mv assignment 01

1. MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
CASE STUDY
YO U R N A M E H E RE

2. MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
• We will look at Music Videos from a number of perspectives, this
template is for you to write up your notes and to complete your
case study.
• The document is split into 3 different tasks, each with separate
questions to answer.
• Task 1 is concerned with the purposes of music videos and the
strategies employed by labels and artists
• Task 2 is concerned with the styles, techniques and conventions of
music video production
• Task 3 is your own case study into a minimum of three music
videos where you can unpack and discuss the videos considering
everything you have looked at in Task 1 and 2

3. NOTES ON COMPLETING THE
CASE STUDY
• It is often easier to show something you are discussing than to
take time describing it. With this in mind, feel free to add lots of
illustrative images from your chosen video examples. Links to
YouTube/Vevo/etc are also encouraged.
• Remember, when you make a point or define something, you
should follow this with an example, an explanation of this and
then link to further texts/videos where possible.
• If you don’t think there is enough room to add your full
response to a question, don’t just reset the font size to really
small, add an extra slide wherever necessary.

4. TASK 1 -
PURPOSES

5. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q1 - Outline the 3 core purposes of music video with a short
explanation for each:
• To Entertain
• To Advertise
• To Sell

6. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q2 – What are some of the broader purposes of music videos?
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 sell records, To advertise the label, To advertise the artist, to
tell a story, to sell product placements

7. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q3 – Describe what is ‘synergy’ is and how it has been used in
music videos [min. 3 examples of synergy and convergance]
• Synergy is where two or more forms of media combine to make
a promotional video. Many songs are featured in certain films
but a lot of music videos contain scenes from a film because it
was featured in the original film.
• An example would be the song skyfall by Adelle, which ties into
the James Bond movie, skyfall.
• Another example would be Sam Smith’s song Writing On The
Wall, which was also made for a James Bond movie

8. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q4 – 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.
• In One Direction videos their brand is being available to date, and
interested in their audience of young girls. Their brand is being
attractive young men that sing and are always having a good time,
with most of their music videos showing them having fun on
beaches or something similar. They never explicitly show the
audience any traits of personality, only focusing on that they are
attractive and available. This was done as their audience is young
girls and looking available combined with their songs about love
which is directed at the audience with ‘you’ pronouns, creates a
connection between the audience and the music group. This
connection is made to sell more music and make money.

9. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q5 – 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 Video
• Formulaic, Unoriginal, High production, Lots of close-up shots of
the members, focused on the people more than the music, Video is
all about them having fun and looking available to date, singing
about love in a generic understandable way, Easy to digest
Animal Collective Video
• Abstract, Barely able to see the band member’s faces, Video is an
afterthought, Low production, Focused on the music, Hard to
digest – Requires you to think about it, Lyrics are about abstract
topics.

10. TASK 2 – STYLES,
TECHNIQUES AND
CONVENTIONS

11. 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

12. 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
Morph suits being used in
front of a greenscreen, with
rain and water overlayed on
top.

13. 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
Editing is used in this music video to
make the singers morph into each
other while they walk.

14. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q3 - Describe and explain some of the technical developments
in music videos, i.e. the types of shot used with examples to
illustrate this
• In the video A-Punk by Vampire Weekend it was all filmed in
one take. To do this a lot of choreography had to be done and
there was no way they could film it all in real time. To solve this
they filmed with slowed down audio, and then sped up the
video and the audio in editing to the actual speed of the sound.
A side effect of this is that the movement looks choppy.

15. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q4 – 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…
• In Hip-Hop and Rap, the conventions are having lyrics about
money and bragging, and music videos often contain expensive
clothes and a sexualized view on women. Violent imagery such
as guns and crime are also prevalent in this genre.

16. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q5 - 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 intertexuality is and find some
examples of it in music videos?
• Intertextuality is when media refers to another piece of media. This can include
Parody, Homages, and Allusions.
• An example of this would be how Madonna appears in her Material Girl music
video, her outfit directly referencing Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes.
• Another example is in Robert Palmer’s 1986 music video Addicted to Love, the
music video is making a statement on the fashion industry – using cookie cutter
female models that all look the same as his band members. Shania Twain’s 1999
music video Man I Feel Like A Woman flips this concept, using generic looking
men that look identical as her band.

17. TASK 3 – CASE
STUDY

18. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• For your individual case study you must study an artist or genre
of music, 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]

19. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• You should include a video link for the video
• You can include as many illustrative stills as you like
• 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

20. GHOST CASE STUDY:
SQUARE HAMMER - GHOST
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqoyKzgkqR4
• In the music video Square Hammer, you can immediately tell
that it is inspired by 1920s Art Deco. It contains heavy
intertextuality with silent films from this era such as Metropolis
and other Fritz Lang movies.
Square Hammer
Metropolis (1927)

21. GHOST CASE STUDY:
SQUARE HAMMER - GHOST
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqoyKzgkqR4
• In the music video Square Hammer, you can immediately tell
that it is inspired by 1920s Art Deco. It contains heavy
intertextuality with silent films from this era such as Metropolis
and other Fritz Lang movies.
Square Hammer
Metropolis

22. CASE STUDY: SQUARE
HAMMER - GHOST
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqoyKzgkqR4
• The music video is also heavy on the band’s branding. Ghost is
theatrical band that wears costume during performances, and
even in music videos. The characters in the music video are all
members of the band and mainly focused on the singer, who
wears distinct skeleton makeup. In most of the shots, this
character is visible and is the main focus.

23. GHOST CASE STUDY:
INTERTEXTUALITY OUTSIDE OF
MUSIC VIDEOS
• For the cover of the single
‘Cirice’ Ghost payed
directly referenced the
poster for Silence of the Lambs,
putting their own unique Ghost
spin on it.
Silence of the lambs
film poster vs the cover
artwork for the track
Cirice

24. GHOST CASE STUDY:
INTERTEXTUALITY OUTSIDE OF
MUSIC VIDEOS
• In merchandising, Ghost tend to
create T-shirt designs that parody
famous thriller moves, for example
The Shining and Jaws.

25. GHOST CASE STUDY : HE IS -
GHOST
• The video is a parody of Christianity and cults, specifically
figures like Jim Jones. This is represented by the clothing style
of the singer and the character’s behavior in the video –
performing theatrical religious sermons and giving drugs to
churchgoers.

26. GHOST CASE STUDY : HE IS -
GHOST
• The video also juxtaposes the song lyrics, the video is of an
extreme Christian church yet the lyrics of the song contain
metaphors of Satanism. The parodical themes of the video are
common in videos by this band – and their songs often parody
or criticize organized Christianity. This is fitting to their genre of
metal, which is often associated with being satanic or evil –
most often by Christian communities.

27. GHOST CASE STUDY : HE IS -
GHOST
• The video is interestingly styled, despite the band being metal
and often appearing scary or satanic, the singer is seen wearing
all white and the video is colourful. The music is a soft ballad,
juxtaposing what you would expect from a singer in skull
makeup fitting for a metal band. He is also shown even playing
with children.

28. GHOST CASE STUDY :
SECULAR HAZE - GHOST
• Secular Haze was the first music video by the band Ghost and
they made their branding very clear from the very beginning. All
attention is focused on the singer – he is seen wearing an
extravagant outfit and eye-catching face paint, meanwhile the
band members are all wearing hooded black robes with their
faces obscured, all identical. The only thing you can look at is
the singer.
• Being the first music video, the video is fairly low budget. It’s
filmed in only one room with the theme of a late night tv show
performance.

29. GHOST CASE STUDY: THE
PROGRESSION OF GHOST
• To keep things fresh with the band, Ghost has gone through different phases where the
frontman of the band ’changes’. The singer, Tobias Forge, stays the same but the character
he plays will change. For Ghost’s first album and initial EP, he played a character named
Papa Emeritus I. Then, for the second album, the frontman changed to Papa Emeritus II –
The first Papa’s younger brother. This changed again for the next album, changing to Papa
III. But then with the latest album by Ghost, Tobias Forge changed the formula again. He did
not make another Papa character, this time fronting as a brand new character named
Cardinal Copia. This adds a different level of involvement with the band, as it’s not just
music anymore – There are different characters with albums that sound distinct and
different. The first album was very dark and true to the metal genre, and each album after
that became more and more theatrical.
• Despite all the changes, there are constants for each character such as the face paint and
clothing inspired by the catholic church.

30. CASE STUDY: PROGRESSION
OF GHOST LIVE
• The first live performance of Ghost was at The Underworld in Camden
during a music festival. The stage was small and the outfits were fairly
cheap looking.
• Now, in present day, Ghost is selling out
arenas and playing at big festivals like Download. They also played a show
with Metallica. The production quality for the live performance also
drastically improved. The band members now have unique, high quality
uniforms but still stay true to being identical. Their masks are high quality
also. The sets they use during live shows are designed to look like stained
glass windows with detailed artwork. The singer also has multiple costume
changes during these shows. Keeping in theme with the band’s satanic and
religious themes these shows are often called ‘rituals’ by fans. They also
tour multiple times a year in big venues.

31. GHOST CASE STUDY: GENRE
CONVENTIONS AND HOW
GHOST BREAKS THEM
• Ghost fits many of the standard conventions of the metal genre,
such as satanic imagery and lyrics, heavy guitar riffs, and band
members from scandinavian countries.
• Though, they also break many of the conventions of metal, such
as theatrical dancing in their music video for Rats. Ghost also
utilizes instruments like saxophones in the song Miasma, and an
orchestra in their song Helvetesfonster. The band openly
embraces flamboyancy, contrasting with the convention of
metal that all the men are hypermasculine.