Music Video Conventions

A music video is a short film (usually same length as the song) that is produced for promotional and/or artistic purposes. Music videos use a very wide range of techniques and styles of film (such as live action filming, documentary style, abstract film, animation, etc). In some cases, music videos will use a combination of the styles and techniques such as live action filming and animation. It is far more common for music videos to not be very literal than they were expected to be prior to the likes of MTV. In the early 1980’s when MTV was first introduced to American televisions it used music videos as a marketing device that was intended to promote the sale of the music. MTV primarily showed this format; music videos.

The majority of music videos follow a set of rules or also known as codes and conventions. These codes and conventions are loose guidelines that’s the video has been made to so it is easily recognisable. The first and most obvious thing every music video will contain is a song by the artist. The content of a music video usually fits the lyrics which add a narrative/plot to the video that keeps the viewer watching as they want to see the conclusion of the story. Music videos then have a plot or narrative for that reason. The artist or band are normally in the music video either singing their music or just going along with the narrative, oblivious to the music. If the musician is very known and mainstream, being in their own music video would definitely look more appealing to their fans as they are what the fans what to see.

It is quite known that sex sells so sexuality is a big part of the music industry therefore it is in many music videos. For example, many of Beyonce’s music videos feature a lot of sexuality and use her sex symbol image to sell her music even further as they know it will sell. Single Ladies by Beyonce was very simple. It was her and two other dancers in black leotards doing an intricate dance routine in time with the song. The simplicity worked as her image sold it and the parodies/internet talk increased its popularity. Even if the music video isn’t seductive, the lyrics will most likely compensate for it.

To enhance the music there is normally a form of movement like dancing that goes to the beat or with the genre that the song is in. Another way to enhance it would be to edit the video so it is cut to the beats. This will have a similar effect that the dancing does. In A Hard Day’s Night, in the Can’t Buy Me Love sequence which is in itself a music video, the shots are cut to the beat of the song which definitely makes it work very well and look more like a music video.