This document discusses conventions used in music videos. It notes that an important convention is showing a connection between the song lyrics and the visuals in the video to help tell a narrative. Common conventions include close-ups of the artist, editing to the beat, and lip-syncing. The genre of indie/pop often uses conventions like lip-syncing, narrative storylines, low-budget locations, and natural makeup/costumes. The presentation will show screenshots from the author's video and explain how they used or challenged various conventions discussed.

1. Codes and Conventions
In terms of using and developing conventions, I used a range of key conventions and
features to make my work look as professional as possible. From previous research
on existing music videos, I found that there always seems to be a connection and
relation between the lyrics of the song and the visuals within the video. This is a key
convention to use as it helps the progression of the narrative. With the link between
the lyric and visuals, a link is also formed with the artist/band as they usually
perform within the video or have an actor play the role for them and this sells the
artist to the audience as well as the product. Common features that I have noticed
within music videos include; close ups of the artist/band, editing to the beat and lip-
syncing. I have found these conventions to be used the most throughout existing
videos. As well as key conventions used throughout all music videos, the genre of
music in which my video belongs to follows various different conventions. For
example as my video belongs to the indie/pop genre, conventions that tend to be in
these videos are lip-syncing, narrative storyline, low budget locations and simple
mise en scene such natural make and costume.
Throughout the presentation I am going to take screen shots from my video and
explain how I have used, developed or challenged the conventions I have
mentioned above.

2. At the beginning of my music video I set the scene, by taking a long shot of
the train station. It was important to show the train station at the beginning
of the video as the video ends at the same location this shows continuity of
the video. Also as there is an instrumental introduction to the song, I took
inspiration from an existing artists video and displayed the artists name and
title of the song just before the song starts, it is also displayed with the artist
in view so they are recognizable to the audience.
Shots of location at the beginning of the video

3. My own music video
My inspiration – ‘Hana – I don’t want to’

4. There is a clear link between the visuals
and the lyrics within this shot as the my
actor is clearly drinking alcohol to forget
about his love for the girl that is on his
mind, also the smashing of the glass
against the wall shows his anger and
frustration. The lyrics to witch the visuals
match are ‘drinking to suppress devotion’
this simply means he is drinking to put
back the feelings and love he has towards
that one person. By showing my audience
the link between the lyrics and visuals
this helps them understand that my video
will have narrative rather than being
abstract.

5. Lyrics – ‘all of my hopes all of my words, are all over written on the signs’
This is a clear connection with the lyrics as well as the location and setting,
as at the beginning of the video I made it clear that the setting was in a
train station, and therefore have shown a typical train sign, to match the
lyrics ‘written on the signs’ as I want the audience to believe that the place
shown on the sign ‘Doncaster’ is the place he is heading to, where the girl
on his mind lives.

6. Lyrics - When you're my road
walking me home
Home, home, home, home
For these lyrics I wanted the
audience to see the couple walking
down the same road together, then
over the top of that shot, an image
of Dan walking alone down the
same road which is the actual
reality. By creating this visual it
creates a solid narrative as you can
see the difference between reality
and past events in the same shot.

7. The use of the two effects I have used on different shots helps the audience
distinguish present tense and back flashes of memories. As shown above the screen
shot showing the couple together is in a faded sun effect this creates the illusion that
the shot is a memory because the other shots which are reality are shown in black
and white, this also connotes good and bad. From previous research I have found
that this is a key convention used in music videos, especially the black and white
effect is used in low budget indie music videos.

8. Low budget Locations
As mentioned before, especially in indie/pop music videos, low
budget locations are used because they are usually signed to
independent record labels. As the artist in which song I have
used is part of the indie/pop genre I have used and developed
this convention as I wanted my video to look realistic and
believable rather than shot in a studio to make it look high end
on the budget scale, so therefore the locations in which I used
where very rural and easy access such as a train station, town
center and built up housing estate.

9. Another key convention in which I used was lip- syncing, typically used in the majority
of music videos this convention helps the audience see the connection between the
artist/band and the song. Adding to this shown in the screen shots above I have also
used a typical medium shot of my artist to show emotion and feeling from the artist.