CODES AND CONVENTIONS

of Music Videos

MUSIC VIDEOSA music video is a short video that is used as a way to promote the band or artist that have created it. The music video can be used as a way to promote a new single, a new album, or just the general image of the band or artist.

There are codes and conventions for different genres of music videos that are easily recognised and identified by the audience as specific genres, but there are general conventions that apply across all music videos. These conventions are created through the use of the camera, sound, editing, and mise-en-scene. These elements are used to create a certain style for different genres and show narrative and stereotypes.

AUDIENCEMusic videos are solely created to promote the artist and band to the audience. The different genres of music have different target audiences and they use different techniques to target these audiences. The audience has become familiar with the different styles and image for each genre and is now easily recognisable to them. The main way, which is used by all genres, is for the bands or artist to look straight into the camera. This creates a link with the audience as they feel that the musician is looking directly at them. The artists also make sure that their lyrics connect with their audience so they can understand the song and the video simultaneously.

CINEMATOGRAPHYThe use of the camera creates meaning through visual images through the use of distance, movement, and angles. The different genres of music videos have different shot types that are recognisable to them. Common shots for all genres is a close up of the singer as this promotes the main image of the artist or band. The close up allows the audience to see who is making the music they are listening to. Low angles are also quite commonly used as they make the artist look dominating and powerful. If a band are on a stage a crane shot can often be seen as this allows for the full band to be seen as they perform. For slow songs there are some common shots such as close ups and high angles. These are used to reflect the slow pace and sadness of the lyrics through the camera. Fast songs usually use wide angles which are often of the performance in the video.

EXAMPLESAn example of a low angle shot that I have found is from Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody. This shot is used to make the singer look domineering over the audience. An example of a crane shot is from Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody. This shot is used to allow the full band to be seen on stage as they perform.

An example of a close up shot is from The Hoosiers – Goodbye Mr A. This shot is used to show the lead singer singing but also to show how he is looking directly into the camera.

MISE-EN-SCENEThe use of mise-en-scene in music videos relates highly to the genre of the video. The location or setting of the video depends on the lyrics and genre of the video, as do hair, make-up, clothing, lighting, people, and colours. These are often decided based on the conventions of the genre but some artist have their own recognisable style as they try to make themselves more unique. A common mise-en-scene feature in most videos can be instruments, especially guitars. Most bands or artists have acoustic songs or versions and in these videos acoustic guitars are often seen, or if the artist/band have a lot of instruments in their group then these are also seen quite often. If there is a performance element to a music video then a guaranteed location will be a stage or a studio as this makes the artist and band look professional and dedicated to their music. Some videos have narrative videos, which are similar to short films, but the main characters in these videos can often be the lead singer or band members.

EXAMPLES

One OK Rock – Dreamer is an example of a band with a lot of instruments that include the instruments in their videos.

Ed Sheeran – One has an example of how acoustic guitars are used in music videos.

Foo Fighters – The Pretender is an example of a studio being used in a music video to make the artist look professional.

Andy Black – Ribcage is an example of music videos being shot on a live stage with an audience.

EDITINGThe use of editing in music videos is centred around the song. Each genre has its own editing styles but all music videos use editing to control the pace of their videos. In all music videos the beat of a song controls how fast or slow the editing will be and therefore controls the pace of the video. Fast editing will mean that the video will be fast pace to match the beat of the song. Editing to the beat of a song is rhythmic editing.

EXAMPLE

An example of rhythmic editing is used in Christina Aguilera – Candyman. In the song the beat speeds up and within a space of 3 seconds 22 different shots are edited to match the beat

SOUNDThe majority of sound in music videos is the song itself but there can also be other sounds within the diegesis of the video that are not a part of the song itself. The use of other sounds depends on the type of video and the narrative of the video.All music videos, that have the lead singer singing, use lip syncing. As the lead singer is not singing the song live for the video they use the pre-existing video and lip sync it so they can get the best footage and so that no external sounds will interrupt the filming.

DIEGESISMusic videos all have a diegesis. There are two possible levels of diegesis which are performance based or narrative based. Often videos can be a hybrid of the two different levels. A narrative diegesis videos are similar to short films as they don’t feature the usual lip syncing that occurs in music videos. The narrative will allude to what the message of the lyrics are through visual images and the video can express the ideologies of the artist/band that created the video. A performance diegesis videos that are solely performance are not as common as these make it harder for the audience to connect and relate to the video. Performance videos are often on a stage or in a studio, if they are on a stage at a live show there is a chance they will show the audience as this strengthens the connection.A hybrid diegesis are usually the most common way to create a music video. This type of music video combines both performance and narrative elements.

EXAMPLES

An example of a performance video would be Green Day – American Idiot. The video contains just the band performing without any narrative

An example of a narrative video would be Hayley Kiyoko – Girls like Girls. The video is essentially a short film with a title and there is not a performance element to it.

SPECIFIC GENRESMost genres have techniques and style that is unique to them and some of these are:• R&B music predominantly has male artists, but artists in this genre are usually seen as

wealthy and they show off their fortune through their expensive cars and jewellery. Women in these videos are often shown wearing clothing items that make them look like sexual objects.

• Rock music usually includes a lot of dark colours which is associated with the genre of music. This type of music videos are often known for their live performance videos in which the full band can be seen. There is hardly any voyeuristic elements to this genre as the lyrics and videos reflect the dark and deep message of the song.

• Pop music is very vibrant in colour and have a lot of lighting as their target audience is teenagers. The lyrics in these songs usually revolve around sex or love so there is voyeuristic elements in these videos but not a lot as it is still targeted at a younger audience.

• Indie music often has a slow, mellow pace and these videos include a lot of tracking shots and long shots of the artist/band. These videos also include a lot of close ups of the singer.