2. Narrative
Many of the music videos in this sub-
genre center around a narrative,
created through many visual elements
such as an outside view of the setting,
or multiple scenes in which a story is
conveyed. It is also conventional that
alongside these narratives, many of
these music videos involve
performances intertwined with the
narrative, though taken in different
shots and not interacting with the
narrative.
3. Lighting
Typically, with this sub-genre the
lighting is low-key and often dulled,
creating more of a relaxed narrative
and performance over an intense and
striking image. As shown in the
examples, even though some shots are
filmed in well-lit settings, the lighting
is still made to seem darker than it
would be, such as the middle
screencap which shows the light
behind him, but still has many areas of
darkness whilst the light pours in.
4. Shot Types-
Narrative
Along with the typical music video's
focus on narrative, it is clear through
the different amount of wide shot
types on the setting that the videos
want to focus on more scenic shots,
emphasizing the narrative and creating
a visual experience as well as an
interesting narrative. Whilst these
shots are often wide and full view of
the setting, some shots such as a low
angle shot shown in the top
screencap, are used to convey the
cinematics. This could also indicate a
high focus of budget on the
cinematography, creating the focus to
be on the setting and the visuals of the
video.
5. Shot Types-
Performance
These music videos also utilize a
different kind of shot type during the
performance portion of their music
videos, featuring a use of close ups,
head shots or full body shots during
the artist's performance, exaggerating
their influence of a performance as
when they are performing, the only
thing in the shot is them; and perhaps
their instrument.
6. Representation
Within the sun genre of music videos,
there seems to be a variety of
representation throughout the videos-
not showing a clear bias as to what kind
of people appear, which is representative
in the time of the music creation’s. We
can’t always tell the class of the people in
the videos, though sometimes the setting
reveals the intended class audience. In
addition, the genre seemingly allows
representation of all genders and
ethnicities; showcased in the screen caps
to the side. The age of the people
included seem to be geared towards
younger adults, possibly teens, and
maybe younger or older to apply to the
narrative: though the performers seem to
all be young
7. Mise En Scene
The genre seems to focus on narrative,
using mise en scene in the form of
costumes, makeup and style, as well as
setting and camera shots to form a
story- indicating a mid/high budget.
Furthermore, the mise en scene
indicated in the screen caps shown
specifically focus on creating a visually
pleasing video: mostly framing the
performer along with the narrative,
interacting with other people or the
setting. It seems that this genre
focuses on visual enjoyment, creating
a pleasing video to convey a minimal
whilst beautiful visual.
8. Camera Angles, Movement and Editing Techniques
Most music videos in this genre have slow camera movements, utilizing minimalist movement
and shots to allow the creativity and beauty of the mise en scene to be shown effectively. In
addition to the slow camera movement and lack of still video footage- the editing is also minimal
and mostly just has a few zooms with few transitions between cuts. The majority of the cuts are
just solid cuts without transitions, though the few transitions present are often gradual fades,
showing the simplicity to the music video's production, away from the captivating setting and
narrative that is also often portrayed.
