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
• You are expected to submit each section on a weekly basis during your remote learning
weeks.
• If you get stuck, talk to/email your tutor for guidance.
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.
4. TASK 1 -
PURPOSES
Y O U S H O U L D O P E N T H E M U S I C
L E C T U R E P O W E R P O I N T A N D L O O K AT
S E C T I O N 1 B E F O R E D O I N G T H I S TA S K
5. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q1 - Outline the 3 core purposes of music video with a short
explanation for each:
1.The purpose of a music video could be to make a story out of the
song as some artists have multiple videos that are all connected like
a story with characters
2.The purpose of the video could be to add a visual aid to the lyrics of
a song to help explain what the singer is trying to get across it could
be something personal or maybe political to events In real life
3.The purpose could just be to get some extra money or to help
promote the song or album as people love watching videos and TV
channels and you tubers use music videos all the time which pays
the company's lots
6. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q2 – What are some of the broader purposes of music videos?
Try and outline a minimum of 3. (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?)
• Some of the themes may be to create a belief among the people
to maybe try get them to see a product to buy subconsciously
selling them things or making them want to look up an artist.
• Some may also be trying to push a political view through a
music video if that’s what they wanted to gain
• Maybe advertising one of their products in the video like a
perfume or a brand
7. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q3 – 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 am choosing is joji his main theme in music is mainly
about love and some of the hardships but also the happy parts so
he's known for making sad but poetic music which I would say his
branded style I think it’s a very relatable style to go for as everyone
can relate to the music and what he's talking about he presents
himself as a normal guy in all his videos and media but he makes
all of his videos relate to each other and tells a story through them
8. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q4 – 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.
• well one direction videos are almost entirely just clips of the
band running around doing things then cutting to clips of them
singing right into the camera with no real story or style in the
videos they seem pretty uninspired and bland whereas the
animal collective videos are interesting and colorful and really
draw in the viewer with their weird style and crazy effects that
seem nothing like any other video I've seen.
9. TASK 2 – STYLES,
TECHNIQUES AND
CONVENTIONS
Y O U S H O U L D O P E N T H E M U S I C
L E C T U R E P O W E R P O I N T A N D L O O K AT
S E C T I O N 2 B E F O R E D O I N G T H I S TA S K
10. 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
and how this creates meaning
• Camerawork in videos is super important because you use
certain angles to portray the mood or what the band/singer is
feeling or trying to put across like a super closeup of the singers
face during a certain part of the song can really show a lot of
emotion that the video is trying to show you also need certain
shot to be able to set the scene and maybe show off all the
members of the band which you cant fit into a small close-up
you need to use a variety of camera angles to make it work
11. 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 and
what the effect of this is/meanings that are created/etc
Editing with shots is super
important to get the motive of
your video across the screenshot
I've used is from a video by arctic
monkeys and its implied in the
video the owner of this big hotel
is lonely and is pacing around his
building so with big wide shots
like this one with the character all
alone in the middle really shows
the loneliness and size of his
place with no friend to fill it
The colours also almost highlight
the character so you can see he's
in the middle and past the light is
covered in darkness so all we see
is him
12. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q3 – 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…
A common style and genre for
music videos is using a retro style
with a square crop like this one
and making a story using a 80s
style with budget looking props
and costumes instead of crazy
animated cinematic shot videos.
This one uses that style but uses
themes that make it current
with hidden meanings and ideas.
these are a common ideas in
videos to make the viewer keep
guessing what its really about
13. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS• Q4 - 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 a minimum of 3 examples of it in music videos?
• Intertextuality is using things from other videos / films or books or even
just popular culture and incorporating them into something else either
subtly or making it very obvious you’ve used it
In the joji video he references the film Snowpiercer where it’s a almost never ending train
with crazy people going along the further to the front you get in the arctic monkeys video it
references the shining and 2001 a space odyssey with the making of a lunar base with the
model and living in a old manor with himself the style is also very similar. In the weekend
video he references the films casino/fear and loathing in las Vegas and many others to get
the style he wanted
14. TASK 3 – CASE
STUDY
Y O U S H O U L D O P E N T H E M U S I C
L E C T U R E P O W E R P O I N T A N D L O O K AT
S E C T I O N 3 B E F O R E D O I N G T H I S TA S K
15. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• For your individual case study you must study an artist of
choice, 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]
16. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• You should include a video link for the videos used
• You should include illustrative stills from the videos chosen
• 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
17. JOJI CASE STUDY
The three videos I will be focusing on will be
Your man : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrtkU7i0qD8
Sanctuary : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWN81V7ojOE
Gimmie love : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPan651rVMs
The three videos linked are all made by an artist named joji whose music is all about love
and how it can make you the happiest you’ve ever been or the most depressed and
saddest and all of his songs are about his past experiences or about people he's met there
all poetic and simple but very powerful and he uses this as his main style and it influences
he makes.
All the 3 music videos linked above are all hiddenly linked together in a story by using
similar styles and themes with a main character included it keeps his theme of love and
making decisions with happiness and depression. Within the whole story he references
many different films like star trek and star wars and uses a retro DIY style to make it look
cooler and then links all his themes ands style in to story and character.
The camera work is almost like a film with how it helps show how the characters are feeling
and sets up some very cool shots of scenery and the areas the story travels to.
