Music Video - Assignment 1

Music Video Theory

Before I explore the purposes, styles and conventions of music videos. What is a music video?
The definition for a music video is : "A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes." Which in plain terms, means that a music video is a short film that combines a song and visual footage/images. In this guide I will be looking at all the different purposes, styles and techniques of a music video.

Purposes

Modern day music videos are normally made as a promotional/marketing device. With the main aim to make money from the sales off the song, and to increase the awareness of the artist and their work. Although there are also lots of other hidden reasons, to why music videos are produced. I will now breakdown a list of purposes and explain each one with a written and visual example. 

To create revenue

Music video producers aim to do this for every music video, as at the end of the day its all about making money. The main income of revenue is from the sales of the song, used in the music video. Audiences often buy a song after viewing a music video as it has invoked an emotion and causes reactions that make the song easy to remember.


After viewing a music video on sites such as vimeo, facebook or youtube links can often be included to stores such as itunes or the google store. Within one click you become closer to purchasing the song. The more successful and engaging music videos will often see a trend of more singles being sold than the less popular ones. It was estimated that Pinks "Just give me a reason" sold around 3.5 million copies at around $1.29 per single which created more profit for Pink, the record label and the music video producers.

This figure may well be higher now as the view count on the music video is currently, 342 million. Inside the description is a series of of links to albums, singles and a DVD from Pinks latest tour:

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Which if a music video is successful, then fans are more than likely to check our the links and buy the song and extras relating to the audience. So when producers are making a music video, they take into account what they are producing so they can try and maximise revenue through sales of song and additional pieces. After all music videos were created as "promos" for the original song and as per usual everything is about creating money. 

Another way a music video creates revenue is by monetization on Youtube. By viewing a music video on youtube you help contribute to the funds they receive. As for every 1000 views its estimated they will earn $2. A key example is PSY's "Gangnam Style". It was estimated that when he reached the billion view count he earned around $800,000 - $2,000,000 just from viewing a video; it doesn't even include the money made from selling the single. A quote from a Forbes states: "Breaking down their figures, it can be surmised that Psy has earned just under $2 million from YouTube ads, almost all of which come from the “Gangnam Style” clip." In fact PSY had broke youtube as  "YouTube's counter previously used a 32-bit integer, which is a unit used to represent data in computer architecture. This means the maximum possible views it could count was 2,147,483,647. " In fact "Gangnam Style" has been viewed 2.15 billion times which is how it broke the system. Here is the actual music video:

Not only can you sell the single, you can also sell the album.  Albums usually sell for around £10 - £15, currently the best selling album is "Never Been Better " by Olly Murs.

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The overall,  top selling album in the UK (2014) is " X" by Ed Sheeran  and if calculated by multiplying the minimum cost of £10 by the number of albums sold in the first week. This is  182, 000 X £10 would create £1,820, 000 million pounds in the first week. Albums can come in a phyiscal form and in a digital form. In this generation, digital is preferred as you can purchase and instantly listen to the music, meaning you do not need to leave the house.

Product placement can also generate income,  the company that wants a product advertised will pay the music video production company to put there products into the video. The adverting company will then see a direct increase in sales. As, if your favourite artist is seen with " Must have products" than the audience is more than likely to buy the product; as they are being physiologically persuaded. A good example of a music video that contains product placement is " Telephone" by Lady Gaga:

If we look at product placement alone in Lady Gagas music video we see around a minute and a half of pure advertisement. Here is the advertisements in the music video:

The products advertised consist of:  A triumph car, beats by dre headphone,  a bwin poker table, virgin mobile,  a dating website for big fish , campari alcohol,  Mercedes and many more.

Another example of product placement is " I Feel Like Dancing"  by All Time Low; which heavily promotes the energy drink Rockstar:

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They promote this by using voyuerism. This features women in provocative clothing who are stood holding the drink in their hands; whilst another walks past waving a flag depicting the logo of the product.  This is heavily feature for around 10 -20 seconds and is brought up in a comical way. As the video focuses on taking the mic on music video conventions. They also go on to showcase voyuersim even more later on in the video. 

To create an extension of income

Not only do the artists receive money from the sale of the song, they also earn money from the consequences of the music video. Some of the examples of extension of income have already been covered in the creating revenue section. Such as product placement,youtube views and CD sales. But what is "extension of income?"

Extension of income is generating/extending income for the artist/band, after the release of the music video. Music videos can still generate income, years after the release of a video. Profits are then used to fund the band/artist for future projects, and to create a profit for the music label and artists. For example, viral music videos are still remembered to this day and get views because of how unique and entertaining they are. This occurs from the spreading by the word of mouth/sharing on social media. For example, a music video that is very surreal and creative might be so good ; that the viewer feels obliged to show their friends. This can promote an artist or band for a long period of time, even though the music video was brought out years before hand. A good example of this "Here It Goes Again" by : OK Go:

The idea of 4 men on a treadmill wouldn't normally sound like an appealing video. However, because they turn something simple into a dance which is very well choreographed; it gets people talking. The video has so far got 24 million views and will have been shared across social media. OK Go's video continues to get regular views and comments everyday. The band has now become known for creating creative and quirky music videos and still creates music videos today. Their latest video "I Won't Let You Down" focuses on the idea of sitting on  a small one wheeled device; while back up dancers use umbrellas to create images and a dance routine.  A dance routine that ends up with masses of people making a giant square out of 4 colors. What is even more amazing is that its a one shot music video that uses no composition:

By making music video, it raises the audience awareness of who the artist/ band are. All the devices used in a music video are designed to try and persuade the audience to show interest into the singers. This can lead onto another section of "extending income" buying merchandise. If the audience is a big fan , they will spend their money on kit relating to the artist.  As well as buying CDs, the audience may also buy T - Shirts, Calendars, Posters, Stickers, Wristbands, Backpacks, Hats, Bedsheets etc... etc... For instance on Ed Sheeran's website, there is a link to a store; which sells all of the above items that all have relation to Ed Sheeran in some shape or form. A big percentage of profits will go to the company who made the product, and the rest will go to Ed Sheeran. 

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An artist can also get income through a tour which will have the singer performing all his songs of the album live. By making a music video that shows lots of  "as live" performance/ prerecorded performance it shows of what the audience are to expect if they go to see them in concert. If the audience likes what they see, then they will invest in a ticket which creates more money for the artist.  This can come under the purpose: 

To inform about upcoming announcements (new albums, new singles and tours)

By announcing information about tours and albums in the music video, it directly tells the fans. It relates to income, because if the music video is really catchy/memorable it can make the audience want to keep rewatching it. By placing an announcement on a catchy music video, it makes it more likely that the target audience will see it and make them want to attend the event/buy the album. This works much more than a general advert, as the prime audience is paying attention to the music video; whereas on a TV advert they are often skipped and ignored/ are viewed by everyone.Announcements act as an informative purpose and as a promotional purpose; as its used to try and get the audience to buy something. Which is done by telling them about it, promoting the product and may show the product during the renouncement. 

 A really good example for announcing information is the music video "Straight No Chaser" by: Kristen Bell which features the announcement that the song is available now at the end of the video. This is a good example because the audience will have been listening to the song throughout, so if the like the video they are more than likely to like  the song and vice versa. This creates synergy (see later on for synergy section) which increases sales of the song:

Another music video that has an announcement is " The Death of Me" by Asking Alexandra:

At the end of the music video, an end screen displays the dates for the "From Death to Destiny" tour. This was for the 2013 tour which had 3 dates in August, in the countries: USA, Canada, Japan, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.  The music video contains lot of shots of the band performing. Which acts as a pre recorded preview, of what to expect in the tour. The vending machine and actress from the video are also on the end screen; which further  promotes the tour as you've already seen bits in the video.  

To create an extension of outlet

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Extension of outlets simply means all the different ways in which a music video producer can create a wider audience. When music videos first came out there was only a series of ways of viewing them. Earlier music videos could be saw on Top of the Pops; which normally aired when the band was touring. In the 1990's you could only see music videos on MTV, or other music videos channels. These aired on the television and only certain videos got repeats. This meant that you couldn't instantly find and watch a music video you wanted; furthermore this meant the quality of music videos had to be higher otherwise audiences wouldn't remember them.In the modern day, there are a series of outlets in which a music video can be viewed; making them instantly accessible. These outlets include:

• Youtube

Youtube is video sharing website/ video search engine that allows users to browse to their desire; allowing them to watch any clip they find for free (with the exclusion of TV/Film). This outlet came around in the year 2005 and allows people all over the world to view the videos. This can be a massive outlet for a music video producer as if he can get a viral/global video trending; then more people are going to find out about the band. In fact the whole world may of heard of it, which is a really good way to widen an audience. For instance if I type in "Music video" the a series of music videos are displayed that have over 100 million views:

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This outlet can apply to everyone as this can be viewed on mobiles, tablets, computers and even TV's.

• DVD Bonuses 

Music videos can also appear as an added feature on a DVD. For instance if a TV has a theme song that is sung by a famous band/ artist they may add the music video onto the DVD of the show. For instants the F.R.I.E.N.D.S theme song is a song by The Rembrandts "I'll Be There For You". The music video starred the band and the cast of the show and was tagged along with the features on the Season 3 boxset/dvd; here is the music video:

• Websites

On the artists website there may be a link or the actual music video on their page. So if a fan has just listened to a song by the artist, they will check out the website. Upon inspection they will see videos of all the artists previous work and will check out the music videos. A really good example of this is the Robbie Williams website. On his homepage is advertisements for his latest album and tour, below this advertisments is a link to his latest music video:

This outlet can apply to everyone as this can be viewed on mobiles, tablets, computers and even TV's.

• Music Channels

Alongside some of the new outlets, is one of the originals music channels. Music channels will play the latest music videos that have been released. Some channels that do this are MTV and Smash Hit; sometimes these channels will have a request hour where the audience can chose which video comes next. This outlet doesn't get as much views as it use to, instead the digital world has took over and is easy to find a music video online. As you do not need to wait for the one you want, you can simply type in the name in YouTube and it will come up. 

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• Social Media

Similar to a website, an artist may upload the video the facebook/twitter/tumblr/etc... when they have just released a new album or single. By releasing it on social networks means the video can be spread by the users to their friends and family. This is one of the ways in which a video can become viral. Here is a example of this happening:

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Here we see Katy Perry spread the word about somebody else's music video. The fact that another celebrity is spreading the world gives the video more credibility; fans may then check it out because their idol/aspiration is promoting it. 

 By having lots of mediums it doubles/triples the potential audience number as the music video is very easy to access. Although it doesn't mean that you need to listen to music to watch the video, as they can attract their own audience. Once the video has been released its very easy to spread the word about it, for example a facebook page might post about it , or the creators could tweet about it on twitter. To make the spread even more effective, promotions could tie in with the release: such as limited time offers on the single. Although by making it easily accessible, fans might go to sites such as youtube to watch the music video and listen to the music without paying for it. Which reduces funds for the band; although this doesn't seem to have that much of an impact at the minute. It can also makes the music video industry more competitive as there are tons of artists and music videos; so only the better quality ones will be remembered.

To create synergy 

The literal meaning of synergy is:" the interaction or cooperation of two or more organisations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects." Synergy in music video terms means linking two areas of the media together. In this case one of the areas will defiantly be the song/ music industry and the second area is often film franchises. By linking two areas together, it allows for both products to be promoted. So for example  a music video is released using a song from a recent movie. If the audience enjoyed the movie, then they are more than likely to enjoy the songs that go with it. In order to recapture the movie magic, the audience would then go and watch the music video and vice versa. These two products have now become interlinked an thought as one. which increases sales for both products. If only one of the products was released, it wouldn't do as well as  it doesn't have the film/song media to back it up.

A really good example of synergy is in Paramore's music video "Decode".

 The song "Decode" was the lead song from the final installment in the Twilight franchise, "Twilight New Moon". Through out  the video there are intercuts/cross cuts to scenes from the movie. This is a really clever way to show the connection between the two areas of media; as they are combing new footage of the band performing (Performance style of music video) along with clips from the film. This creates a really strong link between the videos, as the intercutting allows the audience to see how closely the two are connected. Not only does the intercutting do this, but the location of the music video is set in a similar style to the clips shown; the band members are also seen acting out scenes as if they were in the movie.

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By linking the music video so closely to the film, it gets the film viewers interested in the song more as they can relate to the movie. But the fans of the song can also get interested in the movie, as if the clips are acting as intisments. By doing this, it will also attract more fans to Paramore as the target audience for the Twilight franchise is teenage girls. So including the song in the film, gets the film audience interested in Paramores works as they instantly relate it to Twilight.

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What is also interesting is that this music video has currently received 115, 967 , 781 views which is the highest any Paramore music video has ever received. Recent releases by Paramore ,"Hate to see your  heart break" for example ,  have just peaked around the 2 million marks which is 1/50th of the views they received for "Decode". Highlighting the strength of synergies.

Another really good example of synergy is the song "You know my name" which was the lead song for the James Bond movie "Casino Royale".

Whats really iconic about his music video is that it is creating a synergy with a really well known franchise "James Bond" which at this point was on its 21st film. Like the previous example, there are lots of clips from the film , although there are lots more inter-cuts in this music video. It also features the artist, Chris Cornell in scenes as if it belonged in the movie. It also shows the artists performance which allows the music video to show of the artists talent whilst promoting the movie as well. This is done by having lots of close ups of the actor singing in the mic towards the end of the music video, along with him playing the guitar in the start.

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Not only is the link between the two heavily referenced in the music video. A cross promotion is also involved on the image released along side the single. In the film "Casino Royale" the soundtrack is used in the opening title sequence. Because the song is at the start of the film and is in the title sequence it makes the song easy to remember, as we generally remember the start and finish of a film. 

 

Whats special about this, is that the opening is very surreal and gets people talking. In the opening we see an animated sequence that features guns shooting out the different suits from a pack of cards. We also see the suits being shot into people, with the result of them turning into hearts and disintegrating. This is also done with people physically fighting and instead of turning into hearts, they turn into diamonds. In with the mix of animation, we also see a physically form of "James Bond" portrayed by Daniel Craig, and the Bond girl who appears after a crosshair goes over a queen which is also from a pack of cards. Of course the music carries the title credits through, so when the audience thinks of the crazy opening they will relate it to "You know my name".

Promotional

The following things follow under promotional purposes: publicity/artist recognition/selling an artist's image and promoting a music label. Ever since the first music video, considered to be "Subterranean Homesick Blues" by Bob Dylan. Music videos act as a promotional short film for an artist. In every music video it is more than likely you will see the artist acting/performing. This gives the audience an idea of what they are like from the first couple of seconds of the music video. This purpose, promotional  , is done to raise awareness of the artist but to also show the fans who is behind the creation of the music video. Given the bases that if they like the current music video they are watching; they may also like other productions they have created.

The different styles of music video, means that there may be more focus of an artist in one music video than the other. For instance a "as live" music video will just focus on the artist/band: for example "Closer to the Edge" by 30 Seconds To Mars focuses on them performing live at one of their gigs for parts of the music video:

You can also happen in , performance music videos that focus on the band performing the song, this is done prerecorded. For instance "I Alone" by Live does this:

Other music videos can also just focus on the artist. For example in "H.E.S" by Robbie Williams the whole music video revolves around him; whilst he moves from location to location whilst miming/ lip syncing the lyrics. Which is used to purely promote the artist:

Not only can music videos promote the artist, they can also promote the music label that helped promote the video. This promotion usually occurs at the end of the video with a line of text that reads " Copyright : Music Record Company Name".  This can been seen at the end of Katy Perrys "Dark Horse"

Also promoted by Katy Perry is VEVO. Which is a joint company between Google, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Media group. Vevo is a video hosting service that offers music from 2/3 major record labels. Warner Music is currently partnered with MTV. 

Another way to promote the record label is by having a opening sequence with their logo and name on it. This can be seen in Idina Menzel & Michael Bublé's,  "Baby It's Cold Outside"

This is also done in Taylor Swifts "Blank Space" but instead of the logo of the music labels, a title screen and with text is used instead. This is also done at the beginning of the music video. From the examples we have saw, the music video labels put their names on the end or the beginning and not during the video. This can be so the audience knows at the start and they can relate it to other videos they have watched; or at the end so they may find more videos by the label.

Funnily enough, even bad publicity is good publicity in this industry. If you create a controversial music video,  that has the potential to gets banned , it gets people talking. With conversations often going " Did you see what ___ did in there latest music video, it was crazy especially the part where _____" It often still becomes available to purchase, and is normally bought because its controversial. Because a video may contain convertisol subjects then it gets the rest of the media world talking; whether its an article in a newspaper, to a tweet on twitter, it gets people talking. An example of this is "Megalomaniac" by Incubus. 

This was marked as controversial because of the depiction of Hitler as a hero and a savior, a scene also shows Hitlers head morph back and forth into Jesus's. There was also a scene where George Bushes head is replaced by an eagle, after this transformation his head is eaten by the eagle. There are also scenes of people eating oil. This was also set around the time the Iraq was going on which Bush was involved with. As a result of the controversy the music video was not allowed to be played during the day on MTV. Despite this, the song was at the top of Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks for 6 weeks.

We will look at an artists image, in an upcoming section.

To tell a story/narrative

In a film, there is a set structure of a beginning a middle and an end (ACT 1 -3). This can applied to some music videos that act as short films. The artist/ music label will produce a video that tells a story with the music playing in the background. Music labels do this to show of the creativity and uniqueness of their product. This can be known as artistic satisfaction; as they are not doing it to promote but to narrate instead.  In some cases, the lyrics aren't followed with the beat of the music carrying the narrative through. A great example of a music video that has a narrative is Michael Jacksons "Thriller"

Which has been voted as  "the most influential pop music video of all time". The story told within "Thriller" is: After running out of fuel, Micheal and his girlfriend walk into the forest leaving the car behind them. In the forest Micheal ask his girlfriend to marry him, in which she happily says yes. Until Micheal reveals himself to be a werewolf. Causing the girlfriend to flee, which ends up with her being attacked by a werewolf form of Michael Jackson. The narrative then cuts to a movie theater; which depicts Michael and his girlfriend watching the Scene in a Vincent Price horror movie "Thriller". The start is used as if the girlfriend is re enacting the movie thinking it is real. 

As after the cut we see the girlfriend flee as she is too afraid. Michael also leaves the cinema and after catching up to her says "It's only a movie". At this point the pair begin to walk to a path which is covered in fog, Michael bursts into song and teases his girlfriend about what just occurred. Until they come across a graveyard, the dead start to rise and Michael suddenly turns into a zombie. During the instrumental of the song Michael and the zombies dance in time with each other. 

The zombies approach a house to which the girlfriend has fled to for safety. Zombie Michael Jackson reaches for the throat of the girlfriend when it is revealed to be a nightmare.  Michael then offers to take the girl home and the pair walk away, as they leave Michael looks at the camera and his eyes glow to those of a werewolf. In this we can see the first scene was Act 1, the cinema to the graveyard was Act 2 and the zombies to the end was Act 3. 

Another music video that tells a narrative is: "Take On Me" by a-ha. This music video uses a mix of pencil-sketch animation and live action. This effect is known as rotoscoping in which live action footage is traced over in each individual frame to create realistic motion. 

After the opening sequence which depicts a racer winning in a comic book. A girl is een drinking coffee whilst reading the comic in a coffee shop. The waitress brings her the bill whilst reading and the comic hero winks at the girl from the book. The narrative of the music video follows the girl mixing reality with fantasy. As at one point she ends up trapped in the fantasy world/ comic book. At the end of the video we see the comic book hero coming to life in human form. The girl, who has desired the hero from the beginning, hugs him. The narrative finishes in the start of the bands next music video "The Sun Always Suns on TV". This counts as narrative as the music video has a beginning, middle and the end.

The story the band tell, is that the worlds of reality and fantasy do not mix and are distinctive in their own sense. Although, you may think your fantasy has come true, sadly it has to end, which is seen when the human comic book hero transforms back into a cartoon.

By having a story, it makes the music video more unique and creative; compared to a music video where the band perform. If a story is really good, again it can get people talking.

For artistic satisfaction

Although, music videos don't have to be made for promotional purposes. Artists may produce a music video to show off their artistic skills and ideas. This can link into the purpose and styles of music video of "To tell a narrative"  as some can focus on a narrative. Although, its typical these types of videos may have no relation to the song, but are created for creative purposes and will often focus on a concept.


 An artist who does this is Fatboy Slim with "Rockafella Skank"

The music video doesn't closely follow the words (apart from every now and then) of the song, but instead creates a visual to go with it. In the video lots of techniques and concepts are put to use, which highlights why it was chose as an example of artistic satisfaction. We see lots of jump cuts to people moving locations, we also a timelapse/speed up footage. There is also a car that has all its main features spinning on an axis, lots of movement in time, slow motion and reversing footage upside down. Last of all, there is individual letters that put in a sequence of a shot each spell out "Right about now". Which is why it makes it creative and not so much promotive. What is important about an artistic satisfaction is that the artist must work with the director to produce this. Otherwise they will have different ideas and the final product will be rubbish.

This purpose can also be applied to the OK Go clips we looked at earlier. For example in  "WTF?" by OK Go

The whole video was using the delayed image effect and was used so the band could show off their artist ideas and concepts. All the ideas used in the video such as tape and beach balls were from a discount store in the US, like a US poundland. Like all the other videos they have done, it focuses on one concept as the band come out with something creative and wacky each time.

Another example is Gotye's "Somebody That I Use To Know"

The video uses stop animation when creating the backdrop for the background. The artist is also fully naked throughout the whole video. As the video goes on the background gets more and more colors and creates a design for the background. Once the wall is fully covered, the stop animation transfers onto the artists arm. Which starts to take over the whole body like an infection. The final image looks like a piece of art and through the directors and artists produce a music video that is artistic. As we see another human come into the picture, we see how they are both blending in with the wall. As the song comes to an end, the other person in the music video loses all their color using the stop animation technique. Which creates symbolism and an overall result of artistic satisfaction. 

To create/change an artist's image

Before the internet and music videos, bands were only generally scene in public or in newspapers. When music videos came along we saw a lot more of the artist/ the band; and by their actions and clothing in the music video the audience gets an idea of what the artist is like. This is known as the artists image.  The artist image is created slowly overtime by the genre of music, the style of music video and their clothing.

For example the Spice Girls generated their image from their music videos. The band is a pop group and their image is based on the music genre.When the band was launched the group were given individual nicknames in a magazine, which was meant as a joke. The trend kicked off and made them known worldwide. The nicknames were put across in the music videos and their image was born.

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The nicknames were:

Posh Spice: Victoria Beckham was nick named this due to her upper class background. Her hairstyle was a bob and is brown, she would wear desinger clothing and high heels.

Scary Spice: Was Melanie B's nick name because of her attitude and her loud leeds accent. She would also wear leopard print outfits alongside her curly Afro hair.

Baby Spice: Was Emma Buntons nickname as she was the youngest memeber of the band. She would wear her hair in pig tails and wore babydoll dresses.

Sporty Spice: Was Melaine C's nickname because she would wear tracksuits with her long ponytail, she also had a sporty/tough attitude.

Ginger Spice: Was Geri Halliwell's nickname as she had flaming red hair and was very lively. She would often wear outrages outfits.

In the Spice Girls first music video "Wannabe":

The bands nicknames are brought through which starts to create the bands image. Mel C was wearing a bright blue tracksuit along with an orange sports bra. Emma Bunton was seen with her pig tails along with a white babydoll dress. Victoria Beckham was wearing a designer dress, Geri H was seen with her red hair and her sequenced top which were joined with some leggings. And Mel B was seen with her crazy hair and lime green top. This trend was set from the beginning of the band and was put in place for all the other music videos.

For instance a year after "Wannabe", "Spice Up Your Life" was released. This music video was alot darker than the first but the artists style still carried through. Victoria was still wearing her designer clothing, Geri still had her crazy outfits and bright red hair. Mel B still had her curly afro, whilst Mel C was still wearing a sporty vest and tight leggings. Although Emma didn't have her pigtails she still had an all in one dress.

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Although, instead of maintaining an image. Artists can also use music videos to change thier image. For years Miley Cyrus was known as her alias Hannah Montanta. Which was created in a TV show where Miley Cyrus played  "Miley Stewart" and had to life a double live as a schoolgirl and popstar. Because this was a Disney production it set Cyrus up as an idol and her appearance and action were set to be played to a younger audience. This occured for 5 years and made Miley Cyrus well known for this as a singer and an actor. All this was done durings Cyrus's younger years which made her career. Although after Hannah Montana ended Cyrus needed a new career. Cyrus decided to go back into the music industy ,after a brief acting career , but under her own name.

She kept her nice image of her being innocent and sweet for a short period of time. Until she wanted to show the world she is no longer a Disney characther and that she is an fully blown adult. Although instead of showing a gradual change in her image; she did it in a shocking a ground breaking way. With her release of  "Wrecking Ball"

The first thing we see is Miley Cyrus with short hair, which is an instant change from her Hannah Montana days.  We then see Cyrus with a sledgehammer, wearing a pair of pants and a sports style top and brown leather boots. Which also collides with her days when she would wear dresses and jackets with high heels. The colors are also basic and not as bright as the Montana times. The fact that she is wearing less clothing than usual also tries to give Cyrus sex appeal which would not of happened on a childrens TV show. The crashing of the wrecking ball is used to show the audience that her personality has changed rapidly and out of know where and is used to shock the audience. As the wall the ball breaks is the audiences persception of Miley Cyrus. To add to the shock factor we also see a naked and tattoed Cyrus swinging on a wrecking ball show that she enjoys her new look. All in all, this is used to shock the audience to show how she has changed from what she is known for. Again it can also help promote the artist as the shock factor causes contrverosry and gets the audience talking. Because it has caused gossip it is more likely to get shared around the world. Which caused over 700 million people to view the music video alone.

Although, Miley Cyrus hasn't stopped shocking audiences as she continues to do the unexpected. She even started to "Grind"  on Robin Thicke live on stage at the music video awards. Whilst his wife was in the crowd, she also used a foam finger to touch his crotch. Which was saw worldwide, to families all over the globe ; breaking the role model she once was. 

To make a statement/reinforce a songs meaning

Artists/Bands can't always get their full meaning through in there songs. So in their music videos they extend the meaning, by showing a visual representation of the songs hidden/deeper meaning. Thier meanings generally make a statement relating to modern day life. In this section we will be looking at some examples of songs that strengthen the meaning/ make a statement that isn't normally understood from the single itself.

An artist  who really reinforces the songs meaning, is Adele. Who is an R&B/Pop/Soul singer whose songs often feature the theme of heartbreak and love. For this example we will look at the music video for her song "Rolling in the Deep" but before we do, lets look at the lyrics:

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Which is a song created after a recent breakup with her boyfriend. In fact "Adele summed up "Rolling in the Deep" as her reaction to, "being told that my life was going to be boring and lonely and rubbish, and that I was a weak person if I didn't stay in the relationship. I was very insulted, and wrote that as a sort of 'fuck you'." " In the music video lots of symbolism is used to express how Adele feels about the breakup and her connotations of love. I will look at some of the shots within the music video and explain how they build upon the song.

For instance: 

Throughout the video, we have several cross cuts to a pile of broken cups, with another being smashed and joining the pile in each shot. Although we see a pile of cups, the broken crockery symbolise  the singer's broken heart and the throwing represents the feelings towards her break up. These shots are used throughout and match up with the emotive language Adele uses to create an extending meaning. Later on we see this shot, in the music video:

In this shot we see a city made out of paper, which is lit on fire by sparks creating by pyrotechnics. The use of explosive devices connotes the sense of danger, this is combined with the lyric "the scars of your love" and suggests that the relationship has left a physical mark behind. As a scar never truly heals. 

Last of all, we see the paper city burn:

The use of the fire represents the feelings of Adele, which are pain and anguish as well as matching the first line "Theres a fire starting in my heart". The burning of the city also creates the connotations of, even the magnificent and beautiful cannot last forever and when something bad happens. It will strike quickly and destroy those around it. The use of the fire also juxtaposes with the city and suggests that only Adele feels the pain of the break up while the rest of the city stays strong. This is also supported by the fact that Adele is alone in the room suggesting only she feels sorrow in the relationship. 

The interesting thing about the music video is that it takes the lyrics of the song; and amplifies the meaning through the visual symbolism extending the meaning of the song. Now lets look at a music video that makes a statement. A really good music video that does this is "All I Need" by Radiohead:

Throughout the music video, the screen remains in a split screen. Which shows the parallel lives of two children that are the same age in different countries. For instance we see a happy and normal child who lives in a middle class Western surrounding;  compared to a child in  a shoe factory in a third-world country. One of the first statements is that whilst you're leading your everyday life and enjoying playing and talking to your friends; elsewhere in the world is a child slaving away making shoes. Making shoes all day long, whilst not getting paid or having fun and getting a small portion of food. This also uses the technique of multi image (see later on for more details)

The interesting thing is instead of having crosscuts, the editor puts the clips side by side. To show how similar the two are and that the events are going on at the same time. For instance at dinner time we see the Western child take a big bite out of his sandwhich whilst smiling; compared to the child in slavery scrapping a tiny tub for food. The biggest statement is that "Some things cost more than you realise" which we see unfold that the shoes the slave is making; the western child is wearing. Of which he doesn't release the effort and strain it took a slave elsewhere in the world to make. With the overall statement being that our world is full of objects that are made by slaves, still to this do whilst we carry out our everyday lives.

To entertain

Last of all, one of the most important things a music video must do is to entertain. If the music video offered no enticement to keep the audiences attention; then the audience would switch off. Which certainly wouldn't help promote the artist or receive any income. Music videos use a series of conventions and techniques ,which we will discuss later , to do so; but the actual content itself also makes up the video. A music video doesn't have to go viral to be entertaining, as long as it maintains the captivation of the audience. For example a music video could be: action packed, comical, animated and so on, I will now include some examples of videos that I find entertaining. I will also include an explanation for what makes them work/ why they are entertaining.

"To Me, To You (Bruv)" is a music video that was released by Tinchy Stryder & The Chuckle Brothers. I find this video very entertaining as its simple and silly.  First of all, the video uses several references towards the career of the Chuckle Brothers and uses the well known catchphrase " To Me, To You" which is also visually represented with the pair fumbling on with a set of ladders. Which brings back old memories of Chucklevision. The Chuckle Brothers characters are also presented in the music video with their personalities shining through. The camera angles are of the set up like a rap  music video, because Tinchy Stryder is a rapper . This makes the video further entertaining as the Chuckle Brothers don't specialise in rap, and are not well trained rappers; the facial expression are also very amusing during the repeated lines "Oh dear... Oh dear Oh dear". The most spectacular  part of the video is where the Chuckle Brothers attempt to dance with their bling and sunglasses which generates lots of comedy and laughs.  

"Fell in Love With a Girl" by The White Stripes uses the concept of animating lego bricks to create their music video. The most entertaining thing about the video is how they get it like a normal music video shot with a camera. The  shots are also edited really well and the animation looks amazing. Because it amazes me, it will also amaze other viewers and get them more engaged in the band and video. Which helps meet the purposes listed above. A normal music that isn't funny or animated can also entertain such as:

"Wake Me Up" by Avicii is a narrative music video that focuses on moving on from something if your not happy. As we see a town that doesn't like the female lead in the music video. In order to create happiness the lead travels to a different city and finds she fits in and is welcome so they both move somewhere else. The use of a visual story acts as a metaphor in this case. Instead of physically moving city to make yourself happy, the metaphor is that if your not happy change. Change so that you feel welcome and yourself so you are no longer bringing yourself/feeling down. You should also find people who are like you, which is resembled by the symbol of the tattoo in the music video. When the others who have tattoos meet they are also shown to be having fun and getting along; telling the audience that when your with people who are like you, you can achieve happiness. This is entertaining because the cinematography lots excellent and the editing fits nicely to the beat of the music. The flow of the narrative also keeps the audience captivated and thats what makes it entertaining. 

Styles

No two music videos are the same, the way in which they present their purposes varies between each music video. Although, every music video falls into a category/style, but what are the different types of styles?

Parody

Parody music videos are those that take the content that others have created a take the mick out of it. These videos generally/directly copy the styles of other music videos but do so in a comical way; it is their to make fun out of the content and the content creator. These styles of music video are often created to fit the purpose of "To Entertain" as the whole point sparks around the idea of comedy. It can be common that the lyrics of the song are changed to add to the mockery. A really good example is a Miley Cyrus "Wrecking Ball" parody by YouTuber Bart Baker. 

Compared to the original music video we viewed earlier, this music video completely takes the mick of Miley Cyrus and the performance in the music video.  The first mick take is a male stood with him dressed up in make up and his hair being in the same style as Miley Cyrus's. The lyrics are also digging at Cyrus's lifestyle and how she presents her self on stage/ in public. Overall, the music video has the character replicate the actions of Cyrus's whilst the lyrics also make fun of her. Bart Bakers does this alot and has also done it for Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" : 

 

Not only does he take a dig at the artist and video, this time he takes the mick of the techniques. As the opening reads "Hollywood California, on a s***** ass green screen".  He also focuses on parodying other artists as well as Perry, such as Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus. Again the content is the same as the music video and the creators changes the lyrics for comedic effect. Compare it to the normal video:

We also see that the prime target for mockery is that Katy Perry is very fussy and has high standards for partners in relationships. The shots and wardrobe are very similar, apart from the parody which also adds in more props for effect. Another music video that is a parody is "Tacky" by Weird Al Yankovic:

This one shot music video focuses on parodying Pharrell Williams's "Happy". 

The parody has several cameos just like the original music video. The cameos are from: Aisha Tyler, Margaret Cho, Eric Stonestreet, Kristen Schaal, and Jack Black. The main aim of the parody was to not only take the mic out of the music video and the song but the artist as well. It replicates the same style used in the original music video and has Yankovic dressed in hideous clothing. Or is otherwise known as "Tacky" whilst dancing to the lyrics of a person who brags about his style. When he is fearing a lime green T-shirt, floral jacket and blue and green swirled trousers. It also takes the mick out of the idea of the unappealing modern behaviors; such as what we get up to on social media.  

 Overall, the style of parodying is used to take the mick out of the original artist, their piece of work or  a recent issue/cultural reference.

Pastiche

Pastiche is a style that is very similar to parodying but pastiche imitates and copies features,styles and techniques used in an original piece of work. It is not used to mock the original video but to make it funny/entertaining in other ways, taking inspiration from the original. They will often aim to pay homage to the original artist. For instance in Michael Jacksons "Thriller" he takes inspiration from the 50's and 80's horror movies such as "An American Werewolf in London". As Micheal Jackson brought the movie's make up artist, Rick Baker , to created the look of the monsters from the film. 

Another example is, "Walk" by the Foo Fighters that imitates scenes from the 1993 movie "Falling Down":

 

Both opening scenes are set in the same scenario a traffic jam. The two main characters are wearing the same glasses and clothing which is already imitating the movie. Although the music video adds in some comedy by placing in some comedic bumper stickers such as " Bieber is my co-pilot" instead of the serious ones we see in the film clip. We also see a modern take to how the people of today would react in a traffic jam compared to the film. We also see similar vehicles to those that are in both forms of media. After this we see the main character in the music video walk away from his car and the song begins. The rest of the music video is also heavily influenced from other areas of the film. 

Although it is very similar to the film, the music video changes aspects in order to make it funny. Although, if the original film wasn't created then this music video wouldn't exist and the Foo Fighters would have made a different style of video. 

Narrative 

As we discussed earlier; In a film, there is a set structure of a beginning a middle and an end (ACT 1 -3). This can applied to some music videos that act as short films. The artist/ music label will produce a video that tells a story with the music playing in the background. Music labels do this to show of the creativity and uniqueness of their product. This can be known as artistic satisfaction; as they are not doing it to promote but to narrate instead. In some cases, the lyrics aren't followed with the beat of the music carrying the narrative through. A great example of a music video that has a narrative is Michael Jacksons "Thriller". This style is known as a narrative.

The story told within "Thriller" is: After running out of fuel, Micheal and his girlfriend walk into the forest leaving the car behind them. In the forest Micheal ask his girlfriend to marry him, in which she happily says yes. Until Micheal reveals himself to be a werewolf. Causing the girlfriend to flee, which ends up with her being attacked by a werewolf form of Michael Jackson. The narrative then cuts to a movie theater; which depicts Michael and his girlfriend watching the Scene in a Vincent Price horror movie "Thriller". The start is used as if the girlfriend is re enacting the movie thinking it is real.

As after the cut we see the girlfriend flee as she is too afraid. Michael also leaves the cinema and after catching up to her says "It's only a movie". At this point the pair begin to walk to a path which is covered in fog, Michael bursts into song and teases his girlfriend about what just occurred. Until they come across a graveyard, the dead start to rise and Michael suddenly turns into a zombie. During the instrumental of the song Michael and the zombies dance in time with each other.

The zombies approach a house to which the girlfriend has fled to for safety. Zombie Michael Jackson reaches for the throat of the girlfriend when it is revealed to be a nightmare. Michael then offers to take the girl home and the pair walk away, as they leave Michael looks at the camera and his eyes glow to those of a werewolf. In this we can see the first scene was Act 1, the cinema to the graveyard was Act 2 and the zombies to the end was Act 3.

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Music video directors can also start off with producing narrative music videos , they often then move up to direct films. A really good example of this is from the director David Finch. He directed music videos such as: "Express Yourself" by Madonna and "Love Is Strong" by The Rolling Stones. After directing these his first feature film he directed for was Alien 3 in 1992. He has since went on to direct other films such as "The Social Network" and "Gone Girl".  An example of a narrative music video he directed was "Who Is It?" by Micheal Jackson:

The narrative follows the story of a distrssed Jackson who thinks his girlfriend is cheating on him with another man. The narrative begins with Jackson in a hotel style building who sings abouts his girlfriend. He is feeling down due to finding a card with the name Alex engraved onto it. He takes this as if its another man his girlfriend is seeing. As the narrative goes on we see that she is not cheating but infact she takes on a series of allias's for her job. Where she sleeps with men and women to earn money. In which we find out Alex is one of her cover names. We see lots of cross cutting between the two showing the distress in Jackson and his girlfriend working. The video ends with Jackson leaving as he cannot cope with the idea of his girlfriend with somebody else, and leaves in a helicopter.  When his girlfriend comes back from her job she goes to see Jackson, but his assisstant denies access and shows her the name plates when she asks why.  The final scene shows the girl removing her make up to show her true self, but it is already to late by the time Jackson has left.

  

As Live 

This style of music video is where clips from live performances are used in the music video. The performance is usally the band or artist singing at a gig or tour and is used to show of their pure talents. Because it is a live music video, it does not mean that the footage is being broadcast live from a location; the clips are pre recorded from the live performance and edited before the music video is released. This means that the artist/band are performing infront of an audience. This style can often be used before a tour or gig to promote an upcoming event. It could also be used to show the highlights of the previous gig to get more people intrested in the next one. A music video that does this is "Livin' On A Prayer " by Bon Jovi  :

The first half of the music video focus's on the band praticing before the gig and in the second half we then see a live performance. This was recorded at the Grand Olympic Auditrorium from one of the gigs they performed at back in the day. Another music video that uses footage from live performances is "Bleed It Out" by Linkin Park:

Throughout the music video we see a series of shots of all the band members, the audience and close ups of the band memebers playing the guitar. This footage came from the live performance at Milton Keynes. Not only do we see the band perfroming, we also see the band interacting with the crowd before going into song (5:24 onwards)

  

This style of music video means the audience can put all thier attention to the band/artist rather than following a narrative. They will also use a variety of shots to show the performance from different angles to fully show of the band.

Performance 

 This style of music video is where clips from pre recorded performances are used in the music video. The performance is usally the band or artist performing the song whilsts its being recorded on camera , to be used to show of their pure talents. Because it is a performance music video, it means that the footage is pre recorded from the performance and  is often edited with other shots. This style can often be used before a tour or gig to promote an upcoming event. Rock bands such as Nickleback do this to show themselves off whilst having some sort of narrative going on in the background. This can be seen in Nicklebacks "Revoultion":

Inbetween shots of the school children, we see lots of focus on the band peforming the song. Which intensifies the narrative in this case relating children to the idea of a revolution. Not only does it create a statement but it also allows the band to show of thier talents. This keeps the audience engaged as there are lots going on in a short amount of time. This style can also be seen in Beyonce's "Single Ladies":

This music video not only shows of the artist singing the song, but also performing the dance routine routine. This is different to the Nickelback video as we only see the vocals being performed in this case where as the whole band is performing in "Revolution".  In this video there is also no cross cutting or focus on other subjects and remain on Beyonce the whole time. This is more effective for showing of the artist as they directly see them throughout the entire clip.

This style is very similar to the "As Live" section, although the performance in this style is pre recorded and not live. We would also not see any cutaways in a "As Live" and would just focus on the artist, like the Beyonce example.

  

Impressionist

Impressionist music videos are those that are designed to get the thoughts of the audience provoked. Not necessarily about the meaning of the song and video, but by a theme that runs throughout a video. This can be achieved by the color scheme I.E black and white relates to old fashioned and relates to boring as it lacks flair in the term of color; although this isn't a bad thing. There might also be a series of related objects that run throughout the video, I.E lots of reds and hearts for the theme of love. Other items include props and scenery, this style maybe used to draw the audience more into the video rather than the single itself.  As it will get the audience to feel a certain way and will often use shots that match up with the song lyric. This can be seen in JAY Z's "On To The Next One"

Not only is the music video very surreal, it is in black and white. There is also a strong connection to the number 3. As we see a series of dice in the video that all display the 3 side. We also have 3 back lights in one shot, 3 scratch marks and 3 fingers in a shot. Which leaves an impression on the audiences mind of what its going on. In fact the number 3 relates to JAY Z's album " The Blueprint Three" Impressionist styles can also be seen in: "Girls From Mars" by Ash:

The biggest thing to note from the music video is the crazy color schemes the video uses. In this version (The UK) the video is very surreal as every shot the filters of the video change; the camouflage painted onto the band also changes in every shot. There was two version because the band hated this video and re released a new shot one in America. The variety in color change definitely gets the audience's provoked which make these two music videos great examples. This style is also used to get the audience away from reality and is closely linked to the surreal style. 

Animated

This style of music video harnesses the idea using a series of images that are played together rapidly to form the illusion of movement. This is known as animation. Music videos can use a variety of animation techniques such as: cartoons, stop motion , computer generated, claymation and paper cut outs. This style of music video is often chosen when it is hard to replicate an idea in real life. This also allows the creator show of lots of flair and creativity as you can animate anything you like. This means that this style of music video can have cross links with other styles such as: Parody, Surrealist and Conceptual. Lets take a look at an animated music video:

"Feel Good Inc" by Gorillaz is an animated music video that has all the band animated as virtual people, it also used a mix of CG and 2D animation that intermingled the themes of political and social. As we see one of the members stand up above the rest with his megaphone whilst trying to wake up all the people who are half asleep. Which allow audiences to think deeper into the meaning of what appears to be a simple animation. Another really good example of an animated music video is "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel:

This music video didn't go for the easy option of having the scenes play in a smooth transition, instead the inventive music video used a series of animation techniques. The techniques are consisted of claymation, pixilation and stop motion animation. This means that for every second 24 frames were needed, so thats around 1200 frames a minute so overall the music video consists of a near 5000 frames. The music video then went on to win a series of awards such as been declared MTV's number one animated music video.

Semiotics 

Semiotics is a study of signs and meanings, which means that semiotics is how things create meaning through symbolism/imagery. This is because as human we very quickly learn to decode images, breaking them apart to show what they mean. For instance if we saw a music video with a symbol of a cross then we can infer, its a symbol of christianity, which is linked to religion and churches which we link to the story of jesus. Another example is a symbol of a dove, which is a representation of peace alongside the color white, which is the color of purity. Other literary devices such as analogies, metaphors and similes are also covered by semiotics. The Adele music video we looked at earlier was very good for making meaning through symbols.

 As a reminder here is a small section from before: The use of the fire represents the feelings of Adele, which are pain and anguish as well as matching the first line "Theres a fire starting in my heart". The burning of the city also creates the connotations of, even the magnificent and beautiful cannot last forever and when something bad happens. It will strike quickly and destroy those around it. The use of the fire also juxtaposes with the city and suggests that only Adele feels the pain of the break up while the rest of the city stays strong. This is also supported by the fact that Adele is alone in the room suggesting only she feels sorrow in the relationship. 

Comical 

These styles of music video aim to create comedy and entertainment, with the main aim to induce laughter from the audience. These styles often require and actor/acting in to order to bring across the comedy in the video. Other factors such as wardrobe and editing come into this, because funny videos are often over the top in areas. So my having the clothing to match the mood your going for adds to the effect. A really good example of a funny music video is "Listen to the Man" by George Eliza:

The comedy is created when Sir Ian Mckellen is introduced to the music video. and acts as a cameo As we see on screen , which is set up to be like a theatre (theatrical set up), George is sat alone at a bus stop. Until suddenly, out of know where Ian Mckellen walks on screen/stage. When George begins to sing the lip sync he is connected to transfers to Ian Mckellen; making it look like Mckellen is out singing George. We then see a series of shots where Mckellen is taking all the limelight and is enjoying himself, compared to a grumpy and annoyed George Eliza. This is reversed in at the 40 second mark and starts a tension between the two. The main area that is creating comedy at the minute is the lip syncing and facial expressions. 

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Although this doesn't last for long before Mckellen takes control again. Who begins to use his arms and hands to create body language. We also see him tapping his feet and swaying gently from side to side. Until George goes of stage to grab his guitar, in which Mckellen counteracts with a mini gong and a cheeky smile. Although at the 2:24 the 4th wall is broken and breaks the illusion of the music video. As the audience becomes aware that they are now behind the scenes and the actor and artist know they are creating a music video. At this point it also changes from a theatrical style to a cinematic style and the clip uses up the whole frame.

 Mckellens dialogue carries the humour through as he directly talks to the camera/audience. Mckellen even receives a drink in the form of a coconut with two straws and a slice of pineapple. The comedy works because of the actor Ian Mckellen. This same style of comedy wouldn't work because they don't share the same traits as the actor. As Ian Mckellen is always happy and wanting to have fun. The music video ends with the pair lip syncing together and dancing. 

Another music video that comes under the style of Comical, is "Turn Down For What" by DJ Snake and Lil Jon:

The comedy is creating in this music video by it being very surreal. As the whole music video is based around a guy with a very hyperactive crotch that is uncontrollable. Because it is very surreal, it is also very over the top. The over the top nature, helps create comedy in this cause as its using male genital region causing mass destruction. For instance we see lots of earthquake and jittery movements when the male gyrates against a solid surface. We also see a house phone break into pieces when he smashes it into his crotch. Later on in the must video we also see an older women have moving breasts. With each separate breast moving out of sync to the other. Until it turns into a room full of people with moving sex organs. 

In fact one of the actress states: " they're so into their testosterone—that the way that they show that is by breaking shit with their dicks. So, whatever happens, that would just be a funny logical progression" Of course this music video also comes under other styles such as surreal and uses techniques such as VFX; but is a good example of a music video that fits the comical style.

One Shot

One shot music videos are those that use no edit (cutting and putting clips together) and consists of one long continuous shot. This will normally be from one perspective and follows continuity as everything filmed flows through time; as there is also no editing. Which means that the music videos will struggle to break continuity. These styles of music video will often be well practiced and sets and props maybe moved around when not in focus/shot of the camera. These are not called one take music videos and if something goes terribly wrong that will be the final version. A really good example of a one shot music video is most of the OK Go music videos. Lets take a look at one of their videos, "I Won't Let You Down" :

Although we can see markings on the floor to where people should be, to get all those people in sync will have took a lot of practice. We also see the band perform a dance on the one wheeled powered transport which will also have took some practice even though theres is less of them. In fact the band are riding Honda UNI-CUBs 

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Which are controlled by the user who needs to shift their weight in the direction of travel. The video uses a octacopter that filmed all the scenes from being inside the building and then moved to a birds eye view of the umbrella routine. In fact it took around 50-60 practice runs just to get it right and only 11 were shot , but 3 of them were the right quality. Another music video that is a one shot is "Saramona Said" by Violent Soho. 

Which is a music video that focuses on a bunch of friends on way to a Violent Soho gig. For the main duration of the video we see the perspective of inside the car, often looking out of the wind screen and the windows. The camera moves back and forth to show certain details and we often see new characters with the rotation of the camera. We get a full 360 degree view of the car and the surroundings to full show the scenery. We also see the interactions between the people in the car and how they are preparing for the gig. The camera also swivels to the boot of the car and shows all the interactions outside of the car; when they briefly pull over to drink. 

When they get back into the car the camera swivels back into the front of the car. Until they pull up to the gig and the camera moves into a free hand mode. As throughout the camera is on a rig that is remotely controlled by a guy in the boot. Although we don't really notice this as the camera  work is really smooth. One shots are not always perfect and can still contain mistakes, such as the camera hitting into the women when she leaves the car. After this the camera work becomes shakier and not as smooth but adds to the audience feel, as they are now watching the band.  Which is used to disorientate the audience as it changes camera styles without a cut.For more on behind the scenes of the one shot see the link here ----> below:

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In the behind the scenes video title "Filming in the Fetal Position" we see how the camera man would use a remote control joystick; whilst being hid underneath a cover and lots of items that relate to the band.  The extras were also hired by having a message posted on Facebook with the location and time. The cameras also came from the camera mans previous works and projects. They mounted the camera to the roof by having a friend of the camera operators who does things like this for a living. The mount was also put on upside down and held on by curtain rails to stop the wires being mixed up. The dashboard at the front was also replaced with fake grass to make it more interesting. The camera was on quick release so it could easily be unclipped.  For more information, check out the video. 

Conceptual

Concept music videos are those that are based on a single idea or theme. They don't have to follow a narrative or have a hidden meaning, like Interpretive and Narrative music video styles. These concepts are often simple and often makes the audience engaged by being surreal or having by having a crazy concept. A really good concept video will often go viral as the idea gets people talking. This style can be used by any music genre or artist Conceptual music videos can also link to impressionist and semiotics. Again, OK Go are really good for creating music videos that follow a single concept:

 In the music video  "This Too Shall Pass " Ok Go uses the concept of a Rude Goldberg machine, which was the bands second music video. A Rude Goldberg machine is a contraption that is over complicated to perform a simple task. Such as feeding a goldfish or opening door. The device normally uses a chain reaction between the devices which adds to the overall task. The term came from an American inventor Rude Goldberg. Over 700 household objects were used, the band feature with the device as the video ends with them being hit by paint balls. Videos like this get people talking as although its a simple concept, it looks complex on camera.  Which gets people talking and sharing the video online, helping to meet the purposes of music videos.  

Another example of a conceptual music video is "Monkey Drummer " by Chris Cunningham and Aphex Twin. This video uses the concept of puppetry to control a monkeys limbs whilst the music is playing in the background. We see 6 arms, 2 legs and a drumstick penis all be controlled from the head of the monkey which looks very robotic. Each part moves so fluidly that it looks human like but each one is controlled mechanically by a puppetry. Like the OK Go video this music video uses a simple concept. It is also a very surreal video as it looks out of place but entertaining at the same time.  

"Best of You" by the Foo Fighters is another prime example of a conceptual music video. Although it is not as obvious upon first glance; like the others that follow a format throughout the video. The video acts a passage to send the idea/concept to the audience. This is done by the mix of the performance and found footage alongside the style. The found footage used shows a series of different scenarios to create the concept of death and pain in life. For instance we see some found footage of a car crash. The car crash could represent how quickly and unexpected pain can occur, as we don't plan to get involved in car accidents.But when they happen we aren't in control , which links into the concept of death as its painful for those in it and is not often expected. Not only does it harm the victims, but the families around the crash ; also highlighting the grief death can cause. Other shots include: a lion pouncing on its prey, a baby crying, a nuclear explosion. 

  

Found Footage

Found footage music videos are those that use footage that falls in the public domain. Public domain is where the content/footage is free. No restrictions or fee's are needed and can be used by anyone; 70- 75 years after the death of the creator. Examples of famous works that fall into public domain are the plays of Shakespeare and music by the composer Beethoven.There are also several case's when items fall into the public domain: All works published in the USA before the year 1923 , All copyrighted works (with notice) from 1923- 1963 and Anything without a copyright notice 1923-1977.  

Found footage is normally also consisted of clips from news channels or history as it is no use to anyone stand alone. For instance nobody want to own a clip of Adolf Hitler or war clips so they will place it into the public domain.  Artists may often use this to build upon concepts or to create a narrative using footage already filmed for them. If footage is copyrighted like things off youtube then they do not count as found footage. You may be able to use creative commons clips as long as you have the right permissions/ have asked for permission. A really good example of a found footage music video is "Love Club" which uses the artist, Lorde, music to black and white/ occasional color found footage. This was edited by Youtuber Rena Sapon White who got the clips from the National/Prelinger Archives:

This found footage music video uses a lot of reversing and forwarding of clips to match with the music. We also see lots of clips focusing on women and war, such as a woman ice skating and a bomber flying past. There are also shots of a nuclear missile mushroom cloud and men loading shells into a missile launcher. We also seem to get the impression that the video is set in America as the road styles of vehicles match the culture and lifestyle. It gives off the vibe of comparing the lives of war  to those of everyday lives. Which could be one take on it as the footage used is found and cut together to form a video/narrative. Which also makes these styles even more impressive as even though you haven't shot it yourself. You are still forming a story out of clips you have never seen and wouldn't normally go together.

 Although this is an unofficial music, found footage can be used in a normal music video along side other purposes. An offical music video will also use there own music they have create and not those that already exist.  Much like the Foo Fighters concept video we looked at earlier. I have also had my own attempt at creating a found footage music video: 

I used a series of found footage from websites such as vimeo (I checked the description to make sure they were) and over archives. I used the song "Everybody Wants To Rule the World" by Tears for Fears. I used this song as I wanted to create a music video around the concept of all the world leaders. With some of the worlds dictators who want to "Rule the World" so I created meaning by linking the lyrics to the visuals.  

Allusion 

Allusion is similar to referencing and pastiche, although they are not the same. Allusion styles may refer to something else but won't recreate it visually (like the dance moves of Michael Jackson in the reference section, see below). They may use text, costumes and props to do this those.  Allusion often uses the audiences knowledge to create the reference as an allusion style is not as obvious as a reference. They usually reference a person, literature or an event. This can be seen in " All Nightmare Long " by Metallica:

Throughout the video it references a 1908 event called Tunguska. Which was when a large comet or asteroid created a large explosion near the Tunguska river. It also uses references from a documentary called "Experiments in the Revival of Organisms" which documents Soviet Russians attempting to bring back dead animals. Throughout the music video the word "Tunguska" appears. Another music video that falls under Allusion is " Right There " by Ariana Grande:

In this music video we get a reference to Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet" as we see Ariana Grande dressed up in a large dress and text that reads " Ariana Grande as Juliet " and separate text "Patrick Schwarzenegger as Romeo". From this reference those who are aware will release that this music video is about a love story. As the classic play depicts how love is found between two fighting families, the Capulets and the Montagues. There is also the classic scene of the play where everyone is dressed up and wearing mask to hide their faces, which we briefly see on screen.  If you did not know the story of "Romeo and Juliet" then when watching this video you wouldn't pick up the subtle reference. 

Surrealist

Surrealist/ surreal music videos are those that use bizarre and out of this world concepts. This means that a video may contain visuals that could never be recreated in real life. This often leaves the audience amazed and confused to what they have just witnessed. This style is often used to grasp the audience attention, by using the out of this world concepts. This generally makes a video more memorable and is likely to go viral. This style of video does not relate to the music and lyrics fully and may contain animation to create the weird and wonderful. There also may be some live footage/ pre recorded footage of the band; to link the video to the artists. A really good example of this is "Wheres Your Head At" by Basement Jaxx:

The music video involves the band members faces being inserted onto the body of a monkey. The concept along already sounds crazy; the narrative in the video sees a scientist who shows monkeys playing music. After some other shots of the narrative, we see some monkeys brought into a chamber. When they start to play the instruments we see that the faces are actually human. Which makes it perfectly fit into the style of Surrealist, as this is not physically possible and is bizarre. In this case, the name of the song is used to describe the transformation of the monkey and human heads.

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Later on in the video we see a monkey and a human hooked up to a machine. The monkeys face beings to transform into a humans. There is also a poster which points lots of monkey brains towards a humans; the video ends when the main character in the narrative is escaping. He manages to leave via a laundry chute although he is trapped by a scientist and dog who has a human face. On his journey he also sees a room full of men, with monkeys faces. Which makes the music video 100% bizarre and makes the video memorable. As we would never see a real life human with a monkeys face. The idea of a 1 person narrative also makes it feel like a dream, a dream in which the audience is witnessing. As often our own dreams follow wild and wacky narratives. Another really good example is " Everlong" by Foo Fighters:

The video starts of with two of the band members, Pat Smear and Nate Mendel, stood outside the other band members house; Dave Grohls and Taylor Hawkins (who is playing Grohls charterers wife). The surreal nature kicks in when the video transition cuts to Grohls dream. In his dream he is at a parter where Smear and Mendel are mocking him.

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When then cut to another persons dream, this time it is Hawkins dream who is reading a book in a cabin in the woods.  At this point a floorboard sequence parodies the Evil Dead (1981 movie). Between cutting from the dreams we see Grohl enlarge his hand; which is not physically possible and provides the bizarre nature to the video. He uses the hand to beat up Smear and Mendel who suddenly vaporize and bright colors are dispersed. This over exaggerates the fight scene and brings in the ridiculous and unlikely nature that is a surreal music video. 

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The fact that this also occurs in a dream supports that statement. After crossing into each others dreams and intermingling plots; the music video ends when the real life band members, pop out of the characters heads. This again is a surreal twist as heads are coming out of characters mouths and skin, which again is physically impossible.  Hawkins and Grohl then leave the dream world and transform into there normal band members and finish the song as band. The drum kit  also appears from inside the bed and the guitars were underneath the characters costumes. In the video we also see items such as giant phones to add to the extreme surreal nature in their dreams.

Interpretive 

As humans we interpret every scenario differently. Interpretive music videos are those that get the audience thinking of an alternate meaning to what we hear in the song; but it is also how the user interprets the song. As the artist may create a product they see in their own way, to which a way a fan or audience member may view the music video. They will often show what the lyrics represent instead of showing exactly what the lyrics are. You can often tell what music videos are interpretive when you start to question the videos narrative. A good example of an interpretive music video is " Yellow " by Coldplay:

There is no direct connection between the songs lyrics and the visuals.It is also in one location, only one of the band members is in the video and why is it a one shot music video? This causes the audience to start asking questions such as, why are we on a beach?,  why is there no cuts? why is the mood really dark and rainy? Because the music video does not visual show you why, it means the decision is up to how the audience views the music video. Which is why this music video is a really good example of a interpretive music video. 

The interesting thing about this video is that it is shot entirely in slow motion. To get this effect they would need to shot at 50 fps which is easily done on a cameras second (see slo motion section for more details) . This is done so more frames are taken per second so in order to get the full movement, it takes twice as long to play it as you have double the frames. In order to match up the lip sync and the song, Chris Martin had to sing the song at double speed, so when it was slowed down it matched up. Another good interpretative music video is  "Karma Police " by Radiohead:

This music video fits the styles for a view reasons. As we are immediately thrown into a narrative, we see an empty car and we do not see the driver. Which makes the audience ponder where are we and why are we here? We also question who the driver of the vehicle is. For the next 35 minutes we see an empty road that only shows the grass around it. Out of no where we also see a man running to the lyrics "arrest that man". Making us further question the video as we want to know why the man needs to be arrested. From time to time we also see a swivel in the camera who shows the band members one by one in the back. Overall, interpretive videos are those that make the audience question the meaning of the music video, which is different from person to person. This style could also be applied to the Adele video we looked at earlier ; as the serious of symbols I explained; could be different from person to person.

Homage/Referencing

Referencing is where an artist/band honors another video by imitating the elements of it in their music video. They will not do exactly the same thing but will make it original and apply it to their own creation. This is also known as homeage. Which could be a style used by a band/artist to show everyone who their influences are, by referencing them in their music video. A reference does not have to be as big as a whole music video, a reference could be used occasionally. With references usually relating to a style of an artist, or in fact may be a reference to a time period. There is also other styles which fall under referencing, which we have seen above. In fact referencing is a good way to create synergy as it links two brands together.  (see purposes of details)

      "To Me, To You (Bruv)" is a music video that was released by Tinchy Stryder & The Chuckle Brothers. The video uses several references towards the career of the Chuckle Brothers and uses the well known catchphrase " To Me, To You" which is also visually represented with the pair messing on with a set of ladders. Referencing an old sketch the pair use to perform. Which brings back old memories of Chucklevision. This could also count as a celebrity appearance but counts as a reference as it not only references the Chuckle Brothers but the TV show as well. This can help with creating a wider audience because those who like Tinchy Stryder will see the Chuckle Brothers and may find a interest in their work and vice versa. This is known as synergy (see above)

Referencing can also be seen in  a  cover on Micheal Jacksons , "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm. Although this style of referencing is known as "Homage"; as the band is showing respect to the artist and thier original work. One by doing a cover on one his most well known songs and by replicating his dance moves without being insulting or mocking. 

There are several references throughout the video such as the iconic moonwalk and other dance routines. These include the thriller dance moves and leaning to the side. There is also a monkey and a glitter arm chair in one shot, which is to represent Micheal Jackson pet monkey "Bubbles" and his iconic glittery glove. This is used a sign of respect to the original artist, who inspired many artists with his musical works. Such as the band itself. 

Techniques/Conventions

Not only are videos different by the styles they use, but by the techniques and conventions a music video uses. But what techniques/conventions do music videos use?

Andrew Goodwin

In 1996, Andrew Goodwin came up with 6 theories that were the conventions of music videos.

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A link between the Visuals and the Song

This means that music videos will always have a link between the music and the visuals, it is close to the way lyrics match to visuals. The visual can either illustrate, amplify or contradicting the music. This can often be done by using pace,the visuals can either match the video by cutting on or off the beat. By doing this, it can help the audience follow the song. The visuals can also show the performance of the artists which promotes the talent of the singers.

For instance in "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet; we see a pre recorded performance of the band which showcases their talents. As we see them physically performing their song throughout the whole video, se we get to the see the band members instrument talents. So in this case the visual is off the band performing the song; which is a close connection.

In this music video that hasn't been created by a music label, we see a take on Jinja Safari's "Mombassa on the Line". With the theme of the video being around the fact that  even adults are still children deep down. The music video is cut well to the beat and doesn't feel like some of the shots need to be cut down. The music video often cuts on the drum beat that we hear frequently in the background. Which creates a perfect link between the visuals and the song. 

Although music videos don't always have to follow the beat of the music, but by doing so means this convention is no longer being followed. This can be applied to a found footage music video that I created; which was a cover of "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" by Tears for Fears. This can be done for effect or can simply be clumsy editing. 

Artist Image

A band or artist can create an image/ iconography in a music video, although this can also be done through merchandising. By doing this they can recognise both the music video and the merchandise which creates an overall star image overtime.  Well known examples are Michael Jackson's white glove and Miley Cyrus's recent look of the short hair. Each style of star image is unique and no two are the same. By doing it through a music video, its promotes the artists public image and creates a representation for the person they are.

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Connecting Lyric and Visuals

There should be a link between the visuals and the lyrics of a song. Again you can illustrate, amplify and contradict the lyrics. This idea is so the audience can get to grips with the song by relating the visuals to the song, making the meaning easier to understand. Although there are examples where the bands or artists that focus on the band rather than the lyrics. A good example of this is any type of conceptual music video. Good examples, are the music video "Here It Goes Again" by Ok Go, which focuses on the band performing/ choreographing a  dance on a set of treadmills.

Another great example, is by The White Stripes. The song "Hardest Button To Push" focuses on the  the drum kit travelling through a series of different locations. The video used a pixelation technique, which harnessed stop motion, which changed things from frame to frame. In this case in every frame the band and the instruments moved. 

Some music videos that closely follow the lyrics of the song are: "La La La" by Naughty Boy. One of the reasons it follows the lyrics is that when the line La La La is song; the young boy puts his fingers in his eyes and mines La La La as if he is acting out the song. Although this convention only applies to this action with the rest of the song acting as a narrative. 

A music video that closely follows the lyrics is " Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel:

For instance at the start of the music video, when Gabriel sings about the train tracks and steam trains; we see a visual representation on screen to resemble the lyrics. This is also seen towards the end of the music video when the lyric states "We go dancing" and we see Peter Gabriel dancing on screen. This is considered to be over uses these days and isn't as creative as create a separate narrative for a music video. 

Close Ups

This is where there is a demand by the record company to include lots of close ups of the band/artist. The close ups would show lip syncing and can be done with jump cuts. Close ups can be used for new bands and artists, so you start to get an idea of there image and can help relate the song to the target audience. Although for more experienced artists they can afford to focus on the song rather than themselves, as the image has already been set.

Although Emily Kinney is not a new artist, she has only released a short amount of music videos over the years. With previous years only releasing around 1 or 2 music videos a year. The reasons the close ups are used in this music video is to the show of the artist. This is also significant as Emily Kinney has just finished a long term acting role in the TV show "The Walking Dead" (SPOILERS: after her recent death). So the close ups are used to show off the talents of Kinney. This will make her stand out more, and will increase her fan base. If Kinney had a stronger music career/ was more experienced , then the close ups wouldn't be used.

Voyeurism

In music videos there will often be reference to voyeurism. Which is the treatment of how women are viewed, stereotypical women are branded as a sex appeal. In which they often wear little to non clothing and get the interest by acting in a provocative nature. This creates the idea that the audience is spying on someone and acts as if the audience is being set up to witnessing action. Good examples of voyeurism are:

"Dirrty" by Christina Aguilera which features her only wearing a bikini and underwear whilst performing several dance moves and shaking of cleavages. There are also lots of "dirty dancing" , not the movie, but dance moves such as grinding :

Another example of voyeurism is in the music video "Blurred Lines  " by  Robin Thicke ft Pharrel Williams. Which in both versions, the clean one featured women in provocative clothing that covers  the chest and crotch; the directors version contained topless women who were only wearing underwear. If you would like the uncensored version you can check it out yourself on Vimeo.

We also see this in Nicki Minaj's music video "Anaconda" which features her and the artist shaking their booty towards the camera frequently .  Again only the private areas are covered with clothing with the rest of the body unclothed. There are also lots of references to strip clubs, with one scene depicting a female dancing provocatively for a male; who is sat relaxed  in his wooden chair. 

The given examples, sum up what is meant by Voyeurism and displays how this convention is used in the music video industry.  For instance we have saw no half naked male's dancing in a provocative way and highlights how Voyeurism is a girl dominant convention. The reason it sells so well, it that it gives the idea that the audience take pleasure from watching.

Different Music Genres 

A convention is a term used for how we do things. Each music genre uses different techniques, which means each music genre follows a different set of conventions. To prove how each genre can vary from each other, I will now break down 3 genres:

Pop

These genres of music video often use the performance style based on a routined/choreographed dance. This can either be the focus on the video or the routine can be laced in with the music videos narrative.The band/artist will also normally be lip synced up when they are singing/miming. The pace is normally upbeat and fast; whilst using lots of bright colours and is brightly lit. Members of the band will normally wear designer clothing that is trending or mainstream in the fashion industry. Because these are so upbeat and bright the prime target audience for a pop music video is younger audiences such as young adults and teenagers. There is also no heavy drug or alcohol references with the content normally PG level. A good example of a pop music video is "Party Rock Anthem " by  LMFAO:

The dance routine used throughout the video became know as the shuffle which became popular world wide. We also see lots of bright lighting and the dance members and singers wearing sharp bright colors. The women in the video are also wearing lots of sparkly dresses and the overall tone of the music video is up beat.

Rock/ Heavy Metal

Rock/metal music videos are not as bright as pop music video and use darker lighting; to produce a dark and edgy vibe to the video. The main styles this genre uses the style of performance with the  shots covering all band but mainly focusing on the singer. Sometimes a narrative is intermingled with the performance to outline the darker lyrics/ those that reveal the most about the songs meaning. The outfits the band wears are not as mainstream and creative and colourful as pop and are often black. Heavy metal music videos may even contain artists with piercings, tattoos and crazy hairstyles. The editing is also very fast pace as it has too keep up with the beat of the music. A good example of a metal/rock music video is "Psychosocial " by Slipknot:

The band are seen wearing lots of dark leather jackets and mask that resemble skulls and horror; which match up to the songs aggressive nature. There is also lots of destruction and the fire is the only source of light around; the cuts are also very quick along and features lots of head banging in the 3 minute mark. The darkness of the video adds to the overall feel of being unwelcoming and horrifying. 

Rap/Hip Hop

Rap music videos often use many stereotypes such as shiny jewellery (bling), drugs, underdressed and provocative women, gangster/street style clothing and crime. The clothing normally worn is loose clothing that is normally branded, items such as tracksuits, hoodies, caps and vest style tops are normally used. Rappers normally have short hair cuts with shorter sides. The scenes in a rap video are normally in a street or in a bar or places with low lighting. All the emotion from the artist is portrayed in there mannerism with their hands being used in their body language. Rap is also normally based on life experiences so the facial expressions brings across the idea of commitment and anger, as it means so much to the artist. So we often see lots of close ups of the artistThe clips are also cut to the music to make it fit right to which extras and the artist are normally dancing to. The lighting is also darker than a pop music video but not as much as a rock video. . A great example of a rap video is "Who Do You Love " by YG ft Drake:

From the thumbnail we can already see that the clothing matches up with my description. The hair style is also cut short and the artist is holding a drink in hand. The video also takes part in some sort of club where women are seen with little clothing. There are also close ups to a woman's top half and the same women twerking. There are also lots of close ups of the artist rapping and using his hands to express his emotions. There is also lots of jewellery on show along with several extras where caps.

Summing up the theory

Here is a video that sums up all the theories with some examples:

Techniques

Extending A Songs Meaning

Artists/Bands can't always get their full meaning through in there songs. So in their music videos they extend the meaning by showing a visual representation of the songs hidden meaning. Their meanings generally make a statement relating to modern day life. In this section we will be looking at some examples of songs that strengthen the meaning/ make a statement that isn't normally understood from the single itself. By using a serious of visual imagery this technique is fully utilised.

An artist  who really reinforces the songs meaning, is Adele. Who is an R&B/Pop/Soul singer whose songs often feature the theme of heartbreak and love. For this example we will look at the music video for her song "Rolling in the Deep" but before we do, lets look at the lyrics:

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Which is a song created after a recent breakup with her boyfriend. In fact "Adele summed up "Rolling in the Deep" as her reaction to, "being told that my life was going to be boring and lonely and rubbish, and that I was a weak person if I didn't stay in the relationship. I was very insulted, and wrote that as a sort of 'fuck you'."  In the music video lots of symbolism is used to express how Adele feels about the breakup and her connotations of love. I will look at some of the shots within the music video and explain how they build upon the song.

For instance: 

Throughout the video, we have several cross cuts to a pile of broken cups, with another being smashed and joining the pile in each shot. Although we see a pile of cups, the broken crockery symbolise  the singer's broken heart and the throwing represents the feelings towards her break up. These shots are used throughout and match up with the emotive language Adele uses to create an extending meaning. Later on we see this shot, in the music video:

In this shot we see a city made out of paper, which is lit on fire by sparks creating by pyrotechnics. The use of explosive devices connotes the sense of danger, this is combined with the lyric "the scars of your love" and suggests that the relationship has left a physical mark behind. As a scar never truly heals. 

Last of all, we see the paper city burn:

The use of the fire represents the feelings of Adele, which are pain and anguish as well as matching the first line "Theres a fire starting in my heart". The burning of the city also creates the connotations of, even the magnificent and beautiful cannot last forever and when something bad happens. It will strike quickly and destroy those around it. The use of the fire also juxtaposes with the city and suggests that only Adele feels the pain of the break up while the rest of the city stays strong. This is also supported by the fact that Adele is alone in the room suggesting only she feels sorrow in the relationship. 

The interesting thing about the music video is that it takes the lyrics of the song; and amplifies the meaning through the visual symbolism extending the meaning of the song.

Breaking The Fourth Wall

In theatre this term is used to describe the invisible "wall" at the front of the stage, with the other 3 walls being the box set of the stage. When the audience stepped past, or talked to the audience through the "wall" it was known to be breaking the wall. This still occurs in theatre and other modern forms of media.

Breaking the fourth wall is a metaphor used to describe a character who acknowledges the reader/audience and may often talk to them. Not all music videos do this, and it is seen in films and TV but if often used in comical purposes. This is done when a character or actor faces the camera and stares into the lens; as if they are stood infront of the audience. A really good example of a music video that uses this technique is "Listen to the Man" by George Ezra:

This technique can be seen throughout the video as Ian Mckellen is constantly looking towards the camera and so does George Ezra towards the end. This is really appropriate as the setting is on a stage/theatre which where the idea of the 4th wall came from. The use of the technique is prominent when Mckellen starts speaking cheekily to Ezra and looks for encouragement in the audience. Not only do they recognise the audience, they recognise that they are making a music video which breaks the illusion.  This technique is used to get the audience feeling like they are involved in the product and that they are welcomed by the performers. 

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A really good example of this being used other media such as TV, is the Netflix orignal series "House of Cards" ; starring Kevin Spacey. Spaceys characters, congressman Francis "Frank" Underwood turns to the camera every episode and tells the audience his motives and reasoning. This brings more to the story as the audience know more than the characters in the show, this is known as dramatic irony. Here is an example of this in action:

Cutting To A Beat

Cutting to the beat is where the shots are cut on the beat, or important beats in the music. Its used to keep the audience engaged with the pace of the music. If one shot is too long it can often bore the audience and they will switch off. It also puts more attention on new shots, as the audience get to see more things visually. Last off all, it emphasis the connection between the song and the visuals like we looked at earlier. To do this the editor will use the cut tool in the NLE software when the music beat is present. This can often set the pace for the video and creates tension by the way music videos are cut. Videos such as " Pretty Fly " by  The Offspring cut to the beat:

This technique comes into full effect after the one shot introduction at 0:31 seconds. Every time we hear the drum beat/ the sharp guitar strum we see a visual cut between the shots. This is used to keep up with the fast pace style of the song; which keeps the audience engaged without being lost by the music. This is also seen in "So Far Away " by Avenged Sevefold:

Like the previous example this music video also cuts to the beat. The beat is slow to start off with so it doesn't cut as much until the song really kicks in.  The video also cuts to the drum beat/ guitar strum and makes the video flow smoothly. If it was to cut off beat it can often disorientate the audience and lose the flow of the pace.  Overall, the technique is used so the pace is smooth and follows the pace of the music. If we don't cut to the beat it can be off putting, but can also be done for effect. To do this you simply cut the visual on the songs beat/ significant beat.

Lighting 

Lighting is a technique used to create the mood and feeling of the music video. Videos can often use a mix of high and low lighting to create meaning from links to the lyrics or visuals. For happy and uplifting shots in a music video the light intensity if often high which portrays the mood as  welcoming and cheerful. If the mood comes across as dark and unwelcoming then there if often little light in the shots. Without lighting the shots would not look professional and makes it harder to bring out aspects in the band and the surroundings.  

You can also add effects to the light in post production such different light filters or turning a video black and white. These effects are often used for surreal music videos as the effects are added in and not part of the normal footage; which creates the sense of surrealism as its not normal and often has bizarre effects.  The color of the lighting used also adds to the feel of the video and can connote different feelings and emotions that the audience will pick up upon. The music videos set up that can be commonly used is a 3 way set up. 

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The first light we use in the set up is the key light. The key light is the initial light and provides the main source to light up the subject. Although the key light can cause lots of dark shadows that mainly cover the subject. To counter balance this the fill light is used which softens the shadows and makes the subject appear lighter. Finally, the back (Also known as the hair light, as it brings out the details in the hair) light is used to show of the 3D nature of the subject and makes the outlines really stand out. Put these 3 together and it gives a really nice looking shot to your shot.

 You can play around with  the intensity of each light and the color temperature if you are using a rotolight. As the scale ranges from 1,000 kelvin which is candle light to 10,000 kelvin which is the sky on a clear day. By playing around with each of these settings then you can create different effects. I.E turning of the fill light means the subject is covered in shadows and appears darker. To reflect the light technicians will often use large reflected surfaces such as a white sheet; as white reflects light. To make areas absorb light so there is more focus on them, black surfaces are used. 

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The diagram above shows the use of a white reflector which puts more lighting on the subjects in the frame. This is often used so the light intensity isn't wasted and it is all focused into one place. 

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Pop lights will often have more glamorous lighting and shows off more vibrant colors in the lighting. Lighting can also be used to highlight certain objects and makes the audience focus on what the light is showing. In performance videos this is often the band or artist. Videos with darker themes will use darker lights and the intensity on light on the band will often be lower. Color temperatures can also be mixed which creates the color filters I mentioned earlier. Back lights can also be windows if there is no possible way of inserting a light; if you are on set you can put a light outside the window to give the same effect. Here is a tutorial that goes through how to use lighting in a music video for effect:

I will now look at some music videos that utilize the technique of lighting. In " TiK ToK" by Ke$ha:

Every shot is  well lit and we see lot of bright colors. In fact the light is that intense that the people in shot have shadows behind them and not so much on their face. I get the impression that natural light and lighting equipment is used as there is a sense that its very well lit even though it doesn't look incredibly sunny. Even in places that are normally dark, Ke$ha is fully presented and doesn't give the impression of being in a darkened atmosphere. This gives the audience a sense that it is a happy and vibrant music video and that the song is a very up lifting song; which we also get from the beat/pace. Although all music videos are not like this. For instance in "Physiological " by Slipknot:

The band are seen wearing lots of dark leather jackets and mask that resemble skulls and horror; which match up to the songs aggressive nature. There is also lots of destruction and the fire is the only source of light around; the cuts are also very quick along and features lots of head banging in the 3 minute mark. The darkness of the video adds to the overall feel of being unwelcoming and horrifying. This sets the mood as very depressing and deep as it has a very emo and Gothic style to the video. As the band is a rock/ heavy metal style. The audience get this sense from the lighting as its all about the fast pace and heavy metal in the music. Compared to the nice lighting in the Ke$ha video which brings across colors and vibes is immediately contrasted in this Slipknot music video.

 

Slow Mo

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 Slow motion is an effect where the footage playsbacks slower than the normal 24fps (frames per second) we see on screen. You can create this effect in 2 way. One by turning your fps up to 50 or higher, which means more frames are took so when you try and fit it onto a 24fps timeline it takes twice as long to play are there are more frames. You could also delay the speed/ turn it down in the settings of a NLE software; but this doesn't look proffesional and is not the best in quality. So the first method is prefered.  The higher the frames per second the slower the footage will appear, often the more expensive camera will run the higher option on the number of FPS. The main use of slow motion is too emphasis certain actions at lower speeds. Such as a natural phenomena such as a rain drop touching the floor or to create emotion and themes depending on what the slo motion is showing.

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For instance here is the option in Premiere Pro to play around with the speed of the clips.

You can also combine a slow motion to the lyrics and lip sync of the song. In order to match up the lip sync and the song, the artist would have to sing the song at double speed, so when it was slowed down it matched up; with the 50% reduction as the visuals have doubles so the song will need to as well. Other wise the lyrics would be of sync with the artist. We have looked at an example of this in the interpretive section of styles. Here is the music video as a reminder:



Another example a  of music videos that uses this technique is : "Chase You Down " by Joel Peter:

Slow motion is used throughout the music video, the main use is to highlight the emotion in the couple (in the thumbnail above). We see this a lot during the end sequence when the pair are dancing in the smoke. The use of this, emphasis the love between the couple as they maintain eye contact and present themselves as having a good time. Not only is it eye contact, it  is deep eye contact as if they are staring into each others soul's. If regular motion was used for this shot then there wouldn't of been a sense of strong emotion as blink and you'll miss it. 

Miming/Lip Sync

Lip sync is a short term for lip synchronization. In this technique the lip movements are matched to those of a song so there is a direct correlation. Which basically means the artists/band members lips move at the same as the lyrics are sung. The song used is often pre recorded and the artist will mime there singing when recording the footage for the music video. This saves the band from several takes incase they mess up or the version they record songs different to the single released. So doing this creates the synergy between the song and the music video as both songs used are the same. Although, the song may have well been recorded along with the performance and the lip sync is used so all the shots create continuity; as the song matches the bands lips. Otherwise, you would have the same audio playing at the same time or out of sync. This technique  is done in post production, as there will be an audio cue in the footage to show the start of a song. For instance, here are the ten basic shapes for phoneme shapes:

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This can also be used to make it appear that a person may be a really good singer, although all they are doing is moving their lips in time to the music. This technique is mainly used in performance style music videos. For instance in Idina Menzel & Michael Bublé  "Baby It's Cold Outside"...

We see the song sang by the pair lip synced to two young children, which play the child versions of the pair. This gives the impression that the two sets of people are connected , as they both sing exactly the same without any problems. Because we cannot see the original artists singing this until the end it gives the impression that it is very realistic mouth movements; even though the age the children are at, they couldn't reach the notes the original pair can. The use of matching lip syncs up to others instead of the original artist is also seen in "Listen To The Man" by George Ezra:

As we saw earlier, throughout the music video the miming is used by both artists. This is to give the idea that Ian Mckellen can challenge the ranks of George Ezra and beat him in a song war. This adds to the comedic effect as the professional singing isn't expected from Mckellen and creates a shock factor; as he it appears he can sing the song just as well. Although, moving away from lip syncing others, lets look at a performance music video that uses this technique to match up to the original band/artist. In " Hero" by Nickelback ...

We see that after cross cutting to other shots from the movie Spider Man, the lyrics are perfectly in line with the visual and causes no suspension; that this has been done in post production. By creating the illusion the band are in sync it shows of the talents of the band/artist as we see a well performed song that is in sync with the visuals. If the two were to be out of sync then the audience would not watch the video as it is discomforting; as it would be very easy to notice.

This technique can also be used for all the other styles, although this style is the most dominant for using this. But the technique is always very effective and works towards the idea of an "invisible edit"; as we do not notice this as being out of place.

Timelapse/Hyperlapse

Timelapse is a technique used to compress/speed up time which is opposite to the slow motion technique. This technique is created when the intervals of the film frames (which is normally 24-30 fps) are captured at lower points, such as 6 frames per second.  When this footage/series of images is played at normal speed it gives the appearance that its moving much faster than normal, which creates the effect of lapsing time. This means your general recording time will be much longer, as more frames are needed to match the normal rate. I.E in one second you can record at 24fps, but using the mode of 6fps it would take 4 times as long to get the same amount of frames and seconds. This is done by taking photos and putting them together in post production. So you might take 6 photos every 10 minutes or a 10 seconds to depending on the effect you want/shutter speed.

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This is often used to film things that are slow moving when we see them and don't notice their movements. This can be applied to things such as clouds moving in the sky, to a sun set or a flower growing. This technique can be seen in "Just Like You" by Bosley:

Not only is the timelapse synced up with the lyrics, the whole video took 9 months to take. So the artist had to be in the same place everyday for 9 months without moving the camera. It also counts as a timelapse as time is compressed over a long period of time. In fact to stop the camera from moving the tripod/camera was cemented in place and a building put round it, to stop people from stealing it. We see the garden go through several seasons with the most prominent being the garden going from winter to spring. Time lapse is also seen in " Hearts" by Dan Black featuring Kelis:

Although this video uses hyperlapse as well, the main technique used is time lapse. In this video we see an artist stand on the top of building in Paris for 24 hours.  In this case an image is took for ever minute with is huge total of  86,400 images , 60 *60 *24 = 86,400 . Although it turns out that it was uses for every 16 seconds and only for 3 minutes and 36 seconds. Which is 5400 frames. 24 hours/5400 frames = 16 seconds. Not only do we see the clouds passing in the background, the images the various actors/artist holds changes in each minute; creating the illusion of movement. Which gives the idea that this technique is similar but not the same to stop animation. Here is the behind the scenes video for the music video:

So why does this video also fit under the hyperlapse section? Well a hyperlapse is very similar to the time lapse technique. Although instead of being stationary, hyperlapses use the spatial awareness. To do this the camera is aimed at a fix point, in this case the artist/actors, while the camera rotates taking the photos. This is often used to cover distance and can simply be created by walking around the subject matter. Like a time lapse the photos are put together in post production to a normal frame rate. To compress time and space. This is seen in this music video when we see a time lapse occur around the artist, as we get a full 360 degree view; whilst the actors and characters change in the frame. Another music video that uses hyper lapse is "Centuries" by Fall Out Boy:

Although we don't see a full 360 degree view like the previous music video. We get to see the action/timelapse on the X, Y and Z axis and not in a flat appearance. This was filmed using a mobile app called Hyperlapse and was the unounofficialsic video for the band. It feature hyperlapse in the city of Chicago and on the water. Whilst this doesn't use the traditional method of taking the photos on a relay, it uses the footage and speeds it up to give the hyperlapse effect. Although the technique is still prominent and meets its purposes.

Using Multiple Shots/ Multi Camera

Instead of using one camera and creating a one shot music video. A multi camera setup is often used to record various shots from different angles. This is to give the audience more variety in the visuals, whilst the shots will focus on the narrative or the artist/band. This visual allows the audience to see more of the performer, showing them off more. The style that uses this the most is performance style music videos. If you had one continuous shot , that doesn't move then the audience would get bored. So this technique is often used to avoid this.  Here is a diagram to how this technique could be set up:

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Note how the cameras are placed this is done so none of the other camera are picked up in the frame; but also so it doesn't break the 180 degree rule. Which not only applies to film and tv but to music videos as well. Although you can still have camera movements in place to do so; breaking the rule can also be done for effect. The cameras could be placed in different places along the axis of action for certain affect. I.E if persons A and B had guitars. Camera 2 could pick up a mid shot of the two, camera 3 could focus on close ups. Whilst camera 1 and 4 focus on the pair playing the guitars. In post production the editor will cut the shots so that they are lip synced and matches the continuity of the video. In general at least one of the camera will be used for a wide shot, incase any of the other camera miss out on some action. In this video we see the effect of how multiple cameras can be used to make a music video:

A music video that uses this technique is " Something From Nothing" by the Foo Fighters:

Which uses a series of shots from wide shots of the band performing, to close ups of the lyrics being sung to instruments being played. This video will have used a multi camera set up to make it easier to produce. As if you only had one camera then the band would get sick of performing the song over and over whilst one camera man gets all the shots. Not only would it be tedious, it would take a long time to produce and would waste money and resources. This technique can also be applied to the performance video we looked at earlier. Here is another video that explains how to create a multi camera set up (although it is going through how to do so for a live performance, it is very similar):

Camera Movement 

In music videos the camera operator can move the camera in a series of ways for different effects. The first one we will look at is moving the camera by hand. In this technique the operator will hold the camera without any supporting apparatus. This will normally result in shaky footage, unless the camera operator is very skilled. The use of shaky cam it sets a fast pace, as there is no swifty and steady movement; just a rapid and edgy one. This style of camera movement can be seen in Ke$ha's "Take It Off":

The use of the hand held camera in this music video, shows the edgy and uncontrollable artist; as its difficult to keep the frame still and moves in different directions all the time.

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Panning is another camera movement technique; which is when the camera rotates on a horizontal axis. This gives the motion a similar effect as if you're turning your head to follow the action. This is often done by mounting a camera onto a tripod, locking off the vertical axis and then using the lever to turning from left to right/right to left which is known as panning. Instead of cutting to the action, this is used to still show focus on an subject whilst revealing more around it. This will often give the audience an panoramic view; which reveals more details about the surroundings of the music video. This technique could often be used for establishing shots, as the pan reveals more around the area. 

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A music video that uses this technique is "Love 'Em All" by K.Michelle:

At 58 seconds we see a tracking shot going from left to right and shows the various mannequins in the background. The last camera movement technique we will be looking at is the tracking shot. This is where the a camera is mounted onto a dolly, a wheeled base that is on a set of wheels. When pushed the camera dolly will follow the shot. So depending on how you layout the tracks, depends on where the camera goes. This is called tracking, as you can track the movement of the subject you want. This, as well as the previous technique allow for smooth footage ; as they are supported at the right level and attached securely to a base. For instance a tracking shot in a music video will focus on the artist and their movement. This gives the artist more attention and will help with various purpose, such as star image and to create publicity for them. Tracking shots are used in the music video "Run The World " by Beyonce:

In this music video we often see lots of tracking shots on Beyonces movements. Which is done in one smooth shot, instead of cutting between the action. 

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Creating/Using Pace

Creating/using pace means the editor will cut to the pace of the song. If the song is fast paced then the cuts are going to be quicker and vice versa. This will then set the overall motivation of the music video. This can create synergy between the two as they match up in the speeds of how fast things are going. If the editor wasn't to cut to the beat/pace of the song the visuals wouldn't match as well to the song, which can disorientate the view of the audience. Although this could be done for effect, if done wrong it can make the viewers switch off. Which would result in none of the purposes being met. For instance if we look at "OneRepublic  " by  Counting Stars:

The songs slow start is matched by the longer shots are the start of the music video. But as the song starts to get into its rhythm and becomes faster in pace, the shots become shorter and cuts are more frequent. Not only does it match the pace, but allows the audience to follow the narrative/video as the pace is matched to those of the song. Another music video that does this is "Burn" by Ellie Goulding:

This follows a similar suit to the previous music video, starts out slow then progresses into the up beat song. In this case the fast cuts and pace is generated in the chorus, where the pace is at its highest. These examples fully sum up to how the editor uses this technique for effect.

Transitions

Not all music videos, any TV/Film, just use normal cuts between the shots. Some times an effect maybe placed between the shots to link the two together; this is known as a transition. As it is going from one to another. These are done in post production in NLE software by simply dragging and dropping the desired effect onto the clips. These settings can then be tweaked for timing and effect. In this section I will give a brief oversight to 3 of the basic transition. 

 A gradual fade from one shot to another is known as crossfade/dissolve. This can create a relaxing mood as its a nice gradual change and is often used in shots that show a lot of scenery. This transition gives the sense of time passing or a change in the narrative. This has often been used in the same location, put the artist has gone. Giving the effect that the artist has faded away. This can be seen in "Ill Make Love To you" by Boyz II Men:

Where at 2:35 the band dissolve into a pool of watery, which resembles the sense of time passing and a change of location. Here is another video which shows the transition in use over a variety of music videos:

A fade is like a cross dissolve, although they are commonly used on the start/end of a music video. A fade will normally go from a single color to black or white. For instance if I placed a fade on the end of a music video, it would fade it black. In Ed Sheerans "Thinking Out Loud":

The fade in is used to not only start the video, but to also introduce use to a mysterious shadow on stage. After a brief introduction to the character another fade is used, this time to fade out. Which begins the start of the song. This gives the impression to the audience that the figure on stage is significant to the video. The video also ends on a fade out, which signifies the narrative and video is over. The use of in and out points is also seen in "Rude" by MAGIC!:

Wipe is a fast transition, indeed it is much faster than the previous two. This is where one shot is replaced by the next in a geometric pattern. For example a rectangle may fade down and switch the shots. There are lots of basic and complex shapes used in a wipe and will often contain borders, to help show the difference in the shots. This form of transition is best used for showing a change of location.This transition is not used as much as the others, so is harder to find examples of such.

Green Screen/ VFX

A green screen is where a large sheet of green is used during filming. When the footage goes into the post production stage, computer can detect this and allow the user to manipulate the background. This is used to create visual effects that could not normally be replicated in real life. This can often be used for surreal music videos as it breaks the boundaries of reality. By placing people into a digital format this is known as a chromakey. To get the background into place you need to make the layer transparent. To do this keying is used, isolating a color/brightness in an image and replacing the layer with another image. Which in effect is why we use a green screen. 

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But why is green used, a variety of colors such as blue, pink and purple could be used. But. green is used because it is a bigger contrast and is distinctly different to the colors and tones of clothing worn by people. If the color matches the background ,then you appear to be part of the background as you have become transparent. This can be done in programs such as Adobe After Effects and various other post production programs. 

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Green screen comes under visual effects which is also known as compositing. Which is combining of visual elements from different places in one image. Which creates the idea that all the elements are part of the sequence and are not from other places. This is done through digital image manipulation on post production software. If done correctly it will appear that everyday people are interacting in a virtual world generated by CGI , computer generated image. Lets take a look at some music videos that harness this technique. In Katy Perrys "Dark Horse":

At 3:14 we see Perry stand on top of a pyramid whilst the clouds. which are multi colored, pass by in the sky. This rings immediate bells of VFX as, one it would be too dangerous to be stood on an actual pyramid and two because the clouds are too multi colored and don't look realistic. In fact this could me said for most of the video, as we see a digital Egypt throughout.  In fact, when we see the behind the scenes video, most of the set is covered in green screens; which will be replaced with the Egyptian footage in post production. Here is the behind the scenes video:

Another great example of a music video that does this is " Grab Her" by Disclosure. Which came as a runner up in MTV's best visual effect for a music video in 2014.  

Which see's several objects float up towards the ceiling as if gravity has been reversed. These items include things such as paper, goldfish, hats and urine. Throughout the video this concept is used and we see several shots of things attached to the wall. Not only does this help with the surreal style of music video, but the visual effects of how everything flies up to the ceiling. As at one point there is a floating dog on a lesh, which you can see in the thumbnail video. Overall, this technique is about how in the post production process you can use computers to manipulate images to make concepts that reality cannot cater for.

 Lyric Interpretation

When a band/artist wants a music video produced they will brief a music video production company. Most briefs will only consist of handing over a copy of the lyrics and the song, the production company must go from their. Unless, the artist has specific demands such as OK Go who rely on a concept rather than the lyris. The production company will then have to use the lyrics to make a music video around them, but most artists will want the meaning of the song to be portrayed. To do this the MVP must break down the language used in the lyrics , metaphors, similes, superlatives, etc... to discover the songs meaning. This will become known as the lyric interpretation stage/technique as without speaking to the band/artist they must be able to figure of the meaning from the lyrics. As if they produce a music video that the band/artist isn't happy about then they will have failed there job; and another music video maybe produced.   

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A good example we looked at earlier was the Adele song, as the music video producers had clearly understood the songs meaning and amplified it in the music video. This also helped that Adele has a reputation for sad and romantic songs so the music video producers already had an idea through star image. So when producing a music video it is also good to look at the image the band/artist has set. 

I will now look at a song that does not have a music video, so I can interpret the lyrics and generate ideas of how I would visually create the song. The song I am using is "How I Go" by Yellowcard:

I could tell you the wildest of tales
My friend the giant and traveling sales
Tell you all the times that I failed
The years all behind me
The stories exhaled.
And I'm drying out
Crying out
This isn't how I go

I could tell you of a man not so tall
Who said life's a circus and so we are small
Tell you of a girl that I saw
I froze in the moment and she changed it all

And I'm drying out
Crying out
This isn't how I go
Hurry now
Lay me down
And let these waters flow
Flow...

Son I am not everything you thought that I would be
But every story I have told is part of me

And you keep the air in my lungs
Floating along as a melody comes
And my heart beats like timpani drums
Keeping the time while a symphony strums
And I'm drying out
Crying out
This isn't how I go
Hurry now
Lay me down
And let these waters flow...
Flow....
Let it flow
Let it flow

Son I am not everything you thought that I would be
But every story I have told is part of me
Son I leave you now but you have so much more to do
And every story I have told is part of you

Throughout the video, we get the concept of death throughout. Such as the words "This isn't how I go". The use of the word "go" suggests the matter of death as when combined with "This isn't how I" creates the idea as its a common saying "when I go"/ when I pass away. Which also implies that someone is on their deathbed which could be one of the locations for the music video. We also get the metaphor for creativity "I'm drying out" as if all his creative ideas are running out and going and wants the wish to be creative for one last time "Let these waters flow". So a music video he could begin to draw or tell a story of wild exaggerated creatures like the lyrics in the first paragraph; "The giant and the travelling sails". The last thing I am going to interpret is that there is also a Son next to a death bed, as the father (which I have interpreted from the song as a whole) says "I am not everything you thought I would be". The overall concepts I would include in the music video would be, creativity and surreal natures, narrative of the son and father, the father on his deathbed an his son next to him.

Last of all in this section, we will look at the brief for the OK Go music video " This Too Shall Pass " using information from the Ted.com video. The first thing the band wanted was a machine they could dance and interact with. Which was in the style of a Rube Goldberg machine, see one shot music video styles for more details. They came up with 10 rules for the music video. 1, the audience must be able to follow everything, 2 make the band integrate with it. 3 it should follow the song feeling, 4 use of space is effective, 5 should be Messy, 6 the machine starts the music, 7 synch to the rhythm and the beats. 8 end bang on time, 9 the machine to play parts of the song and 10 in one shot. Which set a huge challenge for the music video producers.

Camera Angles/Shots

Like we looked at earlier, it is important to use a series of shots/ multi image. But what types of shots and angles do we see in music videos? In this section I will list the shots and talk through each one, I will also provide a visual image (from film/tv, as they are done the same way) to help with the explanation. I will not use a music video as each music video will use a variety of shots, unless they are one shot which normally only show one perspective.

• Extreme wide shots are used to emphasis the scenery/location and the effect it has on the artist. As an extreme wide shot will show the artist to be very small and out of place in a huge surrounding. Extreme wide shots can also be used for establishing shots in a narrative music video.

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• Wide shots are where all of a body can be seen in frame and stills allows on the location the camera is showing. This normally also reveals the dress sense and full on appearance of an artist/band. 

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• Mid shots show the artist from the waist up and puts all the attention onto the artist. It may also show closure details of the location the video is set in. 

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• Medium close ups are half way between a mid shot and a close up. this will show the body from the head to just below the shoulders. This shot shows the face clearly without having to be fully in frame. 

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• Close ups show an artists face fully , which emphasis the emotion and the talent in the artist as we get to see all the facial features and body language up close. The close up can also be used to focus on an object or item that the music video producer wants to draw attention to. In a music video that uses the performance style, a lot of close ups are of the band/artist singing and playing instruments to highlight the musical talents. 

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• Extreme close ups show even more detail of an object or face, for instance an eye in frame would be an extreme close up. It is used to further emphasis a reaction or emotion and is often used in dramatic scenes. This can also be used to show a lip sync as we see the mouth moving up close. 

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• Over the shoulder shots are those, that are shot over someones shoulder. They are good for showing a narrative music video or a conversation between two people. As over one shoulder you may see a mid shot/close up of another persons face. This may also show what a character is looking at without using matching eyelines. 

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Camera Angles

• Eye level angles are very common and sets everything up in a frame so it appears that we are seeing it in real life. As what we see on screen matches our own eye levels perfectly. 

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• High angle shots is where the camera will look down on something and makes it appear that an artist or band is looking up at something. This shot makes the artist or band look insignificant as we are looking down on them.

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• Low angle shots are the opposite of looking down, this shot is where the camera is looking up at an object/subject. This gives the idea that the band/artist are powerful and significant as we are looking up to them, as we are smaller in size than them. 

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• Bird eyes shots is where we see the shot from above, it is an unnatural point of view and will often be used to show great landscapes or someone from over the top. It shows the movement and subject from a different angle, which we would not see in any other type. This also makes the audience feel more powerful again as we are lingering over the band/artist.

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• Slanted angles/dutch angles is where the shot is not full on straight and the camera has been tilted to the side. This can often be used to disorientate the audience as they are use to having the camera straight, so by tilting the camera you can create a series of different themes and emotions.

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Without the different camera shots and angles the audience would get bored quickly. The use of the different shots also allows the music video producer to create a series of affect and emotions to be generated, as when we see something new or used in a certain way we start to presume why. Which can get the audience thinking and more engaged in the product. It is common that the average shot in a music video will last from 3-5 seconds, which is good for keeping the audience on their feet.

End of chapter