The document provides instructions for completing a case study on music video production. It outlines three tasks: 1) examining the purposes of music videos, 2) exploring styles, techniques and conventions, and 3) conducting an individual case study analyzing a minimum of three music videos. For the case study, students must discuss camerawork, editing, genre conventions, intertextuality, and apply critical approaches. Examples are encouraged and it should be creative and comparative.

1. MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
CASE STUDY
YO U R N A M E H E RE

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:
• To make the listener think about what the song means and if
there any deeper meanings to the song or the music video

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?)
• Entertainment - a music video can help explain the song better
and the lyrics. It also allows the audience to visualize what
something in the song looks like
• Branding and identity – a music video helps the singer/band show
who they are and allows them to expres them selvs
• Sales – if a song has a cool video than it is more likely to sell
more records

7. 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.
• Wu-Tang clan
• Their brand is based on life for them growing up in statin island
in the 80s and 90s their music is for anyone who wants to listen
about the hard ships of growing up in the hood. The made
them relatable for people who grew up in the same
conditions as the in the 80s and 90s. Their brand is gangster but
also trying to teach people about the world.

8. 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.
• The animal collective video is made to be creative were as the one
direction video is made to make money
• The one direction video is made for a larger audience then the
animal collective video
• The one direction video has a higher budget than the animal
collective video
• The animal collective video has an open meaning were as the one
direction video has a closed meaning

9. 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

10. 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
• In rap video the camara is below the sholders of the artist so
there looking down on the camara to show their power and that
they have a presence
• In pop the camara is usually facing the artist but getting their
whole body in from a central point of view
•

11. 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
• In rap videos the editing is quite sharp with fast cuts. Any visual
fx are fast flashes of color or over lapped shots of the artist or
his car/cars
• In pop the editing is slower mainly because in rap the cuts are
to the beat wares as in pop, they are usually to the lyrics

12. 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 recognizable
genre and use
illustrations to explain
what their genre
conventions are…
• In rap videos you will see
a lot of people because
the music is about a
group and often rappers
have a crew of friends
that stay with them.
• A lot of rap videos have
expensive cloths and
cars and Jewry in this is
to show the power that

13. 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?
• In the video for sabotage the beastly boys are playing cops in a
tv show
• In Eminem rap god he resembles max headroom
• In the song north nights slowthai shows shining like scene

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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]

17. EMINEM THE REAL SLIM SHADY
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJO5HU_7_1w
• The style of the real slim shady is like a conventonal rap video with
the camara low to the ground and the artist standing over it .
• In the video it has a lot of refrences to modern things like his
grammy awords and the way critics think about him
• The camara work is like a conventonal rap song with the camara
macking the rapper look big and powerfull with a lot of sholder to
head shots and full body shots
• I picked eminem because of his lyrics and the refrences he puts in
them macking his music video very good and at the time were
relivent

18. EMINEM RAP GOD
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbGs_qK2PQA
• In rap god Eminem uses the style of most rap videos he has the
camara facing him bet at an angel were he looks big and powerful
because the song is about power and proving that he is the best
rapper around
• The editing of the video is fast and uses a lot of retro 80s looks
when he is impersonating max headroom a CGI tv presenter
• In the video he has a lot of political references and references to
other rappers
• The song is fast to the editing is quick and shows a lot of tv
references

19. EMINEM MY NAME IS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNPnbI1arSE
• In my name is the video is a selection of tv shows in the 90s
• The camara is facing him but is not like conventional rap videos it is
filmed more like a compilation of tv shows with people watching tv
and skipping the channel
• The video references a lot of tv shows and including the presidential
address and a venquilitrist show
• The editing isn't like a conventional rap video ether it is edited more
like a compilation of comedy tv shows