A convention in music videos is the way things are done within the video, these conventions vary depending on genre of music. A music video aims to provide something visually that you can't get just from the song, this is a challenge and the following common factors are popular to try achieve this:
The artist performing, the lead singer is normally the focus of the camera followed by panning, dolly track shots, crane shots and tilts. A range of long shots, close-ups and extreme close-ups are normally used. The close up shots tend to be focused on the facial expression of the artist to emphasis the emotion of the song to show the lip-syncing. This is often used as promotion using the artist image and appearance ‘if the next 30STM album had Jared Leto all over it I would but that shit’ – Hayley Smith. The involvement of the artist also makes the viewer feel as though the artist has had personal input and wants to give back to their fans.
The lyrics of the song complemented and played out as part of a story. This shows how the artist intends the viewer to interpret the song and gives them something to keep them watching while the song is playing. The video will by given more time and the intention is that the song will get in to the viewers head and they will go on to buy the song.
With a good music video the director should use the pace of the editing to help create a pace and mood fitting with the song to help create a rhythm. This is done a lot and several popular methods have developed. Some videos use the pace of the cuts to complement the rhythm and tempo of the song so the video grows in momentum and pace. This video by Panic! At The Disco is a good example as the chorus comes on the clips are a lot shorter in contrast to the long establishing shots in the begging. The pace fits well with the beat of the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN-kZ5PAdvU
Other editing conventions include reaction shots (expresses the relationship between two or more people, shots flick between two people)and most commonly to jump from a scene of the location to the artist to the instruments and vice-versa.
Mise en scene plays a big part in establishing the genre and therefore certain conventions are bound to occur as music videos often exhibit fashion and style and physical image of the artist.
Lighting and colour also helps create the scene and emphasises the artist image, it is a very versatile factor, the lighting whether it be natural of artificial, coloured, dim or bright helps create the mood and reflects the feeling of the song. The colours are key for representing emotion and are understood easily by most people and are easy to percept. Changes in lighting, particularly from verse to chorus or middle eight. It can highlight a change in mood and tempo. A good example of creative lighting is in Muse’s Starlight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgum6OT_VH8
The video is set on a ship in the ocean and uses natural daylight fro the majority of the video, during the chorus and middle eighth it dramatically switches to the night sky and vibrant red flares.
Props are an essential part of mise-en-scene and to defining a music video. They show the setting and the style and genre of in music. For example Lady Ga Ga’s Paparazzi is known for its lavish use of costume and high fashion. The setting is very glamorous and reflects the artist personality and ideals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOrKLU1h-To
When setting the scene props are also important as they play a vital role in telling the story, in the same Lady Ga Ga video we are told how her boyfriend tries to kill her and how she is pursued by paparazzi. In the end she uses an elaborately designed poison bottle in his tea and kills him. Everything in the video reflects her style and helps to show how she perceives the song in a visual form.
The artist performing, the lead singer is normally the focus of the camera followed by panning, dolly track shots, crane shots and tilts. A range of long shots, close-ups and extreme close-ups are normally used. The close up shots tend to be focused on the facial expression of the artist to emphasis the emotion of the song to show the lip-syncing. This is often used as promotion using the artist image and appearance ‘if the next 30STM album had Jared Leto all over it I would but that shit’ – Hayley Smith. The involvement of the artist also makes the viewer feel as though the artist has had personal input and wants to give back to their fans.
The lyrics of the song complemented and played out as part of a story. This shows how the artist intends the viewer to interpret the song and gives them something to keep them watching while the song is playing. The video will by given more time and the intention is that the song will get in to the viewers head and they will go on to buy the song.
With a good music video the director should use the pace of the editing to help create a pace and mood fitting with the song to help create a rhythm. This is done a lot and several popular methods have developed. Some videos use the pace of the cuts to complement the rhythm and tempo of the song so the video grows in momentum and pace. This video by Panic! At The Disco is a good example as the chorus comes on the clips are a lot shorter in contrast to the long establishing shots in the begging. The pace fits well with the beat of the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN-kZ5PAdvU
Other editing conventions include reaction shots (expresses the relationship between two or more people, shots flick between two people)and most commonly to jump from a scene of the location to the artist to the instruments and vice-versa.
Mise en scene plays a big part in establishing the genre and therefore certain conventions are bound to occur as music videos often exhibit fashion and style and physical image of the artist.
Lighting and colour also helps create the scene and emphasises the artist image, it is a very versatile factor, the lighting whether it be natural of artificial, coloured, dim or bright helps create the mood and reflects the feeling of the song. The colours are key for representing emotion and are understood easily by most people and are easy to percept. Changes in lighting, particularly from verse to chorus or middle eight. It can highlight a change in mood and tempo. A good example of creative lighting is in Muse’s Starlight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgum6OT_VH8
The video is set on a ship in the ocean and uses natural daylight fro the majority of the video, during the chorus and middle eighth it dramatically switches to the night sky and vibrant red flares.
Props are an essential part of mise-en-scene and to defining a music video. They show the setting and the style and genre of in music. For example Lady Ga Ga’s Paparazzi is known for its lavish use of costume and high fashion. The setting is very glamorous and reflects the artist personality and ideals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOrKLU1h-To
When setting the scene props are also important as they play a vital role in telling the story, in the same Lady Ga Ga video we are told how her boyfriend tries to kill her and how she is pursued by paparazzi. In the end she uses an elaborately designed poison bottle in his tea and kills him. Everything in the video reflects her style and helps to show how she perceives the song in a visual form.
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