Reflecting back on the AS year part 1: what I have learnt about music videos.

 Reflecting back on what I learnt about music videos in June:      

In June I was taught on the conventional features of a music video and the effect these have on the viewers. These conventions were broke down into 5 sub-sections in order to clearly identify their individual significance to music videos. The sections are features of: Camera  work, Editing, Mise-en-scene, Generic signifiers and creativity and innovation. I came up with some examples for each of these features in order to grasp it properly.  

Camera work:

·         Whilst artist sings/performs, the camera is focused on them a lot.

·         The videos are shot using a few base tracks.

·         There is a variety of shot types and distances, these can be static and there is a lot of camera movement.

·         Plenty of tracking shots

·         A variety of camera angles.

Features of editing:

·         Plenty of special effects and filtered lighting.

·         The videos pace is edited to match the beat of the song.

·         Screen time goes to the artist, unless it is a lyrical video E.G: Katy Perry-Roar.

·         The editing doesn’t follow a film narrative structure.

·         Lip-syncing is introduced in the videos and sound is incorporated to match it.

·         There Is a lot of repeated shots due to base tracks.

Features of M.E.S:

·         The dancing matches the genre.

·         It’s common to utilise high key lighting. Bright studio lighting (makes it appealing).

·         Clothing is suited to genre (artists change a lot).

·         Environments often change at random times in the music videos, unlike in movies.

·         Hair and make-up can sometimes be dramatic and exaggerated.

Features of generic signifiers:

·         Pace of editing matches the actions on the screen (indicates the genre.

·         Age of artist and participants match the genre.

·         Videos can be exposed either widely or on a more small scale.

·         The style of dancing changes for each genre.

·         The locations match the genre.

Features of creativity and innovation:

·         Editing, camera, M.E.S, social media, TV, Popular culture, Artists performance.

 Below I have displayed a few music videos which demonstrate all of these features:

                                       New flame- Chris Brown ft. Usher and Rick Ross

                                   
                                       Bang Bang- Jessie J ft. Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj