Music Video: Conventions, Techniques & Styles

Conventions in music videos

Conventions are different elements which are seen visually within a music video. These contribute to the storyline of the music video (if there is one), show talents of the artist or band which is performing, such as; playing instruments and involving themselves in choreography. They can also help raise awareness and touch on important issues the artist feels strongly about through the storyline, which can be shown in many different ways. All the conventions used are usually to appeal to a particular audience or make the music video look as professional, fitting for the song as possible and represent the artist's style, letting the audience know what to expect from them every time. 


One of conventions used in music videos is lyric interpretation. This convention links the song lyrics and visuals in the video together by using a specific style which captures the atmosphere and mood of the video. One of the ways in which lyric interpretation is used is present when a song has a storyline narrative. This is a story which could have been formed from past experience (something the artist may have experienced themselves) or in other cases, witnessed. They could have also felt strongly about a particular cause, for instance; discrimination/bullying of some kind and wanted to show this through a  fictional story. Having the video represent the lyrics is important as the audience may have assumed the lyrics were about something completely different and this gives clarification, making the audience feel differently about the song. An example of how lyric interpretation is used, we can take a close look at Arctic Monkey's 'When The Sun Goes Down' video. There is a clear link between the lyrics and visuals within the video. For instance, each scene/shot shown in this video corresponds to what the lyrics are saying, progressively building a story. At the beginning of the video, these two scenes opening scenes depict exactly what is being said in the lyrics. The first screen grab I have used shows a girl standing in the middle of the street. The lyrics 'Who's that girl there? I wonder what went wrong so that she had to roam the streets' are played along with this scene to show us who the song is about (the character) and that she is the one who is to be identified with the lyrics throughout the video. It also introduces the audience to the storyline which is just about to open, giving them an element of curiosity as to what they're going to see next in the video. In the second screen grab, the lyrics 'She don't do major credit cards, I doubt she does receipts. It's all not quite legitimate.' this gives us a visual image and first insight into what the lyrics could mean, as the girl which was introduced through the first scene leans over into a car, smiling over at the driver. Although we haven't been told what she is doing, the audience have already begun guessing what the storyline is going to unfold. Lyric interpretation is used to clarify what lyrics mean. Sometimes even with the video reflecting what the lyrics are saying, the audience interpret what is happening in different ways, as there is no one speaking in the video to clarify and we can only base our interpretation/assumption on what we personally think. Another convention which is used is extending/consolidating a song's meaning. This is to create a deeper meaning within music videos, which compensates for where the songs fails to do so. For example, showing the girl which the song is about actually roaming the streets in what seems blistering cold conditions (as snow is falling on her), would potentially tug on the heart strings of the audience. They would sympathize with her being on the streets and (I'm assuming) selling herself to earn a little money. As this song is up tempo and not a conventionally sad sounding, the video brings out emotion in the audience, making the song have more meaning that first anticipated by them. Usually in music videos, you either see the artist/band themselves or you don't. If you see the artist, you usually see the performing on an instrument or dancing (choreography) either on their own or with back up dancers. This is another convention used as coverage of the artist is usually important for two reasons: to show the audience how they look like or to show them that they are not only talented singers, but creative and talented in other areas too. A reason for not showing the performer is to concentrate entirely on the storyline narrative, if the video has one. If the artist was to be integrated within the video, it would take away from the overall storyline and ruin the mood created by the video.  The next convention which has been used and is used in music videos is lighting. This is to create a visual version of the mood set in the song. As the majority of the video is set outside, we see the girl in many different lights. When she is outside at night, the lighting is obviously dark. This lets the audience know what time of day it is while also creating a dark, dingy mood within the video which fits into the song. Conventionally, lighting is used to depict what mood is relevant to the song. Bright and fluorescent colours are usually associated with happy feelings, where as dark, dull colours are used to capture a melodramatic atmosphere. Another convention used in music videos is the differential pace of cuts/transitions between the scenes and shots of the music videos. One way in which they would be different is if the song was fast or slow. If the song was of the hip hop genre for example, the speed of the cuts would run faster as the songs are usually up tempo and the visuals are cut in time to the music. In this music video for When The Sun Goes Down, as the song begins off slow and progressively becomes faster, the video does the exact same when it comes to cutting. The longevity of each shot decreases as the song becomes faster and each cut is more frantic. Doing this creates a even flow between the music and the video, making it run smoother and easier for the audience to watch. 

Style - Narrative and Impressionist: As we have established, this video concentrates on the main character who is being controlled by a man who is using her to making money for him by prostituting herself. The man seen in the video becomes violent as she meets a magician who helps her earn her own money and in turn, spends less time with him and makes him finally leave. This video has a clear storyline narrative, as it has three elements which are key: a beginning, middle and an end. It also references the lyrics which relate back to what is being shown on the screen. This creates a sad/melodramatic mood for the audience as we have a clear idea of what is happening - which isn't particularly nice - and the audience would sympathize with our main character and what she is going through, while also feeling hostile towards the man who is putting her into that position. It immerses the audiences emotions fully, which is important for both a narrative and impressionist styled video.




Techniques in music videos

In music videos, many different techniques are used to professionalize the video and make it as appealing to the audience as possible. One of the most common techniques used to do this are special effects. Special effects are divided into two sections - Optimal and Mechanical. Optimal effects are achieved by adjusting the camera itself (exposure etc.) and the surroundings of what is being shot (background/set). Mechanical effects are usually a more physical approach to special effects, which are accomplished during the shooting of the film itself. These are usually things such as make-up, 
the design of the set and artificial conditions such as rain, wind and clouds. Another type of effect is CGI or chroma key (Computer generated imagery). This effect is used to create computer animated visuals, cartoon and animation being the most well known. They are used mainly in film and television, designing 3D graphics which create a scene in said medium. 

 In the video Scream by Michael and Janet Jackson, these techniques have clearly been used. As this video has been set in a more modern era than it was (the video was made in 1995) the overall idea of this video was create something of a futuristic and spacy idealism. This is evident through the use of Optimal, Technical and CGI effects throughout the video. For instance, one of the first scenes of the video is set in space. Obviously it would virtually impossible to get this shot (which as we can see, shows a space ship flying above the earth and past the moon), so CGI was used to set the scene and show where the location is going to be throughout the video. Another technique which has been used in the video is multi-mage. Throughout the video, large television screens have been used to show clips from different things, whether it be from various anime films (as shown in the picture on the right) or annotations of the lyrics within the song itself. This can be classed as animation as even though the clips which have been used might not have been made directly by the editors of the video. This adds an element of mise en abyme into the video, as if there is a story behind the more prominent one (the artists being the main focus, miming the lyrics to choreography.) To make the video look more professional, the scenes of the video have been cut into sections which directly into the beat of the song. Although the majority of segments of the video fit in with the rhythm, I have noticed that in this video, it also cuts to the actual singing in the song. For instance, when the singer(s) finish their part, it cuts onto a scene of the other artist singing, showing who is singing which part. This allows the song to flow better with the video, making it easier for the audience to watch. The artist's lip syncing in the video is done for two reasons: to show the audience who the artists are (which introduces potential new audiences to the artist if they do not know who the artist is/what they look like already) while also making the audience feel as though they are watching the artist perform before their eyes, creating a feeling of the song being sung live and connecting with the audience. 

Style -  Surrealist: This video is clearly set in a surreal scenario, as most of the scenes shown in the video are artificial (created by green screen & CGI etc.) This is important for the video as I feel they wanted to achieve a very futuristic and dream-like video. The producers and editors have achieved this by excluding things we usually see in music videos, such as a varied array of locations. For example, some music videos are set outside and we can tell are real because of what is shown in the mise en scene - trees, sky, clouds and any other naturally occurring objects. If the background was green screen, you can usually tell as they look more tuned or 'perfect' to be real, such as many scenes shown in this video.



In concert footage, as live performer - 

Other techniques which contribute to music videos are such as showing in concert footage of the artist performing (which shows the artist as an 'as-live' performer, showing the audience what they should expect if they were to see the artist live, giving the artist something to live up to) and also referencing another artist within the video. In the video True Love by P!nk ft Lily Allen, we see all of these techniques used. For example, throughout the video clips of P!nk on her live tour. We also see behind the scenes clips with her daughter included with the clips showing her performing live. This gives the video dimension rather than just having scenes of the artist acting and miming the lyrics to the song. This shows the artist in her true form while also showing her fans or soon to be fans what she is like as a real person, not just as a pop star.

Style - Interpretative:  As the song lyrics are about true love and how she 'sometimes hates every stupid word' the person who she is singing the song about says, P!nk has included her own husband in the video to clarify who the song is about. She also shows her child, fans and herself performing in the video. Because it doesn't identify who the song is about specifically, this could be interpenetrated different ways by the audience, so the video has been linked to the lyrics to show the real meaning; the love hate relationship she has with her partner, how she feels conflicting sometimes but aslong as she has their child and her fans, their true love is real in her eyes.

 

Allusion or reference to another musical artist  -

Style - Parody (slightly pastiche) -  In the video Just Lose it by Eminem, he both in the lyrics and video references Michael Jackson. He takes stories about the troubled star (such as the child molestation cases and his nose jobs) and incorporates them into this music video, otherwise known as a parody. If he was doing it in tribute or referenced him in a nice way, this would be a pastiche music video. We could say that it is in some sense a homage to him, as the beginning of the video isn't very humorous and just focuses on famous choreography made famous by Michael Jackson. He also references other well known figures such as Madonna, Santa, Pee Wee Herman and MC Hammer. It is important to parodies or pastiche music videos that well known celebrities are used so the audience can fully understand who he is showing. If unknown people were used, the video would fail its ultimate purpose - to entertain and give the audience pleasure from identifying the people who he is referencing in the video.