The document discusses conventions and techniques used in music videos, particularly for love songs. It provides information on symbolic and technical techniques, how the audience relates to conventions, and how the video fits the lyrics and song. It also discusses common elements of love song music videos like attractive subjects, idealized relationships, locations, close-ups, and cuts that fit the tempo. Finally, it analyzes different types of narratives, performances, and mixtures of the two in music videos.

1. NEA research task
Music video for a Love song
Brief 4

2. Conventions of a music video
• The codes and conventions of the music video are the different techniques used to
construct meaning to them. These techniques can be divided into two types; technical
and symbolic.
• Symbolic techniques is when the meaning is shown in a way differently to the camera
shots but they way the expressions on the faces are shown, the gestures of the people,
the mise en scene used and the poses of them as well.
• The audience can relate to the conventions used in the music video for example the
camera shot of the artist singing into the camera makes it as if the artist is singing to the
audience watching the video. They are also familiar with the genre of the music as well.
It provides a structure that the audience can understand to ensure that the lyrics of the
song would fit with the video shown to the audience.
• In music video’s there are many shots and ideas used in music videos to link to the
audience. There are ways of them being who they are and performing on camera, there
are those that act in a story that fits with the song and there is even a mixture of them
all together in one video

3. Conventions of a love song music video
• Typically about a heterosexual relationship, young couple falling in love or newly dating
• Stereotypically attractive people, possible models, actors or the musicians themselves
• Fulfilling the normal persons dream; a beach in the Caribbean , sports car in the city , easily
found love in a bar or on the street
• Expensive gifts at Christmas, anniversary's, birthdays. The ideal relationship (unrealistic or
overexaggerated)
• Close ups of faces together or holding hands
• Longs shots of couple together or maybe of someone on a journey to the other person
• Edits to fit the speed and tempo of the song, maybe cut on the beat or the chorus
• Lots of locations, outfits and props (due to the videos usually being a narrative or a
mix)
• To emotionally engage the audience it cant be too fast or edited too harshly otherwise the emotion will be lost
and the audience wont be able to relate or put themselves in the video

4. Analysis of a love song music video
• Heterosexual relationship- both white middle class
• Falling in love while in a log cabin while on a skiing holiday
• Romantic gestures, loved up (newly in love)
• “not like other girls”- shows her doing untypical things for a woman , quirky, but
yet is stereotypically beautiful
• Plays the guitar for her in front of the fireplace
• Buys her lots of gifts (a new cat) birthday? Anniversary?
Ed Sheeran-perfect
• Close ups of kissing and holding hands
• Long shots of activity's like singing, skiing and drinking
• Cut slowly to the speed of the song but not to the beat
• Tells a narrative but features the artist
• Lots of different locations and costumes (although have a set theme)

5. Performance vs narrative
• A narrative music video shows a story line. There are two types of narrative
representations in a music video; there is linear and fragmented. A linear music
video is when the story of the song is shown from the start of the video to the end
of the video, fragmented narrative doesn’t do this.
• In a performance music video it mostly consists of the artists performing. There is
no narrative to it and no other scenes except her performing with back up singers
and dancers. A performance video isn't very common as the audience cannot
engage as much to it with meaning and feeling, however they have made it
interesting because they have still used the lighting and costumes. Also it can give
those who cannot go out too much concerts know what its like to see artists
perform on a stage, so it is a good way to create this kind of music video.
• A mixture is a combination of a story scenes and performing scenes. This maybe
because it is hard to present the narrative side for the song, so they use this to fit
in the gaps of the video, also it is more enjoyable and interesting to watch for the
audience.

6. Goodwin's theory
• Andrew Goodwin has identified a number of key features with distinguish the music
video as a form:
• There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, the visuals illustrating,
amplifying or contradicting the lyrics
• There is a relationship between the music and the visuals, the visuals illustrating,
amplifying or contradicting the music
• He says the music videos are often constructed by the link between the visuals and
the song plus the artist
• Relationships are built between these videos and the close ups of the artists gives
them the representation and publicity they require
• Voyeurism is used to increase the videos attractiveness, particularly to males, whilst
intertextuality is often employed in humorous videos
• Intertextual references either to other music videos or to films and TV texts, these
provide further gratification and pleasure and the viewers/fans

7. Universal music group
• Taylor Swift (UMG)
• Ed Sheeran (Warner)
• Post Malone (UMG)
• Billie Eilish (UMG)
• Queen (UMG)
• Ariana Grande (UMG)
• BTS (Big Hit/UMG/Sony)
• Drake (UMG)
• Lady Gaga (UMG)
• The Beatles (UMG)
A few artists UMG represent
UMG have a huge list of artists and brands that
they represent, meaning they don’t have a
specific house style, but rather change for the
artist and song.

8. Taylor swift- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuNIsY6JdUw
Ed Sheeran- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp-EO5I60KA
Post Malone- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXhTHyIgQ_U
Billie Eilish- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUQl6YcMalg
Ariana Grande- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcYodQoapMg

9. UMG website Home
page
Pop out side menu
Quick link to
frequently
visited pages

10. Analysis of UMG website
• The main focus of the UMG website is their artists, with headshots of artists and bands
• There are tabs that take you off to pages that show things like all their current labels,
their ethos, careers at UMG and contact info, including their social medias
• A linked tab to their social media(s) is on every page
• An image of a represented artist is somewhere on every page, but there is a large mix
of representations, from black men and women, members of the lgbtqia+ community
and under represented artists from different classes and countries
• The black and white colour scheme gives a simplistic but professional iamage, it takes it
self seriously in order for the audience to take them seriously
• The website isn’t for entertainment, its for information about them and their artists
• The website fails to emotionally engage audiences due to its simplicity and professional
tone and colours and is perhaps not aimed for a 16-25 year old audience

11. Representation of social groups
• At least two different social groups (age, gender, race, ethnicity and sexuality)
• Normally it’s a heterosexual, white, middle to upper class couple falling in love.
Although recently there has been a large influx of black and LGBTQ+ couples
being represented in the music industry
• Social class is very underrepresented in the industry as musicians are rich and
blind to it so therefore tend not to think about it. Although if different social
classes are represented they will reach larger audience and more people will be
able to relate to the video and the people within them
• Narratives usually have more representation in them due to it being a story and
usually using actors. Performance only include the artist/band, however if that
artist is a different race, ethnicity, sexuality or class it may have more
representation than other artists

12. Target audience
• Modern day music becomes popular off of social media e.g tiktok, YouTube. New artists take
off a lot easier than in the past and gather a following through the internet
• Pop music is now more popular as other genres are dying off such as country, reggae and hip
hop. Todays music industry is built on one hit wonders or already well established artists.
Although it may be easier to be found its also as easy to be forgotten.
• Its easy to emotionally engage a younger audience as there is a large amount of social issues
that are currently ongoing and felt by the mass market
16-25 year old mass market
https://youtu.be/tQ0yjYUFKAE- Justin Bieber, peaches
https://youtu.be/mD2a9YzKV3w- joel Corry x RAYE x David Guetta, BED
https://youtu.be/TqM1oDGleFQ- lil nas x, montero
https://youtu.be/M26V1IWAP-E - 220 KID x Billen Ted Remix, wellerman

13. Audience research and profile
• The 16-25 mass market will want a music video to entertain them more than
anything but each person may be entertained on different ways
• Their sense of entertainment may come from their psychographic, for example if
someone enjoys cycling and loves dogs then they may enjoy a video of someone
cycling with a dog
• Competitive set and media diet- if they don’t often watch music videos or don’t
watch or listen to the genre of your music then why should they watch yours?
• This may lead to a decision being made, do they want to watch your video? Is it in
their best interest? Or is it a waste of time?
• How would they make a decision? Word of mouth? A small clip from another video
or tv? See it on the chart?
• If the video or music doesn’t fulfil their needs or aspirations then they wont watch it
or they wont recommend it or pass it on. Therefore you need to make sure that if
you want to hit a large audience you can be niche or out there, you need to conform
to sterotypes and norms that guarantee views
The buyers journey
1.) developing an interest
2.) Gathering information
3.) exploring options
4.) making a decision
Audience personas
1.) demographics
2.) pain points
3.) needs

14. Mock up of a typical audience member
• Age- 19
• Gender-female
• Interests- modern culture, working, friends, family, pets
• Music taste- one hit wonders from tiktoc
• Favourite artists- Taylor swift, harry styles, Dua lipa
• Nationality- British
• Religion- atheist
• Race- Caucasian
• Class- middle
• Family type- both parents still together, two siblings
• Needs- friends, entertainment, emotional support and love

15. Questionnaire responses and audience
research

17. From the responses given I can conclude that real life audiences are incredibly similar and think the same way as my audience
profile, there are a few anomalies in age in my responses but then these anomalies show up in the other answers, proving
that the age of a person does factor in their enjoyment of the music video. This proves to me that I do need to be specific and
fit the genre and conventions that the age group wants to see in order to emotionally engage them. As for representation, it
seems that body image seems to be the biggest factor in people not relating to the people and stories within them, this also
seems to be a bigger issue within females than males
However it does seem that most people enjoy the cheesy stereotypical relationship shown in most music videos. The changes
they want to see show that most videos are now over the top and too flashy, they want a simple relatable story

18. Music video title graphics

19. Music video titles/graphics
• Music video graphics don’t tend to have set conventions or norms, with a lot of
videos not having one at all
• However, Love songs tend to have a fairly simplistic title as not to draw away from
the video or narrative
• Main focus is on the title, long shot of the title with the title being bold or a
strong colour to stand out
• They normally don’t last longer than 5-10 seconds, with the music continuing
over it or beginning over it
• Doesn’t add anything to the video but may be used to attract an audience by
name dropping or using attractive fonts