Conventions of music videos

Media language

Camerawork:

Close up shots

• Focus on the artist
• Close ups
• 2 shots
• Busy frame
• Low angle
• Eye level
• Tracking
• Pan- setting (crane)
• Tilt- sexualised
• Long shots
• Wide shots

Mise-en-scene:

High Budget & Props

• Lip syncing
• Dance (choreography)
• Interaction within the video
• Direct address
• Instruments
• Attractive, young artist/ character
• Revealing costume
• Deliberate mise-en-scene
• Aspirational locations/settings
• High budget- expensive sets
• Vague locations
• Sunsets
• Low key or high key lighting depending on genre
• Spotlights
• Bleak lighting
• Warm colours or studio- blue
• Extreme lighting
• Smoke or wind machine

Lyrics on Screen

Editing:

• Abstract- non-linear editing
• Fast pace
• Quick cuts
• Slow motion
• Editing with the music
• Graphics- lyrics/ other footage overlayed/ CGI
• "cleaning up images"
• Pull focus

Sound:

• Voice over or narrator
• Narrative at the beginning
• Ambient sound (natural)  

Representation

• 

  White, Wealthy Female

  White (most genres)
• Wealthy
• Women- objectification, submissive, inferior
• Male- power, muscles, treating women badly and drive the narrative
• Heterosexual story lines
• Under representation of disabled people
• Usually middle class 
• Black and white people separate 
• Young people- free, "self discovery"
• Regionalised eg. very London or LA

Narrative/ themes

Love & Relationship

• Self discovery
• Love & relationships 
• Wealth 
• Excess/ luxury life
• Loss
• Relatable to the young
• Life filtered
• Friends
• Parties
• Festivals

Audience

• Entertain
• Young relate to it
• Personal relationships with the artists
• Keep up with culture
• Changing technologies (more prevalent in music videos)