The General Conventions of Music Videos

By Zara McDermott

The effect of genre on a music video

The music as a whole is the primary factor in the creation of a music video. Different genres have different codes and conventions. Skip to the next slide to begin finding

out about conventions of particular genres of music video.

There are, however, codes and conventions for music videos in general, and these will be further explored.

R&B Music Video Conventions• There is often many low angle shots. These are used to highlight the authority that the artist has over the

audience. It also signifies their fame and importance as an artist as well as showing the songs influential power. In addition to this, the status of the artist is established, both economically and socially.

• The use of women in R&B music videos is important in showing the desirability of the male artist (men are used if the artist is a woman, however the artist is most often male). In 50 Cent’s “In Da Club”, several jump cuts are used of him with 4 different woman. This shows his status as a desirable, appealing and attractive male, but also is slightly degrading of the women because he pays little attention to them and dismisses them immediately. (1)

• There is usually a crowd of people within the video who dance in time to the song. The crowd implies to the viewer that the song is popular and a lot of people enjoy it, giving the song integral credibility and making it seem perhaps more popular than it is.

• The clothing worn in the music video is usually loose clothing or what looks like sporting clothing. This adds to the idea that the artist is of strength both physically and mentally.

• There is also a lot of reference to wealth. For example, in Nicki Minaj’s “Superbass” we see shots of wads of cash and expensive cars. In addition to this, in “In Da Club”, artists wear expensive jewellery to highlight their wealth. (2)

• The mocking of social classes or culture is often used in music videos. For example, in Solja Boy’s “Speakers Going Hammer”, white suburban America is depicted as being black and white, however when he enters the scene the screen turns to colour. This signifies that he is up to date and better than others. He uses binary opposites to mock white suburban America. (3)

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Pop Music Video Conventions• Artists are usually clothes in fashionable outfits with the colours indicating the mood. • Usually a happy and fun atmosphere which is created by the facial expressions of the artist and other individuals contained

within it. • Close ups are often used to highlight the looks of the artist and to show their facial expression. Long shots are often used to

establish the setting and in the dancing scenes. • Lyrics based around the idea of love and relationships and there is commonly a love interest within the video• Consistent beat within the song however the addition of extra instruments throughout allows the song to build to a climax,

often reflected in the music video through the editing. • There is usually a link between lyrics and visuals, i.e. in One Directions “You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful”, as “The way that

you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed” is sang, we see a slow motion clip of a girl flipping her hair. (1)• The idea of aesthetics is consistent throughout pop music videos- they must be pleasing to the target audience.• Desirable and pretty locations are often used again to make the video aesthetically pleasing. The sets are often

emotive in the sense that it is reflective of the type of atmosphere that the artist wants to spark within the viewer.

for example in the music video for Fifth Harmony’s “Miss Movin’ On” the whole video is shot at a fairground. By doing this, the artist is giving a light hearted fun feel to the video. (2)

• There is often some sort of performance in a music video, be it with a band or as a group. • There is often synchronised dancers within the video, more often occurring when the artist is an individual act. This is

because the video would lack movement and aesthetic value (and could become boring) if the artist was alone. However the artist is also often highlighted and made to stand out from other dancers. This is clearly exhibited in Selena Gomez’s “Come and Get It”. (3)

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Electronic/Dance Music Video Conventions

• The music videos for electronic music tend to have messages about dancing, love, sexuality, and drugs all underpinned with repetitive arrangements and a steady bass drum beat.

• Another convention of an electronic music video is that it tend to have scantily clad women doing seductive dance moves. Also, they are usually dressed in clothes that expose their bodies will attract a male audience. (1)Sometimes, electronic music videos can be of a strange nature. For example, the music video for Skrillex’s “First Of The Year” contains a man who would be considered as a pervert following a little girl into an underground tunnel, only to discover that she is of a supernatural nature and he ends up being killed because of his desires. The mise-en-scene in this (the muted and grey-ish overlay added as an effect to the video) aim to imply the creepiness associated with someone with a perverted nature. Here, Skrillex tackles a controversial problem within society in a way he thinks is acceptable. (2)

• Handheld camerawork – Rarely any static shots. The movement adds to the excitement of the video. There is a lot of variety in camera shots used, however a lot of close-ups of the lead singers are usually used.Night club/ disco scenes with lots of flashing lights of all colours in the spectrum. There are lots of shots of people dancing and having a good time – street dancing, break dancing, raving, cheer leading (3). The videos usually incorporate modern teenage stereotypes – alcohol, drugs, fashionable clothing. This is because their target audience is the youth. Sometimes set at summery scenes – at the beach, swimming pool. (1)

• Editing is usually fast paced and to the beat; a cut to a new shot is usually every 1 or 2 seconds. Shots are usually cut together to tell a narrative – a cliché example would be a relationship between a male and a female.

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Country Music Video Conventions

• A lot of country music videos take place in an idyllic setting, reflective of the name “country”. Often, the artist mimes or acts in rural areas as the primary location. For example, in Taylor Swift’s video for her song “Tim McGraw”, the mise-en-scene indicates that of country folk.

• To build upon the mise-en-scene, the wealth reflected in that of R&B video is not a matter in country videos. Artists are usually presented as a part of a community in the sense that their social class and status does not dominate over another. This is as well established by the frequent use of close-ups, mid-shots and high angle shots. (1)

• The music videos are often set in a different time era. Taylor Swift again demonstrates this in her song “Love Story”, where she takes the audience back to the idyllic Shakespearian era where we see her play the role of Juliet in the story Romeo and Juliet which is altered slightly but is played out in the video. (2)

• Editing of these videos is not usually as fast pace as that of pop music. The songs are generally slightly slower and not as many locations are used to there are not as many shots to switch between.

• Lighting is usually of glowing oranges and yellows, creating the sense of sunlight which is stereotypical of countryside weather.

• Colours captivated within shots are again oranges, yellows, creams, greens etc. This is again reflective of a countryside location from which each song usually originates. 1

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Rock Music Video Conventions• In general music videos use a wide variety of different camera shots in them to create an effective piece of media

text. In rock videos many of these shots are used to emphasise the importance of the band and 'musicianship'. Shots with this effect are mainly close ups and extreme close ups that are used to emphasis a particular band members emotion, whereas long shots are often used for full on band shots. (1)

• Camera movement in rock music videos is often used to a higher extent in music videos that tell a story with actors rather than band performance videos. Often in band performance videos there is a very large variety of shot types but sometimes lacking in actual camera movement like tracking shots. For example the video for Enter Shikari's 'Johnny Sniper'. However in contrast to this a video like The Pigeon Detective's 'I Found Out' there is a lot of tracking and dolly shots in order to keep up with the fast pace of the runners, that coincidently have nothing to do in relation to the actual song. Another strong example of a music video with lots of camera movement that tells a story without using the actual band; Paramore's 'Brick By Boring Brick' however the singer Hayley Williams is in a lot of the shots. The video also uses a lot of computer generated images (CGI).(2)

• Mise-en-scene is a reference to the props, sets, costumes, make up and lighting used in a media text. It can also include posture and gesture. In rock music video terms mise-en-scene is often simplified, with sets being a stage with bright lights and even smoke machines. Band members often either wear plain casual clothes (jeans, vests e.g. Kings of Leon - 'Sex on Fire') or more elaborate outfits like glam rags (Steel Panther - 'Death to all but Metal'). Examples of posture and gesture would be things like when a singer screams into the microphone and either pulling it close or leaning into it, or a musician playing a guitar might arch their back and lean the head forward. Make up used in certain genres of rock music video (Death metal, emo metal, goth rock) is often black (black eyeliner and mascara which is very heave) in contrast with pale foundation to give them a corpse-like-look.

• Due to the often fast paced nature of rock music videos, editing is mainly done in the form of straight cuts in time to the rhythm. Fade ins and Fade outs are often used at the beginning and ends of more atmospheric videos but for the most part these are not used.

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MusicThe music is the determining factor in how the video will be shot, edited, how the sets will be designed

etc. More often than not, the music will drive the pace of the editing. Music videos are commonly reflective of the song, as mentioned in the previous slide, and again this depends on both the genre

and meaning. Most importantly, however, it is about the sound of the music and how the whole design will incorporate the ideas of a general listening audience and how it will captivate them. A music video is a visual representation of a song, giving people the chance to connect with the song visually as well as orally. An example of a music video that I think clearly demonstrates the idea of a climax within the

song which is reflected both in the editing and the diversity of shots used is “Neon Lights” by Demi Lovato. Not only does the video personify the meaning within the song though extensive and advance

mise-en-scene (e.g. neon makeup, the set looks as if the ‘neon lights’ on the set are the only thing lighting the studio etc), the video generates a feel of a climax and also a sense of atmosphere. The song starts of with very little instrumental support and the voice is the main focus, however as the

song progresses, more instruments are added and this is reflected clearly in the editing of the song.

Lyrics are undeniably one of the key components to the song. Singers often manipulate lyrics to correlate with events within their own lives, and it is these lyrics which sets up and establishes the

mood and, in turn, what the music video will be about. For example, a song with lyrics about a tragic break-up will have a follow up music video with a much sadder mood and atmosphere created by

subsequent music video conventions. One of my favourite songs is “Paper Hearts” by Tori Kelly, and I think that this is a very good example of how the depth of meaning and emotion which stems from the

lyrics can act as the framework for the music video. The song is about the ending of a long relationship where the girl singing is responsible for the split, and this song acts as some sort of an

apology and verification to her lover that she remembers fondly all of the good times they had together and how she regrets her decision. This music video is different in many ways, as it reflects the true meaning of the song. This is because the male actor in this video is a lyrical/contemporary dancer,

and he figuratively dances the lyrics as the female lead sings them. It acts metaphorically in the sense that it shows how much the male is influenced and affected by the words of the female. Not only are the lyrics the catalyst for each event which happens within the music video (e.g. “pictures I’m living

through for now, trying to remember all the good times”, as this is said, we get a shot of several pictures of the couple who seem to be having fun). Having dancers in music videos is very much a common convention within music videos, however this one is slightly different due to the fact that

because the dancer acts out the lyrics, it makes the audience more so drawn to him than to the actual artist.

Lyrics

CameraworkCamera work is extremely important for a music video when trying to get a certain message across to the viewers. It is also

important in revealing aspects of the location or other characters/dancers within the music video. It is vital that there is a balance of a variety of shots within a music video because otherwise, when edited together, the video would be boring. For example, if too many close-ups were use in a video, the audience would not see the location of the video in as much depth as they probably would like to. On the other hand, if too many long shots were used, the viewer would feel emotionally disconnected from the artist as they would not be able to see the facial expressions of the characters within the video.

A music video which I think is quite creative with its use of camerawork is Ariana Grande’s “The Way”. A lot of mid shots and medium close ups are used aswell as some long shots. This is because the video was filmed in two locations, one in a studio with balloons on the floor and another in an all white studio filled with Polaroid pictures and a blanket on the floor. The idea was to have the artist mime to the camera in the balloon filled studio and the projected video of her and her co-star in the other location would act as the lighting in the studio. This meant that the camera-crew had to restrict the amount of close up shots that they did in the main location because otherwise, the audience would not be able to see the projected view of the other film. The shots are just close enough to see her facial expression but far away enough for the viewer to be able to distinguish what is happening in the projected film. These shots give the song a lot more meaning because they give the impression that the projected film is her memories and thoughts. Another interesting thing done in this video is the shots of the artist being filmed by her co-star aswell as shots taken from the camera her co-star was filming with (point of view shots). This adds a much more personal touch to the video as it shows the intensity of the relationship between the two characters. In addition to this, there are several noddy shots used to give the impression that the Artist is talking to someone behind the camera, which would make sense as her love interest in this video was on set with her therefore she did not need to directly address the audience as much.

EditingThe way in which different shots are composed together in sequential form is called editing. There are several techniques

and methods used in the editing process to give a music video a particular effect. These are a few:• Cutaways: A brief that interrupts continuous action by briefly inserting another related action. This interruption is

usually only momentary. The person or object is not always associated with the original shot. The cutaway is followed by a cutback to the original shot.

• Continuity Editing - The most common type of editing, which aims to create a sense of reality and time moving forward. Also can be called invisible editing as it does not expose or draw attention to the editing process.

• Eye- line Match - A type of edit which cuts from one character to what that character has been looking at. • Flashback - a scene or moment in a film in which the audience is shown an event that happened earlier in the

narrative. • Match cut - A type of editing where the position of one object get in the next cut, but using a different object. • Parallel Editing - A type of editing in which events in two locations are cut together, in order to imply a connection

between the two sets of events. Cross Cutting- The editing technique of alternating or interweaving one narrative action with another- usually in different locations or places, thus combining the two: this editing technique usually suggests Parallel action. Often used to dramatically build tension and/or suspense in chase scenes or to compare two different scenes. Also known as inter-cutting or parallel editing.

• Graphic Match - An edit effect in which two different objects of the same shape are dissolved from one into the other. • Juxtaposition - The placement of two images on either side of an edit to create an effect. The two images are often

unrelated.• Linear Narrative - A style of storytelling in which events happen chronologically. A music video which I think exhibits a lot of editing which is in time to the beat and also a lot of techniques is “Mmm Yeah”

by Austin Mahone and Pitbul. Even though the song is extremely repetitive and the location is the same throughout, the fast-cut montage effect and also the way in which several angles of the same shot are edited together in some points of the video makes it a very aesthetically pleasing and captivating video simply through the editing.

IntertextualityIntertexuality is when media texts reference another media text – this can either be reflected in the style of the video or

done in a humorous way. It can help audiences take further levels of meaning away from a text. An example of this could be when Madonna imitated Marilyn Monroe in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” in her music video for “Material Girl”. Even though there is distinctive differences between the style of a film and a music video, there are also many similarities thanks to the extensive range of media software and hardware that we have available to us nowadays. In short, it is easy to make a music video look similar to that of a film. Intertexuality can also relate to other media being referenced, for example in Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” video she references newspaper headlines, something which the audience can directly relate to. In Robbie Williams- ‘You know me’, the video features the artist being taken to an ‘Alice in wonderland’ style setting with Robbie Williams dressed up as the rabbit from the film (1). This creates intertextuality between the film and his music video. Katy Perry’s ‘Last Friday night’ video includes intertextual references with there being credits in the start and end of the video and out takes. Creating a film like effect. The characters are all wearing clothes that were typically worn in the 80’s. The artist looks on a social networking site called ‘Friendplace’ this is acting as a ‘Facebook’ in the video (2).

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ExhibitionismExhibitionism is used to attract a predominantly male audience. Nowadays, in almost every popular music video there

is some type of exhibitionism. Girls are most often wearing skimpy outfits which show off their bodies and sometime this is the same for men. Sigmund Freud established this as “settling an inner most desire for sexual pleasure through the observation of others. The person doing the sexual action is unaware of the viewer”. Men tend to be much more open about their sexuality than women, therefore men are often the target audience of these music videos. A clear example of exhibitionism in terms of women is Duke Dumont’s “I Got You”. Here, we see women as being both desirable yet a sexual object. The ratio of males to females in this video is probably around 1:20, revealing that in order to be happy and in a paradise (as this video suggests), a man needs to be surrounded by lots of women on a beach. This, we know, is not the case.