The document discusses several key features and conventions of music videos. It identifies that there are typically relationships between the lyrics, music, and visuals in a music video. Music videos also often feature close-up shots of the main artist and develop their star iconography. Genre influences the style and themes of different music videos. Camerawork, editing, and effects are also important elements that impact the meaning and feel of a music video. Editing may involve fast cuts or slower pacing depending on the desired mood.

1. By Ella McLeod
Forms and Conventions

2. Andrew Goodwin
Andrew Goodwin idetifies a number of key features which
distinguishes the music video as a form...
 There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.
 There is a relationship between the music and the visuals.
 Particular music genres may have their own music video style
and iconography.
 There is a demand on the part of the record company for lots of
close up shots of the main artist/vocalist.
 The artist may develop their own star iconography, in and out of
their videos, which, over time, become part of their star image.
 There is also likely to be voyeurism, particularly in the treatment
of women, but also in terms of systems of looking. (screens
within screens, binoculars, cameras etc...)
 There are likely to be intertextual references, either to other
music videos or to films and TV.

3. Lyrics
 Lyrics tend to help to establish a general feeling,
or mood, or sense of subject matter rather than
offering a coherent meaning. Key lines may play
a part in the visuals associated with the song, but
very rarely will a music video simply replicate the
lyrics.

4. Music
 A music video tends to make the use of the
tempo of the track to the drive of the editing and
may emphasise particular sounds from the track
by the foregrounding instruments such as guitar,
keyboard or drum solo.

5. Genre
 While some music videos transcend genres,
others can be more easily categorised. Some, but
not all, music channels concentrate on particular
music genres. If you watch these channels then
over a period of time, you will be able to identify a
range of distinct features which characterise the
videos of different genres. These features might
be reflected in types of mise en scene, themes,
performance, camera, editing styles etc...

6. Camerawork
 As with any moving image text, how the camera
is used and how the images are sequenced has a
significant impact on meaning. Camera
movement, angle and shot distance all need to
be analysed.
Camera movement may accompany movement of
performers (walking, dancing etc) but it may also
be used to create a more dynamic feel to stage
performance, for instance by constantly circling
the band as they perform on stage.

7. Editing
 Although the most common form of editing
associated with the music promo is fast cut
montage, rendering many of the images
impossible to grasp on first viewing, so ensuring
multiple viewing, some videos use slow pace and
gentler shot transitions to create a mood.
 Often enhancing the editing are digital effects,
which play with the original images to offer
different kinds of pleasure to the audience. This
might take the form of split-screens, colourisation
and blockbuster film style CGI.