Task Two – Understand the styles and conventions of music videos

Andrew Goodwin exploured conventions of music videos in his bbok "dancing in the distrction factory" in 1929. In this book he explores the convertions of music videos exploring different types of music video and  different styles of music video.

Convetion 1: Genre charteristics

His first convenstion explores Genre charectis. This theroy explains that ach genre a certain charetrisitics and features in the video , and each different genre has different features and chareteristics. This is because each differnt gerene have differnt styles of song ,which wouold not fit with anythng ,so the vidoe has to follow certain styles and chreteristics. If this was not done the video would not fit with the song and confuse audiences. An ecample of differnet gerenes with different chareteristics are pop and rock.


An example of a song in the pop genre is Bang Bang , by Jessie J Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj. The vidoe is very typical for a pop video. The video has very upbeat tempo we fast movements, has a very happy feel with bright colours and summery feel to the music vidoe that is commen in pop videos. Also there is a focus on what they are waering and what the people look like in pop vidoes which is apprant here , with the singeres and extras all being good looking with nice expesnive look clothes to make the video look more expensive. Also the video includes bright lighting and vibrate colours makeing it a uplifting and happy videos to make audences feel happy and enjoy the vidoe more.


opisitly rock music videos have different converntions than pop music vidoes. An example of a roc:k music vidoe is Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. The vidoe is typical for a vidoe in the rock Genre. The vidoe has a very dark and dingy feeling to it. This is done to give the vidoe a atomosphere that matches how the song is.The song is fast which is mirroed by the speed of the vidoe with numrousw edits, number of shots and speed te band is moving whci is common for rock music videos. The vidoe also include the band playing their instuments intime to the song , to show they were the ones who atchualy paly the instuemnts instead of just a backup band. The use of band sequences. Also the vidoe use gothic creepey imagary . These include gas masks and skulls. This is common for rock music vidoes to set a dark tone to the video to match the style of song.



Convention 2: Realation of Lyrics/Music to visual

In this convetion he states that the lyrics of songs realate to the video of that song. This is done to help audences understand the meaning of the song as they get visual of what the song is about.He states there are 3 types of of realtion the song , they are Illsatrate, amplify and condtradict.

Illistartes is when the visual of the music video mirrore what the song is about, so it shows the meaning behind the song and the genre. This is the most common way to use the lyrics as meaning in the vidoe. This is done to show the meaning of the song making it eaisier for audience to undertand the didstsict meaning of the song, which understood might my audeiences enjoy the song more. An exampe of this is Riptide by Vance Joy. In the vidoe the lyrcis are reprsent ted by the vidoe e.g.g when it says rip tide it shows a riptide and "taking to the darkside" , is reorisdetented by someonee getting drsggeed into the dark.


Amplify is when the visual of the music vidoe is used to add more meaning to the song to give a deeper understand of the video. The visuals arent always esiest to understand but dose have a menaing put into it. This is done so the artist can give a greater meaning to the song to help artusist show their true meaning to the song helping audiences understand it more and really take in the meaning. An example of this is "Hall Of Fame" by the Script. The vidoe shows stories following people doing diffenr t skillsincluding Ballet and boxing, and shows them doing amazing showing they will go into the "Hall Of Fame".



Controdict is when the visual of the music vidoe has no realtion and completely ignore the Lyrics. TThis unlike the others is not done to add more meaning to the songv instead it give the creatore creative freedom so the director can put anything in the vidoe help make the vidoe mmore memrobale. An example of this is "Call On Me" by  Eric Prydz. The song is calll on me but the vidoe is just women excerscise with one man watching them joingi in which has nothing to do with the lyrics.






Convention 3: Realtion of music to the visual

In this convertion he states that the pace of music is mirrored in the pace of video. It agin comes under three choices , either Illistaraste , amplifies or condradict.

Illistarates is when the visuals of the music vidoes ppace mirroris the pace of the song. Agin this is the most common way use pf the realtion of the pace of song to the video. This is used so the videos pace will match the song so it is understandable to audiences so audiences understand and dont get confused at the different paces. An example of this is Bad By David Guetta. The vidoe is animated so the slow parts of the song have slow movments of the charter like walking, wen it speeds up the vidoe speeds up e.g. the charecter rides a motor bike.




Amplifies is when the pace of the music vidoes is used to make  greter menaing to the vidoe. It is done by haveign a song that so far opoosly the pace of the vidoe that it gives it a deeper menaing to the vidoe. The vidoes usally have part that match the spped and parts that do not helping to give it a deeper menaing.This is done to help give the vidoe a deeper meanng that it would normally have if it only matched. This is the hardest as tmost song fall in to either catagory , there are less songs who uses both to get a deeper meaning. An example of this is "Bangarang" by Skrillex. The song has parts that mattch the song byut most they are slower that the song. This is done to opposly show tha true anger and power of the song giveing it a deeper menaing
Controdicts is when the pace of the music video opioses the pace of the song. This is harder for audoences to understand but can be used effecttivly. This lets the director have more creative freedom as he does not neeed to stay in time to music meaning they can put alot more differenrt visuals as there are no focus on pace. Also it lets the director to  An example of this is "Witing all Night" by Rudemental. The videos pace dose not match the song as it is a fast song with a slow vidoe. This was done to let the story be told rather than haveing to get it to fit in with the song.




Convention 4: Devlope a style

In the fourth convention he beleives that the recored compamy will tery to create da motife that contines thoughout that artist work. This stsyle is uslaly exploured an show thoughalot of closeups that focus on what there motief is. This is one to give the artist a distict look that audience will recognise  so if they see images without seeing the artist they will understand who it is givig the artist a form of brand identity. An example of this Adore Delano. Thoughout her vidoes and live performances she gives out a layed back party girl who wears alot of bright colours and party cloths like dresses and denim shorts. Her look is a very modern punk rock look simmular to artist like Avril Levigne. This can be seen in her vidoes especlly for "Party and "Give me tonight"














Convention 5: Frequent notion of looking


In the fitih convetion he stated that there is a focus of watching and looking in music videos wiehter useing a camera or telescope, in a voyaristic form espcally focuseing on women and there bodies. This done thoughugh the use of the shots and edits that are used to focus women. This is done in music vidoes to increace audiebce intrest because more peoopke would watch a music vidoe with women dressed procatively esppeaclty with male audiences. In these vidoes it features women with little cothes on acting sexualyy with the camera focusing on these. This relties to Laura Mulvey's idea of the male gaze and the creators get us to look at the women to get us more intrest in the video. An example of this is Lady Marmalde by Cristina Agulara, Pink, Mya ,Lil Kim. The Video features all four singler dressd in Underwar and oursetes clothing danceing in a sexual way rubering their body alot. The video focuses on the women with alot of low angle midshots to get tgier whole body in and editied to show atleast one women on each shot. This uses his theory as the video gretly focuses on the women thoughout it.


Convention 6:Intertexual Refrences

In the fianl convention he states that music vidoes use intertxual refeneces to other medias includeing movie and tv. This can be seen though the story of the vidoe shots in the video costumes or props.  This done to increace audience intrest as they will see a refenrece to something else they like  from other medias and get more intresete in whats atcually hppening. These videos can either have the refrences obviolse or more hidden to audences which means audieces are going to want to find te refenrces in the vidoe makng them enjoy it more. An example of this is the song Moment for life by Nicki Minaj. The vidoes story is based off  the Cinderella fairytale. The vidoe features a fairy godmother played by Nicki , Cinderlla again played by Nicki and prince charming plqayed by Drake, with the video takeing place at a ball. The video even uses the storys ideas of the fairy godmother helping her and the help ends ate midnight , but in this video she dose not change back. This is done as people watching the video will see its refence and recoginse where it came from and increace audence intrest.


Along with Andrew Goodwins ideas, there are different forms of music vidoes. These include Digital, Stop Motion animation, in concert , studio based and Cinaematic. Digital Forms of vidoe is the normal form of vidoe with clips being editing together in a normal way with nothing different  in the video. This is the most common version. This is done to just showcase the song as the vidoe does not distract auduces from it. Stop motion music vidoes is when a series of images are editited together to make the images move. This can be done useing many different imagry including makeing anaimantaed object move or useing props that were made for the vidoe to move e.g. out of plastecine. This is done to create movement in object that otherwise would not move and to increce audiebce intrest as it is not a convetinal methoid for makeing videos making the video ore memberable. An example of this is Son Lux song Change is everything. The video useise a set of pins to firm pictures withch are pitured then all put totgrt to form the vidoe. This was done to show the imagery of the son in a different way to make audenes more intrested.


Another form of music video is in concert. this is when the vidoe uses clips or is focsed on a concert by the artist. This is done to give audne to either remebr when they went and saw an artist or feel like they went to see the artist. This also means that the video is not distracting to audences because there is no ovarching story line in  the video that will distract ausdunces so they focus on the song as it only features shot from a concert. An example of this is cheers drink to that By Rhianna. The vidoe focuses on her Loud tour in 2010  with all hots being taken form that tour , with audneces vioces even being used in bothe the vidoe and song.


Another form of video is a studio based music video. This is when the vidoe iis shot in a shown to obviously filmed in a studio. This is done for two reasons, firstly for control as you dont have to worry about any problems of the outside wiorld like people or the weather and you can control what is atchually i the background which coulfdnot be as controlled if it was not in a studio. Secondly you can use diffent tchnologies like better lighting and green screen which cold not be used out side as succesfully.  An example of this is  Foxes Let it go for tonight. The video is nearly all filed in a white studio with paint being thrown ateound whih coud not have been reached in a open palce.



The final form of music vidoe is a cinematic video . This is when the music video focuses of a story that runs thoughou the vidoe that which has  a egginng and end in the music video rather than haveing shots of the chareters justing singing or danceing. This is done to increace audence intrest in the video as audences have a story to follow in the vidoe rather than just shots witch audences will want to find out what happpens meaning that they will pay attention to the video more. An example of this is the song One Last Time By Ariana Grande. The song has avideo tat focuses on the end of the world. This is done to acratect intrest in the video as audence want to find out what happens to the singer. This also comes under the cinamatic style of narritve



There is also different styles of video these include imprssonist, surrealist,pastische, parody Hommage and intertexual. Impressionist is when

Another style of video is surrealist. This is when the video uses imagryt random that is not realted to what is already happening ,the images are jextabotioned with what is alredy on screen . This is done to give the craators freedom so they can put what they wnt to put in the video. This is not used by many directors because it is harder to creat a meaning in a video. An example of this is My Head Is A Jungle by Wanklemutt. The video includes the surrea imaagry of flying coins and people in washing machines.

Another vidoe style is pasch. This is when a music vidoe uses imsgry nd style off previouse time pireods and generatitions in the video thoroght the mise en scene costumes props and cast. This is done to give the video a nostgiac and old feel which would make a vidoe more unique ompelling more audnences to watch it. It is also di=ne to help mach a song to a pirod tha would seem more propriate for the video. An example of this is National Anthem by Lana Del Rey. The video ises a 60's style in the video. The vidoe uses costmes and props appropriate to the time piroed and even uses stock footage of the presednet John F Kennedy as the video centere around him giving it more og a  60's style.

Another style of music video is parody. This is whne a music video uses a media producet that alredy exists uses houmur to mock the media product in the music vidoe. This is done by taking parts or all of the media product and changeing it to make it humorouse. This is done for both a humour purose and to get audience to recongise the video or song to get audnece so they want to see what spin the director has put on it. An example of this is Blurred Bynes by DWV. The vidoe takes the song and vidoe of Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke and changes it to aplly to Amanda Bynes  a she was haveing a public meltdown at the time the song was realceced giveing the vidoe humour. This was done to both mock the song and Amnda Bynes making a successful parody video.

Another style of music video is Hommarge. This is when a music vidoe takes a media product , but instsed of  mocking it , it pays tribute to that particuar product. This is done to show the directors love for perticualr media products so want to pay tribute to it by usieng images or ideas in the video. Thi is seen in the style the images costumes props and cast. An example of Hommarge is Fancy by Iggy Azelela. The music video uses the film clueless as the baiss of the video with chareters style costmes props and story.

The final style of music vidoe is intertealy. This is when a vidoe uses references from other medias witout that being the focse of the vidoe. This is only is seen in a costume or image so is only there as  a reference rather than a focus.  This igive audience a notstalgia or help entertain audences with out it being too distratc to much. An example of this is Alejahanjro by Lady Gaga. The vidoe uses costumes simmalr to ones originally worn by Moadonna to pay Hommarge to he and her style.