An analysis of forms and conventions of a music video

1. Forms and Conventions of a
Music Video
Greenday
21 Guns

2. Camerawork
In the video for 21 Guns there are a large variety of camera angles that are used. Many of these are close up shots
however they are all different in the way in which they are shot and framed.
This is a close up of the lead
singer and this shot is set up
differently to the others due
to it being more
predominantly to the left side
of the screen. This means that
we get to see more of the
background on one side of the
screen.
This shot is different to the
other because it is shot
from a low angle looking
up at the lead singer. Also
it is filmed from the left
hand side of the shot.
This is the most common
close up shot used in the
video. This is because the
subject is in the middle of
the shot and it is just most
of the face that is visible.
This close up shot is
different to the others
because of the fact that it is
filmed form one side of the
singers face. This gives a
different perspective.

3. Camerawork
There are also many other shots that are used in the video other than close ups. These are varying and show
the audience different things in the video.
This camera angle is a medium shot.
This one is shot from behind the lead
singer and is a very dark shot.
This is a shot of the whole band at
one time. It is a wide angles shot
and this is because there is a lot of
things that have to fit into it.
This is a medium shot as over half
of the lead singer is visible. It is
also from a side angle and
because of this the audience gets
a good view of the guitar that is
being played.
This is a close up shot but it is of the
instrument and not the band members.
This is because there is an emphasis in
the video of the band members playing
the instruments.
This is another shot that shows the band
playing the instruments that can be
heard when listening to the song. This
one has the subject in the centre of the
shot and also the camera head on.
This is of the lead singer and is a mid
shot of the body. He is in the centre of
the frame and the camera is slightly off
set to the right. This one again has a
focus on the instrument that can be
heard playing in the song.

4. Mise-En-Scene
Mise-En-Scene is the arrangement of how the music video is set up and the way that it looks. This can include things
such as Lighting, location and hair and makeup.
Lighting is important in a music
video and can help to show the
mood of the music. In 21 Guns
there are many scenes where it is
very dark and this is because of
the sad tone of the music and also
as the narrative in the video
comes towards the end.
There are also many scenes where
the shots are very well lit and this is
due to the tempo change in the song
and also the pace of the song which
increases. This gives the audience a
different feeling to the song.
Hair and makeup are also very
important factors in the video of 21
Guns. This is because the band want
to be represented in a certain way
and want to have an image/style that
defines them. Many of the clothes
worn by the band members are dark
coloured, mostly black. Also the
clothes are also made so that the
members can also show off things like
the tattoos on their bodies.

5. Mise-En-Scene
All of the to 21 Guns is shot on a set and not out on location. The main reason for this is due to the fact
that the scenery in the video gets destroyed and this is easier to set up with a constructed set.
These pictures show some of the destruction and explosions that happen during the
music video. There are fish tanks that are shot, electrical explosions and also bullet
holes being shot in the wall. This is all done on the set and this is because it would be
very difficult to do in a real life filming location.
The destruction is very common of the music genre as there are many other
examples of rock videos where things get destroyed or blow up.

6. Editing
Editing can consist of things such as Transitions between different shots, the effects that are used and also how quickly the
camera shots stay on the same thing.
The transitions that are in 21 Guns are simple ones
that just cut from one to another. Due to this they
can appear to change very quickly, and this can be
effected by the pace of the music. When the pace
of the music increases so does the speed of the
transitions between shots. At the beginning of the
song, when it is a slow tempo the camera changes
are very slow but as the song advances the music
becomes quicker as does the speed of the
transitions too.
In the video for 21 Guns there are no effects that are used
to make the video look different on screen to what it did
when being filmed. Also there are no on-screen titles or
lyrics however this is normal for a rock song as lyrics would
appear more in a genre such as pop music.

7. Conventions
The video of 21 Guns by Greenday follows many of the conventions that have been set by other videos in the same genre.
One of the conventions that stand out
in the video of 21 guns is that
relationship between the lyrics and
the visuals. This is most evident when
the words ‘21 Guns’ are used as in the
video there are multiple bullet holes
that are shot through the wall in the
background of the video.
The iconography of the rock genre is
also very predominant in this music
video. There is lots of destruction the
occurs and also there is a focus on
the instruments that are being
played, mainly the guitar and the
drums. The lighting also follows the
rock genre with there being the use
of silhouettes and also black being
one of the main colours used.
The close up shots also play a big part in
this music video. Most of these close ups
are of the main singer, however there
are also close ups of the other band
members too. The reason there are
many close ups of the singer is so that
the audience can see the words that the
singer is saying.
There are also some conventions that are not present in this music video. These include voyeurism and also intertextuality. Another
convention that is not in the video for 21 Guns is the use of star iconography. There is nothing about the video that defines it as
Greenday as many of the videos are different to each other.