Presentation

MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
CASE STUDY
YO U R N A M E H E RE

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.

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.

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

TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q1 - Outline the 3 core purposes of music video with a short
explanation for each:
• Portraying a political or social message- music videos are great at doing this as even
though it might state these things in their lyrics it is much easier to convey your
message in physical form and through the use of images locations outfits etc. which is
why music videos are a great way of putting a message across to the audience which
could have a emotional influence on the person watching.
• Promotion/marketing- music videos are key to showing and portraying the artists
image and message, which also makes it a great way to promote and advertise an
upcoming single or even an album to hopefully widen the range of audience and
which will then increase sales and can help to get the artist to mainstream success
• Allowing the artist to not have to perform live- this is important as the audience will
still have the entertainment of seeing their artist physically through the video but also
means the label or artist saves money by not having to go on tour but instead creates
a huge revenue through the music video and also saves the artist time and stress so
they can concentrate on future projects.

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?)
• To be recognized- A smaller artist could use a music video not only to grow their audience
and brand but to show of their creativity and talent to then hopefully get recognized and
maybe even signed to a label whether that be a major or even an independent label.
• To promote a brand- If an artist has landed a brand deal they may choose to promote this
during a music video as this will one grow the artists brand and make the artist a lot of
revenue it will also grow the brand they are supporting which may lead to future brand
with the same brand or maybe even a bigger brand which will then in turn grow the artist
even more and create even more money.
• To create something iconic and that will be remembered for years- music videos can
iconic and can be something that can really helps an artists career and can really boost their
popularity its something that will stay with them for their whole career and can be
that people will remember them for.

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 have chosen is lil peep.
Lil peep was an artist that is very popular and always tried to promote being different and being comfortable being different and this
made him very popular. Although some people disagreed with the fact he was sometimes seen to be promoting the use of drugs a
lot of the time this was due to the fact he struggled with mental illness, this is another reason he was popular as his music connected
with people that were and still are struggling mentally and his music could be used as an escape from the things they are struggling
with and so they didn’t have to go through it alone, this was something he strived for and was very proud of as he knew how hard it
was to get away from the problems that mental illness brings.
Even though he only had a short career his music are iconic and are loved by many people as he is seen to be having fun and living
his life with his friends. But also in these music videos it shows the times were life isn’t always fun and he can be seen to be
depressed and stressed due to his mental illnesses and also due the pressure of touring and from the media which then showed his
fans that they aren't alone and even though he had money and was travelling the world he still struggled which gave him an even
deeper connection with his fans which resulted in even more popularity. In a lot of his music videos due to the fact they came out
after he sadly passed away and a proper music video couldn’t of been recorded so they compiled clips of him performing and
travelling and in videos like the one for his song crybaby. In this video especially you can see the connection he has with his fans
when performing but also the struggles of the pressure. One of the more popular music videos he did was for his song awful things
in this music video it can be seen to show the struggles of love what could be seen as a over dramatized comical but meaningful
way, people also loved the video because of the visual effect's and the way it was shot. Even though it had its comical and funny
elements it still had that deeper meaning behind it and still showed that he still struggled and was sad.
He also used his image to represent his brand everything from the hairstyles to the tattoos to the way he carried himself. He always
said he had got his face tattoos to force himself to succeed in the music industry as it would make even harder to get a job. He also
used his various hairstyles to express himself, these hairstyles are one of the things that people really loved about him, his most
popular hairstyle was probably the half black and half pink hairstyle as it was something very different and something that really
represented him. He also had a tattoo on his face which said crybaby he had this to keep himself grateful and to appreciate
everything he has and to not let the money and fame get to his head. He also wanted to make his own fashion brand and was
already getting into the fashion scene as he was already becoming a high end model for high end brands but unfortunately due to
his death he could never properly fulfil his dreams. Last but not least he was also known for his strong ambition for wanting to
remove communism from the music industry.
Awful things music video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOujzvtwZ6M&list=PLCZS_y9rWjOW3tzTq3FTt4lxjyvtCsfd5&index=6&t=0s
Crybaby music video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inocgEraxo0&list=PLCZS_y9rWjOW3tzTq3FTt4lxjyvtCsfd5&index=9
Link to a playlist with some lil peep music videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCZS_y9rWjOW3tzTq3FTt4lxjyvtCsfd5

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.
• One direction are clearly going very mainstream with there music videos by making them
very clear to understand and very easy to follow. The music videos represent them and
there brand and is very representational of the songs that they are made for, they obviously
have a very high budget and are using it very well and are attracting a lot of viewers
because of this, which is therefore creating a lot of revenue which can they be put into even
more music videos which will then again have the same outcome. They had a very clear
formula they definitely works and what they continued to use throughout the bands career
which made them increasingly popular especially with teenage girls which was their main
target audience. There most viewed video has over 1.1 billion views so it was clear to see
what they were doing worked.
• On the other hand animal collective music videos were definitely made for people with a
very specific taste in music and the visuals that came along with it and with no main target
audience this could of most definitely been seen as a risk. Although there was this big risk
factor they still managed to gain a pretty large following. The music videos themselves can
be seen to be very creative and have a very open meaning as they don’t really follow the
song itself which can also make it very hard to understand, this shows that they are more
focused on the artistic side than going for a more mainstream route. As a whole these
videos can be seen as very obscure, weird and maybe even scary to a lot of people but not
to there audience which is full of superfans, the obscurity of the videos is what sets them
apart from other artists and is why the risk payed of as even though they aren't loved by
everyone it still has a rather large following which love the work they put out.

TASK 2 – STYLES,
TECHNIQUES AND
CONVENTIONS

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
• Eye level shot: this is a very common in music videos, this is were the camera
shows the subject from the perspective we would see them normally so this is
seen as amore natural shot.
• Low angle shot: this shot isn’t all to common in music videos but is sometimes
used to make the subject seem more powerful or to be seen as bigger, this is
seen more in television and movies.
• High angle shots: this is when the camera is above the subject or artist facing
straight down on them, this is used when the focus is mainly on the artist or
subject itself, this is used a lot in music videos which are showing a party
atmosphere.
• Birds eye angle: this is when the camera angle is directly above the subject or
artist, this shot is seen as unnatural as it is rarely used in music videos, this shot
is mostly used when emphasis and a dramatic effect is needed.
• Close up: this shot is where an individual will take up most of the frame,
normally a close up will consist of the artists face this really helps put across and
emphasizes emotion. This shot is very common in music videos and is very gd
for promoting the artist.

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 is very commonly used in music videos today and less raw footage music
videos are being made. Even if its only a small amount there is still editing used
in nearly every music video you watch. A editing technique that is very
commonly used is cutting to the beat, this is done so that the music video and
song match up perfectly and helps it all the flow and it adds to the dynamic and
feel of the music video whether this being slowing the video down to match the
mood or to do a big action on a certain beat drop to emphasize the drop itself.
Visual effects are also a huge part of modern music videos and can really take
the video to the next level as its creates a lot more excitement and interest in the
video, this also makes it a lot better to watch and can really help get the
message of the video across in a much clearer way.

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…
• Genre: rap
• The artist will rap towards the camera like they are talking to the
audience.
• A lot of the time in rap videos it can show where they came from to
where they are now and the contrast between lifestyles.
• In a lot of rap videos it shows a lot of girls nice cars money and
partying etc. but in some older rap videos it includes lots of gritty
dark places with graffiti or sometimes even guns and will contrast
between having a lot of people in the video to some videos just
having the artist themselves in it.

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?
• Definition of intertextuality- Intertextuality is the shaping of a text's
meaning by another text. It is the interconnection between similar or
related works of literature that reflect and influence an audience's
interpretation of the text. Intertextuality is the relation between texts that
are inflicted by means of quotations and allusion.
• It can also be seen as taking someone else's idea and changing it or
referencing it to create something new, this could also be seen in parody
videos.
• In television Intertextuality happens when something uses convention of a
genre and incorporates it into another genre or when a reference is made
in a text. It can also be seen when films and shows use celebrity cameos to
reference other films or shows.

EXAMPLES OF INTERTEXTUALITY IN
MUSIC VIDEOS
• Polo G- Martin and Gina
• In this video there are numerous links to the show Martin, polo g recreates iconic scenes
from the show using himself to portray martin and his girlfriend to portray Gina hence the
song name Martin and Gina. In the images below show the side by side comparisons to the
video and the original show.
• Lil skies- Red Rose
• In the video he makes a reference to breaking bad the tv show when they are seen sitting
infront of a campervan which is a big reference to the show.

• Joyner Lucas - Will
• The song itself is about how will smith is his idol and make a huge amount of references to
wills career including a lot of his movies. This is also portrayed in the video and he uses
costumes and sets to recreate scenes or images from some of wills films and shows
including the fresh prince, Bad boys, men in black, wild wild west, shark tale, I robot, the
pursuit of happiness, concussion, I am legend and Aladdin. The images below are screen
shots from the video which show the references to the films and shows

TASK 3 – CASE
STUDY

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]

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

ARTIST: NIGHT LOVELL
Music video 1- Alone
This video is by an artist who is very individual and his music videos really reflect this he
doesn’t really take any inspiration from anything and kind of goes his own way in terms of
creativity but some of his shots do really focus on his fashion and pieces of clothing. He used
many wide angle shots which zoom in very frequently throughout this video. He does however
include hip hop convention with the way he performs in the video and some of the close up
shots are used in other rap videos. Intertextuality is not present in this video other than he
does show off the clothes he is wearing I feel like intertextuality is very infrequent in his videos
as I feel as an artist he strives for individuality. In one of the pictures below you can see a mid
range shot which is quite dark but he used loads of strobe and led lights to create avery
different effect which nicely contrasts with the rest of the video
In this shot he is
recoding a screen that
is showing the
recordings of a cctv
camera its shots like
these that really set
his videos apart

MUSIC VIDEO 2- LETHAL
PRESENCE
In this video I feel night lovell really tries to combine old school hip hop videos with more
recent ones whilst also keeping it very original. Certain shots have the use of a vhs filter witch
really gives it the old 90s boom bap hip hop vibe and aesthetic, in contrast to this he also has
some shots that use a very modern and good quality camera to give it that contrast between
old and new. The video is mainly focused on a trip he had to Russia, there a many shots that
show cars driving, drifting and even stationary. This shows that cars and car culture have a big
impact on him as it is frequently the main aspect of the shot and even the video itself. There
are very minimal editing techniques used in this video which also really add the the aesthetic
and style of video he is going for but at points you can see transitions such as glitch transition.
Add points in the video there a shots using a night vision camera this is very original and
highly contrasts to other shots in the video which are vibrant and more colour, this is where his
individuality comes out and his creativity is shown as almost no one before him used those
types of shots with a night vision camera. Again like the last video close up shots are very
frequent and this can be seen as a hip hop genre convention.

MUSIC VIDEO 3- FRAUD
I picked this video as even though it is one of his first videos and the quality of
production and the software they probably had to do the video on you can still see the
main aspects which he chooses to focus on. This shows even when he didn’t have the
tools he was still going for that same style and using that same originality whilst still
making it look so good. He uses very little editing techniques in this video but the
simplicity adds the style and aesthetic of the song and video, he still chooses to use lots
of close up shots which again is a hip hop genre convention he also still likes to focus on
his clothing a lot throughout so its clear fashion has a huge influence on him, he also
still chooses to feature cars a lot through this video quite like his other videos. In this
video he uses the slow mo editing technique a lot throughout and it really fits the song
and just really adds to the style and tone of the video.

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