Music videos all have a certain style. There are five main styles of music videos, these are:
Performance
This is where the band/artist performs the song in the video. It can be a live performance or a studio performance. An example is Nickelback - Burn It To The Ground.
Narrative
This is when a song has a story accompanying it. The narrative can be either synchronous, where it connects to the lyrics of the song, or abstract, where the storyline is completely separate from the lyrics. An example is Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me.
Mixture
This is when the video contains a mixture between a performance from the band/artist and a narrative. An example is Misery Business by Paramore.
Cameo
This is when the artist/band feature in the narrative but doesn't perform. An example of this style is The Foo Fighters - Road To Ruin.
Animation
The final style is an animated video. This is where the video is composed of a cartoon/animation. An example of this is The Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood
Our video uses the narrative style as there is no performance by the band/artist just a storyline.
Camera
The camera is used in different ways depending on the genre and pace of the music. However in general there does seem to be a few constant recurrences. Firstly, there tends to be a wide variety of shots, especially in videos with a string narrative. This helps to place the audience exactly where the artist wants them and therefore helps the audience collectively share the same thoughts and ideas. There are also a lot of close up shots in videos, mainly of the artist, to show they are the important ones and to express their talent. On some occasions, there are extreme close ups, for example on the singers lips of the strings of the guitar.
Crane shots are often used in performance videos to gain an understanding of the extent of the fan base. An example is shown in the Nickelback video where we see a crane shot of the audience jumping to the music. This identifies the community of the fan base and how much they are enjoying the experience. There also seems to be numerous low angles, usually associated with the performer. These put the artists in a position of power over the audience and could be used to show the power of fame over the average viewer. Long shots are often used to give a sense of location in the videos, particularly in the more extravagant videos. The Foo Fighters video provides an example of this in the end shot, as the protagonist drives off the cliff. Pans and tilts are also used, especially in videos created by a band. This enables the entire band to be shown in the video and establishes a connection between them all. These are used heavily the the Paramore video.
Editing and Sound
The most used editing technique in music videos is the jump cut. They are mainly used in videos with a mixture of performance and narrative to link the two scenarios together and maintain continuity. Music videos also tend to match the editing with the songs pace. So if the song is relatively slow, the shots will last longer; if the song has a fast pace, shots will be much shorter. The change in shots also seems to match the beat of the song. This captures the audiences focus and allows their mood and emotions to adjust to the music not only by sound but also visually. Diegetic sound can also be used in music videos to reinforce the narrative. This can be done by adjusting the level of sound. For instance, we could hear a conversation between two people when an instrumental part of the song is being played in the background.
Mise-en-scene
The mise-en-scene in each music video can alter massively. Commonly used props include the instruments that are being played by the band (in a performance style video.) This creates a connection between the song and the band. Costume is key to helping the audience decode stereotypes. Due to a lack of dialogue in a music video, the way the characters are represented is the only indication of their personality and traits, and so the way they are dressed is important in establishing these important aspects of the characters. For example, a character dressed in dark clothing will connote different representations to the audience than someone dressed in white. The clothing can also be used to establish the genre of music; hip-hop artists are much more likely to be shown with baggy clothing and a lot of jewellery. They can also be used to identify a performer as many artists will have their own specific style, for example Lady Gaga. The location of a video can relate heavily to the style of the music video. A stage will be the main location in a performance video whereas narrative videos could have a vast amount of locations, but is usually connected with either the song, the artist or the genre of the music; so a hip-hop video may be set in an urban location whereas a rock video may be set in a darker location.
Goodwin
Goodwin created a theory based on music videos. In his theory, he stated that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics, for example a rock video will usually show a live performance whereas a pop video will generally involve a dance. He also stated that there is a relationship between the visuals, lyrics and the music. Another convention that Goodwin placed in his theory was the use of close-ups in music videos, especially in relation to the artists. He also stated about the voyeuristic treatment of the female body (this also links to Mulvey's male gaze theory) in music videos. He also talks about intertextuality within videos, such as elements of television or films in music videos.
Mise-en-scene
The mise-en-scene in each music video can alter massively. Commonly used props include the instruments that are being played by the band (in a performance style video.) This creates a connection between the song and the band. Costume is key to helping the audience decode stereotypes. Due to a lack of dialogue in a music video, the way the characters are represented is the only indication of their personality and traits, and so the way they are dressed is important in establishing these important aspects of the characters. For example, a character dressed in dark clothing will connote different representations to the audience than someone dressed in white. The clothing can also be used to establish the genre of music; hip-hop artists are much more likely to be shown with baggy clothing and a lot of jewellery. They can also be used to identify a performer as many artists will have their own specific style, for example Lady Gaga. The location of a video can relate heavily to the style of the music video. A stage will be the main location in a performance video whereas narrative videos could have a vast amount of locations, but is usually connected with either the song, the artist or the genre of the music; so a hip-hop video may be set in an urban location whereas a rock video may be set in a darker location.
Goodwin
Goodwin created a theory based on music videos. In his theory, he stated that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics, for example a rock video will usually show a live performance whereas a pop video will generally involve a dance. He also stated that there is a relationship between the visuals, lyrics and the music. Another convention that Goodwin placed in his theory was the use of close-ups in music videos, especially in relation to the artists. He also stated about the voyeuristic treatment of the female body (this also links to Mulvey's male gaze theory) in music videos. He also talks about intertextuality within videos, such as elements of television or films in music videos.
No comments:
Post a Comment