This document discusses the conventions used in creating a music video. It analyzes the conventional camera work, including low angle shots, canted angles, two-shots, and master shots. It also discusses conventional editing techniques like cutting away scenes and using fast-paced editing to match the tempo of the song. Finally, it examines the conventional aspects of mise-en-scene, including costumes resembling typical indie rock fashion and settings featuring wastelands, which are commonly seen in indie rock music videos.
2. Conventions of Main Product, Music Video
Conventional Camera-work
Throughout the creation of the Music video we referred back to our research into music videos. We
could see in almost every music video we looked at there were a wide range of different camera-shots in
the video. Within our video we have tried to be conventional with the camera-work and have
incorporated a variety and many shots. We used a range of shots that symbolised certain things which
were effective.
Low Angle
The Low angle shot portrays the importance of the band
member making him seem an iconic figure. In music videos
these shots are used to show the importance of the band
member.
Canted Angle
Canted angles are conventional to indie-rock music videos, it
often portrays the energy in the video which the music is
creating.
3. Two-Shot
The two shot is a effective conventional camera-shot to
use as it is usually used to show the two most important
band members. (Lead singer and Guitarist)
Master Shot
The Master Shot is used to show everyone in the
scene, in this case the whole band. It shows the setting
the band are standing in and where they are in the
performance of the song. This is a shot used frequently
in music videos to show the band all together
performing the song.
Eye-line Match
This is a conventional camera-shot to use as it gives the
viewer the perspective of the band member giving them
a sense of involvement in video. Music videos usually
show the band member looking at a crowd performing
the song.
4. Conventional Editing
Cutting
Speed of Editing
We cut away, like most music videos, from the
The editing speed fits to the tempo of
main performance of the song to cut away
song throughout most of the video.
scenes that portray a storyline. We cut away
The editing is fairly fast paced much
from the performance to show the band
like the song. The „Best of You – foo
together in the studio and hanging out. To
Fighters‟ video uses fast paced editing
make this convention clearer we could have
which fits with their music.
made the story-line more obvious.
Conventional Editing Technique
We used many Shot Reverse-Shots in
our Music video as they are one of the
main shots used in indie-rock videos.
Especially when the music is fast
paced the camera-shots change the
different angles and positions around
the characters in the video.
5. Conventions of Mise-En-Scene
Costumes
Throughout our research I looked at costumes that
were conventional to the genre. The costumes we
used were very conventionally indie rock. We wore
tight/ripped jeans, polo shirts and blazers which
also gave the band an iconic image. It also gave the
band a edgy look to them like indie rock bands
should look like. Many indie bands like the killers
are the kooks wear skinny jeans and blazers which
makes our costumes conventional.
The settings used in the
video, mainly the wasteland
setting (left) are
conventional to the genre.
Wasteland and run down
settings are often a
reoccurring theme
throughout indie-rock
videos. An example of
another indie-rock video
that features a waste-land is
“Human – The Killers”
(Right)