Music Videos Powerpoint Notes:

Music Videos Powerpoint Notes:

A music video has many different purposes, for example:

• Promotes a singe and in general the artist's album.
• Promotes the artist or band.
• Creates, adapts or feeds into a 'star image'.
• Entertains the audience.
• Sets the 'meanings' of a song by the use of images. 

A normal music video is about three to four minutes long, with a mix of live performance from the artist, narrative and other visual imagery. This helps to advertise the song and artist.

Music videos often contain a number of elements:

• Performance.
• Narrative.
• Thematic.
• Symbolic.

Performance

• Normally contains shots of the artist performing the song(s).
• Close up of the artist showing their particular style by using props, costume etc.
• Often the artist is shown to be performing in an unusual place to try and make the video unique.

Idea of Spectacle

• Music videos may be considered to be examples of ‘spectacles’.
• This means that the performers are performing, normally looking directly at the viewer. (Direct address – interacting with the viewer).
• Men: involves the look of the characters towards the viewer. Male is seen to be addressing the viewer. He is supposed to be singing to you.
• Female: an object of erotic gaze/male desire which is a voyeuristic gaze (looks at someone for pleasure). This is why females are often dressed in little clothing in music videos.

Narrative

• The video tells a story either in the lyrics or is suggested in the lyrics.
• Like a mini film, with a beginning, middle and an end.
• It can promote a film with clips from the film included in telling the story.
• As the video only tends to be three to four minutes, it tends to be very fast paced, uses intertextuality with films, television, mimic other films or genres, the artist is a part of the story or is observing the story and the story can contradict what is seen (for effect).

Thematic

• There tend to be lots of common themes in music videos. 
• For example: Heavy metal bands go for performance dominated clips, rap has lots of street image.

Symbolic

• Use lots of symbols to build up meaning, for example – grave yard = death.
• Lots of use of montages.
• Lighting often used to suggest a particular mood.
• Fast paced – often only a few seconds per shot to build up meaning.
• Pictures can support or contradict lyrics.

Other Codes and Conventions

• Visually stylish – mise en scene.
• Cutting related to the rhythm of music.
• Intercutting between performance and images or a narrative.
• Experimental use of camera/editing (hand held camera, distortion of colours).
• Sometimes break the rules of continuity editing. Can use lots of jumps cuts.
• Lots of use of digital effects.

Types of Music Videos

• 1) Performance clips – concentrate on stage performance of bands.
• 2) Conceptual clips – based around a theme or story (narrative – either simple fantasy situation with other images in-between e.g. the artist, or a complex genre story e.g. Thriller by Michael Jackson). (non narrative – often dreamlike, random thoughts around a loose theme e.g. lost love, use lots of symbolism). 

Andrew Goodwin’s Music Video Theory

• Generally, music videos often include a demonstration of typical characteristics. 
• Music videos can be linked to film genres, which are known as intertextuality. 
• There are frequent notions of ‘looking’ and the voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
• There is a succinct relationship between music and visuals. (Characterized by clear, precise expression in few words; concise and terse: a succinct reply; a succinct style).
• The record label that the artist is assigned to have certain demands. They often include the need for lots of close ups and the artist will have a visual style.
• There are often more intertextuality references (Charlie’s Angles and Destiny’s Child ‘Say My Name’).