Conventions of a music video

There are two categories in regards to conventions of a music video there are technical which is how technology is used to enforce the meaning of the video this also includes the use of camera, sound and mise en scene. Symbolic is the hidden meaning to a video through small pieces of detail such as a close up of a photo this category mainly involves the use of miseen scene.

Music videos use a variety of styles:

- Narrative

- Cameo

- Live Performance

- Animation/Green screen

- Time Lapse

Camera

• The use of establishing shots- which focus on points of detail which serve a purpose towards the meaning of the video.

• Close up- the camera zooms on areas such as the face of the performer.

• Extreme close ups- a close up on one specific point such as the performer’s eye or mouth.

• Pans- used to move the artist during a live performance or in a narrative, used to create an effect in the story line.

Mise en scene

• Use of props which play a significant role or for representation in relation to the meaning of the song.

• The choice of clothing to show the genre of music video for example in a rock music video the artist would mainly wear black clothing in comparison to a pop video the artist would wear bright colours.

Editing

• To create effects which might not be possible to create through regular camera use this will make the video more effective in regards to enforcing the hidden meaning.

• The transition to each shot or scene can be significant for example showing a memory usually uses a white flash (flashback) followed by the memory, editing is also used on the footage of the memory adjusting the style into black and white or a sepia effect.