The document provides guidance for a case study assignment on music video production. It is divided into three tasks. Task 1 addresses the purposes of music videos and strategies used by labels and artists. Task 2 covers styles, techniques and conventions of music video production. Task 3 requires analyzing a minimum of three music videos by the same artist to discuss usage of techniques from Tasks 1-2, intertextuality, camerawork, editing, genre conventions and critical approaches. Students are advised to include illustrative images and links from their chosen videos in their responses.

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:

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. 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.
•

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.
•

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.
• The camera work on the one direction music videos are a lot
more steady and stable shots which also include some drone
shots to give a bird's eye view perspective. However on the
other video the footage seems a lot more deliberately unstable
with a lot of shots looking up toward the persons instead on the
camera being directly pointed at them or from above.
This creates a meaning of like raw footage and really lets you
apratie the music. However the one direction video decides to
go for stunning visuals to compliment the music

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 the one direction videos their cuts are gentler and more
progressive with a lot of fading going on between shots, this is
done so there always keeping the band in sight even if it isn't that
clear. Keeping the band mostly in shots of everyone makes the
image more appealing to fans because they then know who they
are. On the other hand the animals collective song doesn’t show
the faces of the bamd all that much and they use silouets of them
selfs with a moving back groud going over the create a feeling of
mystery, also the facts that they outlined there lips in a different
colour shows us that it is them.

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 recognisable genre and use illustrations to explain what
their genre conventions are…
• One direction genre is about love and going out. This helped
them gain popularity because a lot of girls and teenagers alike
could relate to this. The genre of the animals collective is more
mysterours and harder to relate too.

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? Intertexuality means how the
arts and writing are related to one and another. Eg1. Castle on
the hill talks about a castle and shows a castle in the music
video
• Eg2.

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
• 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]

16. IMAGIEN DRAGONS
• Thunder
= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKopy74weus&list=RDfKopy74weus
&start_radio=1
• Radioactive = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktvTqknDobU
• Beliver = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wtfhZwyrcc
• Imagine dragon music videos heavily feature most of the band in them.
When they sing their songs they can come across as aggressive, and very
rough. For example in thunder they don’t wear these fancy clothes they are
just wearing your normal average top. There videos are a mix of looking
realistic and relate able and then they often have these weird characters in
them. In thunder there is this one character with like a lizard head and
anther with a snakes togue. There only a story in music video when you
listen to the lyricks and then the song video starts to makes sense.

17. IMAGINE DRAGONS
• The camera work In the music video is very stable and works well with the
songs, there are often flash cuts. In imagine dragon's song radioactive there
a lot of quick cuts which go along to the beat of the video. This helps keep
the feel of a fast-paced song. In thunder the beats feel more slower but still
quite quick for the pace of the music video. The type of genre of this music
is pop music. It modern and up to date which is why their songs are
incredibly popular. There songs are also well loved due to the huge bass
that a lot of their songs carry though right till the end. For example in
radioactive they have that huge drum and in thunder there is a consecutive
deep base heading right through the tune, this makes it really catchy and
people will get it in their heads. They don’t use bright colours in their
videos either there are either tonded down or black and white. However in
beliver this song uses a vbalck background with many flashing colour this is
to go along witht the songs postivety

18. 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