2. MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
• We will look at Music Videos from a number of perspectives, this template is for
you to write up your notes and to complete your case study.
• The document is split into 3 different tasks, each with separate questions to
answer.
• Task 1 is concerned with the purposes of music videos and the strategies
employed by labels and artists
• Task 2 is concerned with the styles, techniques and conventions of music video
production
• Task 3 is your own case study into a minimum of three music videos where you
can unpack and discuss the videos considering everything you have looked at in
Task 1 and 2
• You are expected to submit each section on a weekly basis during your remote
learning weeks.
• If you get stuck, talk to/email your tutor for guidance.
3. NOTES ON COMPLETING THE
CASE STUDY
• It is often easier to show something you are discussing than to
take time describing it. With this in mind, feel free to add lots of
illustrative images from your chosen video examples. Links to
YouTube/Vevo/etc are also encouraged.
• Remember, when you make a point or define something, you
should follow this with an example, an explanation of this and
then link to further texts/videos where possible.
• If you don’t think there is enough room to add your full
response to a question, don’t just reset the font size to really
small, add an extra slide wherever necessary.
4. TASK 1 -
PURPOSES
Y O U S H O U L D O P E N T H E M U S I C L E C T U R E
P O W E R P O I N T A N D L O O K AT S E C T I O N 1
B E F O R E D O I N G T H I S TA S K
5. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q1 - Outline the 3 core purposes of music video with a short
explanation for each:
Entertainment-they want to make the audience
entertained so they continue to watch and so it
appeals to more people.
Branding-artists can use music videos to create a brand
for themselves and show people their personality.
Sales-music videos can boost the sales of a song as
that may be the way people discover the song.
6. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q2 – What are some of the broader purposes of music videos?
Try and outline a minimum of 3. (Think about some of the
strategies employed by artists in their videos and how they
represent themselves, you could consider where the artist is on
a major label, independent label of unsigned, is there a
difference between them?)
7. Q2 ANSWERS
One way an artist can represent themselves is by the
way they act in their music videos and what they
actually do in their videos including things like their
body language. Another way is the type of people that
they surround themselves such as having other artists
in the video can be great from a business standpoint as
the video may gain traction from the other artists fans
as well as your own but if an artist surrounds themself
with people with a bad reputation it may also hurt
yours.
8. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q3 – Branding; select an artist you like and look at how they
present themselves in their music videos. Explain what their
‘brand’ is, who is appeals to and why they might have done this.
9. Q3 ANSWER
The artist I have chosen is Stormzy, the genre of music he
makes varies between drill and grime and has featured in
the charts a lot this means he has quite a large fanbase. He
presents himself as a man with a tough personality which
some of his fanbase may share with him but due to having
a large fanbase it is quite hard to relate to all of your fans
so some fans may not relate at all. The reason I think he
has chosen this type of brand is because a lot of the other
artists in the grime and drill genre also present themselves
as tough as it strongly relates to the type of music and the
lyrics that typically feature in a grime or drill song.
10. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q4 – Compare One Direction and Animal Collective music
videos [find them on YouTube!], what can you discern about
each act from their videos? What is the main aim? Explain why.
11. Q4 ANSWER
One Direction and Animal Collective have completely
different fanbases as One Direction make pop style
music whereas Animal Collective make
alternative/indie music this means that both bands will
have to alter their music videos to fit what their
fanbases would enjoy, One D have a larger following
with probably a larger age range but more likely
younger children-teenagers so they make music videos
that they could possibly relate to but also understand
whereas Animal Collective’s music videos are a lot
more abnormal as it fits that style of music so it makes
sense for them to create music videos like that.
12. TASK 2 – STYLES,
TECHNIQUES AND
CONVENTIONS
Y O U S H O U L D O P E N T H E M U S I C L E C T U R E
P O W E R P O I N T A N D L O O K AT S E C T I O N 2
B E F O R E D O I N G T H I S TA S K
13. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q1 – Describe and explain the use of camerawork in music
videos, i.e. the types of shot used with examples to illustrate this
and how this creates meaning
14. CAMERAWORK
Different camera angles and shots can be used to create
meaning in a shot and can be interpreted in different ways, for
example a first person shot can make the viewer feel more
connected with the character as its almost like they are the
character. Another example is a bottom up shot which shows
the character looking down on the camera, this type of shot
could be used to show the character being higher up than
someone or just for entertainment.
15. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q2 - Describe and explain the use of editing in music videos,
i.e. the types of shot used with examples to illustrate this and
what the effect of this is/meanings that are created/etc
16. EDITING
Editing can be used in a similar way to camerawork to show
different meanings and interpret certain shots in different ways.
Cutting to the beat is a very effective style of editing as it can
be quite a difficult thing to master but looks good when its put
together. Another style is multi-mage which is where there are
multiple different shots on one scene which could help show
the story of more than one character in different places at the
same time.
17. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q3 – Genre conventions; often music videos adhere to genre
conventions within their visual style and production techniques.
Select a recognisable genre and use illustrations to explain what
their genre conventions are…
18. CONVENTIONS
The genre I have chosen is rap/grime and the conventions for
this genre are mainly showing off and trying to prove that you
are the best. A lot of the lyrics and the videos themselves
show the artists flexing off their wealth to everyone showing
how successful they are and they commonly diss other artists
in the same genre to try to prove to everyone that they are
better than them.
19. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q4 - John Stuart’s description of the music video “incorporating,
raiding and reconstructing” is essentially the essence of
intertextuality [something asserted by Andrew Goodwin]. Can
you explain what intertexuality is and find a minimum of 3
examples of it in music videos?
21. TASK 3 – CASE
STUDY
Y O U S H O U L D O P E N T H E M U S I C L E C T U R E
P O W E R P O I N T A N D L O O K AT S E C T I O N 3
B E F O R E D O I N G T H I S TA S K
22. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• For your individual case study you must study an artist of
choice, focusing on a minimum of 3 videos [ideally 5+ videos]
• This should provide discussion on the usage of the following:
– Style[s] & Techniques employed
– Intertextuality
– Camerawork/editing
– Genre conventions
– Critical approaches [you should be applying some of the critical
approaches from your lessons and some of your own, to your
selected videos]
23. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• You should include a video link for the videos used
• You should include illustrative stills from the videos chosen
• Be creative in your approach, it is suggested you use the
heading on the previous slide a guide on how to structure your
response to get you started
• Remember, make a point, use a specific part of the chosen
video as an example, explain yourself and then link to another
video where possible
• Compare and contrast your artist/genre to other artists/genres
• Remember to consider differing contexts
