Styles, Conventions and Techniques

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Unit 29: Styles, Conventions and Techniques
Ruth Manalo

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In-concert and ‘as live’ footage is where the video shows that the band is playing a live performance. In-
concert music videos will show the audience how the band is like when they are performing the song live and
the audience doesn’t have to pay tickets to hear and see them live through different types of broadcast media
such as the television, computer (through Youtube or other video streaming websites). Through In-concert
music video, it will show the skills of the band while playing their instruments.
A good example of in-concert and ‘as live’ footage music video would be I bet you look good on the dancefloor
by Arctic Monkey. The music video shows different angles, as well as, close-ups of the bands. The video also
highlights the skills of the band when playing their respective instrument.
Example: Arctic Monkey – I bet you look good on the dance floor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK7egZaT3hs
Narrative and interpretive music videos often offer an interpretation of the lyrics through the visuals of the
music videos, it is simply a direct reflective of the lyrics that is acted out on the screen. The narrative approach
to the music video will have an element of the story a story to tell to the audience. A good example of a
narrative music video would be Spit out the Bone by Metallica where the music video follows the lyrics. The
music video follows a story where the world’s been taken over by machinery where it annihilates humans.
Example: Metallica – Spit Out the Bone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m46Z0-HXySo

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Surrealist/absurdist music videos are often unconventional which often leave an impression on the audience.
It is often an enhancement or reflection of the artists’ personality. It is often that the audience would try to
make sense of the music video, as it could have no relation to the lyrics at all. An example of this would be
Sockets by Slaves, the music videos involves a very distressed man with a nervous breakdown in a room full of
sockets being plugged – it might be an extended metaphor’s where the society is plugged into the electrical
devices.
Example: Slaves – Sockets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC9JDwCCimA
Impressionist is where the artist takes an impression of something and do a music video about it. The music
video is often soft blended background to reciprocate with gentle music. Impressionist music videos are
created due to its nature of use through soft pastel colours and have hardly got sharp edges to the video – it
uses gentle colours to accompany the music. It is often used to create an emotional impact to the music. A
good example of this type of music video would be Kings of Leon’s Walls – the music video is very gentle and
slow as the camera approach the lead singer of the band as he plays the guitar. The softly blended background
came around in the middle of the video when the camera started to move in a static position. The background
is blurred and the movement is slow.
Example: Kings of Leon – Walls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdF41Ne2cnQ

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Intertextual: Synergy, Allusion, Pastiche, Parody, and Homage
Intertextuality is used when referring to another form of media. Intertextuality can be used to promote
something or mentioning an already existing product. It can also be used to take a light-hearted joke towards
artists or celebrities, this called parody, or pay respect to towards something, this is called homage.
Allusion is where an artist takes an idea of something and reflects it into something else. It’s a style of the
music video where the intent of the music is clearly shown, however, it is not explicitly mentioned throughout.
It can be an indirect reference to something. A good example of this type of music video would be Pussy Riot’s
Make America Great Again is about politics and Trump’s win for the presidential election and how America is
going to be affected by this win.
Example: Pussy Riot – Make America Great Again
Animation (stop motion, digital) is an emerging type of music video. There are different types of how the
artists’ could present their animation music video as, such as hand-drawn, stop-motion and digital music
video. Using animations shows how the artists as it can be a reflection of their own thoughts and imaginations,
it is a way to make things that are impossible possible when it’s created. A good example of this is MISO’s Take
Me, the animation entails and follows the classic tale of Alice in Wonderland and is MISO’s own imagination of
unrequited love[1]
.
Example: MISO – Take Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxAiwZlzSD8

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Lip-synch (miming and playback) music video is where the artist or band mimes the lyrics of their song while
the music is being played. The actors or the artists itself can do the lip-synching depending on how they are
doing the music video. A good example of this would be Dodie’s In the Middle, the music video takes the
direction where a male actor is lip-synching the song instead of the artists. Music videos like this exist for
entertainment, as well as, to show different ways of using the lip-synching technique.
Example: Dodie – In the Middle
Editing is a technique used post-production after the footage is compiled, editing can make the music video
more entertaining and attention-grabbing. Editing allows sudden changes in scenes for the music video,
transitions are very common in most music videos this cuts the scene to lead to another. A good example of
this would be 5 Seconds of Summer’s Want You Back in this music video it shows how editing and post-
production created the rotating effect on the square shots, as well as, added glitches effect onto the music
video.

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Example: 5 Seconds of Summer – Want You Back https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhSXsTSNDyo
Cutting to beat is used in music videos to match the beat and tempo of the track. All music videos have some
sort of cut to the beat scene, whether it’s throughout or just a few seconds of the track. Through post-
production, during the editing, the music video will be synch into the video to match its rhythm. A good
example of this would be Mike Stud’s Brightside, the music video entails the actors moving the beat of the
music this shows how they timed their moves to the beat of the music.
Example: Mike Stud – Brightside https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUwiwOiPF4Q
Post-production effects are the effects added after the artist or band has filmed their footage. Effects are
added to make the music video look more entertaining, as well as, attention-grabbing. Effects are usually
added to music videos which required or is suited for the theme for example sci-fi themed music video. A good
example of this would be Ariana Grande’s One Last Time where the music video takes you to the journey of
Ariana where there’s an unusual activity in the sky, where a comet is supposed to strike Earth, there’s a scene
where it focused on the falling comet and the sky are of purple and pink hues – these effects are added post-
production.

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Example: Ariana Grande – One Last Time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPgEgaPk62M
Effect: split screen is an effect used in music videos to show multiple or parallel scenes. These scenes are
played simultaneously side by side, due to a different narrative of the scenes, the audience is likely to replay
the music video to focus on the other scenes. This means that the music video has replay value to the audience
and it’s more likely to get re-played by the audience however many split-screens there are in the music video.
A good example of this would be Stromae’s Alors On Danse the music videos shows two different perspectives
of the music video, in some scenes, it shows different angles of the same scene, as well as, close-ups.
Example: Stromae – Alors On Danse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHoT4N43jK8
Effect: Chroma Key or otherwise known as the green screen is used in production to create visuals or effects
that are unlikely to be realistic or as well as reducing the production cost for expensive sets or scenes. To use
chroma key, it requires green or blue screens as a backdrop, through editing the green or blue backdrop can
be removed to replace the background with the desired visuals. A good example of chroma key would be Kiss’
Psycho, there are psychedelic and fiery backgrounds, as well as, outer space scenes.

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Example: Kiss – Psycho Circus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWIW6Ti0PbE
Camera Movements this is where the camera follows the band or artists’ movement in the music video. A
camera such as panning, tilting, tracking, elevating and zooming in or out is used in different music videos. A
good example of this would be Eagle-Eye Cherry’s Save Tonight where the camera follows the artist’s
movement throughout the music video.
Example: Eagle-Eye Cherry – Save Tonight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHxnm1-gVS4
Camera angles and shot types this technique gives emphasis to the artist or band’s movements, as well as, the
set locations or the emotions that the artist or bands have. There are different types of camera shots and
angles to create this emphasis such as high angle, low angle, wide shot, establishing shot, close-ups and other
more. A good example of this would be Nothing but Thieves’ Amsterdam where it focuses on the location,
movement and the emotions of the lead singer.
Example: Nothing but Thieves – Amsterdam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2zcG3bcuMI

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Mise-en-scene is how the stage or location are arranged for to put emphasis and importance of the topic of
the music video.

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Reference(s):
[1] Quote Source: MISO – Take Me [About section] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxAiwZlzSD8