Carol Vernalli’s Music Video theoryALICE CULHAM

Carol Vernallis: The Kindest Cut – Functions and Meanings of Music Video Editing; 2001

Vernallis’ theory centres around 4 key concepts that all relate to the way the music video is constructed. They are:

Narrative Editing Camera Movement and framing Diegesis

Narrative

The video is a visual response to the music and what is happening onscreen will reflect the lyrics.

There is not necessarily a balance between narrative and performance The narrative is not always complete – it may be a partial, fragmented narrative

and so the structure of the video may appear disjointed There may not always be a clear resolution (closure) at the end The video may pose questions that it doesn’t actually answer There may be a narrative or theme running through the video, but in a montage

style rather than in one continuous sequence.

Editing

All music videos follow the same editing techniques – jump cuts, cutting with the lyrics, graphic matches, changes in pace.

Editing may match the musical phrases or the beat The video may break or disrupt many of the ‘rules’ of continuity editing

– this is a clear convention of music video editing. Editing may become ‘foregrounded – the edits will be obvious, to draw

attention to themselves as opposed to invisible, continuity editing. For example, you may see: jump cuts, breaks of the 180 degree rule, cutting within the lyrics, stylised edits or cuts, extreme jumps in time and space, extreme changes in pace, a style of editing that runs through the video and is distinctive to that video.

Camera movement and framing

When it comes to shot types, extremes are very common such as establishing shots and close-ups.

The style of framing and movement may run through the video and is distinctive to that video.

The camera may move in time with the music. The camera may move on the lyrics. The master shot (or other establishing shots) is used frequently, as are

close-ups. What does she say about Diegesis (the world of the music video)?

Diegesis

The diegesis may be revealed quite slowly. Actions are not necessarily completed – they may be disrupted or

interrupted in some way (through the structure of the narrative) so there may be gaps in the audience’s understanding of the diegesis – in time and space, music, performance and narrative.

There are repetitions throughout the video of particular elements.