Music Video Proforma

1. MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
CASE STUDY
GA B R IELLA
D U C K ER

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
• ENTERTAINMENT- to aid the song with visuals for the enjoyment
of fans. A video brings the song to life, using colour, pictures and
animation to associate with the song. Variety includes; waveform
animation (Arctic Monkeys), abstract colour and silouhettes (Animal
Collective) and short film-like videos that tell a story (Lewis
Capaldi’s Someone You Loved)
• BRANDING- personal branding to make a statement of who they
are/what genre they provide. The artist could want to present
themselves a certain way, this will be reflected in the style and
genre of the music video (stereotypes created by mise en scene).
For example; cameos of other singers from the same record label
in the music video (specific eg. No Rome appearing in The 1975’s
video, Sincerity Is Scary)
• SALES- to market the artist and to endorse products to gain
popularity. The artist wants lots of sales of their music, and by
releasing a music video they boost their sales through streams. For
example; product placement in videos to promote a supporting

6. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• To allow the band the availability of not having to play live- A music
video of a live performance allows the viewer to have the
experience of the artist live while not needing to go to a concert.
• To allow the audience the advantage of interpreting the song
through the use of the video playing in the background- The video
will help the viewer to understand the meaning of the song.
• To endorse products to make them more popular and to increase
sales
• To reinforce a political view or social message- Some songs are
used to give a message, eg. About politics or climate change, and
music videos can be used to persuade the viewer into these views.
• To feature other artists from their label to promote the record label.

7. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Synergy is a connection between two things, eg. same message
and theme in a particular artist’s music video.
• It can be used by syncing up the shot cuts with the beats of the
music, this way the artist can make the video more visually
appealing to the viewer.
• Using visuals to tell the story of the song, or create alternative
meanings to the lyrics.
• Using visuals to create an open meaning by creating the music
video to be something completely unrelated to the meaning of
the song.

8. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Jonas Brothers-
• The Jonas Brothers’ brand is very much a classic example of an
ex-Disney artist, appealing primarily to both early and late
teenage girls about 13-19 who were at the age to be a fan when
they were first a popular band for the Disney company back in
the late 2000s.
• They appeal to this audience mostly because of the publicity
they were given on the Disney channel, and due to their strict
guidelines, any Jonas Brothers music video reflects on that, as
they are family friendly and comedic. Because they had to keep
up this appearance they were limited to this youth-like style of

9. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• ONE DIRECTION- mainstream boyband that appeals to young
teenage girls, and their music videos reflect that audience’s
general style. The two videos are both based at a beach, which
is percieved as fun and upbeat. They also star in the video and
are the main face of the video. This gives them identity in their
brand and are the main selling point of their music.
• ANIMAL COLLECTIVE- Mostly anonymous as they do are not
the main face of the video and focus more on the effects in the
video rather than their faces. This makes the viewer focus more
on the music and not on their faces and what they are doing in
the video.

10. TASK 2 – STYLES,
TECHNIQUES AND
CONVENTIONS

11. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
(CINEMATOGRAPHY)
• Jonas Brothers, Sucker- In this video, the Jonas Brothers all are
the main focus in the video, so there are predominantly close up
shots of their faces, along with a lot of medium long shots to show
actions, eg. When they play as a band in the mansion at every
chorus. There is also a product placement for Elit Vodka in one
shot, so there is an extreme close up on this to promote the
brand.
• The amount of close ups show the camera following the Jonas
Brothers and their wives very closely, as they appear as the main
focus in almost every shot. Because you see them this often as
the star, it gives a sense of closeness to them as your focus is not
diverted anywhere else.
• Miley Cyrus, Nothing Breaks Like A Heart- The start of this
video is set out like a news broadcast. It opens with lots of long
shots of the car chase happening to set the scene. There isn't

12. TASK 2 – STYLES,
TECHNIQUES AND
CONVENTIONS (CINEMATOGRAPHY
CONTINUED)
• There is a lot of action that doesn't involve Miley also, so there
are a lot of long shots and drone shots, which makes you feel
farther away from the artist. She is also always shot in a car, so
the viewer feels separate from the artist.

13. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS(EDITING)
• Jonas Brothers, Sucker- This song is very fast paced so the
editing reflects the fast moving song. On the bridge before the
chorus, the editing will change pace to either slower cuts or
faster to build up to a longer length shot at the chorus. The fact
all cuts are made on the beat makes the video fit the track
more and immerses you into the video without having to focus
on the song, as each cut creates a beat for you. The longer
length shots are also usually a medium long shot, as there is
more action in these shots so they last longer rather than cut
on every single beat, like the close ups, which last a maximum
of two beats then cut to the next. There isn't a specific order of
which shot comes after which, however the cinematography in
the chorus seems to remain the same each time. This
suggests to the viewer that each verse conveys something
different however the chorus always conveys the same

14. TASK 2 – STYLES,
TECHNIQUES AND CONVENTIONS
(EDITING CONTINUED)
• Miley Cyrus, Nothing Breaks Like A Heart- In this video, there
is a lot of action and therefore there is rarely any fast paced
editing and a lot of long length shots, despite the song being
fairly fast paced. This could be because the pace could be
reflected in alternative ways other than the editing, eg. The
constant drone shots of the speeding car, which also contrasts
with a following shot of the car driving slowly/stopped through
another scene. The harsh cuts between the match shots make
the contrast even more prominent.

15. TASK 2 –
STYLES,
TECHNIQUES
AND
CONVENTIONS
(TECHNICAL
DEVELOPMENT)
• A prominent technical development in cinematography is drone shots.
This is a fairly new element to the film industry and can be seen in
music videos such as Miley Cyrus’ Nothing Breaks Like A Heart. The
use of this type of shot allows the viewer to look at a wider spread shot
of some key action in the video. For example, in this video, Miley is in
a car chase which is being broadcast on the news, so the use of a
drone shot is helpful to create a sense of reality rather than the video
looking completely fictional. This gives the viewer an out-of-the-
ordinary experience from this video as it pushes away from a music
video and becomes more of a short film that heavily relies on
soundtrack.

16. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Furthermore, there is development in lighting in music videos
and artists have begun to experiment with different lighting and
what they create. Again, in Nothing Breaks Like A Heart, there
is a large contrast between two situations; Miley’s car chase and
a scene set in a dark club with red lighting, the colour
suggesting something bad or unfaithful is happening. The
developments in lighting, alike to this one, help create a mood in
a scene to help tell the story.
(Technical development
continued)

17. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS (GENRE)
• •For the pop genre they tend to use close-up shots which will focus on the
artist’s face. This is because it keeps their face fresh and relevant in the
audience's mind with the pop genre ever-changing and evolving making it
hard for them to stand out in such a wide and well-known genre.
• •They also tend to use bright colours (increase in saturation) which
connotes positivity linked with the genre of pop. This will allow the video to
stand out more and appeal to the target audience which is the youth. In
post-production, tints and filters will also be added to boost colours.
• •Pop music videos are mainly based upon performance. Unlike indie rock
music videos where the focus is the narrative and band, pop music videos
are mainly focused on the artist and more, specifically their appearance.
• •In Pop music videos there isn’t a ‘unique’ narrative and sometimes not
even one at all. If there is it is mainly focused around a relationship/break-
up in which the vocalist/artist will typically play the main character.
• •There also tends to be a lot of voyeurism on the male side as the
audience majority tends to be female so they want something that will

18. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
(INTERTEXTUALITY)
• The term Intertextuality refers to the process of creating
references to any kind of media text via another media text.
Intertextuality essentially means for a music video to pay
homage to another media text. Some examples of this include
Madonna’s Material Girl video where she pays homage to
Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Here, she takes
inspiration from Marilyn’s costume and scene set up to recreate
an iconic piece of media.

19. TASK 2 – STYLES,
TECHNIQUES AND
CONVENTIONS
• A more recent example of
intertextuality is Ariana Grande’s
Thank u, next video, in which she
pays homage to a selection of early
2000s rom-com films, in which she
plays the main character in all. The
films referenced include; Mean Girls,
Bring It On, Legally Blonde and 13
Going on 30. This video also
included lots of celebrity cameos,
especially from the referenced films,
including Jonathan Bennett who
played Aaron Samuels in Mean
Girls. The extensive use of these
late 90s to early 2000s rom-coms
creates a sense of nostalgia in the
viewer’s perspective, especially for
Ariana’s targeted audience who will
have grown up watching such films.
This makes the viewer automatically
enjoy the video because they are
watching content that they are
familiar to and have enjoyed in their
past. This also makes the viewer
relate to Ariana and feel a sense of

20. TASK 3 – CASE
STUDY

21. 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]
– The 1975- Somebody Else, Sincerity Is Scary and It’s Not Living,
Change Of Heart

22. 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

23. T H E 1 9 7 5 - A C H A N G E O F H E A R T
H T T P S : / / W W W . Y O U T U B E . C O M / W A T C H ? V = T R B W Q F 0 D 7 N A

24. CONTEXT
• To have a “change of heart” is to move to a different opinion or attitude.
The content of the song suggests that Matty has begun to notice the
flaws within the girl he’s seeing. Her unkind statements and the belief
that she is in some way his savior, have caused him to look at her in
such a negative light that he views her as average. The electro-pop
ballad shows the stages of falling out of love with someone. Matty
details his fading infatuation with the girl as he takes more notice of her
imperfections and flaws, and describes these realisations throughout
the entirety of the song. In the beginning verse, Matty seems to blame
himself, but through the rest of the song, the blame flips and his
realisations become clear. The song juxtaposes the normal
conventions of a love song, even though the intentions of the song are
the complete opposite.

25. • The music video lends another perspective to the lyrics and their
meaning. Matty portrays a clown and pulls immature pranks and jokes
on his partner, possibly indicating that he was the “bad guy” in the
relationship.
• The video charts the highs and lows of a tragicomic clown romance.
Singer Matty plays the Pierrot-styled protagonist who frolics around a
carnival and falls in love, launching a topsy-turvy relationship built on
bumper cars and flower-smelling. The couple’s sweet-and-sour love
story is filled with spirited dance sequences and a surprising amount of
popcorn. But it ends with Healy’s character in despair after that silliness
leads his partner astray. The final shot epitomizes the universal feeling
of being dumped: a lonely clown on a park bench, soaked in rain.
• The video is shot in black and white, which gives it a retro feel to it, like
an old style silent movie. The decision to shoot in black and white could
potentially set a melan-choly mood, however this option could just to fit
the theme of an old style silent movie with mimes. This sets an open
meaning to the song as soon as it starts.
• In his own words (as indicated via notes he posted to Instagram),
Healy imagined the clown character as a “not as smooth” Gene Kelly
with “less confidence," like "Michael Jackson meets Charlie Chapman."
And considering the brief-but-charming choreography, it's a successful
attempt at melding the two legends while instilling some of Healy's own
VIDEO ANALYSIS

26. T H E 1 9 7 5 - S I N C E R I T Y I S S C A R Y
H T T P S : / / W W W . Y O U T U B E . C O M / W A T C H ? V = 1 K 9 3 I O X L 6 3 C

27. CONTEXT• “Sincerity Is Scary” is a feel-good song that addresses Matty’s tendencies
to put up a facade out of insecurity and anxiety, with the realization that this
type of illusory behavior will tend to breed confusion and conflict in a
relationship with others. It is a piece of social commentary on the
postmodern obsession with irony and cynicism, where sincerity is often
ridiculed.
• The song begins with slow, heavy drums accompanied by soulful-sounding
horns that lead into Matty’s smooth vocals. The soothing backing of the
band’s instruments and choral background seem to juxtapose Matty’s
emotionally charged lyrics, which still come off as sounding carefree in the
midst of such a smooth and mellow song. This makes it seem like Matty is
addressing these concerning thoughts with a sense of ease and relaxation,
and is brushing them off to the side as he sings, which makes them seem
irrelevant to him.
• Matty spoke about the song and said, “‘Sincerity Is Scary’ is about me
trying to denounce all of that postmodern fear of like being real, you
know? Like irony first, irony first. Make sure you’re ironic because
then you can’t be judged on being a person. And I’ve become so
aware of the shtick that exists within my kind of lyrical narrative as
well, because obviously I love everything that I’ve done previously
but now as I got older I see these kind of defense mechanisms
whether they be jokes or being slightly sardonic or like he is the big

28. VIDEO ANALYSIS
The video is full of intertextuality and cameos throughout the entirety. A
few to mention would be:
• The singer No Rome has a small cameo, to promote the record label’s
other acts.
• Choreography is used from the ”A Change Of Heart” video:
• A dance sequence is inspired by the alley dance in My Sister Eileen
• They also pay tribute to Michael Jackson:

29. VIDEO ANALYSIS (CONTINUED)
• Furthermore, they pay homage to Gene Kelly in Singin’ In The
Rain:
• There are many comedic tropes used in the video too, such as:
slipping on a banana, falling down a hole and a piano falling
onto Matty. This refers to old style cartoons like looney tunes.
• Also, there is reference to the clown character in “A Change Of
Heart” at the end of the video:

30. VIDEO
ANALYSIS
(CONTINUED)
• The video is also shot with
quite a bright filter to make
the scenes look dream-
like, which makes the
video seem like a
sequence from a musical.
This links to the references
to Gene Kelly in Singin’ In
The Rain and the alley
sequence in My Sister
Eileen, which are both
iconic musicals. This also
links to the fact the dark
lyrics are masked by the
happy and upbeat sound
of the track, and they are
even further masked by
the happy, dream-like
visuals accompanying it in
the video.

31. T H E 1 9 7 5 - I T ’ S N O T L I V I N G ( I F I T ’ S N O T W I T H
Y O U )
H T T P S : / / W W W . Y O U T U B E . C O M / W A T C H ? V = F Z F K N - H L Z W O

32. CONTEXT
• The song follows a heroin-addicted character, ‘Danny’. In an interview,
Healy admits that he is ’Danny’, and through the song he hid behind this
persona to avoid his own shame. The song is upbeat and depicts Healy’s
struggle with heroin addiction. It is similar to how the song, ”UGH!” from
The 1975’s second album discussed Healy’s cocaine addiction. The
juxtaposition of the upbeat, pop melody with the deeper, sadder undertone
of the lyrics is a primary ethos of The 1975 and is seen throughout their
discography, specifically their 3rd album A Brief Inquiry Into Online
Relationships, and very similar to that of “Sincerity Is Scary”, and this is
also portrayed in the video, which follows a somewhat similar storyline to
the previous song, and is perceived to take place in the same ‘world’ as
that video.
• A comment about the song points out the juxtaposition between the
instrumental sound and the real meaning to the song: Without really
listening to the lyrics or looking at it, you would have an idea that it’s a
song you would hear while watching a movie in which the two characters
are falling in love due to the overall vibe that portrayed across. In reality,
the song reads like Matty is trying to cover up the actual story of the song
with a really upbeat tune, due to the reality being “ugly” since it is about
addiction. You would be easily fooled if you aren’t observant enough and
listened to the song rather than the meaning, but the way it’s made is
rather beautiful and also addicting in its own form (due to how it sounds).

33. VIDEO
ANALYSIS
• The video pays homage to Talking
Heads concert film “Stop Making
Sense”
• The Warren Fu-directed video sees
frontman Matty Healy dressed in an
oversized suit, similar to the now
iconic outfit worn by Talking
Heads’ David Byrne in the film –
believed to be one of the greatest
concert films of all time. There are
obvious nods to the arthouse
masterpiece, from Healy’s
mannerisms mimicking Byrne to the
identical backing dancers.
• Furthermore, the video includes
artists like No Rome and The
Japanese House as backup dancers
and cameos to promote the Dirty Hit
record label.
• The video also links up to the
previously released video of
Sincerity Is Scary, where Matty
walks through a door into the set of
the video shoot. There is some
behind the scenes clips as Matty
watches himself in the video.

34. T H E 1 9 7 5 - S O M E B O D Y E L S E
H T T P S : / / W W W . Y O U T U B E . C O M / W A T C H ? V = B I M D 2 N Z I R T 4

35. CONTEXT
• “Somebody Else” explores the complicated feelings stirred by a past lover taking
up with someone new.
• “It’s something that talks about the guilty feelings that you don’t really like
thinking about,” Matty described the vague intentions of the song in an interview
with Zane Lowe.
• The pop ballad exclaims jealousy, and talks about not wanting to be with the
past lover but at the same time can’t get over the fact that they are able to move
on and find someone else.
• The lyrics are very self explanatory, and creates a very specific meaning. The
sound does not contrast the overall mood, so the song is very obviously sullen
and upsetting and the picture created through the song is vivid and clear.

36. VIDEO ANALYSIS
• The video begins with a sequence shot in black and white. This shows
Matty and someone with their head down, completely ignoring him.
• This sets the scene of the meaning of the song, and shooting this
sequence in black and white creates a sullen feel to the video from the
start.
• The song then begins, and this is where the video turns to colour,
although the set is not colourful other than some pink neon signs
(which co ordinate with the album’s aesthetic).
• The rest of the video sees Matty finding someone new, and involves a
lot of close ups and reaction shots.
• Matty again is the main character in the video, which is a common
thing between all of the 1975’s music videos. Furthermore, a lot of the
videos from the same album have something in common with each
other to link them together (eg. It’s Not Living and Sincerity Is Scary
seem to happen in the same dream-like state in Matty’s head).