This document contains 9 examples of shots from various music videos that demonstrate different techniques used in real music videos. The shots show things like linking lyrics to visuals, representing the artist in a way the record label would want, illustrating the music genre, demonstrating intertextual references, and showing the use of camerawork, lighting, mise-en-scene, cutting techniques between shots, and natural acting. The examples are analyzed and explained in terms of how they employ techniques seen in other professional music videos.
How your media product uses conventions of real music videos
1. Evaluation Activity 1:
In what ways does your media product
use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
2. 1) A shot that shows a link between lyrics and/or music and visuals
This shot is linked to the lyrics as the lyric is - “We met a
summer night and I held you tight in the golden light” this
links because of the sun in the background but also
because it is inferred that this sot was taken in the
summer because of the costume of Lewis in the video with
no jacket on and a short sleeved shirt.
This shot in Selena Gomez’s video The Heart Wants What It
Wants is a link between the lyrics and the video because for
this shot the lyrics are “And every second is like torture” as
this is a simile the artist doesn’t have to be shown in pain
physically, here she is shown to be hurting emotionally
because of someone that she was in a relationship with.
3. 2) A shot that typifies the way a record company would want their
artist to be represented
This shot typifies the way that a record company
would want their artist to be represented because it
is showing him as a ‘normal’ person, that he isn’t
treated differently because of how he is known.
I think that this shot typifies the way that Ed Sheeran’s record
company would want him to be represented. This is because as a
person during interviews he comes across like a ‘normal’ down to
earth person, this particular shot from his song Small Bump shows
him waiting in a hospital waiting room. This shows that even thug he
is famous he still goes through struggles that everyone else does,
this also helps to portray him as down to earth because he is nt over
dressed like many pop videos.
4. 3) A shot that illustrates how your video uses music genre
This shot illustrates how our video uses the pop music genre
conventions because the main feature of a pop video is close
up shots of the artist. This shot is just one of the close ups that
were used within the video. This shot is also a representation
of the genre because of the location and the clothes he is
wearing. Pop videos are usually set in urban area that could
be known to be seen as ‘rough’ in order to try to be relatable to
the viewer of the video.
This shot uses the music genre as it is one of many
close ups within Taylor Swift’s Style video. It is
important to use this type of camera shot as it is one
of the main and most recognisable features of a pop
music video.
5. 4) A shot that shows an intertextual reference
This shot shows an intertextual reference because
there are many pop music videos that use big/well
known cities. This shot is similar to some of the shots in
Little Mix’s video for Secret Love Song, in this video
some of the band members stand in front of some
London landmarks whilst they sing along to the
song.
This shot from Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood shows
inertextual reference because the change in hair
colour and styles within the video is very similar to
that in Britney Spears’ video for her song Toxic.
6. 5) A shot that demonstrates your use of camera
This shot shows our style of camera work because we
chose to have the shot as the artist himself recording
the video in the style of a selfie. We thought that this
would add a unique feel to the video and make the
viewer seem closer to the artist himself.
Without the use of the professional camera that would have
been used this shot in Swedish House Mafia’s video for
Don’t You Worry Child would have been a lot harder to
perfect. This is because the person operating the camera
would have to know how to make the camera focus properly
on the object that they want, in this case the heart a fan in
the crowd has made with their hands. It has also used a
focus pull to emphasise the meaning of the song.
7. 6) A shot that demonstrates your use of lighting
Throughout the whole video we used natural lighting to
make the whole video seem more reflective so that it
would portray a real relationship between two
teenagers. We believed that the more natural it looked
the easier it would be for the viewer to relate to the
storyline of the video.
This shot from Taylor Swift Style is showing the use of
the lighting because the scene is very bright
especially with the use of the white line which is also
portraying Taylor o be pure and innocent. The white
background also emphasises the red lipstick that she
is wearing, this could have different connotations like
there is mystery or a darker side to her that has not
been shown.
8. 7) A shot that demonstrates the use of mise en scene
I would say that this particular shot shows our use of
mise en scene as it shows the characters costume and
styling as well as the location where part of the video
was filmed. This background adds a more modern feel
to the video because of the graffiti on the walls.
This particular shot from Flo Rida Wild Ones is showing the
use of mise en scene because they are making the
surrounding and activities shown to relate to the title of the
song. In this shot they are diving from an aeroplane which to
some people could be seen as wild the use of the location of
Dubai also shows sense of wealth because it is an island
where many famous people visit and lots of rich people live.
This could be used to help to show the success of the artist.
9. 8) Two shots which you feel demonstrate something which
shows you have watched other music videos
I think that this shot demonstrates that we have
watched other music videos because in several we
have seen the main artist or character in one location
but within different shots they are moving around the
location, these shots are then cut in time with the beat
of the song to actually have an effect in the video.
This shot from One Direction’s One Thing video is
one example of the jump cut that influenced us to add
one into our video. In this scene all of the band
members are moving places within different shots.
10. 9) Two shots which you feel demonstrate something which shows
you have watched other music videos
I believe that this shot helps to prove that we have watched
other music videos as this shot was in between two takes
where Lewis (the artist) is acting natural before the shot is
actually taken. In some music videos mainly single artists like
Selena Gomez’s video for Kill Em With Kindness.
This particular shot from Selena Gomez Kill Em With
Kindness relates to our video because in both shots the
artists are acting natural before the main shot is taken.
This also helps to show that not everything in music
videos are staged and acted, some of the shots like these
are taken without meaning at first but then progress and
then naturally fit in with the rest of the music video.