A short powerpoint on the codes and conventions of music videos

2. WHAT ARE CODES AND CONVENTIONS
•THE CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF A MUSIC VIDEO ARE
THE VARIOUS TECHNICAL AND SYMBOLIC TECHNIQUES
USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A MUSIC VIDEO.
•THEY CAN ALSO BE SAID TO BE A SET OF RULES THAT
SHOULD GENERALLY BE FOLLOWED.

3. WHY DO CODED AND CONVENTIONS EXIST?
• CODES AND CONVENTIONS ALLOW THE AUDIENCE FAMILIARIZE WITH THE GENRE.
• AUDIENCES CAN IDENTIFY DIFFERENT GENRES THROUGH THEIR DIFFERENTOR SIMILAR CODES AND
CONVENTIONS
• CODES AND CONVENTIONS GIVE A MUSIC VIDEO A STRUCTURE THAT IS UNDERSTANDABLE TO THE
AUDIENCE.

4. TECHNICAL CODES AND CONVENTIONS
• CAMERA: SHOT STYLES, ANGLES, DEPTH OF FIELD.
• EDITING: STYLES, PACE, GRADING.
• SOUND: DIEGETIC, NON-DIEGETIC, SOUND EFFECTS.

5. SYMBOLIC CODES AND CONVENTIONS
•HIDDEN MEANING BEHIND WHAT IS ALREADY OBVIOUS
•MISE EN SCENE

6. STYLES OF MUSIC
VIDEOS

7. NARRATIVE
• NARRATIVE VIDEOS ILLUSTRATE A STORY THAT MIGHT BE A DIRECT DEPICTION OF THE LYRICS OR A MORE
ABSTRACT INTERPRETATION OF THE SONG TITLE OR THE THEMES OF THE SONGS.
• AN EXAMPLE OF A NARRATIVE VIDEO IS “DILLEMA” BY NELLY AND KELLY ROWLAND. WITHIN THE VIDEO THE
AUDIENCE CAN SEE A LOVE STORY UNRAVEL. ANOTHER GOOD EXAMPLE OFA NARRATIVE VIDEO IS
EMINEM'S “STAN” WHICH SEES AN OBSESSED FAN DESPERATELY TRYING TO GET THE ATTENTION OF
SUPERSTAR RAPPER EMINEM.

8. PERFORMANCE
• PERFORMANCE VIDEOS FEATURE AN ARTIST SINGING IN A LOCATION THATNORMALLY REFLECTS THE
THEME OF THE SONG OR MEETS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE GENRE.
• GOOD EXAMPLES OF HIP HOP PERFORMANCE VIDEOS ARE “HEY YA” BY OUTKAST AND “LOVE ON TOP” BY
BEYONCÉ

9. MOTIF
• MOTIF VIDEOS CONTAIN A RECURRING THEMATIC ELEMENT THAT ARE USED TO REPRESENT THE THEMES
OF THE SONG.
• EXAMPLES OF MOTIF MUSIC VIDEOS ARE “CALIFORNIA GURLS” BY KATY PERRY WHICH HAS A MYTHICAL
SETTING AND “PIMP” BY 50 CENT WHICH IS ALL ABOUT MATERIALISM.