2. +
Unit 29 - 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. +
Unit 29 – Music Video Production
Learning outcomes, this case study is concerned with the first
two learning outcomes of the unit:
1. Understand the purpose of music videos
2. Understand the styles, conventions, and techniques of music
videos
3. Be able to originate and plan a music video production for a
specific music track
4. Be able to work to complete production of a music video.
4. +
Unit 29 – Music Video Production
Assessment Criteria
The assessment criteria addressed by this case study, further
details are in your project brief:
5. +
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.
7. +
Task 1 - Purposes
Q1 - Outline the 3 core purposes of music video with a short explanation for
each:
One of the three purposes of music videos are entertainment. A band or artist will
create a music video to one of their songs as a form of entertainment to give back
to their fans. This will also allow the band to not play the song live, as their fans
will already have a music video to it. This gives the fans of a band or artist the
visual enjoyment of a music video instead of just listening to the song.
Another purpose includes branding/identity. Music videos are a very simple way of
a band or artist broadcasting their style and identity through visual means, as
apposed to having their fans just listen to their music and not fully understanding
the aim or message that the band/artist wants to convey. As bands/artists create a
style when they begin to make music, it starts to become recognizable to their
fans. This is also reflected on their music videos as they are a combination of
their style and their messages behind their music etc. This helps to create a
visually distinctive style within their genre. Music videos can always be interpreted
in many different ways, including showing political views or a social message that
the band/artist would like to get across to their audience.
The final purpose of music videos is sales. Bands/artists create music videos to
make money from their music. Alongside the music video, sometimes products
are featured within music videos which makes people think of the song or the
product. Also, some music videos feature other artists from the same label, which
is used as a way to increase sales, as some people may be a fan of one artist,
and then when they are featured in another video, they may become a fan of
them too.
8. +
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?
A broader purpose of making music videos is the help the audience to understand the meaning of
the lyrics, as in some cases, just listening to the song itself doesn’t really explain the meaning behind
the song. With some songs, especially love songs, the lyrics typically explain themselves. However,
with songs such as Twenty One Pilots, some of the lyrics may be hard to see the message behind
the lyrics. So a music video will also help to show the meaning of the lyrics in a visual way.
Also, another purpose would be that the only way of seeing the artist would be through a music
video. Some artists do not perform any live shows, which would mean that through music videos,
their audience would be able to visualize the artist through watching the music video.
Some of the broader purposes of music videos include the bands/artists not having to play their
music live, when they have music videos available for their fans to watch anytime. However, with
smaller unsigned bands, they may focus more on music videos as well as doing gigs to help to
spread their music, as well as getting money from doing gigs. However, larger major label bands
may not feel the need to do gigs as they already have enough money from their music and record
label, and that releasing music videos may be enough to give their fans instead of also doing gigs.
Also, they can be used to convey further messages that may not necessarily be featured in their
lyrics. Through the help of a music video, the audience may be able to understand a further
message through watching alongside listening to the lyrics.
9. +
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 where two companies or products come together to create
another. This is where when you see one product or a company, you
associate it with another. An example of this is Happy by Pharrell Williams
and Despicable Me 2, as the song was featured in the movie, where the
song makes you think of the movie, and the movie makes you think of the
song. This creates extra promotion for the artists and the movie. Another
example of this would be I’ll Be There For You by The Rembrandts, and the
TV show “Friends”. Also, another example of this could be Sam Smith’s
song “Writings On The Wall” and the James Bond film “ Spectre”. This would
help to push sales for both of the media products, as both will have
references to each other. This also helps to increase the anticipation of the
film for the audience, which will create more popularity around the film
because of the music video. The music videos sometimes include
locations/props etc. from the movie which can sometimes be slight teasers
for the film which can be quite exciting for the audience.
10. +
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 band I have chosen is Twenty One Pilots. Within their music videos they have
lots of shots that are very low key and include the band members wearing dark
clothes, then it switches to a shot that is brighter and more colourful. They also
include lots of things in their videos that aren’t explained or aren’t easily
understood, which is for the audience to interpret, as there are lots of messages
behind their music. Also, there are lots of shots within their videos which show
them playing instruments, which is a way of showing that instead of their music
being created by other people, that they are the ones that are creating it. I think
they have included this into their music videos as a way of showing the audience
that their music is completely created by them and is very real and personal to
them, as apposed to other larger bands that tend to have their music produced for
them. This music appeals to teenagers, as there are lots of meaning behind their
songs, that may appeal to teenagers that are going through certain problems.
This is shown through music videos such as “Stressed Out”.
11. +
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 and Animal Collective are completely different in regards to their music videos. One
Direction are mainstream and fit in quite well with the pop genre, whereas Animal Collective are
quite niche and fit into the alternative genre. One Directions’ music is targeted at young girls aged
from around 9-16, whereas Animal Collective’s music is targeted at people over the age of 18. This
creates a clear difference in their music videos. As One Direction are quite manufactured, they tend
to use lots of close-ups in their videos to try to help sell, and to also help distract the audience from
the simplicity of their music. The majority of One Direction’s songs are about relationships, where
their aim of their music is to try to please their audience. One Direction seem very manufactured and
sweet as a way to try to appeal to a younger audience, which will then sell better with that audience.
However, Animal Collective are completely different as some of their music is about relationships but
it is shown in a completely different way. Their music is much more complex and it requires the
audience to listen closer to the lyrics to get some meaning from it. This also is the same with their
music videos as their lyrics as it is very difficult to understand the meaning behind their music
without multiple viewing. Their music contains lots of metaphors which causes the audience to watch
a few times to understand the messages within their music videos. Also the main aim for Animal
Collective is just to create music that they enjoy making, and isn’t exactly to make money from it.
Whereas, One Direction tend to create their music and music videos with the main aim of making as
much money from it as possible as their music is intended to sell, and will also lead to other things
such as selling merchandise and live shows.
12. +
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.
These screenshots are from two different music videos. The screenshot on the
left is from “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction. The screenshot on the
right is from FloriDada by Animal Collective.
13. + These music videos are completely
different as the One Direction music
video is very mainstream and is very
manufactured by their record label.
Whereas, the second music video, by
Animal Collective is very obscure and
may be seen as experimental. The
target audience for One Direction are
teenage girls, so the music video has
been created to be more suitable for
that target audience. This includes
featuring lots of close-ups of the band
members, which may be seen as
appealing to that audience. The video is
also quite high key and clearly has quite
a large budget which is seen from the
location it was shot in.
Close up of band members of One
Direction.
Example of high key shots featured
in their music video.
Location of music video.
14. + However, the Animal Collective
music video is very different and
obscure to the One Direction
video. This video has more of a
psychedelic feel to it, and doesn’t
have much of a storyline. This
music video does feature close-
ups of the characters, but in a
completely different way to the
One Direction video. This video
may be seen as experimental and
alternative. This is the complete
opposite of One Direction which is
a manufactured band which came
from a TV talent show, compared
to a band that produces their
music for their own enjoyment that
has a very different audience.
Close up featured in the Animal
Collective video.
Example of bright coloured shots.
17. +
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
Camerawork is how you create meaning within a frame with the use of different types of shots and
techniques. Within music videos, there is usually some meaning behind the song, which is usually
shown and interpreted visually through the music video. For example, a music video may show a
close up of an actor/singer, to show their emotion, which should reflect the emotion and messages
behind the song. However, this isn’t always the case as with some music videos, the video may have
no correlation with the song at all, whereas with other videos they show hidden meaning. There are
many different types of shot that are found within music video, which all have different meaning. For
example, close-ups are used to show the emotion of characters/artists within the videos, but in some
cases, close ups are used as a way of selling their music. Some artists may have a target audience
that find close-ups of the band members quite appealing, which may help to sell their music. Close
ups are also used quite frequently in music videos, as currently, there are many platforms that music
videos can be watched on, such as a phone, TV, computer etc. which all vary in size, so the use of
close ups will help to balance out the longer shots, which will benefit people that are watching the
video on smaller platforms. Also, long shots and extreme long shots are used in a dramatic way
which helps to show the setting of a place or to help to show the situation from another angle or the
“bigger picture”. Also, the movement of the camera can be used in many ways to help to put across
a message. For example, if a music video is being shot live, then the camera will constantly be
moving around the band members to give the music video a more dynamic feel to it. Also, if the
music video was based around a slower dance routine, the camera may be moved in a slower,
smoother way to reflect the mood of the video.
18. +
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
These screenshots are from the music video to “Story Of My Life” by One Direction. They have repeated close-ups throughout
the video of the band members looking directly into the camera, as if they are directing the song at the audience watching the
video.
These screenshots are from a music video to “House of Gold” by Twenty One Pilots. Unlike One Direction, they all have medium shots, showing
them looking away from the camera, which may suggest that they are trying to convey more emotion and are not as focused on the audience as
One Direction.
19. +
Task 2 – Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q2 - Describe and explain the use of editing in music videos, i.e. the way
in which shots are sequenced, considering the rhythm of the edit and
combinations of shots and post-production techniques
Editing is placing clips together to create a video that has some form of
meaning. Editing is used in almost every music video, except those that
have been filmed in one take. The most common form of editing associated
with music videos is fast cut montage, which is lots of clips placed together
which are shown very quickly. This is sometimes used to guarantee multiple
viewing as sometimes the audience may miss an important detail during a
fast cut montage, which will require them to go back and watch the video
again, which will benefit the artist/record label and the production team.
However, the opposite to that is slow pace editing, which is used to establish
the mood of the song and show transitions that are not as harsh as fast cut
montage. Also, alongside this, there are sometimes some form of digital
enhancement of the clips to offer different kinds of pleasure for the audience.
This may be through split screens, colourisation and sometimes the use of
CGI.
20. +
Task 2 – Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q3 - Describe and explain some of the technical developments in music videos, i.e. in
terms of how the music videos are filmed, edited/produced and viewed
There are lots of technical developments within music videos which help to convey
meaning. For example, the technical development – Fast cut montage, would be used in a
faster, more upbeat song, to help reflect the type of music. However, the cuts would be a
lot less frequent and harsh if you were editing a slower song, as the editing wouldn’t fit very
well with the music if it was edited through using fast cut montages. Also, split screens are
used within editing to show different aspects of the storyline. For example, there may be a
split screen showing two different characters with two different emotions, which will show
two sides to the story and will give more insight into the song, and will help the audience to
interpret the song in a different way. This also connects with multiple viewing, which is a
way that the music video is viewed. Nowadays, people have the ability to watch a music
video as many times as they like with access to things such as YouTube. This helps the
audience to interpret things differently, as they can watch the video and may pick up on
things after watching the video a couple of times, which they may have missed the first
time. Another technical development that is related to how a music video is filmed is
steadicam or long takes which is essentially a shot of the same thing without any cuts in
between. A steadicam is used to create a steady shot of something moving, whereas a
long take is the same thing which doesn’t necessarily move. These are used to create a
shot of something that is may be important to the meaning of the song, which the audience
will be required to look at for a longer time than a faster shot.
21. +
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 recognisable genre and use illustrations to explain
what their genre conventions are…
The music genre I have chosen is alternative.
22. +
Task 2 – Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Camera Techniques: Within alternative music there tends to be lots of different shots
to help fit the timing of the music. There tends to be lots of:
-Close ups of band members and their instruments
-Long shots of the entire band
-Hand held shots
-POV shots
-Establishing shots of the scene etc.
Arctic Monkeys – R U Mine? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQH8ZTgna3Q
POV shots Close-ups Handheld
23. + Kaleo – Way Down We Go - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-7IHOXkiV8
Long shot of entire
band
Medium shotClose up
Twenty One Pilots –Stressed Out- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXRviuL6vMY
Establishing shot Long shot of entire band Close up of instruments
24. +
Costume/Clothing
Within alternative music videos, the artists tend to wear a lot of
dark clothes which I feel fits in well with the style of music they
create. The reoccurring colours which are seen throughout
alternative music videos are red, blue and black. Also, the dark
colours of their clothing help to reflect the mood of the song.
Arctic Monkeys Kaleo Twenty One Pilots
25. +
Lighting
Within alternative music video, there seems to be a common type
of lighting used, which is low-key lighting. Another common
method is natural lighting, which is seen in the Twenty One Pilots
video. However, in some videos, the artist may want to challenge
the conventions of alternative music videos and use high-key
lighting but that wasn’t seen within my examples. The low-key
lighting seems to reflect the type of mood which is set by the
song.
Arctic Monkeys Kaleo Twenty One Pilots
26. +
Themes
The majority of songs from alternative artist feature a negative
theme, such as bad past(childhood)/addiction/depression/anxiety
etc. which is reflected in their videos. For example, the theme of
Stressed out by Twenty One Pilots, is stress as a child, which is
shown throughout the video where the band is reflecting on how
they were as children and the stress that they might have gone
through in the past.
27. +
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?
Intertextuality is when there is a reference from something else in
a video. Intertextuality is unlike synergy as instead of a
song/music video and a film company working together, an artist
will use a similar location/prop/actor, to create a sense of
nostalgia to the viewer.
28. +
Clueless (1995) & Fancy by Iggy
Azalea (2014)
Here is an example of intertextuality, as
in 1995, the movie Clueless came out,
which is the top screenshot. However, in
2014, Iggy Azalea came out with a song
called “Fancy” in which she and another
actress were wearing almost the exact
same costume as the costumes used in
Clueless. This would create a sense of
nostalgia to people that had seen
clueless and also saw Iggy Azalea’s
music video. Through her making a
music video based on a movie, she is
more likely to gain attention from an
older audience that saw Clueless.
29. +
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) &
Material Girl (1985)
Here is another example of intertextuality as
in the song Material Girl by Madonna that
was released in 1985 has some very similar
aspects to the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
that was released in 1953. This may have
been done to make people think of the film
when watching the music video and to also
give a sense of nostalgia.
31. +
Task 3 – Case Study
For your individual case study you are required to prepare
material on a minimum of three music videos.
This should provide discussion on the usage of the following:
Purpose of the video [consider the strategy of the artist and the
intention behind the video, remember the core purposes and break
this down into the other purposes we discussed]
Style[s] used
Techniques employed
Intertextuality
Camerawork/editing
Genre conventions
32. +
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
33. +
Music Video 1 – If I Get High by
Nothing But Thieves
Camera Techniques: Within this music video, there are lots of
close ups featured, which gives the video a dramatic effect as
the close ups are usually of something that is important in the
storyline, which makes the song more understandable. For
example, there is a close up of the book that the main
character is reading, which says “Lucid Dreaming” on the side
which helps the audience to understand his aims within the
video. Also, there are close ups of characters which are used
for a dramatic effect to show their emotions, which without the
video, may be misunderstood just from the song.
34. +
Music Video 1 – If I Get High by
Nothing But Thieves
Camera Techniques: Nothing But Thieves are classed under
the alternative rock genre, where it is very common to see full
shots of the band members playing instruments a lot
throughout the music video. However, this music video slightly
challenges the conventions of alternative rock music videos as
there are very few shots of the band featured, the only shots
being shown through the TV. I feel the band has done this to
focus more on the visual story, to show meaning than to focus it
on themselves playing instruments, as there are is a lot of
meaning from this song, which they wanted to be reflected in
the video.
35. +
Music Video 1 – If I Get High by
Nothing But Thieves
Editing Techniques: Within this music video, there is an element of
CGI featured. This occurs when the main character transfers from the
real world to this dream world that he has created in order to see his
mother that had passed away. The editing makes it look as though
things on the desk are floating and then the main character starts to
float as the background changes until he lands in this dream world.
This editing is very effective as it looks very realistic and makes the
audience feel very involved with the character and what he is
experiencing.
36. +
Music Video 1 – If I Get High by
Nothing But Thieves
Editing Techniques: Usually within the alternative rock genre,
there is usually some fast cut montage featured within music
videos. However, in this music video there is no fast cut
montage editing as that editing is quite harsh and it wouldn’t fit
well with the song speed and the meaning behind it. So instead
there is slower cuts, and the transitions aren’t as harsh as other
music videos of the same genre.
37. +
Music Video 1 – If I Get High by
Nothing But Thieves
Colours: Within music videos from the alternative rock genre,
there tends to be low key lighting with blue and red colours
shown throughout. Within this music video, there are very few
bright colours. At the beginning, there is a few shots that are
mainly bright colours, where the character is having a dream.
However, in the rest of the video, the colours are quite dark,
which gives off a tense atmosphere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWpEZguQE8E
38. +
Music Video 2 – Rule The World by
Walk Off The Earth
Camera Techniques: Within this music video, there are a few
unusual camera techniques, as a 360 degree camera has been
used to film some parts of the video, which gives an interesting
angle. This is quite unique to this genre, as it hasn’t been used in
this way very often. Also, there is quite a few close ups of the
band and the rest of the cast, which is quite common within the
pop genre, as the cast and band members are used as a way of
selling their music, and attracting new fans. The close ups in this
video seem to portray a powerful message, as along with the
lyrics, the close ups help to show the emotions of the band
members.
39. +
Music Video 2 – Rule The World by
Walk Off The Earth
Editing Techniques: Within this music video, there are lots of cuts that are
hidden, as each clip transitions into the next through the camera moving fairly
quickly to face another band member. However, when the video gets to the
chorus, we see lots of examples of fast cut montage. This is common within
alternative and rock music, as the songs usually become more upbeat during the
chorus and seem slower in the verses. However, usually in pop music, the entire
song is usually upbeat, so there is usually examples of fast cut montage seen
more frequently throughout pop music videos. Also, there are examples of editing
in this video, which has been done to create a chalk drawing type of effect on the
floor surrounding the band members. This is quite effective as this style isn’t used
very often in pop music videos, which creates a unique effect.
40. +
Music Video 2 – Rule The World by
Walk Off The Earth
Colours: Within this music video, lots of bright colours have been
used. This is a common convention of pop videos, as it is more
popular with some teenagers, as opposed to dark, gloomy
videos. This also reflects the mood of the video, as the song is
very uplifting and about being powerful, which is reflected with
the bright colours used throughout. There is only one clip within
the video where dark colours are used, which is still shown with
bright colours in the background, which creates a nice contrast
from the daylight clips, but it quickly jumps back to the daylight
clips again.
41. +
Music Video 3 – Let’s Dance To Joy
Division by The Wombats
Camera Techniques: Within this music video, there are quite a lot
of close ups of band members individually. This is quite common
within this genre, especially when the band members are shown
playing instruments. There are also a few shots of the band
together, including a long shot of them playing their instruments
and a shot of the band in a studio, with lighting that has been
added to create a dramatic effect.
42. +
Music Video 3 – Let’s Dance To Joy
Division by The Wombats
Editing Techniques – As this song is quite fast paced, there is
lots of examples of fast cut montages, as it fits in to the pace.
There is also lots of deliberate camera shake, which also fits in
with the pace. There are only a few points in this music video
where there are longer shots, which is usually in sections of the
song where the music is a bit slower. This type of editing is
quite common within the alternative music genre.
43. +
Music Video 3 – Let’s Dance To Joy
Division by The Wombats
Colours: There are lots of bright colours used in this video. This
doesn’t really fit the conventions of an alternative music video,
as they usually contain lots of darker colours. This video has
brightly coloured lighting in different parts of this video, but the
rest of the video has lots of bright coloured
backgrounds/clothing.
