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:
• Entertainment-This is one of the core purposes of a music video because
most audiences watch music videos because they find them interesting
nobody wants to watch a video and get bored after a minute in, therefore
making the video entertaining is very important. I believe a lot of artists
create a short story in their music video almost like a film to match the
in the song I think this is the best way to show a music video because it
the audience intrigued with the story.
• Branding/identity-branding and identity is something important in a
video because the accessibility of videos gives artists opportunities to
themselves or change there image knowing this will be watched by many
people over and over again that the audience will start to see the artist as
that type of person. And this is another way for the audience to reach out
the artists following on social media building up their careers from music
videos.
• Sales- YouTube as the promotion channel on music sales this means
helps increase sales of newcomer artists about two thirds more than it
to increase the sales of mainstream artist this is why a music video
on YouTube is a main purpose towards a music video.
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?)
• Music videos have many other purposes such as some videos feature other
artists which is a means of promotion this also helps an artist get out there
making a song with a more popular artist and they make a music video with
published on YouTube and other audiences from the artist will watch this
and may become a fan of there music this creates a larger fan base and gives
out more opportunities for the artist themselves. Another purpose of music
videos is to allow the audience to interpret with the song through the use of
video playing In the background therefore the audience will understand the
meaning to the artist and be able to connect with the song and fan base
towards the artist, this also lets the audience understand more about this
and understand the point of the song. Lastly, they are important because
bands wont have to play live because there music video could be them
live therefore there fans can re watch this video and feel like they are
live over and over again this could save a lot of money and time for the band
because there audience can then watch this whenever they like.
7. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
Justin Bieber
• He presents himself in every music video as the main character and the
focus in the videos is mainly him, he also features in videos sometimes
and still appears to be the main focus. This is a good thing as his target
audience mixes between both younger and older audiences and as he
has a large fan base most of his audience will be entertained by his music
videos because they aren’t boring and include a lot of entertainment and
sometimes have a storyline which matches the song lyrics. His brand
mainly comes across as someone who inspires others as he has his own
clothing line ‘drew’ which was pieces of clothing with a simple smiley face
I believe this shows of the type of person he is and likes most things
simple and easy just like in his music videos (not too much is going on)
this clothing brand was labelled “iconic” and sold out straight away. The
meaning behind the name is drew house-which is a place where you can
be yourself this age range can be 16-25 who are a fan of him and his
songs. However overtime this artist has changed drastically since hitting
fame bad times occurred which times, he wouldn’t produce songs and
only recently started again after a long time. His genre is mostly pop and
rap music with other well-known artists.
In this medium shot he is represented
of having power by the way the
waitresses bring things to him whilst he
sings the song this reflects to how his
life almost is with fame. The colour
schemes also match with his
personality with pastel colours which
he mostly wears like pinks this gives of
a low and cool vibe to his personality
meaning has a calm and chill person
this is what he wants his audience to
know and shows this through colour
schemes.
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.
• within these bands both these videos are very different, with one direction
they have a much larger audience and a huge fan base therefore this links
high budget is used to produce the music video and they are able to
lot more such as big locations and characters in the video whereas with
collective I believe this is a smaller audience which means they don't have
much fan base and are one a lower budget as this video is a lot more basic
with a normal background and seems like not much has been spent to
these music videos as they are quite simple. I also think one direction music
videos are a lot more easy to follow and understanding therefore the
can be more passive and relate to the band in my opinion I prefer when
videos are like this is it engages the audience a lot more, however in the
animal collective videos these aren’t as easy to follow as they seem quite
confusing almost Asif if the audience doesn’t know what's going on (seems
random) this will make the audience feel less engaged into the song and
audience should always feel active and involved in the music video. Lastly
within the animal collective videos the band is more focused on building to
create an unusual type of video I do think this is a good idea as its
different and they have spent time focusing on the music video instead of
rushing and not focusing on the outcome whereas one direction seem there
music videos are built to make money as most the music videos gets
and doesn't take as much time to make it looks more creative and
Overall in my opinion I think these are both two very different types of
which produce both very different songs and music videos as a whole.
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 music videos has a significant impact upon the
meaning of what is going on or what the images meaning therefore
this helps the director of the video portray a story throughout.
different techniques can help the music video be unique. Close up
shots are used which show the intimacy for the viewer, the eyeline
should be in the middle of the frame for the perfect angles shot.
most predominant camera angles used are the high and low angles
these are used to display different emotions of the character, such
high angles, which help show fear and submission whereas low
can show dominance and power. The camera movement may
accompany movement of performers dancing or walking but it can
also create a more dynamic feel to the stage performances.
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
• One of the main forms of editing is fast cut montage, rendering many
the images impossible to grasp on first viewing and ensuring multiple
viewing ,there are videos which use slow pace and gentler transitions
establish moods. Enhancing the editing are digital effects which play
the original images which offers different kinds of pleasure for the
audience, for example split, screen or colourisation this also makes
video look more exciting especially with the colours being lifted to
the video look more alive and brighter this can also link to the
in the video with the tone and colour type. Another edit which is
sometimes used is the transitions added when the clips are cut it can
sometimes be faded or a swirl this gives a huge effect because it
the video look a lot more put together and it flows a lot better than
changing to clips.
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…
The genre I have chosen is romance because this is one of my favourite genre
to watch as I find it interesting these include a lot of conventions the main
convention is the two characters which go through heartbreak these are used
as its what the audience expects to happen. Normally the director would
produce a script or hint which would give a hint that maybe the characters are
a good love match and that it might end happily. In romance films most of
the time the hero tends to be the man for example in titanic jack risks his own
life to save rose, a girl that he met on board. Romance films or music videos
are more aimed at female audiences because its more known that females are
more emotional in a relationship than males. The setting is typically set in an
urban setting such as a beach , a school or a local restaurant or sometimes
filmed in big cities such as new York. The most common props in romance
films are generally flowers such as roses and rings, box of chocolates or
jewelry example films which include these are the fault in are stars and
valentine's day. These also can consist of many angle shots and types of
movement a mid shot can be used to set the scene and to introduce the
character. Panning shots and tracking movements can be used often in
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 the shaping of texts meanings by other texts, where product is
influenced by another which could be film, television or music to pay homage to
another media text. Artists do this for popularity as making a reference to a
popular book or film boosts the amount of viewers. Music video examples are
Iggy Azalea-’fancy’ she has strong intertextuality links to the American teen chick
flick, clueless because her outfits and dress code are exactly the same as the
main start in the film and she also re creates the scenes from the movie in her
music video. Another example is the Taylor Swift-’bad blood’ music video which
includes intertextuality to films such as ‘kill bill’ and ‘the host’ as well as ‘the
hunger games’ these are superhero references throughout and the artists all
have a certain character to play, also each person has a certain costume for
dress codes for example the black leather look outfit reminds us of superhero's
like cat women. Lastly, another example of a music video is Artic Monkeys-’when
the sun goes down’ because the video is taken from ’scummy man’ a short film
by Paul Fraser about a woman called Nina. The video does have a sense of
realism and portrays the lives of some people. Videos with a narrative like this
that associate with violence are usually indie artists.
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
