Narrative and performance By Hannah Cannell- A level Media

1. By Hannah Cannell

2. Why do artist’s have music videos? And types:
• To promote them or their music
• Creates, adapts or feeds into a ‘star image’
• Entertains the audience
• Sets the ‘meanings’ of a song by the use of images
• Types:
• Performance
• Narrative
• Thematic
• Symbolic

3. Performance:
• Many music videos include performance of the artists as part of the
video
• A performance video focuses on showing footage of the artist or band
either in a casual environment, i.e. socialising with friends, or
performing, live performance or staged performance.
• This style of video uses the band/artist/group throughout the
majority of the production and the artist, band members are often
miming the words to the song.
• Often includes lots of close ups of the artist and there can be a
particular visual style that goes with the artist (a motif)
• Often the artist can appear to perform in an unusual place.

4. What is a Narrative Video:
• Often the video tells a story either that features in the lyrics or is
suggested in the lyrics e.g girl dumps boy
• This narrative can be like a Mini film; with a beginning, middle and
end, or it can suggest some links to a story
• It can promote a film with clips from the film included telling a story
e.g A thousand years by Christina Perri
• Because it is only 3-4 minutes it can be very fast paced, lots of shots
and cuts. This is shown in ‘Boyfriend’

5. How The Video Of Boyfriend links to
performance & Narrative:
• The music video shows the aspects of a performance of video
through having Ariana lip-syncing in a unusual place.
• However when looking at the music video, I found that it can be seen
as a Hybrid video as it also presents a storyline.
• Although performance is shown, the video also presents a storyline of
a girl and boy who aren’t together yet don’t want to let the other see
other people, making it an narrative.
• This presents how music videos can be more then one type.

6. • The music video starts with performance shots of Ariana lip-syncing-
close ups
• 0.21- The narrative starts at a party where the ‘male lead’ is seen with
another girl,
• 0.41- Ariana attacks the other girl.

7. Billie Eilish- Lovely- Performance
• The music video ‘Lovely’ is an example of a performance video.
• It includes a mixture of shots, often using close ups (example shown
in next slide)
• The whole video is shot in this glass cube where they lip-sync and
dance a bit.
• Unlike ‘Boyfriend’, this music video is slower. This shows how this one
is not a narrative.

8. Theorist:
• Goes against the theory of Van Zoonen;
• The theory of Van Zoonen says that women are presented as objects
to be looked at is a core element of western patriarchal culture. The
music video goes against this theory as it doesn’t present a
stereotypical women all ‘dolled’ up with short or revealing clothes.
Instead the ‘character’ is earing a massive jumper and a load of
chains, hiding her skin.

9. Times and analysis:
• 0.23- The lyrics start and the character sings with a direct mode of
address to the camera. The mid shot scene creates a connection
between the audience and the character- they feel her pain.
• 0.46- The small choreography gives us a visual into the depressing
relationship, as she pushes him away “I hope some day I'll make it out
of here”
• 1.09- “I can't fight my fear”
• They stay in the cube to present the long fight in the relationship, and
face different weathers, like rain and frost to present the changing
seasons.

10. Times and analysis:
• 2.25- as shown in the background picture, they are in a cube full of
water yet not drowning, how they survived another ‘fight’ or problem
yet their souls were burdened or drowning- The performance is
shown through their acting.
• 2.45- Water turns the ice.