The document discusses key aspects of music videos including their purpose, conventions, genres, and methods of analysis. Specifically: 1. Music videos are creative narratives that relate to and promote a song visually, using techniques like camerawork, editing, lighting, and location to tell a story or invoke a reaction. 2. Their main purposes are to promote and make a song more memorable through an interesting visual representation. 3. Common conventions include originality, different shot types, editing techniques, mise-en-scene, and lighting to set mood and atmosphere.

1. STUDYING MUSIC VIDEOS
What is a music video?
. A music video is a narrative alongside a song, relating to the lyrics.
. A distinctive art form which can allow really interesting creative opportunities
. A music video has specific conventions, lasts length of the song (sometimes longer), features the artist, can tell a story etc.
What is the purpose of a music video?
. The purpose of a music video is to promote a new song through an interesting, creative or unique video and so a song is more
memorable.
. Financial reasons
. Promoting an artist or song
. To entertain
. Help people to remember the song
. Present the story of a song in a visual form
. To invoke a reaction
What are the conventions of a music video?
. Originality
. Camera shots (long shots, close up shots, mid shots)
. Close ups to show emotion or the lip synching of the artist
. Camera movement (crane shots, tracking, pans, tilts)
. Mise en scene- costume will reflect genre, locations, colours reflect mood and atmosphere
. Editing (jump cuts, transitions e.g. Fade or dissolve)
. Lighting (black and white, artificial, natural light)
. Sound (vocals, sound effects)
. Props- add to the scene
There are 3 genres existing
. Stadium performances
. Studio performances
. Location performances
Methods of analysis (Goodwin) - Theorist
. Relationship between lyrics and visuals
. Particular genres have their own video style and iconography
. Demand from record company that there are lots of close ups of the main artist e.g. Beyoncé, JLo
. Artists develop their own star iconography in and out of their videos e.g. Lady Gaga
. Voyeurism (watching for sexual pleasure) - how an audience views an artist
. Intertextual references- referencing another media text within your media text
John Stewart – Theorist
. “Incorporating, raiding and reconstructing” is essentially the essence of intertextuality, using something with which the audience
may be familiar, to generate both nostalgic associations and new meanings.
. Visual references from a range of sources such as cinema, fashion and art photography
Camerawork
. Significant impact on meaning
. Movement, angle and shot distance should all be analysed
. Close up dominates because of the size of the screen and desire to create sense of intimacy
. Lighting to focus on the artists face
Editing
. Mostly fast cut montage
. Images difficult to grasp on first viewing
. Some videos slower pace and gentler shot transitions to establish mood
. Digital effects like split screen, CGI

2. Intertextuality
. Post-modern text
. Drawing upon existing texts in order to spark recognition in the audience
. Short hand
. Not all audiences will spot the reference
. Pleasure
. Some draw upon cinema, TV genre, other music videos, video games…
Pastiche
. Imitation of a texts features by another text
. It could be the same style or feature similar motifs or even be a copy of the original.
Voyeurism
. Sigmund Freud
. Erotic pleasure gained from looking at sexual object who is unaware they are being looked at
. Relevant for female performance’s
. Near nudity
. Exhibitionism
. Intimate locations e.g. bedroom
. Too much- limits audience, young people can’t watch it
. Too little- uninteresting
Laura Mulvey- Theorist
. The male gaze
. Argues the main viewpoint is males
. Women sexualised in the media
. She is passive
Exhibitionism
. Sexually provocative and in control of it
. Inviting sexual gaze
. Female flesh on display simply cynical exploitation