Codes and conventions provide a structure for music video creators and familiarity for audiences. Meaning in music videos is conveyed through technical elements like camera angles and editing style, and symbolic elements like gestures and expressions. There are general codes and conventions across genres that can be manipulated for different styles, including the style of music, camerawork, editing, and mise-en-scene. Music videos typically take a performative, narrative, or mixed approach. Performative videos focus on a stage performance, narrative videos tell a story related to the song, and mixed videos combine both.
Codes and conventions provide a structure for music video creators and familiarity for audiences. Meaning in music videos is conveyed through technical elements like camera angles and editing style, and symbolic elements like gestures and expressions. There are general codes and conventions across genres that can be manipulated for different styles, including the style of music, camerawork, editing, and mise-en-scene. Music videos typically take a performative, narrative, or mixed approach. Performative videos focus on a stage performance, narrative videos tell a story related to the song, and mixed videos combine both.
Codes and conventions provide a structure for music video creators and familiarity for audiences. Meaning in music videos is conveyed through technical elements like camera angles and editing style, and symbolic elements like gestures and expressions. There are general codes and conventions across genres that can be manipulated for different styles, including the style of music, camerawork, editing, and mise-en-scene. Music videos typically take a performative, narrative, or mixed approach. Performative videos focus on a stage performance, narrative videos tell a story related to the song, and mixed videos combine both.
Codes and conventions provide a structure for music video creators and familiarity for audiences. Meaning in music videos is conveyed through technical elements like camera angles and editing style, and symbolic elements like gestures and expressions. There are general codes and conventions across genres that can be manipulated for different styles, including the style of music, camerawork, editing, and mise-en-scene. Music videos typically take a performative, narrative, or mixed approach. Performative videos focus on a stage performance, narrative videos tell a story related to the song, and mixed videos combine both.
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Codes and conventions of music
videos Codes and conventions lay ground work for people creating music videos too start off, and also provide a familiar structure that the audience can follow. There are two ways meaning can be conveyed in a music video;
Technical (camera angles, non/diegetic sound, genre and style of editing)
Symbolic (gestures, mise en scene, expressions and poses)
There are general codes and conventions that apply to most music videos across genres, these can be manipulated to suit all different styles of music video.
The style The sound
The camera Mise en scene The editing techniques
The style of music videos
Performative videos
Here the artist is either on a stage or other setting and
performing their song, the video dedicates all the time of the video to the performance. Have choreography, back up dancers and a band.
Narrative videos
Here there is a story or narrative that usually links to
the song in one way or another, if it’s a break up song we will normally the artist with an actor dramatizing the song. Can be two types of music videos linear and fragmented; linear has a beginning middle end but a fragmented video just has video that links to the lyrics. Mixture videos
These music videos have a mixture of codes and conventions
of both styles of music videos, they will have a linear narrative that is broken up by a performance visuals usually during the bridge or chorus.
Andrew Goodwin’s narrative theory
Thought beats- the structure of the music video, through the variations of the verse, bridge and chorus visuals or the cut to the beat. The videos are meant to represent the artist’s voice.
Narrative and performance- the purpose of the music video is to promote the song on a different medium, and to make a visual narrative that fits the précis. So there will be a narrative to make the video unique and the artist will be heavily featured so it seems more authentic.
Star image- record companies make music videos to promote the artist on a visual platform rather than just radio or on music selling services. Music videos gives the artist an increasing profile and sales. To do this the artist is heavily featured in the music video, in the performance and narrative visuals.
Relation of visuals to the song- Goodwin’s theory suggest three ways in which the visuals of the song relate the song;
Disjunction: this where the music videos imagery and visuals don’t relate to the lyrics much at all. The meaning of the song is forgotten. Amplify: this is where the lexicon or meaning of the song is taken to an extreme with the visuals of the music video. Illustrate: where the meaning of the song is created through the visuals of the music video. The most common form.
Technical codes- post-production elements like camera angles or movement, lighting and editing are all used in the final production process to create an idea or mood they want conveyed. Atmosphere and tone can created by colour, transitions and speed of editing. Editing is often to the beat of the song.
Camera shots Camera shots are used in close proxemics to the artist, this is so the artist is heavily featured and feels to the audience more authentic and their own product. Camera angles and movement can create or convey a multitude of ideas or moods.
Extreme long shot- where the subject is in the far background
Long shot- the subject is fully seen in the whole shot
Mid shot- half of the subject’s body is in the shot
Close up- the subject takes up most of the shot
Extreme close ups- the camera is in extreme close proximity.
