This document provides guidance for a case study assignment on music video production. It outlines four learning outcomes focused on understanding the purposes and styles of music videos. It splits the case study into three tasks: 1) the purposes of music videos and artist/label strategies, 2) styles, techniques and conventions of music video production, and 3) a case study analysis of three music videos. The document provides questions to answer for each task and notes on completing the case study, emphasizing using images and examples to support points. It also lists the assessment criteria the case study will address.

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Music Video Production
Case Study
Aaron Acaster

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Unit 29 - 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

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Unit 29 – Music Video Production
 Learning outcomes, this case study is concerned with the first
two learning outcomes of the unit:
1. Understand the purpose of music videos
2. Understand the styles, conventions, and techniques of music
videos
3. Be able to originate and plan a music video production for a
specific music track
4. Be able to work to complete production of a music video.

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Unit 29 – Music Video Production
Assessment Criteria
 The assessment criteria addressed by this case study, further
details are in your project brief:

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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.

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Task 1 - Purposes

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Task 1 - Purposes
 Q1 - Outline the 3 core purposes of music video with a short explanation for each:
Entertainment
Music videos provide a visual aid that accompanies the music. It gives the customer something to
watch whilst listening to the song.
Branding
Artists wish to brand them self's with in their chosen genre of music. For example hip hop artists will
often flaunt their wealth and material positions in order to fit into the culture. Therefore branding
themselves as part of the lifestyle.
Sales
Ultimately it is everyone's goal to make money. Everyone involved within the creative process
wishes to make money. Therefore every camera angle, subject style and movement in the music
video is done on purpose. Weather this be a more main stream “by the book” boy band or an
underground rapper. Every decision made is made for the porpoises of financial gain.

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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?
 As previously stated the main purpose of any music video is to be
viewed by the consumer and to make money for the record label
and artists involved. Typically the more money put into the
production the less artistically challenged the creators have to be.
This is because a lot of money is on the line so major record labels
tend to take less chances and stick to the same formula. Where as
when less money is involved the artists have nothing to lose and
are typically more creative with their message.

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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 is when two brands merge together in order to make
money.
An example of this would be “Beats By Dre” appearing in another
artists music video.
An other example would be rapper “Busta Rhymes” had a song
named “Pass The Courvoisier”. This song generated a lot of money
for the company
My last example of synergy is when nike and Kanye West came
together to create the Yeezy

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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 artist I have chosen to look at in this section goes by the stage name JME. He is a
grime artist and has had a massive part of the recent explosion within the genera. Real
name Jamie Adenuga is not only a grime MC, but he is also the co founder of the record
label “Boy Better Know” (BBK) along with his brother MC Skepta. The majority of his music
videos are very typical of the genera. By this I mean his videos (along with most grime
videos) feature JME and some of the other members of BBK stood around usually in front
of a graffiti covered wall or shop. The videos usually consist of random clips of him rapping
in random locations. For example he music video for the song “Murkin” sees JME and his
friends in a carpark outside Matalan on roller skates. There is no reason behind this as the
song doesn’t even mention roller skates once. This is just one of many examples of the
random things JME does in his videos. I feel like JME likes to do more unconventional
things in his videos because not only does it keep his audience entertained but it keeps
him entertained. As a viewer I can tell that he is having fun when filming these videos. As a
viewer this goes a long way because I am able to see that he's happy doing what he wants
to do, and since he owns his own label he doesn’t have to answer to anyone. I feel like his
persona he puts on has done him well so far as it can be argued that he is one of the most
skillful MC ‘s around today and as previously satiated along with his brother has been on
the for front of there recent explosion of the grime genera.

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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 Directions music video “what makes you beautiful” consists
of short clips of the band having fun on the beach. The music
video doesn’t follow a linear narrative and is mainly there to serve
as a visual aid for the music and as a way to sell the band to the
the mainstream audience. This is done to sell the brand to the
target audience in this case young teen age girls. The video
appeals to what they like, for example close up shots of the band
and them.

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Task 2 – Styles, Techniques
and Conventions

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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
Close up camera work is used in music videos mostly because they are trying to focus all the attention upon the artist.
By having a close up on there face they are showing the audience exactly what they want instead of showing
something completely unrelated to the song at all this. Rapper Eminem starts off the music video for the song “My
Name Is” with a close up shot of him parodying old cheese TV shows. Doing this sets up the audience, its telling them
that he doesn’t take him self too seriously and this song is just for fun. Not only that, but there are a lot of close up
shots used throughout the video a used in many hip hop videos. This is because it’s the artist littrely being in your face.
As Eminem was at the time. On the flip side of this is pop music. This music is typically more main stream therefore the
purpose of the music video is completely different. Pop music videos typically feature a lot of close to mid range shots
of the band. Weather this be of the whole band or of the band members individually. A good example of this would be
One Directions music video for the song “What Makes You Beautiful” a lot like the previous example the video appeals
to the music genres core demographic. Witch in this case would be young teenage girls. Therefore close up shots of
the group members works well as this is what the audience is looking for.
Another technique that I like is using dynamic camera work when filming the. For example this is when the camera
keeps moving or changing aim within a shot. This is mainly used for bands as I feel it makes the video more exacting
and in turn more entertaining because there is lots happening, its always moving and it keeps you on your toes rather
than a fixed shot were the camera does not change . The band “The catfish and the bottlemen” used a dynamic camera
shot in their music video “twice”. At the beging of the video the camera is moving around the stage and shows every
band member doing this at the start of a video introduces the audience to the band witch makes it more personal.

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Task 2 – Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
 Q2 - Describe and explain the use of editing in music videos, i.e. the way in which shots are
sequenced, considering the rhythm of the edit and combinations of shots and post-production
techniques
Fast cut montages are used in many music videos. This is when random scenes that don’t
necessarily have any thing to do with each other. I personally like this style of editing because you
are able to get across a lot of information to the viewer very fast, and you are able to sync short fast
clips to match the beet of the song very easily. This style is used in more or less every mainstream
genera, but an example that I like is a hip hop song called “Lose Your Self” by Eminem. This music
video features very fast cuts and short clips of the movie “8 Mile” edited to fit the songs more slower
aggressive pace. Music videos are edited in different ways depending on the genera of music. For
example pop music is usually very up beat and happy, so the music videos are edited in a way so
that the music fits well. Pop music videos are edited usually using a fast cut montage featuring clips
of the band/group doing various activity's. A good example of this would be the song “Solo” by Iyaz
this music video features a lot of cuts and fast paced editing there are many shots of the beach and
the ocean.
Rock and metal music videos are typically very gritty and based in the real world. This is because for
the most part metal bands songs are about feelings and real world problems. If the music video isn't
set in a completely realistic world then it may be set in a hyper realistic world with surreal effects.
These effects were popularized by artist Salvador Dali and his famous depiction of surrealism

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Task 2 – Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
 Q3 - Describe and explain some of the technical developments in music videos, i.e. in terms of
how the music videos are filmed, edited/produced and viewed
Over the years the format of music of music videos have changed. An example of this would be the
fact that in the 80’s a viewer would have to tune into a TV channel such as MTV to watch a music
video, and wait for the music video to come on that you wish to watch. Where as now a days you the
viewer can gain access to any music video old and new within an instant thanks to the internet.
Older music videos were filmed on old film cameras, these were much more clunky and difficult to
edit compared to more modern techniques where everything is done digitally. Even more recently
some music videos are even being filmed on drones and camera phones due to the increased
quality.
A lot of bands now a days have come up with interesting cool ways in which to film their music video.
A good example of this would be a band called Okgo used a drone to help with the filming if one of
their music videos. In contrast a lot of music videos from the past don’t feature any drone shots just
because the technology wasn’t available at the time. With the boom of the internet with in the last 15
years or so viewing music videos is easier than ever. As for for the most part people are connected
to the internet in one form or another all day. Where as in the past people would have to tune into a
music channel on TV and hope their favorite song would paly.

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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 recognisable genre and use illustrations to explain what their genre conventions are…
Hip hop has a lot of very recognizable conventions within the genera. The visual style of many of the early 90’s music videos are
very gritty and much more realistic than say a pop music video that are typically much more happy and up beat.
There are also many low angled shots used in hip hop videos a low angle gives them power over their audience because the artist
is looking down on them implying that they are better than them.
In hip hop a crowd is usually seen dancing to the music and singing along, doing this instantly gives credit to the artist because the
audience is able to see people in the video dancing. Hip Hop in my eyes is a very renowned genera that follows a very specific style
in terms of how the artists are presented. The performers are often portrayed to be very wealthy and physically powerful, This is
done by showing off expensive items, big cars weapons and girls. Typically there a lot of close up shots of these items and the
message is thrown in the viewers face to the point of it being impossible to miss. As previously stated women within hip hop videos
are over sexualized often to the point of almost parody, They are treated as an item along with the artists jewelry and cars.
Other conventions within hip hop include drugs, gang culture, rebellion against authority and other general crime. The best example
of this would be the song “Panda” By Desiigner. In this video we see the artist rob a car, witch in turn sees him dealing with a lot of
gangs. Throughout the video he is wearing expensive looking jewelry around his neck. As the audience we can already see that he
has had to steel a car, therefore we can only assume he has stolen the jewelry too.

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Task 2 – Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Artist Shown Steeling A Car
Artist Getting stopped by the police
Artist shown with a girl. Also
showing off his style and wealth

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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?
Intertextuality is when there is a visual reference within a music video. These
references can be from cinema, previous music videos and even fashion. Artists
create intertextuality by using props, costumes and editing to represent the
source. This is done to allow to the viewer to link the reference to it’s source and
create nostalgia for the viewer. However, it is different to synergy because it is not
two forms of media working together to promote the other, it is a reference to a
pop culture, film, actor or music video.
Intertextulity refers to the relationship between texts. Taking things from different
places and reconstructing them for different audiences. An example of this would
be Michel Jacksons Video for thriller that pays homage to B rate horror movies,
as the video actually starts in a movie theatre and it was directed by John Landis
who directed the film “American Werewolf”.

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Task 3 – Case Study

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Task 3 – Case Study
 For your individual case study you are required to prepare
material on a minimum of three music videos.
 This should provide discussion on the usage of the following:
 Purpose of the video [consider the strategy of the artist and the
intention behind the video, remember the core purposes and break
this down into the other purposes we discussed]
 Style[s] used
 Techniques employed
 Intertextuality
 Camerawork/editing
 Genre conventions

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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

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Task 3 – Case Study
The video I have chosen to evaluate is “Stan” by Eminem. I personally really like this music video
because its very different to the typical Eminem video. The song its self is much slower and
much more deep and it really makes you think. The video does a good job of accompanying the
lyrics being said as the whole video follows a narrative. As previously stated this music video is
much more thought provoking as the video sees a massive Eminem fan that has devoted his life
to Eminem and in turn his obsession has pulled him away from his pregnant girlfriend. Within the
video we see Stan send Eminem a few letters, but for one reason or another he never receives
them. Eventually Stan gets angry because he hasn’t responded to any of his fan mail, Stan
becomes enraged when his girlfriend finds a picture of them both with Eminem's picture taped
over her. Within the rage Stan rips all of Eminem's pictures off the wall and ties his girlfriend up
and kidnaps her. He speeds down the highway with a tape recorder in his hand telling Eminem
that he’s ruined there chance to be together and how he used to idolize him. Eventually Stan
rides the car off a bridge into the water killing himself and his girlfriend. At the end of the video
we actually see Eminem respond to one of Stan's letters, he tells Stan that he thinks he needs
help before its too late, but he appreciates the support. Eminem then goes on to wright about
how he saw this guy on the news that killed himself and his girlfriend. He eventually puts two and
two together and realizes that it’s the same guy.
This video really distances its self from typical rap videos, as I said this song isn't the typical rap
song, the lyrics and themes of the video is much more dark than any other video. There is a lot
of close up shots used in this video. Stan gets up close to the viewer, this is done so the viewer
can clearly see the emotion on his face, and they are able to see how unstable he is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU9DzMhdeEo

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Case Study
Stan dyed his hair blonde to look like
Eminem.
Stan sending Eminem a letter
Stan after he has kidnaped
girlfriend recording a tape for
Eminem

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Case Study
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wYNFfgrXTI
The song I have chose is Eminem's “When I'm Gone” Unlike many pop
songs, the genre conventions in this song links very closely to the video,
and the video paints a picture of the song and tells a story alongside the
lyrics. An example of this would be the picture on the left shows just after the
lyrics “fine, me and mummy are going” this photo shows a mirror of the two,
who then disappear from the mirror and shortly after, this ‘dream’ ends, with
the visuals show him waking up from the nightmare.
The camerawork in the song varies for example there are shots from more or less
every angle with the exception of a Birds eye view. The angle of the camera
depends on the way that the artist wants to address viewers/characters. An
example of this is when Eminem is talking to his daughter the camera is behind the
her showing the audience that he is addressing the child.

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Case Study
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhpnSMRLSSs
The last music video I will be analyzing is CKY’s Flesh Into Gear. I have
chosen this video because there isn't any narrative as the video just
consists of the band members and their friends doing random things
such as jumping off buildings and just doing general things. This is the
type of video I want to sent out to somewhat recreate witch is why I
chose it. The videos pace and speed of the clips increases as the
music's beet picks up and the video also features clips of the band
members playing the instruments and singling along to the song. There
is a lot of close ups used of the band members mainly the lead singer.