2. TASK 1 -
PURPOSES
Y O U S H O U L D O P E N T H E M U S I C L E C T U R E
P O W E R P O I N T A N D L O O K AT S E C T I O N 1
B E F O R E D O I N G T H I S TA S K
3. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q1 - Outline the 3 core purposes of music video with a short explanation
for each:
1. Entertainment – if the music video was not entertaining then no one
would watch it, which would damage the sale of the song, therefore the
video have to be entertaining for their target audience. It would have to
be entertaining for their target audience as they would be the majority of
the viewers.
2. Branding/Identity – the band/artist would create an identity for
themselves so they are recognisable by fans or potential fans; to create
an identity would be through mise-en-scene, explicit/implicit messages
throughout etc.
3. Sales – endorsing products like Apple in the music video, which will
increase the sales of the products in the video. By portraying political or
social views during the music could increase the sales of the song/album
as people will share the same view.
4. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q2 – What are some of the broader purposes of music
videos?Try and outline a minimum of 3. (Think about some of
the strategies employed by artists in their videos and how they
represent themselves, you could consider where the artist is on
a major label, independent label of unsigned, is there a
difference between them?)
• To promote their new album or a record label
• To promote a social view
• To allow the audience to interpret a view on the song with the
video to help.
5. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q3 – Branding; select an artist you like and look at how they
present themselves in their music videos. Explain what their ‘brand’
is, who is appeals to and why they might have done this.
• Oasis – they present themselves in their music videos as
youngsters living the dream and how they are just like everyone
else, especially their earlier videos like ‘Live Forever’; they portrayed
this through the clothes and props used. Their brand does not have
the best reputation as they were seen as reckless by the media, but
appealed to the younger generation and were seen as trendy; at
the time when their music was more mainstream England was in a
bad place so with their music it allowed, especially the younger
generation, to escape everything.
6. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q4 – Compare One Direction and Animal Collective music videos
[find them on YouTube!], what can you discern about each act from
their videos? What is the main aim? Explain why.
• One Direction – the main aim of their videos is to make money.
Their music videos are easy to watch as there is not a lot going on
and allow a passive watch because there are no controversial
meanings or messages.
• Animal Collective – the main aim of their videos is to express their
emotions and opinions as it is not made to make mass amounts of
money, it is instead made to express their creativity. The videos all
have open meanings, which allow the audience to have a varied
opinion.
7. TASK 2 – STYLES,
TECHNIQUES AND
CONVENTIONS
Y O U S H O U L D O P E N T H E M U S I C L E C T U R E
P O W E R P O I N T A N D L O O K AT S E C T I O N 2
B E F O R E D O I N G T H I S TA S K
8. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q1 – Describe and explain the use of camerawork in music videos,
i.e. the types of shot used with examples to illustrate this and how
this creates meaning
• Camerawork in music videos has a huge significance and can
change the meaning of a video. For example close up shots give
the audience a sense of intimacy, which could give them a sense of
belonging. On the other hand, using long and extreme long shots
make the audience feel left out, but also gives the audience a wider
view on the video. Different camera shots can make the audience
feel different ways, because if the video was a live performance of
the band/artist it can make the audience feel like they are.
9. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q2 - Describe and explain the use of editing in music videos,
i.e. the types of shot used with examples to illustrate this and
what the effect of this is/meanings that are created/etc
• The use of editing can establish the mood of the video and can
make the audience feel certain ways. Usually, if the song is fast
paced the editing will have to keep up with the pace of the song
which will give the song an exciting mood and create a good
atmosphere for the audience. The use of special effects offer
different types of pleasure for the audience, and some bands
such as Gorillaz use special effects for the whole video, which is
unusual to use it for the whole video, and this gives a sense of
originality to the band and their videos.
10. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q3 – Genre conventions; often music videos adhere to genre
conventions within their visual style and production techniques.
Select a recognisable genre and use illustrations to explain what
their genre conventions are…
• Uk Rap/Grime/Drill – the genre conventions are dark
lighting/settings to come across intimidating, crowds of people(
usually full of men ), expensive clothing/accessories/cars, adult
themes and props which links to involvement with the police.
Women in these videos are often used for male gaze by their
outfits and camera shots. Showing their wealth is a very
common convention.
11. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q4 - John Stuart’s description of the music video “incorporating, raiding and
reconstructing” is essentially the essence of intertextuality [something asserted by
Andrew Goodwin]. Can you explain what intertextuality is and find a minimum of 3
examples of it in music videos?
• Intertextuality is where someone connects one or more similar works into their work,
like in music videos an artist might recreate a video from years ago as they interpret it
in a different way so express it in that way, or to show their love and respect towards
the artist or the music.
• An example of intersexuality is in Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ it has a reference to the
worldwide successful fashion magazine Vogue, and it also has a reference to the
1950s/60s phenomenon Marylin Monroe by wearing similar clothes and having the
same hair etc.
• Another example of intertextuality is in Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’, the lyrics tell the
story of the famous play Romeo and Juliet, and the video shows a modernised short
version of the play;.
• Another example of intertextuality is in Robbie Williams’ ‘You know me’, it has a large
12. TASK 3 – CASE
STUDY
Y O U S H O U L D O P E N T H E M U S I C L E C T U R E
P O W E R P O I N T A N D L O O K AT S E C T I O N 3
B E F O R E D O I N G T H I S TA S K
13. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• For your individual case study you must study an artist of
choice, focusing on a minimum of 3 videos [ideally 5+ videos]
• This should provide discussion on the usage of the following:
– Style[s] & Techniques employed
– Intertextuality
– Camerawork/editing
– Genre conventions
– Critical approaches [you should be applying some of the critical
approaches from your lessons and some of your own, to your
selected videos]
14. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• You should include a video link for the videos used
• You should include illustrative stills from the videos chosen
• Be creative in your approach, it is suggested you use the
heading on the previous slide a guide on how to structure your
response to get you started
• Remember, make a point, use a specific part of the chosen
video as an example, explain yourself and then link to another
video where possible
• Compare and contrast your artist/genre to other artists/genres
• Remember to consider differing contexts
15. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
KATY PERRY - ROARIn the video, there is a clear
reference to the popular films
‘Indiana Jones’ through the
typography used to show the
title of the song, and the
costume of the man, who is
wearing the iconic hat and
jacket that is worn in the film. In the video, there is a reference to
book and film ‘Tarzan, which is
typically a dominant male, but by
Katy Perry playing that role it is
breaking down gender stereotypes,
and shows that she is isn’t the
‘damsel in distress’ but instead the
powerful male.
By using long and high angle shots it shows that she is small and less powerful,
and that she is in fear without the support from the male.
16. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
KATY PERRY - TGIFThe music video is a pastiche of
previous material. The director
himself states that he paid homage
to Sixteen Candles (a famous teen
80’s film) as inspiration for the video.
The video can also be seen as
replicating scenes from other teen
films.
The music video features the dancing game ‘Just Dance’, which was a
paid promotion of the video game as it was released around the same
time as Katy’s video, and fits the theme of the song. Even though
there isn’t any choreographed dancing in the video, it still features
people dancing. This is a typical convention in pop videos,
especially in a high tempo song which is about having fun and
being at a party, people dancing along- and the majority of pop
music videos show people dancingLast Friday Night” is a pop song, and therefore the video also
reflect this pop image. In the song, there are a lot of bright block
colours, mostly pink and yellows. This is a typical colour associated
with pop music videos, especially upbeat ones like “Last Friday
Night”, because it appeals to the target audience and secondly it
gives off this images of “fun” because that’s the usual connotation
parties- that they’re fun, and “retro” as the video is clearly set in
around the 80s/ early 90s.
17. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
KATY PERRY - FIREWORKSAt the start of the video, it shows around 5
different stories from domestic abuse and a
person in chemotherapy. This allows the
audience to relate to these stories, which will get
them more engaged in the video and the song,
and could remind them of a certain time.
As the video progresses, it shows the people involved in these
stories looking at fireworks going off, which suggests that
they’re a distraction from the real world or that it is a sign
everything will get better. This once again allows the audience
to engage in the video to show them either this is what is to
come or to remind them that they got over a hard time in their
life.
Towards the end of the song it uses an extreme long shot to
show the masses of people gathered setting off fireworks to all
the people in the world who is suffering, and the use of an
extreme long shot showing everyone shows the unity of
people to support others.
