music video genres

1. Genre Conventions
of a Music Videos

2. Performance:
• A performance based video shows the artist/band/group’s performance throughout the song,
sometimes it plays throughout the whole video. They tend to be fairly unique or utilize a
particular editing or filming technique.
• They use a variety of shots and angles as well as repeated settings
• They can be filmed live or in a studio
• Can involve dancing and lip-syncing
• Setting may be unusual
• May contain many costume changes
An example of a performance video is If I Can't Have You by Shawn Mendes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTJ-oqwxdZY

3. Shawn Mendes - If I Can't Have You
The video opens up with the artist lip-syncing straight into the
camera, which acts as a performance as it looks like he’s singing
straight to the audience, making it feel like a live performance.
Here the artist is playing the piano while lip-syncing to the
music, which makes it look like a live show, making it a
performance music video. It adds realism and makes it look like
a live performance.
The camera work in this video reflects a performance music video
as it contains many different angles and the camera work in this
video is very unique as it rotates from horizontal to vertical at
different points throughout the video.
Performance:
This reflects a performance styled video as the opening
background turns out to be a backdrop, so through out the video
there is only one setting. The artist is then followed by the camera
allowing the video to flow, it was also all filmed in one take, making
it look more real.

4. This reflects a performance video as it follows the convention of
lip-syncing. The artist has a microphone and two lights behind
him, trying to mimic a live performance, he’s got direct mode of
address which makes it look like he's singing straight to the
audience.
This reflects the conventions of a performance music video as it
is in a unique setting which doesn’t fully make sense. The artist
appears to be in an abandoned warehouse, yet he is using gym
equipment. This can be seen as part of the performance and
may appear slightly comical.
This reflects the conventions of a performance video as in this
shot backing singers appear, this gives a sense of realism and
makes it look like a live performance.
The camera used is a steady cam, this follows the artist from a
front on view, moving with them. This makes it a performance
video as it makes the audience feel as though they are there, it
gives a sense of a live performance.

5. Narrative:
• A narrative music video tells a story through a chain of events that are put together . At
times it may even seem like a little film that stars a main character who communicates with
the audience.
• A linear narrative follows the standard storyline structure: beginning, middle and end.
• A fragmented narrative doesn't follow the linear structure depicts the lyrics from the song.
• It can promote a film with clips from the film included telling a story (use inter-textual links
from films, tv and other videos)
• Lyrics may link to the visuals shown
• Sometimes the story can contradict what is seen for effect
• Sometimes the artist is a part of the story, or an observer. It may use actors or the artist will
be the main focus.
An example of a narrative music video is Thank u, next by Ariana Grande
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl1aHhXnN1k

6. Thank u, next by Ariana Grande
This video follows the codes and conventions of a narrative music video.
It opens up with direct speech as if it were a movie. It is also an
intertextual link to the moving Mean Girls as it recreates the scenes. The
actor in the top right image is also the original actor from the movie
Mean girls. This allows the audience to relate back to the original film
the video is based on.
Here is a doppelgänger of Ariana Grande, this makes it a narrative as
someone is playing her due to the fact that Ariana herself is playing other
characters through out the video. This adds a sense of comedy to the video
and makes it move like.
The opening credits to the music video are a direct inter-textual link to the
Mean Girls title, this makes it more movie like and lets the audience know
that the video will refer to the film. It may create a wider audience range as
teens would watch it as well as adults who watched the original film years
ago.

7. This reflects the conventions of a narrative as it has an intertextual
link to the ‘burn book’ from the movie Mean Girls, which Ariana
then converted into a Thank u next book. It also has a direct link to
the artists ex-boyfriend Ricky as a picture of them is in the book,
this allows fan to connect more as they
may know who Ricky is, as appose to the new audience. Also, it refers back to the lyrics
of ‘wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh’. This reflects Goodwin's theory
of lyrics matching visuals.
This is a direct remake of the Mean Girls entrance scene, the characters in the
music video are even wearing almost identical copies of the actors clothes,
showing a direct link. Ariana (the artist of the song) is wearing a blonde wig
indicating how she is meant to be Regina George from the original movie.
This makes it a narrative as it is retelling a story.
This is another direct intertextual link to the film Mean Girls
as Ariana recreated the iconic Jingle Bells dance, yet she did
it in a more comical way creating a parody. This makes it a
narrative as it retells the Mean Girls story line.

8. This is also a direct intertextual link as it’s a recreation of a
Mean Girls scene. The artist used a well known reality star Kris
Jenner to play the mum, this creates comedy and may engage
viewers who are a fan on Kris.
Ariana then moved onto using another film called Bring It On. She is
once again recreating the scene, this makes it a narrative as she is
retelling a story. She also uses a well known actor, who was on the
show Victorious with Ariana back in 2010.
Ariana then recreates the famous cheer scene from Bring It
On. This may be nostalogic to the audience as Bring It On is an
older film, therefore this may appeal to her audience in the
late teens and early twenties. This makes it a narrative as it
retells a story, it also kind of links into performance as the
dancing and cheer routines create a performance.

9. Ariana then moves onto the film 13 going on 30. This is another
iconic chick flick which came out in 2004 , therefore it may bring
back memories for the audience. Once again Ariana recreates the
scene, she turns herself into the main character again by wearing a
wig to recreate the hair style and she even wears a similar dress.
Ariana then moves onto her final film, which is Legally Blonde.
This is another iconic chick flick, which her target audience will
be able to relate to. She recreates many scenes from the film,
such as the famous bend and snap, which she called the
Thank U Next Snap. She recreates everything from scenery, to
costumes to look as similar to the original character as
possible. This makes it a narrative as she retells the story. It’s a
fragmented narrative as it doesn’t follow a linear pattern as
she jumbles up the movies, however if you were to put the
film clips together they’d retell the films original plot line.