the music video case study

1. MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION
CASE STUDY
YOU R N A ME H ER E

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

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
• Q1 - Outline the 3 core purposes of music video with a short
explanation for each:
• Entertainment: to allow the audiences to have a sense of enjoyment and
amusement when watching it and to let the the viewer interpret the lyrics though
the video
• Branding/id: to have an identity to the people something they go by and will be
know for,
• Sales: to make money and popularity though different genres and audiences

6. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q2 – What are some of the broader purposes of music videos? 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?
1. They use different genres of music and styles so they have some similarities
between certain artist like the way the video it laid out and portrayed some are
similar with different props
2. Another purpose/difference that there might be is that some artist may be
limited in resources and equipment so wont be able to do certain effects and
styles
3. Each artist has a different target group their trying to appeal towards so they
have different ways of capturing their audiences attention

7. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q3 – Describe what is ‘synergy’ is and how it has been used in
music videos [min. 3 examples of synergy and convergence]
Synergy: the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances,
or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their
separate effects.
"the synergy between artist and record company”
Convergence: where group members come more alike over time, in business its
sometimes called culture in the sense that people who work there have a similar
characteristic and behavior
Convergence also means that group have a tendency to police themselves
common types of synergies: revenue, cost, and financial. A revenue synergy is
when, as a result of an acquisition, the combined company is able to generate more
sales than the two companies would be able to separately.

8. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q4 – 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.
• The band I chose is bring me the horizon because their one of the artist that appeal to me
the most because of their certain style of doing their music video and songs, they’ll appeal
more to the Goth edgy part of society their genre is alternative rock.
• Their music video are different depending on the morel of the song like alter between calm
to cult like music videos to appeal to their target audience
• I think they might have done this to have an impact on certain parts of the world perhaps
like for example in the music video follow you its set it a pre apocolipics setting follow the
character listening to their song
• Another thing is that their videos seem to be well paced
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow_qI_F2ZJI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkV5709EG5M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tVWt2RDsoM
Throne
Drown
Follow you

9. TASK 1 - PURPOSES
• Q5 – 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.
• one of the music video is from animal collective and the video is sort of calm
and the animation is smooth , its acts like water with a space like background
appearing though out the video I think the main aim is the color maybe to
attached the audiences and and that their hiding their faces to be mysterious
and they had the camera zooming in from different direction
• 1D music videos are more lively and have more energy more attached towards
teenagers then other audiences because they mostly appeal towards the
younger groups most of their camera shots are zoom ins and long distances
shots

10. TASK 2 – STYLES,
TECHNIQUES AND
CONVENTIONS

11. 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
• Camerawork use in lana del rays music video called video game
has a movement is a bit shaky like a with recordings of old videos
being featured within it because of the black and white picture
effect where it looks like its been recorded with a vhs.
• Also it had a lot of blurred scenes within it where it focused on
certain parts of the video and it has some zoom its at the start of
the video and at random point mostly when she had the camera
pointing at her, there's also the camera shots are taken like a day
out video with the shuttle movements of the camera where it moves
slowly up and down
Music videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE6wxDqdOV0

12. 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
• The editing used in music videos varies depending on the artist
style and the lyrics based around it to help make a story/short film
in small way to get their message across
• Some music videos use cgi to appeal towards their target audience
and use editing software for camera movement by changing the
angles and positioning certain part of the music video to fir in with
the plot of it
• Another thing with the editing is that they sometimes change the
color making it dark or light depending on the mood of objective
that they were trying to get across
Music video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MocF43ncu8I

13. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q3 - Describe and explain some of the technical developments in music
videos, i.e. the types of shot used with examples to illustrate this
• Music videos now a days have more of a wide range of resource's now a
days so they can do more effects and make their music videos more
appealing to the audiences while 80s/90s were very limited so they couldn’t
do certain things within their music video
• Music video in this day of age you can now do drone shots where you film
from the sky and zoom out/in with it by backing up and coming close.
• Another thing you can do is add effect using different software and
transitions to make the video go smoothly
• while 80s/90s did different like funky music videos with a square video
format and make it up beat
• Another thing they did in the 80s/90s is make their music vids

14. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q4 – 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
• The music video I've chosen has the genres in concert and live
footage type of video because it has clip where their interacting
with people and doing live performance in a crowd and also they
use different effect within the video to make it go in slow motion at
certain point of the video they also use a lot of color to show it has
a light mood to it
•
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YykjpeuMNEk

15. TASK 2 – STYLES, TECHNIQUES
AND CONVENTIONS
• Q5 - 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 some examples of it in
music videos?
• Intertexuality: the relationship between texts, especially literary
ones.
• Where a music video has movie references within/featured in it
• Example of one is – ariana grande- thank you next because it
features a lot of mean girl references within it the songs to add
similarity's between the music video and movie
•

16. TASK 3 – CASE
STUDY

17. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• For your individual case study you must study an artist or genre
of music, 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]

18. TASK 3- VIDEO 1
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKlgCk3IGBg
• Music video-waves by dean Lewis
• camerawork
• The camerawork in the music video show shows different point of views to the characters featured within it
like side views and behind views, it has certain points where it seems first person cause of the way they’ve
done the filming also show scenes where the artist who’s singing in room at random points though the
video
• Editing
the editing in the music video is steady and set like a short film with smooth transitions to different shots it like
cut to different positions in the shit like you could be behind the character to a first person view where their
filming what the character sees then it cuts to the artist zoomed in on them to add effect
• Genre conversions
• the genre that the music seems based in is romances and sadness because of how the video is paced and
edited , then how the character are portrayed

19. TASK 3 – VIDEO 2
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzNvk80XY9s
• Music video-Saturn by sleeping at last
• Camerawork
• The camerawork Is focused in the night so that the sparks that their thrown have a star like effect and most of the
shots were still framed and focused on one point with some shots slowly shifting slightly to the light or right but not
the frame wasn’t shaky because they made sure that the camera did not move from it so that means they probably
used a tripod
• Editing
• The editing in the music video has most of the clips are in slow motion and having the clips going backwards to make the video
appeal better to the audiences also they probably used a light effect to make the sparks stand out more in the dark
• Genre
• The genre it more chilled and sad in way because of how the lyrics are portrayed they
have sadness within them while the music video is chilled focusing the lights the
sparks make to have a space like effect from them

20. TASK 3 –VIDEO 3
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFxq7Mb96b0
• Music video- happy pills by weathers
• Camerawork
• The camera focuses on the main character who at the start is a old man then takes something that makes him happy and thinks
he's young again the camera also move the peoples movement and shakes when they start yelling or hitting something within the
video to make the video more appealing also zooms in on certain characters when they do something
• Editing
• The editing in the music video is unique because at the start they do like this effect on the computer where the character looks
like the chair he's on is going backwards while its not and start getting distorted the turns young again they do some transitions
with the camera where they do camera movement and cut it when the scene changes so its smooth when it changes another
thing they do it slow down some clips to have more of an effect on the audiences cause there's a scene within the video where
someone's hitting a mailbox and they sort of slow down with the camera slowly moving with their movements
• Genre
• The genre to the music video is upbeat action adventure and sad slightly
• I think this because of the way the music goes fast at the start then to a slow pact and slowly picks up the pace till
they scream the lyrics, also they way the music video is portrayed a sad old man wanting to relive his young fun days
instead of sitting inside all his life he decided to take a pill which basically made him hallucinate himself young with
all his friends he had and at the end he turns old again and takes another rone

21. TASK 3 – CASE STUDY
• You should include a video link for the video
• You can include as many illustrative stills as you like
• 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