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.
5. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q1 - Outline the 3 core purposes of music video with a short
explanation for each:
• Entertainment- To entertain the audience visually whilst they are
listening to the music.
• Promoting the artist- To show the face of the artist so the
audience can identify them with a specific style and sound.
• Monetary gain- To get money from showing it on T.V. shows and
uploading it on visual/ audio sites such as YouTube where the
video can get traction.
6. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q2 – What are some of the broader purposes of music videos? Think about
some of the strategies employed by artists in their videos and how they
represent themselves, you could consider where the artist is on a major
label, independent label of unsigned, is there a difference between them?
• Another use for a music video is to show subtle meanings that may not
have been thought of when just listening to the audio, such as social
situations and personal battles by the artists.
• A way to tell the difference if the artist is signed with a major label or is
independent through a music video is the money put into the music video
which can be visible to the audience, this is shown very clearly with Mac
Miller who started without a budget for his earliest videos and towards the
end of his career, he signed with a label and had huge budgets to spend on
each video he produced.
7. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q3 – Describe what is ‘synergy’ is and how it has been used in music
videos [min. 3 examples of synergy and convergence]
• “Synergy” is the interaction or co-operation of two or more organizations,
substances or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the
sum of their separate effects.
• Synergy between the director and the artist is key when producing a music
video as the director has to grasp and convey what the artist is trying to
convey as a story through the video.
• This is the same for the actors, if there are any, with the director and the
artist to see if they again, are conveying what the artists vision is.
• Another synergy is between the artist and the label, whether its an
independent or major label, to see if the label wants to put their name on
the end product and if they want to be associated with what the artist is
conveying to the audience.
8. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q4 – Branding; select an artist you like and look at how they present themselves in their
music videos. Explain what their ‘brand’ is, who is appeals to and why they might have done
this.
• The artist I’ll be looking at is Lil Peep, in his music video’s he presents himself and
someone who is mostly alone and only surrounds himself with people when he is out at a
social event such as a party, doing drugs with others or intending to have sexual
intercourse. Lil Peep commonly shows himself in music videos as alone as that is how he
feels in his head with his mental health, which is what he uses his music to convey, the
thought of being alone even when surrounded by people. Lil Peep’s brand was a social
outcast, a loner, with mental health issues who uses drugs and substances as a coping
mechanism for what he is going through. Lil Peep appealed to the people who found it hard
to talk about mental health and others who used illegal substances as a coping mechanism,
his audience found him extremely relatable and real as Lil Peep was known for saying
things how they were and admitted, in songs and interviews, to things that many people
who dealt with the same thing would not dream of saying out loud and to the world, things
that people revered Peep for was his honesty with his mental state and saying things that
others in the same situation found difficult to say. This connected him and his audience on a
whole new level.
9. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q5 – Compare One Direction and Animal Collective music videos [find them
on YouTube!], what can you discern about each act from their videos? What is
the main aim? Explain why.
• One Direction music videos are very bland and simple but at the same time,
effective, this is because the videos are very simple so that anyone can follow
along with them, they also have one, closed meaning. This means that the video
is not open to interpretation and it is designed to mean one thing and one thing
only. The aim of their videos are to show what they are saying but in visual form
and to keep it as simple and close to they lyrics they can, this makes the
recording process very easy for everyone involved.
• Animal Collective’s music videos are open to interpretation as they are not
closed, they are very “out there” and seen as an extremely weird watch and
experience for the viewers. Some viewers even say it is like a fever dream. The
aim of the Animal Collective’s video was to give the viewers an experience that
they could decide how to feel and for it to have an open concept.
11. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q1 – Describe and explain the use of camerawork in music
videos, i.e. the types of shot used with examples to illustrate this.
• Low Angle- This shot shows the viewers looking up on an object or
even the artist. This gives the effect of that object or artist, as being
dominant as being of importance.
• Close- Up Shot- This is to show what the main focus should be,
this could be on a specific object or even the artist themselves.
• Establishing Shot- This can be used to show the whole scene for a
video but is most commonly used in rap videos and of houses or
cars to show wealth.
12. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q2 - Describe and explain the use of editing in music videos, i.e. the types
of shot used with examples to illustrate this.
• B- Roll- This is used to chop up a video by focusing on something that is
not the main focus of the video, it is also used as a way to chop up a video
and make it flow and lot easier, without it overpowering the audience. This
can also be used as a transition for a video when a scene change is
needed.
• Matching Cuts- This is where the video is cut from shot to shot but matched
up to the beat of the song, this makes the video flow and makes it seem as
if the audience is experiencing the music but within a visual form.
• Slow- Motion- Slow motion is used within music videos to show dramatic
scenes or events.
13. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q3 - Describe and explain some of the technical
developments in music videos, i.e. the types of shot used with
examples to illustrate this
Wide Shot- This is used when
showing the environment but
also how the artist is still the
main focus by being in the
center of the screen.
Close Up- This is used to
show the artist and the artist
only, without any background
or environment, it is also to
show the main focus, in this,
it’s the artist, Mac Miller.
Establishing Shot- This is
used to show the
surrounding environment
of what would be the main
focus, in this case, it is the
artist with his car and
14. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q4 – Genre conventions; often music videos adhere to genre
conventions within their visual style and production techniques.
Select a recognizable genre and use illustrations to explain
what their genre conventions are…
• The rap genre has a very distinctive convention such as using
women, cars, money, designer clothing, jewelry and houses to
show wealth, luxury and success. Drugs and crime are also
used prominently in the rap genre.
15. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q5 - John Stuart’s description of the music video “incorporating,
raiding and reconstructing” is essentially the essence of
intertextuality [something asserted by Andrew Goodwin]. Can
you explain what intertexuality is and find some examples of it in
music videos?
• Intertexuality is the relationship between texts, films and other
forms of media.
• An example is Katy Perry’s ‘Last Friday Night’ and Ariana
Grande’s ‘Thank U, Next’ (Mean Girls, Legally Blonde.)
17. 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]
18. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• For my individual case study I am choosing to study the artist,
Witt Lowry. I will look at 5 of his music videos and discuss the
use of:
• Styles and techniques employed.
• Intertexuality.
• Camera Work/ Editing.
• Genre Conventions.
• Critical Approaches.
19. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• In this music video a main technique throughout is the repetition of actions but done at different moments in time. For
example, in the beginning of the video, Witt rubs his hands together in a specific way, the video then cuts to a time
when he repeats the action just shown at an earlier time in the day from when the audience were first shown him
doing this action. This theme stays throughout the video as when Witt is singing along to the song, we are shown him
singing in the present and shown him singing in the past, just like when he rubbed his hands together. There seems
to be a main technique when it comes to Witt Lowry’s music videos and that is a three settings, one for B- Roll and
context and the other two of him rapping but done at different times throughout the day.
• There is no intertexuality within this video apart from a slight look at someone’s Instagram page and a mention of it in
the lyrics.
• The video is cut up into three settings: 1) When Witt and a woman are together. 2) When Witt is alone in a building
and rapping, him being the main focus (Present Time). 3) When Witt is alone in his room rapping (In The Past). Witt
is rapping in both setting 2 and 3, the editing makes it seem as if Witt is rapping all the way through as the settings
are cut together so past or present Witt is carrying on with the rap that he was doing in the previous scene, this
makes the video flow fluently. This theme is all throughout the video.
• Witt Lowry’s genre is classed as ‘Hip- Hop/ Rap’ this video fits into the genre convention as the video is about a
woman and him getting together and it is hinted that they sleep together, this is a huge theme in this genre but Witt
Lowry has a twist as most people from the genre use women as a way to showboat and ‘flex’ but Witt shows women
in an emotional sense as he is in love with woman and this is a twist that he has in the genre.
• I do not have much to say in a critical way about this video as if flows very well and fills time in the audio that have no
rapping or lyrics with visual story telling, this helps the audience follow the story well and keep them hooked and
intrigued.
Witt Lowry- Like I Do
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plqFvp6nm9o
20. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• In this music video the main theme throughout is letters/ writing. This is started when Witt is shown in his room
writing lyrics down in a notepad, this is then showed again just a bit later on, then Witt talks about receiving an
eviction letter, which is then showed to the audience. It is then stated “But none of you see all the letters I get from
these kids who hurt from within and don’t want to live and tell me my music is all that can give them hope.” The
audience is then shown a small collage of letters addressing Witt from fans. There seems to be a main theme when it
comes to Witt Lowry’s music videos and that is a three settings, one for B- Roll and context and the other two of him
rapping but done at different times throughout the day.
• There is no intertexuality within this video apart from a slight look at Witt’s twitter page and a mention of it in the
lyrics.
• The video is cut up into three settings: 1) When Witt is in a field with a blue flare in one hand and a orange one in
the other. 2) When Witt is alone with a plain white background rapping, with him being the main focus (Present
Time). 3) When Witt is alone in his room rapping (In The Past). Witt is rapping in both setting 2 and 3, the editing
makes it seem as if Witt is rapping all the way through as the settings are cut together so past or present Witt is
carrying on with the rap that he was doing in the previous scene, this makes the video flow fluently. This theme is all
throughout the video.
• Witt Lowry’s genre is classed as ‘Hip- Hop/ Rap’ this video doesn’t really fit into the genre convention as it is all about
emotions that the artist is dealing with and even mentions his audiences and fans emotions too, this isn’t much of a
big convention within the genre but there are a small handful of artists from this genre that will slightly touch on this
theme.
• There isn’t much to critique on this video as it is simple but effective, the themes explored in the video are
represented well with visual aid but I personally did not enjoy the amount of cuts when compared to the beat, even
though there are cuts that are matched with the beat, there are many that are not and it is slight off- putting.
Witt Lowry- Dreaming With Our Eyes Open
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXp6dq5jg1g
21. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• In this music video the main technique of Witt’s music, the three settings, is extremely prevalent throughout the video. Even in
some cases for this video specifically Witt jumps from setting to setting, meaning it can be shown in a past tense way but then
Witt will join the scene and be colourful and address the camera directly, showing it to be present tense, this isn’t done in any
other Witt Lowry video.
• There is no intertexuality within this video apart from a look at some texts that he has received but that is only there for the visual
story narrative as there is no mention of texts in the lyrics.
• The video is cut up into three settings: 1) When Witt is in his room either by himself or with his friend. 2) When Witt is alone with
a plain black background rapping, with him being the main focus. 3) When Witt is in a field/ wood setting either alone, with a
woman or his dad. Witt is rapping in all settings, this is the first and only time in any Witt Lowry videos that this happens. This
theme is all throughout the video. At the very start of the video, for the introduction beat, the video is cut to the beat, this makes
the video flow well and shows a quick glance to the audience of all the scenes they are about to see throughout the video, the
beat cut method is then dropped when lyrics are used, this is replaced for long shots of each setting. At the beginning, the main
focus is setting 2, as he is speaking about his mental health and living situations and Witt being the main focus creates a more
personal connection between him and the audience. With other themes such as a failing relationship, losing friends, finding love,
his alcoholic father and achieving his dreams, the second setting is not shown at all and the editing favours the first and third
settings.
• Witt Lowry’s genre is classed as ‘Hip- Hop/ Rap’ this video partially fits into the genre convention as a main theme is relationships
and has a focus on women but at the same time, it doesn’t fit the convention as it is all about emotions that the artist is dealing
with and not many artists talk about these issues within this genre, this is another twist that Witt has with his music.
• I personally do not have much to critique this video with as I believe the video to be well presented and well edited together, the
change in the main theme to Witt’s videos is very refreshing and enjoyable to watch, my only critique is that I wish the cut to beat
kept going for a little while longer but I completely understand the decision not to and understand the reasoning to make the video
feel a lot more personal for the audience and even Witt Lowry.
Witt Lowry- Kindest Regards
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wof6pv
lfvKY
22. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• In this music video the main technique is the same as the others before this, the three settings, all used and fused into the one video but there is a twist with
this video as two of the settings, become one, this is the first and only time Witt Lowry has done this with any of his music videos, this is a change to what the
audience is expecting when viewing a Witt Lowry music video but it is very refreshing and helps take the audience a bit by shock when it happens.
• In this video there is barely any intertexuality, within this video there is one mention of twitter and there is one lyric mentioning a ‘sequel’, referring to a
relationship, which is a nod towards the films industry, there was no visual link to this lyric though also, this is the second time Witt ever mentioned the film
industry in his lyrics.
• The video is cut up into three settings: 1) Witt is walking around town, living his daily life. 2) When Witt is alone with a plain black background but with rain
droplets as effects running down, rapping, with him being the main focus. 3) Witt’s ex living her daily life, walking around town. Witt is rapping in only the second
setting,. Throughout the whole video the cuts are done to the beat of the song, this makes the video flow better and make it an easier viewing experience for
the audience, this is done as this is one of Witt’s more serious songs, talking about his previous relationship and how he regrets losing it. At the beginning, the
main focus is setting 3, this is because it shows the audience what the main theme of the video and clarifies that this the what the song is about, his ex. The
main setting for the whole video is setting 2, this gives the audience a more personal connection with Witt. For the first time, Witt merges two settings, setting 1
and setting 3, both scenes separately show both parties living their normal, daily life, going around town. At the climax of the video, they meet paths and walk
past eachother, there are no lyrics at this point and the beat is fading, this shows how quiet and awkward the meeting must have been as both parties,
respectively, acknowledge eachother but choose to not speak but carry on their paths, this allows the audience to experience what they both must have
experienced, this helps make the audience feel more involved.
• Witt Lowry’s genre is classed as ‘Hip- Hop/ Rap’ this video partially fits into the genre convention as a main theme is relationships and has a focus on his ex,
most songs that have relationships as the focus of their song focus on their ex’s so this song fits the convention of the genre but again, there’s a twist. Most
artists within this genre do not talk about regretting the fact that they are not longer in this relationship, they usually are grateful that it is over whilst Witt, in this
is regretting breaking up with his now ex and wonders if she feels the same way and also wonders if she still has feelings for him just like he does her.
• I have no criticism of this as the blend of settings is a great change and flows extremely well as we see both side of their life equally, this helps the audience not
chose a side and helps the audience experience what they did when there paths both met up in the end.
Witt Lowry- Wonder If You Wonder
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl-
fO4cp69k
23. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• In this music video the main technique is the same as the others before this, the three settings, all used and fused into the one
video but within this video the settings have more depth to them and they are fleshed out, especially compared to other Witt
Lowry videos. This is a different as the audience is used to seeing Witt solo preforming in one of the settings and although this is
one of the three settings, it is apart of the other two settings, making the flow of the video smoother and making it seem more
realistic than just isolating Witt, like in other videos.
• In this video there is no intertexuality to anything but online dating apps such as Tinder. This is the main theme of the video and is
what the video is based off as the whole set and visual set up for the video is a physical rendition of Tinder rather than it being a
mobile app.
• The video is cut up into three settings: 1) When Witt is in his car with belongings he has got from his ex, Ashley. 2) When Witt is
in the physical rendition of Tinder. 3) When Witt is in a hallway, with single lights in the background, rapping, it is believed that
this is a hallway in the physical rendition of Tinder. Witt is only rapping in one of these settings and that is in setting 3, this is
different to any of other of Witt’s videos as he is always rapping in minimum two of three of the settings. This gives the audience
a more in depth visual story than in other Witt videos and makes the audience more engaged into the visual story told by the
video.
• Witt Lowry’s genre is classed as ‘Hip- Hop/ Rap’ this video partially fits into the genre convention as a main theme is relationships
and talking to multiple women which can be a main theme throughout this genre. As usual, there is a slight twist when it comes to
Witt Lowry’s videos when comparing it to many more in the genre, this is that when he is ‘browsing’ the physical rendition of
Tinder he finds his ex on there and is taken by shock and begins to shake, this shows that he isn’t fully over his previous
relationship, most artists in this genre wouldn’t go down this route, unlike Witt.
• I have no criticism of this as the extension of the settings is something new and great to see from Witt, it shows how he has
changed as a artist and director from when he first began.
Witt Lowry- HURT
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh4xQ
hUsK58
24. 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
25. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• In both of these videos, there are three settings in which the music videos contain and focus
on. In NF’s music video there is no lip syncing whilst in Witt’s there is. Both songs are from
artists from the same genre, Hip- Hop/ Rap, they both rap about topics that don’t fit into the
main convention of the genre as they both speak about relationships and how their mental
health is. In ‘Let You Down’ the theme of the video is about letting your parents down and
shows the regret of the parents when they show to not care until their child is dead, that is
when they regret their decisions of neglect. In ‘HURT’ the video shows Witt’s regret of losing
his ex- girlfriend and shows that the struggle of seeing her again but on a dating app that
him, himself is on, is too much for him and even the lyrics say how he regrets losing her, just
like how in NF’s video, the parents regret neglecting their child until he is dead. In both of
these songs they both mention how these events have affected their mental health and how
they see themselves, both artists admit that these events put them both in a state of
depression, this is mentioned in the lyrics of both songs and in the emotions of Witt Lowry
when in his video. These artists are both classed as the ‘dark horses’ of the genre as they
talk about depressing issues and things relating to mental health.
Comparing: NF- Let You down and Witt Lowry-
HURT.
Showing neglect to the
situation.
Showing regret to the
situation.
