2. Camera Shots/Movement/Framing
• Music Videos (no matter what their genre) all use a mixture of different
camera shots.
• Certain camera shots are used more than others, such as:
-close ups/extreme close ups
-long shots (establishing shots)
• Close ups are used in music videos as they help emphasise the meaning of
the lyrics- especially if there is a extreme close up of the artist lip syncing.
They also help for promotional purposes as they draw attention to the
artists’ face
• In terms of framing, the artist (or the main singer if it is a band) will usually
take up most of the shot, to represent their dominance in the song- if it is
a video that uses performance.
• Music videos will also use a range of different camera movements to
follow the artist in their video. Such as; tracks, tilts and pans. Pans may be
used to stress a location in a video, and a track may be used to follow the
artist in what they are doing.
3. Editing
• Music videos tend to use montage editing, so they use a
variety of different shots, that may not necessarily all
appear in chronological order.
• Jump cuts are the one of the most frequent edits used. For
example, it could cut to the location of the artist, then to
the artist performing, and then maybe another cut to a
different scene, all within 5 seconds of a song
• No matter what type of edit is used, the edit is always in
sync with the beat of the song- the technical aspects of the
song heavily depend on what song it is; it’s genre, the beat
and many other factors all affect on not only the narrative
of the video but also how the video is edited.
4. Mise-en-scene
• The mise-en-scene of the video mostly
depends of the genre of the song and the
narrative or the song.
• The representation and ideology that the song
is trying to give also depends on the mise-en-
scene used; for example in RnB songs women
are usually represented as sexual objects,
there to make the artist look good.
Girl bands and pop artists will also use
this kind of ideology to sell their
music… such as Miley Cyrus’ ‘Wrecking
Ball’ video
5. Mise-en-scene continued…
• The lighting used tends to be very artificial light. The reason this is used is to make
the artist look as dominant and enhance their appearance. Music videos can also
use the lighting to indicate a shift in the song (e.g. from a verse to chorus).
Depending on the genre, lighting can also be used to make the mood appear more
upbeat (usually found in pop or dance videos)
• Props are also another essential part of music videos, they can help promote the
ideology of the song. Again in RnB music videos, the props are an important part
because they can make the performer look good (e.g. if he has lots of cars or
woman around him he will look dominant and successful).
• The costume of the artist can be used to mostly reflect the genre of the
artist, most of the time in music videos the costume the artist wears will make
them look good, as well as helping the audience establish the genre of the music.
Colours of costumes is also another important part as they can help represent the
genre; e.g. rock music videos will tend to use darker colours or colours such as red
to connote the ‘danger’ and ‘rebellious’ aspect of their music.
