interesting and focuses on different elements of the action to communicate different messages to the audience:Depeche Mode – Blasphemous Rumours – Sometimes the camera is placed so as to partially or totally conceal certain on-screen subjects. They are also used to give the impression of separation as well as low angles and lighting being manipulated to deify some of these on-screen subjects.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZRGPg5laDU

TECHNIQUES – CHROMA KEYChroma key is when the footage you are using is shot in front of a green screen (or blue screen). This means that the block colour behind can be removed and replaced with a second image behind the subject. This can be used to accomplish an effect that would have been otherwise impossible such as flying in the sky. It may also be due to budgetary constraints that make going to some locations too expensive; instead, chroma key can be used in the situation. An example of chroma key use is:Green Day – Boulevard of Broken Dreams – The technique is used hear to place the band members amongst a chaotic background. The decision to use chroma key could have been a health and safety concern or due to any aforementioned budgetary concerns.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Soa3gO7tL-c