Music Video - Codes and Conventions

The purpose of a music video is to promote; this can the the single, album, artist, band, record company. they create, adapt or feed into a stars image whilst entertaining the audience. Music video should set the meaning of the song by the use of images.

Music videos can be categorised in terms of style. These are:

Performance - this is where the band/group/ artist are seen performing the song. 
                        
                         Band - A degree of authenticity of the performance is sought by the band and the director so we often find lip-syncing close-up, mimed playing of instruments, repetition of chorus shots to enhance repeatability, unusual camera shots and angles (e.g. the micro camera shots attached to the neck of a guitar, sweeping crane shots to film audience reaction to the band playing etc.) 
   
                          Solo - many of the band performance conventions plus choreographed dance routines to enhance repeatability. Also, a first-person mode of address directly engaging the viewer through the camera which involves many close-up shots of eyes rolling and gesturing and if the video is a hybrid form cutting between performance and narrative then the solo artist or band lead singer often becomes part of the narrative story, acting as narrator and participant at the same time. 

Narrative - the music video contains a series of events that both make sense to the audience and appear to be unified in time and space. So as to ensure repeated viewings and the effective marketing of the band/artist and song, the narrative code must be simply and suggestive, rather than realistic or detailed. 

Mixture - both performance and narrative based. the video may cut between the narrative and scenes of the artist performing the song.

Cameo - this is were the band/artist features in the narrative but doesn't perform

Animation - digitally/stop-frame

Audiovisual Technical Codes

Camera Shots 

Jumping directly between long shots, close ups and extreme close ups. Primarily the close up on the singer's face is the main generic convention for music videos. Also the extreme close up on the lips for lip synching. 


Camera Movement

whip pans, fast dolly track shots and fast overhead crane shots to follow the running, walking or dancing of performers. Also, fast vertical tilts and horizontal pans. 


Editing
Editing is a very important aspect to music videos. There are various terms, such as jump cutting, MTV style editing or montage editing. Creating the visually decanted experience of jumping from location to person to instrument without any normal narrative continuity. Instead it is often the beat or the rhythm of the track which provides the organising principle for editing movement. The editing moves so fast it creates the need for viewing repeatedly. There are exceptions though. Some continuity editing is used such as atmospheric dissolve shots.

Post-production digital effects

These effects are added to the video after the live sequences have been strung together. Examples are split-screens, colourisation, slow motion CGI (Computer Generated Illustration), etc

Lighting

Lighting sets the atmosphere and mood and is a key feature of music videos. Examples of how expressive lighting can affect the video are: extreme artificial light creates the bleaching effect on pop stars faces (making them seem ageless). Also, the use of switching from colour to black & white or sepia to indicate a shift from chorus to verse. Also, other lighting effects such as strobes or flashing needs to be identified. 


Mise en scene

Made up of a combination of props, costume, location, body language and facial expression. Look for the overall artistic concept in a video if there's a theme. the video's mise en scène may follow the need for authenticity in performance videos by using the concert hall or rehearsal studio setting or an intentional parodic setting to exaggerate star image as in many rap and R 'n' B videos with a focus on glamorous icons such as exotic locations, beautiful cocktail bars and stunning beachside houses with infinity pools. 

Idea of Spectacle
Music videos may be considered to be examples of spectacle, where the performers often look directly at the viewers, directly interacting with the viewer. in the case of men, this involves the look of the character towards the viewer. the male is seen to be addressing the viewer directly. he is supposed to be singing directly for the viewer. the female figure is often an object of an erotic gaze, object of male desire which is a voyeuristic gaze.