Music Video Conventions

What is a music promo video?

 
• Purpose - for song? Album? Artist/band? Record company?
 
• How can a promo create a 'brand image' for a performer?
 
• Conventions? Camera work? Editing? Sound? Mise-en-scene? Narrative? Representation?
 
• Where can music promos be exhibited?

Music Video's were created to be able to promote an artists new single, making the public aware of the song as well as the performer giving them more fame and fortune. More recently music video's are now available on websites such as you tube and vimeo which are websites which help promote the video's alongside various music channels.

Nirvana – smells like tee spirit

Variety of shots- close ups of band members

    Performance
    Dry ice
    Lighting- colour, brown tones
    Audience reactions
    Gig
    Slow motion

Key Words

• Illustration- this is when the music promo illustrates the narrative which is given in the song lyrics.
 
• Amplification- this is when the music promo amplifies or develops the idea further.
 
• Disjuncture- this is when the music promo has no similarity to the lyrics, these are usually unconventional promos.

Narrative

-How is narrative used? Balanced with performance? Cut into performance? Merged with the performance?
-Does it AMPLIFY the lyrics? Or does it focus on a specific of the lyric and ILLUSTRATE it? Or does it CONTRADICT the lyrics (known as DISJUNCUTURE)?
-Remember the narrative may not be constructed in a traditional manner- may be partial/disjointed e.g. use of montage.
An example is Blur coffee and TV

Intertextuality

-This refers to the process where one media text may take from another existing text- it may be a carbon copy, a pastiche, a parody or a homage- e.g. a music video may borrow elements from a well known film.
-This ‘borrowing’ of images, narratives etc. and reconstructing the, can be seen as ‘post-modern’.
Robbie Williams- Let me entertain you.
References to Kiss
Heavy rock video,
Make up, costume, stage, band.
Ozzy Osborn reference.

20^thcentury art movements and the music promo.

-ExpressionismMy chemical romance- Welcome to the black parade
Red hot chilli peppers- Otherside

-Surrealism
Foo Fighters- Everlong

-Pop Art

Lady Gaga- Telephone
Beyonce- Countdown
Rihanna-Rude boy