Music videos can be categorized into three main types: performance videos that feature the artist performing the song, narrative videos that tell a story, and concept videos based around an idea. They often include conventions like relating the visuals to the lyrics, promoting the artist, and different forms of voyeurism. Effective music videos consider how elements like genre conventions, narrative, representation, and audience impact the relationship between the video and the music.

1. Conventions of a
Music Video
Adam James Newton

2. WhatarethecorecomponentsofaMusicVideo?
Andrew Goodwin cites the following:
• A relationship between lyrics/music and visuals
• The common tropes and iconography of a genre
• Promotion of the artist
• Various forms of voyeurism
• Intertextual references
As such, there are four key concepts to keep in mind:
• Genre
• Narrative
• Representation
• Audience

3. Within music videos, there are also three major types to
keep in mind:
• Performance, featuring the artist performing the song in
some way.
• Narrative, featuring a story of some kind.
• Concept, a video based around an idea.
As the following examples will demonstrate, there is often
lots of crossover between the various types of music
videos.

4. Performance
Even videos that focus on a concept will at least contain a
few shots of an artist performing the song. By extension, a
pure performance video is also rare.
THE PHARCYDE – DROP
CONCEPT/PERFORMANCE (1995)
This music video features the
band performing the track
throughout the back alleys of
Los Angeles. However, it was
performed backwards and the
video played in reverse,
creating an effect of unnatural
movement.
This video was paid homage to
with ‘The Scientist’ by Coldplay,
which uses the same
backwards editing technique
but also adds a narrative
element.

5. This minimalist example simply features
MC Ride performing the track in his car.
Adding concept elements, heavy
distortion is used to both match the
‘noise’ style of production the song uses
and also to give the video an old
corrupted tape look, fitting of the
mysterious nature that the band
promotes.
DEATH GRIPS – GUILLOTINE
CONCEPT/PERFORMANCE
(2011)
Speaking of performing songs in
cars, this video uses a similar
concept. Distortion effects are also
used, abet this time to create a
home video look that the use of a
handheld camera that is moved a
few times in the video reinforces.
ARCTIC MONKEYS – R U MINE?
PERFORMANCE (2012)

6. Narrative
These videos tell a story of some sort, which may or may
not be directly related to the song itself.
A-HA – TAKE ON ME
NARRATIVE (1985)
Arguably the most famous
example of a narrative video,
this tells the story of a woman
who is dragged into a comic
book world and falls in love
with its main character. At the
end, he escapes and the two
reunite.
Of note is that it can also be
considered a performance
video because there are brief
moments of the band and the
character (played by the lead
singer) performing the song.
The story was also concluded in
the subsequent video for ‘The
Sun Always Shines On TV’.

7. The video for ‘Take On Me’ shares the theme of love with the song itself, but it
does not have a direct narrative connection. A narrative video that does
however is ‘Stan’, which accurately adapts the lyrics of the song. Extra acting
segments are also added for more narrative content.
EMINEM – STAN
NARRATIVE (2000)

8. MIIKE SNOW – GENGHIS KHAN
NARRATIVE (2016)
This video pays homage to classic spy films, telling a story of a James Bond-like
spy who is captured by a super villain, before the two fall in love.
The video and lyrics do mismatch, as the lyrics talk about unhealthy obsessive
love, while the video portrays an unusual one.

9. Concept
These videos often experiment with unusual editing or
filming styles.
JACK Ü FEAT. JUSTIN BIEBER – WHERE
ARE Ü NOW
CONCEPT/PERFORMANCE (2015)
This video invited fans to draw
over frames of Justin Bieber
performing the song, a process
that is also featured in the
video itself. As a result, this
video is an example of fan
submitted content being used
in the creation of music videos.

10. There are some interesting contributions hidden in there!

11. Simply Tiga and some
models holding a still pose
for the duration of the
song.
Nothing else to say!
TIGA – PLUSH
CONCEPT (2012)
This video is both animated and
surrealist, with each segment
cleanly transitioning between
each other. Due to the
instrumental nature of the song,
there is no performance while
the lack of narrative enhances
the surreal feel.
FLYING LOTUS – ZODIAC SHIT
CONCEPT (2011)

12. This video abridges the 1976 film
‘Logan’s Run’ and sets it to a new
song. The result is a narrative style
video that retains the story of the
original film, yet it also falls into
conceptual ideas as it uses only
footage from a single source and
no original footage of its own.
GIGAMESH – ALL MY LIFE
CONCEPT/NARRATIVE (2012)
I just really wanted to mention
Yung Lean in a piece of
coursework.
This video uses intentionally poor
special effects to give the video
both a retro and surreal feel.
YUNG LEAN – HURT
CONCEPT/PERFORMANCE (2013)

13. This video uses animation to tell
the story of anthropomorphic
gangs who get into a deadly brawl
at a strip club. Aside from vague
connections of partying, there is
little connection between the
lyrics and video. The video is a
deliberate mismatch.
CARAVAN PALACE – LONE DIGGER
CONCEPT/NARRATIVE (2015)

14. GenreConventions
These are tropes that tie
music videos within the
same genre together.
Hip-hop videos often use several
common mise-en-scene elements,
including:
• Derelict urban areas
• Violent imagery
• Parties or social gatherings
• Vehicles
• Sexualization of women
• Use of drugs
Some of these aspects develop over
time. For example, early videos
contained few drugs or depictions of
violence, yet still contained many
elements that would be expanded
upon by later artists.
GRANDMASTER FLASH AND THE FURIOUS
FIVE – THE MESSAGE PERFORMANCE (1982)
A$AP FERG – WORK
PERFORMANCE (2012)
DR. DRE FEAT. SNOOP DOGG – STILL D.R.E.
PERFORMANCE (1999)

15. This video showcases awareness of all
the cliches associated with its genre,
and so utilises them to the extreme to
create an over-the-top ‘epic’ feel fitting
of the song
OUTKAST – BOMBS OVER
BAGHDAD
PERFORMANCE/CONCEPT (2000)

16. PromotionofArtist
Most videos serve to promote the artist in some way.
However, this can vary between genres.
WILD BEASTS – GET MY BANG
PERFORMANCE (2016)
In pop, rock and hip-hop
videos, the artist or band is
often the central focus of the
video.
This video chooses to exaggerate this
aspect by featuring an entire band
made up of the same artist.
OUTKAST – HEY YA
PERFORMANCE/CONCEPT
(2004)

17. Some videos even promote artists not
featured in the song.
JUSTIN BIEBER FEAT. LUDACRIS
– BABY PERFORMANCE (2010)
Here’s Drake!

18. Some artists use linking imagery and themes between music videos to connect
them, creating continuity and developing a mythos surrounding the artist.
FLYING LOTUS FEAT. KENDRICK LAMAR –
NEVER CATCH ME CONCEPT (2014)
KENDRICK LAMAR – I
CONCEPT/PERFORMANCE (2015)

19. SKRILLEX FEAT. SIAH –
BANGARANG
NARRATIVE (2012)
The notable exception to this
rule however is electronic
music. These videos often do
not feature the artists at all, or
relegate them to a minor role.
If the track features an
additional artist, then more
often than not they will get the
spotlight.
DJ SNAKE FEAT. LIL JON – TURN DOWN
FOR WHAT
CONCEPT (2014)

20. DIPLO FEAT. NICKY DA B – EXPRESS YOURSELF
PERFORMANCE (2012)
DIPLO NICKY DA B
Case in point:

21. VOYEURISM
Various forms of voyeurism is a common element in most
music videos.
Laura Mulvey identifies three kinds:
• The gaze of the audience:
• The gaze of characters within the video
• How the audience sees the gazing characters
DIPLO FEAT. NICKY DA B – EXPRESS
YOURSELF
PERFORMANCE (2012)

22. As a result, these kinds of videos often represent women as sexual objects and are
subject to lots of controversy.
‘Express Yourself’ is actually a somewhat unusual example, as it sexualizes women
who are unconventionally attractive, as well as men in a similar way as women
(abet to a lesser extent).
DIPLO FEAT. NICKY DA B – EXPRESS
YOURSELF PERFORMANCE (2012)

23. Using another Diplo example…

24. This video is not overtly sexual, but it still portrays women as more skimply dressed
compared to their male counterparts.
MAJOR LAZER & DJ SNAKE FEAT. MØ –
LEAN ON PERFORMANCE (2015)

25. INTRO&OUTRO
Many videos include intros or outros that set the mood of
the video, or conclude a narrative set piece.
This video is a parody of hip-hop
videos, and as such includes a 4
minute intro of dialogue with little
relevance to the rest of the video.
APHEX TWIN – WINDOWLICKER
CONCEPT (1999)
HOOK N SLING FEAT. FAR EAST MOVEMENT – BREAK YOURSELF
CONCEPT (2015)
This video uses the intro to establish
setting. When the main part of the
song starts up, the location is set and
it stays there.

26. Outros often linger on a single shot in order to create a lasting impression on the
audience. Alternatively, there may be a narrative revelation towards the end of a
video, which enhances the rest of the video in subsequent viewings.
FRED V & GRAFIX –
HYDRA
CONCEPT (2014)
HOT CHIP – OVER AND OVER
PERFORMANCE (2006)

27. OTHERTHINGS…
• As a general rule, music videos are edited in time to the music. The
aforementioned video for ‘Hydra’ is a slow panning shot, set to a song with a slow
tempo. By contrast, the video for ‘Gecko (Overdrive)’ is faster edited befitting of
its increased tempo. That video is also an example of the editing pace varying
depending on the point of the song it is covering.
• As shown by certain examples throughout this presentation, some elements can
be exaggerated for certain effect.
• Some videos include extra sound effects that play over the song to act as diegetic
noise for the music video. Music videos that do this suck, please don’t do that.
OLIVER HELDENS X BECKY HILL –
GECKO (OVERDRIVE)

28. Conclusion
Overall, this presentation shows that music videos often utilise many of the same
ideas between them. When creating your own, it is important to consider what
impact various elements have on your video.
The core of a music video is the relationship between image and sound, whether
you choose to focus on it or even diverge from the source material. Mise-en-scene
and editing should be affected by the mood and pacing of the song for example.
Inserting extra sound effects or acting skits is another option, yet they should
enhance the video rather than serve as a distraction.