Music videos use codes and conventions to convey meaning and narrative. Technical techniques like cinematography, editing, and sound shape the story, while symbolic techniques like costumes, setting, and color aid interpretation. Effective music videos employ shots, transitions, and other techniques appropriate to their genre to engage viewers through performance or narrative.

1. CODES AND CONVENTIONS
Music Videos

2. MUSIC VIDEOS: WHAT ARE CODES AND CONVENTIONS?
➤ Codes and conventions in music videos are used to shape the meaning of the
video and assist the portrayal of the narrative
➤ In music videos, codes and conventions are demonstrated via two types of
techniques: technical and symbolic
Technical Techniques Symbolic Techniques
This concerns how narrative is
shaped in a music video through the
use of technological devices.
The use of cinematography, diegetic
and non-diegetic sound and the way
a piece is edited all contribute
considerably in being able to convey
the narrative.
Symbolic techniques attempt to
demonstrate the narrative of the piece
through interpretation from beyond
what you can see on screen.
This is beyond just facial expressions
and body language of those featured
within the video, and it considers the
use of colour, costumes and mise-en-
scene.

3. CAMERA
Interesting cinematography is vital to engage the viewer. It is essential in terms of creating and
shaping meaning within a music video, as different shots, camera angles and movements create
different effects, and have different purposes.
In all genres of music video, there will be a variety of close up shots to introduce the artist or the
protagonist within the video. Close up shots also serve the purpose of creating a focus on the
emotion of the artist.
Wide angle shots are frequently used in performance videos for bands (often rock music), as this
ensures that all members of the band are featured, and gives the impression of watching a concert.
High angle shots may be used to highlight vulnerability in a
character, and low angle shots may be used to show a
characters dominance.
Panning movement and long shots are used to establish
location.
P.O.V and over the shoulder shots are used to create a
connection between the viewer and the protagonist in
narrative videos, and allow the viewer to feel as though they
are experiencing the narrative themselves.

4. EDITING
Editing is vital in making sure the piece is visually engaging and that it portrays the narrative
effectively. The editing process requires many drafts, in which precision editing and final
adjustments are made.
To give the piece a professional and interesting finish, many techniques are applied throughout the
editing process. Some techniques that may be used are:
➤ Transitions between shots (e.g, cross fades)
➤ Altering the speed of footage (e.g, slow motion)
➤ Adding layers of footage (e.g, titles)
➤ The use of colour filters (e.g, black and white)
Quick cut editing, and the use of jump cuts are very common
in music videos of which the song is of a quick tempo/has a
quick beat. This is a common convention in pop music videos.
Cross fades are often used in narrative music videos that are
for songs that are quite melancholic. This can commonly be
seen in indie and alternative music videos.

5. MISE-EN-SCENE
The mise-en-scene of the video varies depending on the genre and narrative of the music video.
Mise-en-scene considers the scenery, props and costumes in a scene and this contributes to the
narrative greatly.
The setting of a music video is important in telling the narrative, as it can contribute to the
meaning of the shots. Setting is also important because it makes the video aesthetically engaging
for the viewer.
Props are vital as they can help to demonstrate the genre of music, or help to visually demonstrate
the narrative. For example, props such as electric guitars and drum kits can help to establish the
rock genre, and red roses could help to establish themes of love within a narrative.
Costume and make-up are of course included in every music
video that includes people. This is often how a record label can
aim to develop artist iconography, as they will dress the
artist/band in a certain style that they will be continually
associated with. Colours of clothing, whether light or dark,
can establish the mood of the video and characters.

6. SOUND
Though people would assume that sound in music videos would just be the track that the video has be created
to promote, this is not true. Sound in music videos can be split into diegetic sound and non-diegetic sound.
Diegetic sound: This type of sound is present within the video, and is in relation to what can be seen on screen.
Non-diegetic sound: This type of sound can be edited in, and may not be fitting with exactly what is seen on
screen.
What may appear as diegetic sound can often be non-diegetic sound. For example, in Katy Perry’s music video
for her song “Roar”, you can see an Elephant on screen and hear the call of it, which would lead you to believe
it is diegetic sound. However, the sound of the elephant is actually edited in to the video, which makes it non-
diegetic.
Other types of sound that are to be considered when creating and analysing music
videos are parallel sound and contrapuntal sound.
Parallel sound: This is in relation to if the sound of the video matches the mood of
the video, and whether they fit well together.
Contrapuntal sound: This is in relation to if the sound clashes with the mood of the
video, and due to its contrasting nature, does not fit in.
Dialogue may also be included at the beginning or end of the music video in order to
help develop the narrative if necessary.

7. PERFORMANCE VIDEOS
Performance videos have their own codes and conventions that are indicative of this
music video type:
➤ There are continual shots of the artist/s performing the song, and the video does
not feature a narrative
➤ They are less engaging than other types of videos, as the viewer is less interested
as it does not intellectually stimulate them. An audience is more likely to be
engaged in a performance video if it is made to be like a live stage performance
➤ Performance videos are made up of lip syncing

8. NARRATIVE VIDEOS
Narrative videos follow a story line which is usually depicted by the lyrics of the song.
This type of video is more popular than performance due to its more engaging qualities.
However, a combination of narrative and performance is probably used most frequently in
music videos.
There are two types of narrative videos:
➤ Linear - In this type of video, the narrative follows through from the beginning, to the
middle, to the end.
➤ Fragmented - In this type of video, the timeline of narrative is distorted. It may be in
reverse order, there may be flashbacks within the video, or that narrative could be
totally random like a puzzle for the viewer to put together.