Styles/Conventions/Techniques

Music video styles

Concert/ Live footage:

Concert/Live footage is a style that utilities footage from live shows that the band performs or a created set to show off how the band/artist performs. My example of concert/live footage Is Tonight alive's "The ocean" 

This example perfectly shows the concert/live footage style as Tonight alive has taken footage from some of their shows to create the music video showing such angles as The audience and each separate band members.

This technique is used to give a sense of how the band performs live or may be an experience for those that don't actually see the band live because the performance shows the way they look and the way they perform and move around the stage. As well as what their target audience is

The screen caps from the music video prove the point of a live music performance and the way it cuts between all the different sections of the performance, it has their audience and the whole band is set up as it's a proper performance Tonight Alive did.

Narrative and interpretive:
Narrative and interpretive music videos is a style where the video follows a plot line and has established characters who eventually reach a conclusion at the end of the video. the story can either relate to the lyrics or not. My example for this style of following lyrics to story is Kenny Loggins "I'm free (Heaven Helps The Man)"

 

This example shows the narrative style following lyrics incredibly well as the entire song is singing about freedom and the narrative we follow is about an inmate escaping a prison in order to escape the city with his girlfriend and upon meeting some lowlifes in the street they assist him in evading the police as they try to track him down.

The technique of narrative is used to give the music video more depth in the same way that we enjoy films of following a specific character and their journey as it pulls us in as we want to see where the main character(s) end up and whether they achieve their goals. 

The screen caps show all the important parts of the story line. The story mostly progresses around the chorus which continuously sings about the freedom of man.

Surrealist/Absurdist:

Surrealist/Absurdist style of music video are a bit bizarre and unconventional to the song/melody and lyrics that are being played. The example selected for this Was Panic! at the disco's "LA devotee" 

This example is perfect due to the song being upbeat and perky however the video shows many images that Suggest Cultist behavior and rather creepy things.

This technique is used to attract a more curious audience this usually includes age groups such as teenagers that are more likely to be curious, This is also why most bands that use them havethe target age of teenagers with genres such as rock/metal.

The screen caps from the music video have barely any relation to the lyrics which sings about the city of LA whilst the video shows a kid getting kidnapped and seemingly enslaved by cultist Behavior by Brendon Urie as it shows off many Bizarre looking symbols and people in long robes.



Impressionist:
Impressionist videos are music videos that utilize very soft colors and very soft focus shots throughout the video to give them a more "artistic feels. The example i selected for this is Adeles "Hello"

This example is good for impressionist music style as most of the shots presented as really soft in focus and the color use of the Sepia tone is prominent throughout the whole video as well as all the gentle serene music/lyrics.

This technique is used for a more serene feel in music videos which attracts an audience of more intellectual individuals who would find some sort of "Meaning" in the video. most genres that use this are usually slow in rhythm and soft in vocals.

These screen caps from the video showcase the coloring and the focus of some of the shots which remain like this through the whole video.

Intertextual Synergy:
Synergistic music videos are music videos that link to another piece of media and are usually why the music video is made. For this I selected Pentakill "Mortal Reminder"

This example is perfect because it synergises with the video game "League of legends". When this music video was released they released a set of skins for certain playable characters in the game linking the music video and game as well as the characters that exist in both this synergy between them may either encourage fans of the music to play the game or fans of the game to listen to the music this band produced.

Synergy is used to add a thicker layer of depth towards the music video and the thing it is linked to. A lot of video games and movies use intertextual synergy to create more involved pieces of music and contents for the media that the music was created for

Combining music videos and their respective media creates a much bigger target audience due to the links between the two which equals more profit for both media pieces

This screen caps from the video show off the characters that synergised this music video to it's video game as these characters were given the skins that are playable in the game which can be seen below.

Intertextual Parody:
A parody is when an artist or bands pokes fun at a specific subject that could maybe even be poking fun at their own band for this I selected Sum 41 "Still waiting"

In this music video Sum 41 pokes fun at bands having numbers in their name such as blink 182 and green day 75 as well as their own name Sum 41. The parody is presented in the video as when the band performs every instance of their band name just says "The Sums" as well as parodying cool names that band members have as their manager forces them to change their separate names

This is used to add a comedic layer to some music videos because we usually remember music videos if they're more funny/bizarre or cool rather than some more bland music videos.

These screen caps from the music video show off the parody in the name of the band in the background and instruments as well as the name changed by "Formerly as"

Animation:
Animation music videos are music videos are as the name suggests animated in either Digital/stop motion animation, Animation style is a very strong choice for a music video as music appeals to many people. For the 2D animation example I Selected Black tides "Warriors of time" and for my 3D animated example I selected League of legends (Feat Mako) "Varus: As we fall"

2D:

This Example works perfectly as it's music video is entirely animated in a 2D style. A common recurring theme is that metal songs usually utilize animation in their music videos.

Animation is used because the limits of imagination can be broken by creating anything that usually wouldn't be possible with normal film making which then creates a foundation for much more interesting music videos

These screen caps from the music video show off the animation presented in the video, The animation could be considered rather cool and fast paced as it reminds me of a comic book style due to the way its made and looks

3D:

This is the other form of animation that utilizes 3D models in a CG environment rather than drawn images of Black tides video.

These screen caps from the music video show off the pieces where 3D animation is best used. Each different sort of animation gives off a different style with 2D allowing for really close action and fast paced visuals whilst 3D can be used to create strong environments and characters.

Techniques

Lip-sync:
A performance video may require the band/artist to seem as if they are singing the words so they're synced to the track. Sometimes effects must be applied to the footage to make it seem as if they are synced up. for this example I selected Pumped up kicks - Foster the people cover (Late nite reading)

This example shows the lip sync well because it's presented as the band singing the song and mostly the chorus is the main singer singing along

These screen caps from the video show shots of the lip sync as it's the main singer singing to the song. most songs using live performance use this technique.

Editing:

some music videos are quite full in their editing whilst some don't really use much of it. Some videos challenge the conventions of typical film making. For this example I selected Papa Roach "Face Everything And Rise" for a edit heavy music video and for my example that doesn't use much editing I selected Sheppards "Edge of the night"

Heavy editing:

This example is very edit heavy because it follows different characters throughout the music video as well as showing a performance from the band so of course it has to cut quite frequently to explore all that's going on.

These screen caps from the music video show the different scenarios that occur in the music video since these all occur in different areas and time in the music video the editing and cutting between them is fast and erratic to speed the pace of the video.

Little Editing:

This example is perfect for little editing because it doesn't actually feature editing as it's all filmed in a singular take using only camera movements to obscure the view of the places here they band prepare to add extra things to the shot. this creates a fluid music video as it never suddenly jumps and feels smooth as it moves.

In the screen caps above it can be seen that all the entire video is shot in the exact same building but it's incredibly large allowing for people to exit off screen and re appear later on in the video without requiring any edits of any kind this allows the attention to be more averted towards the bands dancing.

Cutting to beat:
Cutting to the beat is a technique that establishes rhythm in music videos by editing in relation to the beats presented by the song. I selected Paramores "Misery business" for this example as it frequently cuts to the beat.

This example is good for cutting to the beat as most cuts occur when drum beats happen which makes the video very fast paced and the cuts are very quick

The examples shown above are shot next to each other and the drum beats cut between them as can be seen in the above example the edit flips and rotates the footage for a cool looking effect and the bottom one cuts to further the narrative

Post production effects:
Post production effects are effects that are added after the video is filmed and can usually create breathtaking effects. I selected Black Veil Brides "Fallen Angels" for this example

This video is good for post production effects because of the meteors flying through the air and landing as well as many fire effects.

these screen caps shows the post production effects  used on the video to create a hellish and fiery environment also to make meteors crash down to earth at the beginning. Using post production effects makes the music video more appealing to watch. 

Split screen:
Split screen is an effect in which the screen is split into sections and each section shows different images to make the music video more interesting. For this example I selected  Michael Jackson's "Billie jean"

 

This example is perfect for the split screen because it shows split screens when Michael is dancing and then it freezes him and halves the frame and he continues dancing in the other frame.

As can be seen from the screen caps he uses the split screen a lot during the dancing, it creates a much more interesting video because it pauses after the most impressive move.

Chroma key:

Chroma key is when the band/artist shoots footage in front of a green screen then uses the chroma key effect to insert anything they want into the background. the example is elected for this is Busted's "Year 3000"

They use chroma key to be able to create an animated world for them to move around and perform in which is supposed to be the future.

As can be seen in the screen caps the band chroma keyed themselves into an animated world, the animations and characters seen were of course created in post production then chroma keyed onto the green background. using this effect makes more impossible things possible and gives the music video more interest and depth.

Camera movements:

Using camera movements in music videos creates more excitement and tension, many camera movements are used in songs such as rock and metal songs. the song i selected for this example is Strung out's "Calling" 

This music video uses camera movement to create the hype and excited pace of their music style which is very quick and intense especially on the chorus.

As can be seen in the screen caps of two different shots and how the camera movement is used in them. These camera movements are a pan for the top one that creates pace as it pans around the man on the computer and the one on the bottom paces the story line by giving us a view of the character it follows.

Camera angles / shot type:
Different camera angles and shot types a film maker can make a music video have more meaning and tone and the shot variation can showcase different elements of the mis-en-scene. For this example i selected Marmozet's "Move,Shake,Hide"

This example is good for the use of camera angles because the majority of every angle is either long shots or close ups and nothing much else.

The screen caps above show the majority of shots the videos use. The long shots are quite normal and show off the band performing whilst the contrast with the close ups show the band with skull make up and their screaming.

Mise-en scene:
Mise-en scene in music videos can be very different depending on the music genre being presented by the artist. Most genres follow a series on stereotypes for the vids for example you wouldn't see a heavy metal band use really bright pinks or such. for this example I selected Avril lavigne's "Girlfriend"

This example is good for Mise-en-scene because it determines certain characters in the narrative by the color of their clothing as well as their style. Colorful pinks and a red haired woman are the goody goody girl whereas Avril uses dark clothing and punk rock style hair. the setting is reminiscent to school/college days and follows the drama of two students as they fight over a boy.

These screen caps from the music video show the mise en scene of the brightly dressed girl against the dark clothed emo girl and the areas and moments that many school students can relate to.