Conventions of music videos

The codes and conventions of music videos are the different techniques used to construct meaning into them. Different genres have different codes and conventions to attract different audiences. Conventions can be divided into two categories, technical and symbolic. Technical codes are all the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a media text, for example the editing software used. Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see. For example, a character's actions show you how the character is feeling.

The codes and conventions are there for many reasons. One is so that the audience can become familiar with the particular genre, they also provide structure so that the audience can understand.

The conventions of music videos can vary depending on the genre. However for the genre acoustic/hip-hop most of the them tend to have the following:

Mise-en-scene-  Acoustic/hip hop videos tend to be filmed outside either in a park or in a woods.
Lighting- The lighting usually tends to be fairly dark as the songs often seem to have some kind of meaning or deep story behind them so the dark lighting suggests sadness and meaning

Costume-The costumes in the genre of this video tend to be quite casual and nothing too bright.

Props- There are many props that are often associated with acoustic/hip hop videos, some include alcohol, guitars and a microphone.

Camera movement- The camera is often hand held, this gives the impression that you are seeing what's going on from someones perspective. A lot of the time this is used in conjunction with the male gaze, in order to give you the perspective of a man.

Editing- The editing with acoustic hip hop videos are usually quite fast paced in order to fit with the pace of the song. They are also quite quick paced in order to make the lyrics fit in time with the video as they usually tell a story.

Camera shots- There are often a wide range of shots within acoustic hip hop music videos. Often there are a few long shots or establishing shots to set the scene and give you and idea of the area the video is set. Then there are also a lot of close up shots to show the expressions on peoples' faces as the song lyrics usually have a lot of meaning to them.

Equiptment and Props List

-Camera
-Apple Mac Computer
-Actors/actresses
-Knife (if allowed)
-Car
-Costumes
-Dolly (tripod)
-Mobile phone

Music Video Survey

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6G9JB3Z

Laura Mulvey music video theories

One part of her male gaze theory suggests that the camera/audience always represents a heterosexual man's perspective of the scene objectifying women. An example of this is the music video for "Fight For This Love" by Cheryl Cole. There are a lot of close ups on her lips and legs which suggest the male gaze.

Another part of her male gaze theory suggests that women are only portrayed as one of two possibilities, either a virginal innocent character or a sexy whore. This is called the virgin/whore dichotomy. An example of the innocent virginal character is in the video for "Love Story" by Taylor Swift.

Andrew Goodwin music video theory

Andrew Goodwin states that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics, for example, stage performances in metal rock videos show energy and imply loud noises. Many music videos can also link to film genres, this is known as intertextuality. For example heavy metal videos usually link to horror films and slow indie songs usually relate to romantic films.

He says that there is relationship between music and visuals as he says that the lyrics are represented with images. An example of this is in Ed Sheeran's music video for "don't" at 2;15 when the lyrics say "we drink away the days with a take away pizza" there is a woman walking into shot carrying a pizza box.

He also says that there is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visuals reflects that of the music- either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting. Illustrative is when the music and the video relate by a set of images somehow relating to the music or lyrics. Amplifying is when meanings and effects are manipulated and constantly shown through the video. Contradicting is when the video contradicts the music for example of the music is slow and quiet yet the videos shows a lot of action.

Another point he makes is that the demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which reoccur across their work- which could be to make them more recognisable. An example of this is Pharrell Williams as he wears his iconic hat is every music video and there are a lot of close ups especially in his video for "Happy".