Generic elements of music videos to reflect meaning and representations

1. z
GENERIC
ELEMENTS OF
MUSIC VIDEOS
Candidate 5098

2. z
WHY DO WE USE MUSIC VIDEOS
 Originally, the purpose of a music video is to advertise the Artist’s specified song
aiming to attract the chosen audience demographic and, ultimately, boost its
sales and popularity.
 The Music Video provides a source of musical entertainment, through providing
visuals in correspondence to the audio script, incorporating different modes of
the media through visual, written and spoken modes (specifically in this case,
through song).
 They incorporate cultural and intertextual references to the Artist that fans and
audiences may recognise and understand, therefore gain pleasure and diversion
through watching and sharing it.
 Alternatively, it could be to create a representation of the Artist through mise-en-
scene and costumes. (Eg. Lady Gaga being known for her flamboyant and
abstract image.

3. z
STEREOTYPES
 Stereotypically, music videos present the artist in an idealized setting in an
idealized manner to reflect the zeitgeist and audience. By focusing more on
consumerism, the artist reflects themselves as aspiration for the audience
and reflects an aspect of audience gratification and diversion when watching
the videos through the idyllic representations.
 Women are ultimately presented voyeuristically, reflecting their ‘natural
beauty’ and talent to target wider audiences of people who like the music as
well as those who would aspire to live this idyllic lifestyle.

4. z
GENERIC CONVENTIONS
 Because the videos are ultimately advertising and trying to sell
an album as well as gathering a fanbase for the artist, producers
incorporate artists ideologies to reflect their representations to
the audiences.
 For example, Olly Murs in 2011 in his ‘Heart Skips a Beat’ is
represented as a man in love and focusing his attention on the
woman he aspires to be with. This storyline ultimately represents
Olly Murs as a ‘normal’ man rather than focusing on idyllic
situations and settings, making this naturalism his USP for
younger audiences.

5. z
CAMERA SHOTS AND CAMERA
MOVEMENT
 A mixture between long shots, close ups and mid shots to reflect
artists image and ideologies. In these shots, there is emphasis
on artists emotions to tell a story rather than just to promote a
song.
 Camera Movement is used to follow and trace the artist or band.
For example, tilts, pans, tracking and crane shots to create
emotion and ethos with the audience

6. z
MISE-EN-SCENE
 This involves lighting, sound, props, costume and colour. For
example, 11 minutes by Yungblud and Halsey is reflecting in a
unique ‘edgy’ neon lighting to reflect the younger targeted
audience demographic. It also represents quite dark mise-en-
scene to reflect the tone of the song and bring an active
emotional response from the audience. The use of colour in this
example reflects the younger fun loving audience, rather than an
acoustic ballad representation based more on body language
than story.