A Level piece of research into the different features of music videos and the conventions of them. Includes some theorists.

1. FEATURES OF MUSIC VIDEOS
BY LAURA VAABEL

2. SVEN CARLSSON AND THE COMMERCIAL
EXHIBITIONIST
THE PERFORMER ISN’T ALWAYS A PERFORMER WITHIN MUSIC VIDEOS, THEY
CAN MATERIALIZE THE COMMERCIAL EXHIBITIONIST. THEY HOLD THEIR OWN
BODY IMAGE, SHOWING OFF EVERYTHING TO GAIN SUCCESS- THEIR VOICE,
FACE, LIFESTYLE AND RECORDS ETC. THE COMMERCIAL EXHIBITIONIST WILL
WANT SUCCESS AND SO TRIES TO EVOKE THE CHARISMA OF STARDOM AND
SEXUALITY, HE/SHE WISHES TO BE A CELEBRITY, AN ICON. IN THIS VIEW, THE
PERFORMERS ARE RESTRICTED ON HOW THEY CAN PERFORM, SELL THEIR
VOICE, FACE AND LIFESTYLE ETC. I DON’T PLAN TO DO THIS WITH MY OWN
ARTIST BECAUSE I DON’T FEEL AS THOUGH IT WOULD FIT WITH THE THEMES
OF MY MUSIC VIDEO, AS ISOLATION IS A THEME IN MY PRODUCTION, I
BELIEVE USING A COMMERCIAL EXHIBITIONIST WOULD CONTRADICT THIS
UNDERLYING SERIOUS TONE TO THE VIDEO.

3. SVEN CARLSSON AND MODERN MYTHIC
EMBODIMENT
THE ARTIST IS PERCEIVED AS BECOMING ONE, OR A NUMBER OF
"MODERN MYTHIC CHARACTERS OR FORCES". THEY ARE
REPRESENTING DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE FREE FLOATING
DISPARATE UNIVERSE OF MUSIC VIDEO. MOST PERFORMANCE
MOVIES MAKE THE PERFORMER NOT A PERFORMER ANYMORE. I WILL
NOT PRESENT MY STAR IMAGE AS HAVING THIS BECAUSE I AGAIN
FEEL AS THOUGH IT WOULD OPPOSE THE SERIOUS THEMES AND THE
MORAL MESSAGE OF FEMALE INDEPENDENCE BY HAVING A MALE
SEEMING POWERFUL THROUGH MODERN MYTHIC EMBODIMENT.

4. CARLSSON
• ONE OF THE MOST COMMON METHODS OF ANALYSIS IS TO BREAK UP THE MUSIC
VIDEO INTO BLACK AND WHITE BOXES. ALMOST EVERYTHING IS THEN PERCEIVED AS
OPPOSITES - RUBBISH OR ART, COMMERCE OR CREATIVITY, MALE OR FEMALE,
NATURALISM OR ANTI-REALISM, ETC. BINARY OPPOSITES DRIVE THE NARRATION OF
THE MUSIC VIDEO FORWARD.
• CARLSSON THINKS THAT MUSIC VIDEOS ALL FALL INTO 2 CATEGORIES, CONCEPTUAL
AND PERFORMANCE. PERFORMANCE VIDEOS REFERS TO THOSE THAT SHOW THE
ARTIST SINGING AND DANCING, CONCEPTUAL VIDEOS REFER TO THOSE THAT INCLUDE
SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE ARTIST THROUGHOUT THE VIDEO. SNAP OUT OF IT, BY
ARCTIC MONKEYS USES A CONCEPTUAL MUSIC VIDEO, WHILST THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR
LITHIUM BY NIRVANA CONSISTS OF A PERFORMANCE MUSIC VIDEO. MY MUSIC VIDEO
WILL FALL INTO BOTH OF THESE CATEGORIES BECAUSE I WANTED TO ESTABLISH MY
STAR IMAGE AS BEING SKILFUL BY INCORPORATING THEM IN A PERFORMANCE BUT I
ALSO WANTED TO INCLUDE A CONCEPTUAL SIDE TO MY VIDEO SO I WAS ABLE TO ADD
A VISUAL MEANING TO THE LYRICS AND ADD A CREATIVE SPIN ON THEM. NOT
PRESENTING A CONCEPTUAL SIDE TO A MUSIC VIDEO, I FEEL, CAN PRESENT A LACK OF
CREATIVITY.

5. HERE IS A GIF I MADE FROM THE ARCTIC MONKEY’S MUSIC VIDEO, SNAP
OUT OF IT. I DID THIS IN ORDER TO REPRESENT HOW THE VIDEO IS ONLY
CONCEPTUAL AND PORTRAY HOW THE VISUALS MATCH THE LYRICS. IF
GIF DOESN’T PLAY, CLICK THIS LINK:
HTTPS://GIPHY.COM/GIFS/MONKEYS-STEPHANIE-ARCTIC-JB1FPHI5JYXWY

6. THE TELEVISED BARD
THIS IS ANOTHER TYPE OF PERFORMANCE IN MUSIC VIDEOS. THEY
ARE A SINGER STORY-TELLER WHO USES ACTUAL ON-SCREEN
IMAGES INSTEAD OF PERSONAL IMAGES. THE TELEVISED BARD MAY
ACT WITHIN THIS STORY, THEY TRANSFORM THE CLICHÉD STORY OF
THE LYRICS UTILIZING ON-SCREEN IMAGES TO CREATE AN
INTERESTING STORY. I WILL REPRESENT MY STAR IMAGE AS BEING
ONE OF THESE SO THAT THEY SEEM LIKE A GUARDIAN ANGEL
WATCHING OVER MY FEMALE CHARACTER. THIS WILL PRESENT THEM
AS BEING MYSTERIOUS AND INTRIGUING TO MY AUDIENCE, THUS
PROMOTING THEIR MUSIC.

7. ELECTRONIC SHAMAN
SOMETIMES THIS PERSON IS INVISIBLE AND IT IS ONLY THEIR VOICE
AND RHYTHM THAT CONTROLS THE VISUALS. THEY CONNECT
IMAGE AND SOUND, POTENTIALLY CREATING NEW MEANING TO THE
LYRICS. MY FEMALE CHARACTER WILL ACT AS AN ELECTRONIC
SHAMAN IN A WAY BECAUSE SHE WILL ACT OUT THE LYRICS SO
THAT THE VISUALS MATCH THEM. THE AUDIENCE WILL BE ABLE TO
WITNESS AN INTERPRETATION OF THE LYRICS THROUGH THE
VISUALS THAT ARE BEING PRESENTED ONSCREEN.

8. THE MUSIC
• IF A MUSIC VIDEO IS LACKING AN
OBVIOUS NARRATIVE, BASED ON VISUALS
AND LYRICS, IT USES UNIFYING ASPECTS
THAT ARE A DISTINCTIVE TRAIT OF
MUSIC. IMAGES ARE BOUND TOGETHER BY
THE BEAT AND OTHER MUSICAL
FEATURES.
• CERTAIN MOVEMENTS MAY BE SYNCHED
WITH THE BEAT OF THE MUSIC. THIS CAN
BE SHOWN IN THE EXAMPLE GIF BELOW OF
HARLEY QUINN MOVING HER HAND IN
SYNCH WITH THE BEAT OF THE MUSIC,
TAKEN FROM THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR
HEATHENS BY TWENTY ONE PILOTS. THIS
IS SOMETHING THAT I WILL INCLUDE
WITHIN MY VIDEO TO ADD SUSPENSE AND
ADD A CREATIVE TWIST ON THE BEAT.
THIS WILL BE PRESENTED AT THE START
OF THE VIDEO AS SOON AS THE RING
HITS THE WATER, THE FIRST NOTE WILL
PLAY.
• IF GIF DOESN’T PLAY, CLICK THIS LINK:

9. LYRICS AND THE PERCEPTION OF MUSIC
VIDEOS
• OFTEN LYRICS ARE GIVEN A NEW MEANING WHEN A MUSIC VIDEO IS FORMED FOR THE SONG,
THIS MAY BECAUSE THE ARTIST HAS CREATED A METAPHOR WITH THE VISUALS THEY HAVE
USED.
• PEOPLE MAY PERCEIVE MUSIC VIDEOS DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING ON THEIR ACTIVE SOCIAL
ASPECTS, LIKE FAMILY, REGION, COUNTRY ETC. THEIR INTERACTIVE LAYERS OF PERCEPTION
MAY BE INSTINCTIVE, INTER-SUBJECTIVE AND INDIVIDUAL. THIS WOULD ALL INTERACT WITH
PERSONAL MEMORIES. ON TOP OF THIS, SITUATION VARIABLES CAN ALSO COMPLICATE THE
PERCEPTION OF A MUSIC VIDEO.
• I WILL PRESENT MY INTERPRETATION OF THE LYRICS ON THE CONCEPTUAL SIDE OF THE MUSIC
VIDEO; A ROUGH BREAK UP THAT LEADS TO THE WOMAN SEEKING STRENGTH IN HER
INDEPENDENCE. THIS IS CLEAR THROUGH THE VISUALS BUT THE LYRICS MAY BE INTERPRETED
IN MULTIPLE WAYS. “I DON’T KNOW WHICH WAY I’M GOING,” FOR EXAMPLE, COULD BE
RELATED TO SOMEONE HAVING LOST A JOB AND NOW NOT KNOWING WHICH CAREER PATH
TO TAKE.

10. MUSIC VIDEO STYLES
• A STANDARD MUSIC VIDEO CLIP IS ONE THAT CONTAINS THESE THREE VISUAL TRADITIONS; A
FILMED SINGER IS BLENDED WITH INSERTED IMAGES AND THE PRESENTATION IS ARTISTICALLY
INFLUENCED BY THE EXPERIMENTAL FILM TRADITION.
• THERE ARE 3 TYPES OF VISUAL TRADITION IN MUSIC VIDEOS; PERFORMANCE CLIP, NARRATIVE
CLIP AND ART CLIP.
• PERFORMANCE CLIPS ARE THOSE THAT CONTAIN MOSTLY FILMED PERFORMANCE, THIS WILL
SHOW THE ARTIST PLAYING THEIR INSTRUMENT/SINGING IN AT LEAST ONE SETTING. THESE
CLIPS ARE POPULARLY TAKEN ON STAGE OR IN A STUDIO, BUT THEY CAN BE TAKEN ANYWHERE,
LIKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET OR ON THE MOON. A PERFORMANCE CLIP SHOT WALKING
DOWN THE STREET HAS BECOME A CLICHÉ AND CAN BE SEEN IN THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR BITTER
SWEET SYMPHONY BY THE VERVE. THIS PERFORMANCE CAN BE OF 3 TYPES; DANCE, SONG OR
INSTRUMENTAL. THEY CAN ALSO BE A COMBINATION OF 2 OR ALL 3 OF THESE TYPES.
• NARRATIVE CLIPS ARE ONES THAT ARE MORE EASILY UNDERSTOOD AS A SHORT SILENT FILM TO
A MUSICAL BACKGROUND. THESE WILL CONTAIN A VISUAL STORY THAT WILL BE EASY TO
FOLLOW. THEY HAVE NO LIP-SYNCHRONISED SINGING. AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THESE WOULD
BE THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR UB40’S RED RED WINE.
• ART CLIPS HAVE NO PERCEPTIBLE VISUAL NARRATIVE AND CONTAIN NO LIP SYNCHRONISED

11. LINKS BETWEEN GENRE AND MUSIC VIDEO
STYLES
• IT IS NOT OFTEN THAT THERE IS A LINK BETWEEN THE MUSIC VIDEO AND THE
GENRE OF MUSIC, BUT THERE ARE SOME LINKS BETWEEN THE STYLE OF THE
VIDEO AND THE GENRE. FOR INSTANCE, DANCE MUSIC VIDEO CLIPS ARE
SOMETIMES ART CLIPS AND THE EDITING TECHNIQUES USED FOR MUSIC VIDEOS
TO SOFT BALLADS IS MOSTLY MIXING. THE ROCK GENRE USUALLY USES
CONCERT CLIPS WITH INSERTED NARRATIVE SHOTS.
• THE REGGAE GENRE POPULARLY KEEPS TO THE COLOURS RED, GREEN AND
BLACK. I WILL USE THIS CONVENTION IN MY ANCILLARY TEXTS RATHER THAN
THE MAIN PRODUCT AS I AM ON A LOW BUDGET AND CANNOT AFFORD THE
SOFTWARE THAT WOULD ALLOW ME TO EXCLUDE CERTAIN COLOURS.

12. ABSTRACT FORM
• MUSIC VIDEOS TEND TO STICK TO ONE THEME THROUGHOUT, THIS MIGHT BE
KEEPING SOMETHING THE SAME/SIMILAR THROUGHOUT. THIS IS KNOWN AS
ABSTRACT FORM.
• PICTORIAL ELEMENTS ARE THE SMALL SECTIONS WITHIN WHICH A MOVING IMAGE
MAY BE DIVIDED INTO - QUICK ZOOMING IN AND OUT, SHORT CUTS, COLOURS,
SHAPES, MOVEMENTS, SETTINGS, CLOTHES, FOOTAGE ETC.
• AN INTRODUCTION TO A MUSIC VIDEO OFTEN INCORPORATES THE BASIC PICTORIAL
ELEMENTS, WHICH WILL DEVELOP TO VISUAL MOTIFS.
• I WILL INCORPORATE THE ABSTRACT FORM OF COLOUR. I WILL KEEP MY MAIN
PRODUCT CONSISTENT IN ITS USE OF COLOUR THROUGHOUT. BY THIS, I’M
REFERRING TO HOW I PLAN TO USE BLACK AND WHITE THROUGH MY VIDEO DURING
THE TIMES WHEN THE NEGATIVE THEME OF ISOLATION IS PRESENT. THE ABSTRACT
THEME OF HAVING COLOUR ON THE STAR IMAGE WILL ALSO REMAIN CONSISTENT
THROUGHOUT IN ORDER TO POSITIVELY REPRESENT HIM AS BEING SKILFUL AND
POSITIVE.

13. CONVENTIONS
• MUSIC VIDEO CONVENTIONS AREN’T USUALLY SIMILAR TO THOSE OF THE FILM
INDUSTRY’S. FOR INSTANCE, BACKLIGHTING EFFECTS IN MUSIC VIDEOS MIGHT
BE THOUGHT OF AS REFERRING TO FILM NOIR, HOWEVER IT IS MORE LIKELY
THAT THEY ARE TYING IN ASSOCIATE THE VIDEO WITH LIGHTING CONVENTIONS
OF LIVE PERFORMANCES.
• IN MUSIC VIDEOS, NARRATIVE RELATIONS ARE HIGHLY COMPLEX AND CAN BE
CREATED BY THE INDIVIDUAL AUDIENCE MEMBER OF THE VIDEO.
• IN MY OPINION MUSIC VIDEOS ARE SEPARATE TO ANY OTHER FORM OF MEDIA
AND CREATE THEIR OWN CONVENTIONS.