In
this task I will be explaining the different styles and conventions associated
with Music Video. I will be covering Andrew Goodwin’s key convention and
explaining each one with example. Also covering different forms of music video
such as digital or stop motion animation, in-concert, as live footage, studio
based and cinematic. Finally talking about the different styles of music such
as narrative based, impressionist, surrealist, pastiche, parody, homage and
intersexual.
Andrew
Goodwin’s
Andrew Goodwin’s created the six key
convention to help make better music video and founded that each music video
has they own category. The six key convention help music video determine genre
characteristics allows music videos to be seen in differently from how they are
see, meaning the purpose behind the video is different from how the video
looks. The six key convention are, there is a relationship between visual and
song, the demands of the record label will include the need for lots of
close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs that recur across
their work, there is often intersexual reference to (to films, TV programmes,
other music video, etc.), there is frequently reference to the notion of looking
(screens, telescopes, etc.), there is a voyeuristic treatment of the female and
the visuals in a music video will almost always have a connection with the pace
of the music. From these key conventions, each have they own style of music
video which reflects on it.
The first key convention is
the relationship between visual and song. This is where the structure and beats
are of the song meets up with the visual content of the music video. Goodwin
states that there are three ways in which music videos relate. First is
Illustrate the music video by using set of images to shows the meaning behind
the lyrics & genre of the video. This is the most common method used when
finding out the meaning as most music video attempts a fairly straightforward
illustration of the song’s lyrics. An example would be Vance Joy “Riptide” where
in the video the images relate to the lyrics. The music video starts off with
the images of a girl in at the dentist in a dark room and with the song saying
“I was scared of the dentists and the dark” This referees to the images shown
in video. Throughout the video this it shows many other images and the lyric
follows them. The second method is
ignoring the meaning behind the song, as Goodwin says that some music video
appear to deny the lyrics of the song. A good example of ignoring the meaning
would be the Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” where the images of the song
is unintentionally and undermine them messages of the looking inward. The third method is amplifying the messages,
meaning the images of the music video do not contradict the lyrics but they add
additional meaning to the message. A
good example would be Culture Club’s ‘Do you really want to hurt me” where the meaning
behind the song is about a troubled relationship but the music video is
amplified and adds political message to it.
Another good example is Lady
Gaga’s “Bad Romance” song, where the song displays extra content that does not
relate to the song. Through the video
the lyrics of the song are about a troubled relationships, however the music
video make the song much more about crazier then it’s supposes to mean. It talks about bad romance, but shows freaks
giving it the extra meaning that it’s about monster. Also to imply this idea
they make the cast and Lady Gaga where clothes that makes them look nude,
freaks and stand out. Also the way their hair and make is done make them more
monastery. However what makes the whole
video disturbing and freaky is that dance routines and the body movements,
meaning the fist part of the video, when the cast are coming out of the white
tube, they movement are similar to the nurses and the ring from the Silent Hill
and The Ring movie. So from this the extra message is that they are freaks and that’s
why they are having a bad romance. Overall this is a good example for am for amplifying
the messages, as it clearly shows the extra messages.
The second key convention
is that in the music industry there is a demand of the record label will
include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop
motifs that recur across their work, which is a visual style. An example would
be Taylor Swift. This is because she has a particular style when it comes to
her music video. Taylor Swift has unique style which brings out a childlike
teen figure with different personality meaning having a different characters
style for different videos. For example Taylor Swift’s “Shake it off” music
video which showed her like a child teen figure. Throughout the music video she
makes, most of them are really huge and expensive with creative dance routines,
lots different outfits and lots of explosion and flashy lights and CGI affects.
An example of using expensive effects would in Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood”,
where she goes over board with crazy explosions, fighting and deaths. Also
throughout the music video there are many close ups Taylor Swift’s face and
lots of other shots used to help understand the idea of her style. To make it more extreme the cast are well
dressed and makeup is done right and throughout the video the movement and
dance routines are done to make it look like battle felid.
The third key convention is that there is
often intersexual reference to (to films, TV programmes, other music video,
etc.) An example which shows the key convention is about is The Wanted’s “Walks
like Rihanna”. This is a good example of an intersexual music video because the
band clearly states three other well-known boy bands’ videos, which are “Bye
Bye Bye” by N Sync, “I Want It That Way” by The Backstreet Boys, and “Back for
Good” by Take That. Throughout the music video they show the boys being controlled
by strings which represent the music video Bye Bye Bye. Also they have used the
Backstreet Boys “Want It That Way” where The Wanted copy the look and the style
of the Backstreet Boys by wearing the white clothes. Last, they copy “Back for
Good” by Take That, where they have black and white scene wearing similar
clothes as Take That and dancing in the rain. “Walk like Rihanna” is a good
example of this key convention because it shows not one but three parody in one
music video.
The fourth key convention
is that there is frequently reference to the notion of looking (screens,
telescopes, etc.) An example of this would be Taylor Swift “Style” music video.
This is a good example because throughout the video, the content continues to
show us looking into different shapes and design of the music video. For
example in the first seen we see a side shot of Taylor Swift head and then we
see through her head and seen a cave and a man sanding in it. Throughout the
rest of the video we see the same thing of seeing through people and different
shapes. The music video uses different editing technique like straight cut,
dissolve and fad to make it more effective when seeing through the different
shapes design. This example clearly shows that the key convention is being used
to make the video better and dose a good job of it.
The fifth key convention is
that there is a voyeuristic treatment of the female. This is where the music
displays females as symbol of male erotic desire. This is because the audience
is forced to identify the music video with male gaze as the music industry
reflects the patriarchal society. An example would be Lady Gaga’s ‘Telephone’.
This is good example because it reflects how the music is not designed for men
erotic desire; however the video is designed to attract the male audience. This
is done by artist being seen as a very sexual animal, for example in one scene
we see Lady Gaga being striped to nude, which emphasise the idea that she is
wild anime being tamed. This creates the erotic desire for men as they see
nudity in the video. In another scene we see Lady Gaga smooching with someone
and she alloys herself to be licked. This underlines the idea that she is like
the lioness being treated as a tool of pleasure. Also to make it more sexual
for the audience, the mise en scene is done to look like an animal. For example
the design for Lady Gaga’s character is set up is black leather jacket with
blond hair and black lips and nails.
The sixth key convention is
that the visuals in a music video will almost always have a connection with the
pace of the music. This convention is where the video can be edited so that it illustrates,
amplifies or contradicts the beat of the song. An example of this is ‘Bangarang’
by Skrillex. Through the music video it clearly demonstrated how the rhythm of
the song is being used to make the visual image, meaning in the video as the
sound of the beat increase and decreases it shows changes to what’s happening
in slow paste. So in the video the beat increased and I saw the ice-cream man
being robbed by kids. This shows how the beats of the song create the visual
image of the video.
Style
of Music Video
I
will explain all the different styles of Music Video that are currently popular
within the industry. Also talk about why they are they are a perfect for that
specific style.
Narrative
Based
Narrative
based style Music is where the Music video tells a story about what happening
in the video. For example Olly Murs Troublemaker. Troublemaker tells a story of
women who cause problems for the people who she works. Adding to that, there is
someone who takes an interest in her. It stats of with the multiply shots of
the females character bosses firing her, then you see the Olly Murs visiting
each place where she works. After that she get fired. This lead to idea that
when both the characters meet, the female character causes trouble around her
with knowing, which cause her to lose her job. The over view of the story is
that, them two being together, trouble will follow. This style is Narrative
based because it clearly shows the story behind the video.
Animation
Animation
style is another form of a music video, which allows the whole music video to
be animate. The video could either be digitally made by computer software or hand
made by using stop motion. An example of
an animated music video is ‘Heartless’ by Kanye West. Heartless by Kanye West is a good example of
an animated music video, as the video mixes simple-looking characters and
highly detailed backgrounds and environment. This continues throughout the
video with bright neon lights and many different backgrounds, such as houses, Broadway,
empty streets behind cabs. The video clearly illustrates the creative design
and layout of the video and the music video is about women which are heartless
and the guy singing the song is dressed very nicely and only talks about his
pain. The music video was created by the computer using different software’s to
make it. This music video is created very good as the animation is done
properly, which the audience will love. Normally animation used for young
children, but because the song is relating it a love, the animation is perfect.
Parody
Parody
style is another form of a music video which is often used in music videos. A
good example would be The Wanted’s “Walks like Rihanna”. This is a good example
of a parody music video because the band clearly states three other well-known
boy bands’ videos, which are “Bye Bye Bye” by N Sync, “I Want It That Way” by
The Backstreet Boys, and “Back for Good” by Take That. Throughout the music
video they show the boys being controlled by strings which represent the music
video Bye Bye Bye. Also they have used the Backstreet Boys “Want It That Way”
where The Wanted copies the look and the style of the Backstreet Boys by
wearing the white clothes. Last, they copy “Back for Good” by Take That, where
they have black and white scene wearing similar clothes as Take That and
dancing in the rain. “Walk like Rihanna” is a good example because it shows not
one but three parody in one music video.
Pastiche
Pastiche
style is another form of a music video which is seen in some music video.
Pastiche is where the music video is set in certain time and place. An example
would be Katy Perry’s ‘Dark Horse’. This is a good example of pastiche because
it shows the whole set out is in Memphis Egypt and Katy Perry is playing the
role as Witch of Memphis, which is Cleopatra as she is the theme behind the
song. In the being of the scene we see Katy Perry wearing a white dress and
white and blue wig while floating on a large barge at sunset, with pyramids and
palm trees visible in the background. And in the next scene we see her wearing
a longer dress and a black wig, sits in an extravagant Sphinx-like throne just
like Cleopatra. This is a good example because it clearly shows the use of
pastiche.
Performance Based
Performance
based style is another form of a music video which is where the music video is
filmed like a concert but the shots taken are more about the artist than the
audience. An example would be ‘Cousins’ by Vampire weekend. This is a good
example because the video focuses on the artists more than the audiences. As in
every shot we the artist more than the audience. Throughout the video it shows
the main artist going up and down whiles recording the video and what every he
is holding and disappears. The video is about cousins spending time together.
Intersexual
Intersexual
style is another form of a music video which where the song of the music video
is made to be used for films. An example
of this would be ‘Under the Sea’ by Samuel E. Wright, written for The Little
Mermaid. This is a good example because throughout the song matches up with the
shots and design of the charters. Also the person who singing matches up with
the voice, which makes it sound original for him to sing. Fans will recognise Samuel
E. Wright; work because he is famous for other music such as ‘Kiss the Girls’.
As live/ in Concert
As
live/ in concert style is another form of a music video which throughout the
video, the artist is being filmed live. An example would be ‘T.N.T’ by AC/DC.
This is a good example because throughout the video, it shows them in a live
concert as they play their songs to a big audience. The video shows excitement,
thrills and lots of energetic audience which thrive to the sound of AC/DC. The
sound of the music is effective as it make the audience go crazy and bring adrenaline.
Cinematic
Cinematic
style is another form of a music video which the video is longer than other and
it tells a story behind it. An example would be ‘Runaway’ by Kanye West. This
is a good example of a cinematic music video. This video starts off with Kanye
running down a road. After we see him driving through a forest in the dark and
seeing a meteorite fall through the sky. The music video revolves around a love
story between West, who play ‘Griffin’ in the narrative and a phoenix he
discovers while driving through the woods.
So Griffin takes a liking to her, so he teachers her how to socialise
with other people, he dose by inviting her to a dinner party. The video
continues on for 34 minutes.
Abstract/Concept
Abstract/Concept
style is another form of a music video which is where the video is made to seem
unrealistic and weird. An example would
be ‘Time to Pretend’ by MGMT. This is a good example because it shows it is
unique style of weirdness and fantasy. The video displays people who are care
free with no means to the world. They are like tribe only covering the private
parts. The story starts off with them holing a torch of fire and throwing it
into the water and dancing around a fire like cave man. While the story
progresses we start to see drawing animation come to life, such as butterfly’s
and monsters. The actors play a unique role as they are the ones walking around
with bows and surfing a drawing of a 3D paradox. The style of the video brings
out a dull, cheap texture of colours, which make it look like it was made by
kids. However, by judging from the song, it says ‘Time to Pretend’ so it saying
that everything is made up by children pretending to be explored in a fantasy
world. This is a good example as it illustrates the abstract and conception
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