Codes and Conventions of a Music Video

Codes and Conventions of a Music Video

General Conventions:

Lip syncing - This is used normally in the performance side of a music video. The artist mimes the lyrics to the song whilst they're filming the video, the track is then edited in with the video during post production. It is fairly normal on a music video set to have the track playing in the background so the artist is able to match up the timing with the words perfectly.

Colours - The colours within a music video are generally used to represent the type of genre the music is and helps to portray the mood. A pop music video which has a fast and upbeat track will have brighter colours and more saturation. For example, in the music video below for Ariana Grande's 'Side to Side', there is a heavy use of the colours pink and blue. They are so bright to the fact where they are almost neon. The bright colours are associated with joy and happiness, all something a pop song wants you to feel.

Another example of using colour to show a mood or vibe is 'Back To December' by Taylor Swift. The song is about regret and is an apology 'letter' to an ex. The colours in the video are very calm and bland, there is a lot of beige and white with a soft tone. The paler beige colour creates a neutral and calming environment, this representing the words in the song.

Close-up shots - Close up's are one of the most heavily used shots within a music video. In the example below of The Killers 'Somebody Told Me', they have even gone as far to project close-ups of the lead singers face on a screen behind them.

Quick sharp cuts - In the example below of Selena Gomez's 'Kill Em With Kindness' she uses lots of quick and sharp cuts along with flashes of lights to match the fast paced beat of the song. This speed is a connotation of the pop genre.

Narrative - A narrative is used in some videos to tell the viewer a story. This story may have some link to the meaning of the song or the band themselves. In the video, it shows African-American children playing down in the south. They're all having some sort of gathering with a barbecue and games, all playing together. The song lines read 'It's in the water, it's where you came from' implying the African-American heritage is down in the south.

Home movie style - Something that is becoming more popular in videos is having a home video style. They use overlays and textures with soft tones to make it look like something has been filmed 20 years ago. Some more recent examples of this would be 'Temple' by Kings of Leon.

Although some people make it feel like a home movie, other videos have actually used older videos. 'The Best Day' by Taylor Swift is a video dedicated to Swift's mum which she edited and posted by herself using videos from her childhood which had all been filmed by her parents.

Against Conventions:

No performance - Whilst many of the things mentioned above are featured in most music videos, there are obviously a few which ignore the conventions and go for something different. For example, this video to 'Everything Has Changed' by Taylor Swift an Ed Sheeran does not have any performance aspect.

No star - 'Anna' by Will Butler of Arcade Fire is a video that does not show the man who wrote and sung the song but instead stars the actress Emma Stone. This is unusual however is a good marketing technique if you are trying to appeal to a different audience, you will get views from fans of hers. This might in turn lead to them buying your song/album. Arcade Fire have done this multiple times, there is another song called 'We Exist' which stars Andrew Garfield and doesn't show the band until the end. When they do show the band, it is a live performance from their set of Coachella so there are no close-ups or conventional shots.