music video production case study

1. MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
CASE STUDY
CO U RTNEY C H AT TEN

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

5. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Entertainment
• Branding / identity
• Sales

6. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Allow the band the availability of not having to play live
• Allow the audience to interpret-ate the song through the way
it’s presented in the video
• To endorse products and make them more popular so to
increase sales
• To reinforce a political view or social message
• To feature other artists from their label as a means of
promotion

7. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Gwen Stefani
• Gwen Stefani’s ‘brand’ image stemmed from the ska punk
scene (originating in the 70’s) when she started her ska-punk/
alternative band ‘No doubt’ in the 90’s. After leaving the band
and going solo, she maintained that image however
it and herself to become the ultimate 90’s alt-girl icon that she
still takes elements from today.
• Stefani has a largely female fan base which has been achieved
through her use of hyper-pop styles in her music and style
along with feminism being a huge part of her identity and
• https://youtu.be/TGwZ7MNtBFU

8. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
ONE DIRECTION
• Big budget
• Close up shots / group shots
• Plays with classic boy band conventions eg; beaches +
costumes/matching outfits
• High fiving and hugging each other to portray
closeness + strong friendships
• Cheeky boyish mannerisms eg.kissing each other,
Running, laughing and purposefully bad dancing –
looks more authentic, unrehearsed and feels more
personal
• Made for mass consumption
• Pointing to the camera – directly addressing audience
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
• Creative
• Niche
• Low budget
• Artistic
• No direct correlation between lyrics and video
• Surrealism
• Animation / CGI / effects
• Lots of different things going on – moe to focus on
• Elements of psychedelia
• Appeals to a smaller audience – indie
• Disconnect from viewer / audience
• Open to interpretation
• Forces the viewers to question what is being shown

9. TASK 2 – STYLES,
TECHNIQUES AND
CONVENTIONS

10. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Camerawork
• Wide shots to provide context
• Close ups to enhance intensity
• High and low angle shots to show distribution of power
• Off level shots create uneasiness
• Close up shots create intensity, longer shots reduce intensity
• (Field of view)
• Extreme long shot
• Long shot
• Full shot
• ¾ shot
• Medium shot
• Head and shoulders close up

11. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Editing
• Adding and cutting whole chunks of scenes
• Moving and reworking material
• SFX
• Stylise/colourise – cresting a certain mood/genre by changing the colour
• Jump cutting – including extra shots (often close-ups) to transition from
one scene to the next or to empathise lyrics in the video
• CGI SFX
• Parallel editing - cutting between multiple scenes that are happening at the
same time
• Sound editing – timing the video to the music and adding non-diegetic
sound.

12. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Pop genre conventions
• Artists always portrayed as good or the her
• Star image
• Usually a link between lyrics and visuals
• Performance
• Usually bright and colourful
• Fashion is timely
• Features mostly young and attractive people – relates to main demograph
• Narrative often oriented on the theme of love – will appeal to the widest audience -
everyone can relate to
• If targeting a female audience, videos often sexualise men appealing to the female gaze
and if targeting a male audience the videos will sexualise women appealing to the male
gaze (however notably becoming less common now as our society shifts from being
heteronormative)

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].
• Intertextuality is essentially the interrelationship between texts. It is
a text that references directly to another, coming from a range of
sources most frequently being cinema, fashion, and art-
photography
• The purposes of intertextuality are to portray humour, symbolism
and criticism.
• Examples of intertextuality in music videos include Taylor swift ‘love
story’, Florence and the machine ‘rabbit hole’ and charli xcx and
troye Sivan ‘1999’.

14. TAYLOR SWIFT – LOVE STORY
• Lyrics in the song talk
about Romeo and Juliet
• Video creates a
modernised version of the
film
• https://youtu.be/8xg3vE8I
e_E

15. FLORENCE AND
THE MACHINE –
RABBIT HOLE
• Based on alice in
wonderland initially
• “Looking glass so shiny
and new”
• Revolving around the mad
hatters tea party scene
• Features a take on the
Snow White coffin in the
woods scene
• Also includes elements of
pagan ritualism
throughout
• Elements of Greek
mythology – “Midas the
king holds me tight, turns
me to gold in the sunlight’
• https://youtu.be/GF6kBNL
TvaU

16. CHARLI XCX AND TROYE
SIVAN - 1999
• Video is a homage/tribute to the 90’s and references the
most iconic elements including – waterfalls MV by TLC
• - titanic
• - spice girls
• - backstreet boys
• - ads eg; Skechers and Nokia
• - Eminem
• - American beauty
• Marilyn manson + rose mcgowan
• Sims
• The matrix
• Justin timberlake
• Blair witch project
• Iconic logos
• https://youtu.be/6-v1b9waHWY

17. TASK 3 – CASE
STUDY
S T U D Y I N G T H E V I D E O S O F M Y C H O S E N
A R T I S T – W O L F A L I C E

18. DON’T DELETE THE KISSES
• https://youtu.be/WqxE-zppu30
• Fast camera movements – flicking
to different scenes telling a story /
narrative
• Lots of close-ups
• Low angles used when relationship
is shown as being bad/failing
• Lots of closeups
• Low-angle shots when relationship
is failing
• Brighter when relationship is good
• Extreme closeups and long shots –
typical for alt-rock videos
• Natural/lowkey lighting
• Natural and untouched appearance
• Basic and casual clothing/costumes
• Strong theme and narrative
• Links to ‘bros’ – neutrality +
focuses on a relationship between
2 characters – however
unromantic

19. BRO’S
• https://youtu.be/TD_Q9CxXT
o
• Narrative
• Close up shots
• Wide shots
• Low angle shots show
strength of the relationship
between the girls (when they
are helping each other
particularly)
• Extreme closeups and long
shots
• Natural / lowkey lighting
• Basic/casual clothing /
costumes
• Non-performative
(contrasting the alt-rock
genre convention)
• Strong theme/narrative
• Similar to ‘you’re a germ’ in
the way it sets out a narrative
and shows a story of friends

20. YOU’RE A GERM
• https://youtu.be/ZpomZoueWa0
• Neutral lighting
• Horror movie setting – house in the woods gets broken
into by what we can assume is a murder (man with an
axe)
• Performance - acting out a horror film – band members
are the characters – no miming lyrics or instruments
• Strong narrative
• Humour – unrealistic – satire – parody
• Slow motion editing at the start – adds emphasis to the
point that they’re having fun and ramps up anticipation
– also focuses viewers on the essence of the narrative –
this is usually how a horror film starts
• Grain/vintage effects – reiterated the 80’s film genre
they’re going for
• Neutral lowkey lighting to start – blue lighting when
confronted with zombies – gives the impression of
moonlight but also creates fear
• Heavily inspired by 80’s horror
• Door breaking through intertextualises the scene from
the shining
• Extreme closeups
• Full length shots
• Slow-motion shots
• Wide shots
• Birds eye view - shows when they’re in danger -
powerless
• Narrative performance
• Doesn’t relate to lyrics (non-conventional for genre)
• Links to she - tells a narrative - slow motion shots -
neutral lowkey lighting - extreme closeups - full length
shots - filmed using same techniques
• Great example of a homage video

21. 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]

22. 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