Music Videos and their Conventions

As previously stated, our group has decided to take on the music video brief; in order for us to produce the best work possible we need to understand the conventions of music video.

According to Pete Fraser, lyrics do not always act as a reflection of the narrative in the video, they can establish a mood or atmosphere about the video but rarely offer a coherent meaning throughout. Fundamental lines may be incorporated into the visuals but there are few videos which act as a dramatisation of all the lyrics in the song.

The music itself is generally used to set the pace of the video, particularly in editing, an up-beat pop-rock video may have faster editing, shorter cuts and sped up scenes because that matches the tempo of the track.

Most videos do conform to some mould of genre, (dark, sinister and morose being linked to metal videos) others excel this and create something practically indefinable. The features which make it possible for us to categorise a video into a genre are found in the types of mise-en-scene, themes, performance, cinematography and editing technique.  

Cinematography can actually be broken down into further groupings of camera movement, shot, angle and distance; all of which need to be analysed when interpreting a media text. The camera movement can accompany the movement of the performers, (walking down a street, dancing across a room etc) or be used to create dynamic experience for the viewer when the performer or artist themselves are standing still. For example, live shots of the band performing aren’t exactly visually stimulating unless the artists perform as entertainers and not just musicians; by consistently circling the group on stage the audience get a better feeling from watching and the video becomes less mundane. Close ups are very much a major convention of music videos and fall under shot size in cinematography. These types of shots create an intimacy for the viewer which is what the audience wants; they’re watching the video because they want to feel close to the band and hear what they’ve produced, in order to fully experience the music and believe what the artist is giving to them, close ups provide them with that sense inclusion. As well as this close ups can emphasis the commodity on sale; the artists and voice. In terms of editing, fast-cut montages tend to be the popular style; images are merged in very brief time slots which make it impossible to fully grasp the video in one viewing, therefore encouraging the audience to watch more than once. Some other videos however, particularly from genres such as spiritual, do use slow paced cuts and softer transitions to establish the mood.

Music videos also have a tendency to display intertextuality of some description, especially from artists who’re mainstream and can rely on many views of their video just from their name being on the front. Many links are usually made to film, this is because film is on similar level to music in terms of creating iconic moments and media texts. By ‘borrowing’ ideas from one, reconstructing it, and re-producing it in another, it gives the audience something to remember, making that video stand out more than other. An example of this can be the intertextuality in Madonna’s Material Girl with Marilyn Monroe’s film ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’.

Similarly to poems, narrative in songs are fragmented and this is mirrored in their accompanying video; music videos tend to suggest storylines and offer broken down non-linear narratives which leaves the audience wanting to see them again.

Mise-en-scene expands the variety of access an audience can gain to the artist than compared to a live performance. To show a guarantee of authenticity, a bands musical virtuosity can be shown by using clips of them on stage or in a rehearsal room. Location in mise-en-scene and costume can also play the part of voyeurism, suggesting a sexual allure from the song. Costume also helps reinforce the band’s ‘brand image’ so to speak; the artist’s clothing can accentuate the genre of the video and make the audience feel comfortable with what they’re watching, producing a familiarity with the performer they’re following.

Andrew Goodwin however, gives a different take on the conventions of a music video, by developing the relationships between the different aspects of a video that Pete Fraser pointed out.

Goodwin states there must be a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, either to illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics. Therefore a relationship between the music and the visuals is needed, whether to illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics. This bond between lyrics, music and visuals gives the audience an understanding of sorts, something that keeps them focused and interested in what they’re seeing.

Particular music genres may have their own music video style and iconography, live performances are popular in heavy rock/metal videos whereas studio set ups are more popular in pop music videos, Beyoncé’s ‘Single Ladies’ video acting as a perfect, modern example of this.

Goodwin also argues the necessity of close-ups in music videos as there is a demand on the record company to provide these for the audience, who’re watching the video to feel close to the musician/s and have that sense of intimacy. If a person feels connected to the music via the work of the video, they are also more inclined to buy the track or album as they feel like that song has some special relevance to them.

The artist in the video can also use visuals to develop their own iconography, both in and out of their videos which in time becomes part of their overall image. Lady Gaga’s enigmatic and cryptic style is a good example of how an artist has managed to rise up out of nothing into one of the best-known artists of the decade, through her own type of iconography surrounding dynamic outfits and peculiar haircuts displayed on stage and in videos.

According to Goodwin, there is often also a reference to voyeurism in modern music videos, the ‘male gaze’ is a term used to describe this when the voyeur focuses on women and the female body shape. Despite this being the ruling type of voyeurism there are cases where this has been reversed (Take That and other boy bands used shots of their young and attractive bodies to attract female viewers).

And similarly to Fraser, Goodwin also makes note of the tendency to have intertextuality in a video; whether this be to another music video or to film, TV, literature etc.

As an example of how Fraser and Goodwin’s conventions can be seen in action, I’ve analysed a music video (below) in an attempt to show how most music videos will follow this trend.

In accordance with Fraser’s conventions, this music video by Taylor Swift, is influenced by her lyrics, though the visuals do not provide a word-by-word representation they do reflect the tone of the message she’s trying to make. The visuals illustrate the idea that she is singing about someone she loves, and though they have not had a perfect relationship, this person still means more to her than anyone else. This notion is clear in the narrative and plot; there are two central characters, the female is played by Taylor Swift herself, and the male role by an unknown actor- the video shows them meeting, falling in love (this part is a definite illustration of the lyrics as the scene shows the two walking on a beach and the lyrics being sung mention being by water), getting married and having children.

The mise-en-scene in the video represents this young, vibrant, indie kind of appeal that Taylor Swift is using as her ‘brand image’- her clothing in every scene is made up of neutral colours, and sends out a feminine, flowery vibe. This approach has been taken in her other videos and live performances as well as magazine and internet interviews; suggesting she is aiming to have this care-free image as part of her own iconography. In addition to this, because the clothing she has is modern and up-to-date, it makes her relatable to the young people watching her videos, and makes it clear that her music is created and aimed at people of a similar age to herself, who have an interest in fashion and popular music.

Editing for this video is nothing unusual; fast-cuts are used to jump between three types of scene within the video; the first is of her as a solo artist in an artificial setting, bringing particular emphasis on her as the artist and musician. The second is the narrative and story in the video which is used to illustrate the meaning of her lyrics and the message within them; the third is a repeated set of clips from what can only be described as memories of the character that Taylor Swift is playing in the music video. These three streams of images are combined to create the full effect, each has a different set of mise-en-scene and cinematography in order for us to sub-consciously realise they are different from one another, preventing us from being confused by the narrative. Jump cuts are therefore used primarily, as this means we can go back and forth between the flows of narrative in a way which makes them plausible and understandable.

To develop the idea of cinematography in this video, the things most notable are the use of camera movement and close ups. Close ups are generally always used in music videos because they create intimacy and make us feel like we are part of the story being told, the focus placed on the characters also allows the audience to view their features more clearly, which makes it easier for us to understand the emotions of the characters and comprehend what they’re feeling in order for us to understand and make our own judgements. In quite a few of the scenes in this video, the characters are still, there are no distinguishing movements, such as dance sequences, which portray the atmosphere in the video; therefore the camera must move and work to make the audience feel like something is happening, and they aren’t watching a profane scene from any form of media text on the internet. An example of this is from 0:36 – 0:41 minutes where Taylor Swift is the main focus, yet she is moving very little so the camera has to move around her, circling her, progressing from an ‘ordinary’ to a high angle, making the video seem more dynamic and interesting.

Because the plot in this music video is more literal than abstract, it makes it easier to define as a genre; Taylor Swift herself promotes a fairly indie persona, she’s pixie-like and neutral and natural because her most used instrument is an acoustic guitar and she likes making videos that have plenty of references to scenery and the natural way of life. This would therefore have her videos fall under ‘indie’, as they don’t particularly strive to make a controversial boom, or work to bend the mind inside an abstract and confusing bubble- instead they sit comfortably in the middle.

Character performance is also very professional, it isn’t too active or too outlandish, nor is it bland. Because the performers act so well they make the video and plot more believable; they make us think that the story being told via the lyrics, could be true, and this enhances its appeal with the audience. Similarly, if you have effective actors in a film, it makes the film more enjoyable because it has good verisimilitude and therefore builds itself a reliable and positive status with the audience.

The plot itself is not unusual, it’s the generic girl meets boy, they fall in love, they fall out, they get back together and live happily ever after. Though ‘generic’ may make it seem negative, the reality is quite the opposite- by being so normal the video becomes relatable and the audience enjoy watching it because they can mentally place themselves in the shoes of the characters and feel like they can associate with them. By being so relatable, the video’s appeal increases, the audience make the effort to repeatedly watch the video because it comforts them in some way; this effect can be explained by Blumler, McQuail and Brown’s Uses and Gratifications Theory. They stated that a media text can serve up to four purposes, Diversion, Personal Relationships, Personal Identity and Surveillance; this music video can fulfil the Personal Identity role because it lets the viewer compare their life and their life issues with those of the characters, and gives them an opportunity to see things from an alternative third-person perspective.