In this post I will be talking about how music videos have conventions and certain styles.
Andrew Goodwins 6 key conventions
Andrew Goodwin is theorist that theorised about music videos and wrote about book it which is called "Dancing in the Distraction Factory" (1992) And in this book he had identified the following features of music videos:
- Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (eg stage performance in metal video, dance routines for boy/girl bands). This is one of the most common things that happens in music videos.
- There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting)
- There is a relationship between music and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting)
- The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style)
- There is frequently reference to the notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body
- There is often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos, etc)
1.Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (eg stage performance in metal video, dance routines for boy/girl bands).
Girl/boy bands
With girl and boys they all seem to have a similar contents as others. With major bands such as "Take that", "Girls aloud", "The Saturdays", "The Wanted" and "One Direction" always have reoccurring similarities in there music videos for example in girl bands music videos they have suggestive touching, close ups and while there all dancing at the same time. While with boys bands they seem to be mainly posing in there music videos. And sometimes they both use a studio in there music videos, either singing or dancing.
Examples:
Rocks Bands
In rock band videos there seems like there common recurrences in the type of music. Things accrue multiple times in music videos for example rocks bands in there videos usually seem them in a giant open area (like a warehouse) playing as a band with their instruments. With rock bands they seem to care more about the music they are making then the music videos but also sometimes they don't have enough but there fans prefer just there good music. Example of bands that do this is Green day, Foo Fighters and Nirvana.
Examples:
Rappers
Rappers have a wide variety of conventions in there music videos. Most of rap video seem to either, have half naked women dancing about, chains on there necks, standing in the middle of people dancing around them while there rapping and them wearing urban clothing. But not all rap videos are like that some tell a story in there videos. Example of these rappers are Two chains, Enimnem, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and Jay Z.
Examples
Folk/Indie Musicians
With folk and indie music they do have some of the same conventions in there in music videos. A lot they all are different like some tell story others are them walking about just them playing there instruments maybe in a building or out in the forest. Artist that do this are, Lumminers, The Vaccines and Gotye
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting) This is when, it either illustrative, amplifying or condatrdict the music and visuals of the music video.
- Illustrate: Music videos can use a set of images to illustrate meaning of lyrics & genre, this the most common. An example of this is shown by Nelly Furtado song and music video "I'm like a bird". In this music you see loads of birds and even her to start to fly, illustrating what she is singing about in a very literal way.
- Amplify: This is similar to repeatability. Meanings and effects are manipulated and constantly shown through the video and drummed into vision. This is shown in Miley Cyrus "Wrecking Ball" Music video. In this music video you see her actually naked on a wrecking ball and you keep seeing riding a wrecking or you see her wrecking stuff with a sledgehammer amplifying the lyrics with the visuals in the music video making it stay in your head.
- Contradict: This is where the meaning of the song is completely ignored, an example of this is radiohead's music video "No Surprises" because all what is happening is he is in a tank being filled up. With this music video it completely goes against what the singer in singing in the song, so it they completely go against each other.
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting)
In some music videos they link music along with the visuals and they do this for 3 different reasons, either to illustrate, amplify or contradict the visuals in the music videos. An example of this is that they might have a fast paced music video to go along with the music. An example of a music video that does this is Nirnva "Smells like teen spirit". In this music video they have the fast paced music and aggresiveness to match the visuals of the music video so that they match.
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style). This when record label wants to make a special image for the artist that they work with so that they everyone would know the artist by those certain styles and motifs that are used. An example of this is lady gaga who visualy has her own motifs and style which is dressing quite bizarrely in her music videos and in normal life as well, so that what gets her well know by her audience. There are a lot of her weird dressing in her music videos but one of the important one is bad romance. All of lady gaga's visuals are quite striking and rememberable
5. There is frequently reference to the notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. This is basically on about the viewing of the women body. They women body parts to gain the attention of the audience in certain ways. Most of female pop artist do this to there audiences and it usually get them more popular with there male audiences but its not just females that do this men also do it as well. And not every artist does it. For example is Miley Cyrus in her Music video "Wrecking Ball" where she sits on the wrecking naked.
6.There is often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos, etc). With this, what happens is that in the music video it has a reference to another film. TV programmes, other music videos. This makes the video more popular to watch with audiences who like those references. An example of this is Lady Gaga music video "Telephone" which has a reference to kill Bill vol 1 and
Thelma and Louise.
Below you can see a still image from the film Kill Bill and next to it is a still image for Telephone by Lady gaga and Beyonce.
Different forms of music video such as digital, or stop motion; In-concert footage; "as live" footage; studio based; cinematic
There is multiple different forms of music video in the style they are presented. How they present it is that there six typical presentations in music videos. These are animation, stop motion, in concert, "As live", studio based and cinematic.
Animated/Digital
Animated music are just as popular as all the others and they can be use to make more creative images that you can only do in animation. There have been many popular music videos in the past for example gorillaz "Clint Eastwood". This song and music did get nominated for multiple awards for how how good the animation was of the music video and how good the song was. It didn't win anything for it sadly.
Stop motion
With stop motion there are a few music videos and just like animation you don't see many of them but they are underestimated as well. Stop motion music video a very creative and also just like animated they allow the animator to do creative work that you usually can't do while recording normally. There are a few popular stop motion music videos for example Fleet foxes music video for "Mykonos" This music is very popular with people and they hail it as a very creative music video and enjoy watching it.
In-concert footage
In concert footage is a different form of music video where they use the footage from a singer who has sung live in a tour or an actual concert. There are a lot of music videos that feature in concert footage from either a single concert they done or they use footage from there tour that they have done recently. An music video that does this is Coldplay which features them playing in a concert what they done.
"As Live" footage
"As Live" footage is footage that is similar to in-concert footage but "as live" footage is different because it uses footage from things like behind the scene so it looks like they are being all normal and having fun. Its isnt as popular as In-concert footage but it is still used in music videos. An example of this sort of footage in a music video is Justin Beibers video "Beauty and a beat"
Studio based
The Studio based music video are stylised as that they base all there recording and footage is based inside a studio. Either they are dancing or sining in a little booth. This is what a lot of girl bands use this sort of footage for there music video because they mainly dance. Also guys do this for singing in a studio and get recorded. An example of a music video that does this is Nirvana music, smells like "Teen spirit"
Cinematic
Cinematic music video are popular for a lot of artist for there music videos because they can use this style to tell a story a long with there song. It is popular with every kind of artist but it is used a lot with indie artist and top artist. An artist who is popular who does this eminem with his music video "Stan".
Different styles of music video such as a narrative based; impressionist; surrealist; pastiche; parody; homage; intertextual
Narrative Based
Narrative based music videos is style used in music video where it tells a story across the music video with a beginning, middle and end. A music video that has a narrtive based style is Daniel Powters song and music video "Bad day"
Imperessionist
Imperessionist style in a music video is when the artist has a more artist style for the music video. This makes it very stylized and different from other music videos. A music that does this is Goyte "Somebody I used to know"
Surrealist
Surrealist is a style that is similar to Imperessionist but a surrealist is more dreamlike and is similar to there film and art counterparts. An example of an surrealist music video is "The Frog" by The Hickey Underworld.
Pashtiche
Pashtiche is a style of music video when they use a certain stylised copy from an different time or era. This is a style that is used by many artist and bands for example an artist that uses this style is Christina Aguilera "Candyman" This is based on the 40'ies during the war.
Parody
Parody is style of music video that is used to make fun of another piece of media work or something that is is happening in the real world. A music video that does this style is The lonely Islands song "Jack Sparrow"which mocks the films Pirates of Caribbean.
Homage
Homage is when a music video tributes its self to a certain thing similar to parody but it doesn't mock the style of media like parody. A music video that does this is Michael Jackson "Thriller" music video it is a homage to horror films and the zombie genre.
Intertexual