ROMENA VASANTH
Conventions of music videos - theory analysis:
Conventions - The expected ingredients in a particular type of media text
There are different types of music video styles:
Performances – The music video consists mainly of the artist performing or singing the song. For example, Beyoncé’s music video for “9/11” where she is dancing and singing but there is no narrative just her performing around the house.
What makes the music video interesting is her changes of costume which is the element which makes the video style hook the audience which changes alongside with her various setting within the same location. The audience are engaged with her creative input throughout the song.
Narrative – This is when the music video follows a storyline which engages the audience as we can follow through with what is happening with the characters. An example of a linear narrative is Taylor Swift’s “You belong with me” where the narrative starts at the beginning of the song and plays out till the end of the song.
Combination of performance and narrative – Example “The man who can’t be moved” The Script
Where we have Danny the main singer walk through the streets and the audience can follow the narrative as he sings about a lover he is waiting for. However, throughout the narrative sequence there are instances of him and the band performing the song in a different setting.
Composition – The arrangement fee of visual elements within the frame, for clarity, balance or to make the setting within the frame seem aesthetically pleasing.
Connotation – A meaning attributed to an image beyond the obvious denotational level. Such meanings may be metaphorical, symbolic or culturally generated and will vary in line with the cultural backgrounds and attitudes and values of the individual viewing the material.
Sound:
Sound is mainly the vocals or the backing track of the song.
Diegetic sounds – Any sound in the scene whose source is justified by something in the setting, whether actually seen or not. For example, a phone ringing, footsteps, a door slamming or a siren in the distance. This is sound that can be heard by the characters within a scene/ sound part of the imaginary world.
Non Diegetic sounds – Any sound superimposed on the scene. For instance, score music, voice over narration. Sound that the characters cannot hear and is not part of the imaginary world of the story. This includes a musical soundtrack (however this excludes a narration by a character within the story – referred to as an internal monologue and is diegetic)
Sound effects – Sounds that are added to a film or music video in the post production stage.
Sound motif – A sound effect or a combination of sound effects that are associated with a particular character, setting situation or idea.
Sound bridge – Can lead in or out of a scene. They can occur at the beginning of one scene when the sound from the previous scene carries over briefly between the sounds from when the new scene begins.
Lighting:
Background – Lights on the background of the set
Cameo – Spot light, especially highlighted on the face
Fill – Gives emphasis of light to darker areas which reduces contrast
High – The setting is so fully lit with lights that there are no shadows or hardly any.
Low – This type of lighting offers a silhouette around objects with a fine line of light around them.
Three point lighting - A lighting technique involving actors being lit from three points: A main source (or key light), the source filling shadows (filler light) and a source backlighting the actors (back light).