Conventions Of A Music Video: Categories

Definitions:


Disjuncture: The video bares no relevance to the theme of the lyrics/song. Often used in more 'cutting edge' or artistic video by bands who typically choose not to follow typical conventions.


Example: Tom Vek, 'Aroused' 
This video basically consists of shots of different people smoking in what is clearly a studio. The one convention it does follow is the use of black and white.

Amplification: Takes a key idea of a lyric or the song and expands on it.

Example: Aloe Blac, 'I Need A Dollar' 

This music video is centred around money and the absence of it, as the title would suggest. It contains aspects of performance and a narrative which contains scenes of him trying to hitch-hike etc.

Illustration: Uses the general theme of the lyrics/song to create a narrative.

Example: The Hoosiers, 'Goodbye Mr A'

The song is about getting rid of someone who is superior using unethical methods. This is displayed in the video as a group of people (the band) scheming ways in which to eliminate 'Mr A'.

Music Video Analysis

Foster The People, 'Call It What You Want'

From the beginning of the video it follows a typical convention by creating the effect that the audience is being allowed to witness something that they shouldn't be.


As you can see from my screenshots there is a crack in the wall which widens and then allows the audience to see what's on the other side.


The video also follows the convention of including performance aspects which can be seen from the beginning as shown in my screenshot on the left. 

It is important that these aspects of the video are in perfect synchronicity to the music that is being played to make it look authentic and give the audience a sense that they are being played to.


In these sections there is also a predominant use of close ups either

on an instrument being played or of the vocalist singing. This helps the audience identify with the musicians as  there is a small chance they will ever meet them face to face.


A wide variety and artistic use of effects is also very common in music videos. For example the screen shot 

on the left shows an image of a clock imprinted in the vocalist's head giving a surreal image which is also enforced by the use of the mirrored effect which divides the frame into two opposite/reversed images.


The video continues this idea throughout in the scenes which don't 

                                                        include performance. As you can see in the image of the vocalist singing with his head inside a fishbowl. They also incorporate this surrealism aspect into performance in the screenshot which shows the drummer appearing to levitate whilst playing a snare drum. This shot is also framed so that the drummer is centred which signifies his importance in the shot. It is also important to note the location in which it is filmed which appears to be a house of grander which holds connotations of wealth (which becomes evident in their clearly large budget) and is also aesthetically pleasing which is important for a successful music video.

The surrealist aspect also gives the artist/artists an opportunity to exploit their 'fantasies' or imagination which can be seen in the next selection of screenshots in which the vocalist has a group of attractive women outside his window who he then pretends to shoot with his hand and the unexpectedly it has the effect of splattering them with paint.


Finally, at the end of the video there is a heavy use of effects to help enunciate the climax of the song in which there is a variety of effects used including the kaleidoscope effects which can be seen in the screen shot on the left.