Andrew Goodwin wrote a book called Dancing in the Distraction Factory in 1992. In the book he said there are 5 things that make a music video; differentiating music videos and short videos. Goodwin said that there has to be a correlation between the lyrics and the visuals. the visuals had to either illustrate, amplify, or contradict the music
Illustrating the music is when the visuals directly correspond with the lyrics. An example of this is Friday by Rebecca Black. At 0:14 the lyrics are 7am waking up in the morning and there is a shot of her alarm clock.
Amplification is enhancing the style or mood of the video. LMFAO songs are a good example of this as their videos usually have a lot of dancing and parting in it which is was the songs are usually about. In Party Rock Anthem at 2:26 you can see the actors dancing.
Contradicting is going against the lyrics or mood of the song. The song could be about heart break but the visuals would be showing happiness. An example of this is Power of Love by Gabrielle Aplin; the song is about how love makes you stronger but the video is about her all alone singing her song. At 1:16 she is sat at her piano lost in her music. The video is not like what is expected of a love song.
Iconography:
Iconography is when a music video had signifier from other media texts. This could be anything from costumer to set to props. These images are associated with the other media text. An example of this is Boom Clap by Charlie XCX. The video is set in Amsterdam and it is clear because at 0:17 you can see Charlie on a boat in a canal like a scene from The Fault in Our Stars.
Star persona:
This is how the artist is presented to the audience. For example The Vamps are seen are four teenage boys just trying to have fun and enjoy them self. In their music video for Can We Dance you can see that although the boys like to have a party and have fun you cans see that at 1:12 they tweet asking for help cleaning. You don't see them cleaning up after a party in other videos. This shows that the boys would get in to trouble with their parents if they leave the house the way it is. This is appealing to their fans that they are normal teenage boys.
Voyeurism:
Voyeurism is getting pleasure from watching something. These kind of videos normal depict women are things rather than people. HipHop videos have a lot of Sex symbols are made to be watched. A video made for the purpose of being watched for please is Jay Sean Sex101. At 0:29 you see a half naked girl sucking on a lollipop.
Intertextual References:
music video has intertextual references to another media text. These remind the audience of another media text. Ed Sheeran's music video for All Of The Stars has a lot of intertexutual references to The Fault in Our Stars. At 0:04 you see tulips from the movie. at 1:22 there is a shot of the "okay" thought bubbles which is always associated with the movie.
Different genres of music have specific conventions in the music videos. A genre music video has a lot of the conventions for that music style. For example country music have their typical convention of acoustic instruments, cowboy attire, and nature. An example of genre music videos is The climb by Miley Cyrus. At 0:34 you can see the actors riding horses through a country road. At 0:14 Miley is walking through a desert holding her acoustic guitar.The two characters are standing facing each other and you can see the costumes at 0:38. The guy is wearing a cowboy hat that is typically seen in country music. The institution would use the conventions in the video to show that Miley is still true to her roots. She's an innocent high school student who isn't going to give up easily. Using a genre music video for this song shows that Miley is still a typical southern girl. Miley Cyrus's fans at this point are young girls. They see Miley as a role model and so watching her struggle and not give up in the video would make them do the same. I could use a genre music video to stick to what is expected.
Genre Subverting Music Video:
A genre subverting video is a music video that does not have many signifies. It is an opposite of genre music video. One example of subverting music video is Fancy by Iggy Azalea. The video does not meet the typical convention of a hip hop music video. In a typical video you'd expect there to be a lot of sex symbols, alcohol, gangs. and clubs; however the music video for fancy is set in a school, and at 0:47 you can see in school. Iggy is in class at 0:12 giving a speech while the rest of the class are messing about. Fancy is a song talking about how Iggy is "still in the murder business" which is quite the positie to what the video is showing. Iggy is a high school student. At 1:00 you see her in her tennis kit. The institution represent Iggy as someone who doesn't stick to the rules. She does what she wants. This video would appeal to the audience as a large majority of Iggy's fans are in school or college and would see Iggy as a popular girl in school. I could potentially use a genre subverting video to represent doing something out of the what is expected.
Performance:
This is a music video in which the artist is singing, playing an instrument, or dancing. In a performance video it is better to change the location as it would make the video more interesting. Demons by Imagine Dragon is a good example of a performance music video. In the video the the band are on stage preforming their song as if it is a live concert. The Institution represent the artist as a passionate band who love to perform their songs. Performance videos allow the artist to show that they can play an instruments. At 1:02 you can see the band playing their instruments. In performance videos the artists can dance too however in the video for Demons the lead singer just sings. Performance music videos show the audience that the artist is a good performer and this will make the audience ago and buy tickets for their concerts. At 0:57 you can see the audience in the video having fun and enjoying then self. This again makes the audience want to go watch the Imagine Dragon's perform live. another reason people would want to go watch the band play live is seeing the many skills of the artists. I can use a performance video as it can be used to show the artist can sing or dance or play and instrument. It is also more interesting to watch the artist performing.
Narrative:
A story is told within a narrative music video, as the song goes on the story develops. An example of this is the song Hall of Fame by The Script. In the video we see two stories but both about people who have struggled to get what they have achieved. There is a cold opening to the video as it sets the scene for the rest of the video. The song doesn't start until 0:30 This is common of a narrative music video. The institution would use this video to represent The Script because they want to show the scrips as a hard working an dedicated band. The music video represent the band as genuine people not pop stars as the set is very simplistic. At 2:38 you see the artists standing singing in an empty hall; its very simplistic. Using a narrative music video for this song is a good idea as the song is about working hard and being rewarded. At 0:14 a girl is greeted by her dad in sign language. It's made clear that she's deaf however we later see her dancing to music to music. We also see the story of a boy who was beaten and bullied and comes from a poor household however at 1:16 we see him boxing really well. They all keep trying and that's what the institution represent The Script as; a band that keep trying. The song directly gives the audience a message. The music video features real life situations. This relates to the audience and so the audience would like the video and want to buy it. In my music video I could use this style and create a story that the audience can connect with. This would interest the audience.
Interpretive:
An Interpretive music video has visuals that match the lyrics of the song. Russian Roulette by Rihanna is an example of interpretative. In the video at 0:11 you see a silver gun as the lyrics say "take the gun". You see her take a deep breath at 0:59 when the lyrics say "take a breath". Rihanna closes her eyes at 2:07 as the lyrics says "close your eyes". The institution present Rihanna as someone who is mysterious. The video didn't make it clear why Rihanna was in the situation. The audience would want to know more about the video and what its talking about. This would result in watching the video again as it is interesting. The audience are left asking many questions; who is the guy? Where are they? Why are they taking shots at each other? Rihanna's public image is always changing. She's always taking risks with her new look. The institution don't want to reveal too much about Rihanna as they want the audience to keep guessing. This makes the video for Russian Roulette all the more interesting. I could make a simple music video by having simple interpretive shots. This would make the video easy to follow and funny.
Impressionist:
In an impressionist music video the visuals match the pace of the song. Happy Little Pill by Troye Sivan is a slightly abstract but a impressionist music video. At 0:55 you can see an owl flying which goes with the song. There are a lot of shots of Troye looking out the window like at 0:58. The shots are slow and clam like the song. At 1:04 you can see a shot of just his head. The artist isn't singing much in the video but you see his profile and different angles. The institution would want to use this video for Troye as they want to do something cool that his over 4 million existing fans will enjoy. The video is Troye Sivan's first ever single and so set a look for the rest of his music. The using an impressionist video for his first single leaves a sense of mystery about Troye. The audience know Troye already through his fame on YouTube and his acting so this video makes the audience question how well they know him. I could potentially use an impressionist video to do something cool that may not have much deeper meaning to it.
Abstract:
An abstract video is just weird. It doesn't have to make much sense. An example of this is Viva forever by the Spice Girls. The video has aspects of stop animation like at 1:27 where 5 fairies show up; however it is quite abstract. In the video there are giant kinder surprise toys like 0:31 a toy roaster jumps out. At the end of the video the fairies trap one of the boys in a 2:46 giant Rubik's cube. The video is very random. The institution used this as a way to be creative with their music video and try something new. Abstract music videos are also a way to make people think deeper about the video and potentially find a meaning to the video. The audience would question the video and want to know more about the Spice girls. Looking in to the video you would see that the 5 fairies in the video represent the 5 spice girls. The video can have a much deeper meaning and that is what the institution are attempting to do; have people question what the video is about. An abstract video could be useful in my music video as a way to create something to make people question the video.
Parody:
A parody is similar to a pastiche music video but its purpose it to make fun of another media text. Bart Baker is a well known parody artist who did the parody to the music video for Wiggle by Jason Derulo. Parody videos usually work best if the original text is serious or very popular. At 0.28 artist highlights where there is product placement in the original music video. At 0:25 Bart also changes the lyrics to "I'll make a song about big fat butts" which mocks Jason's lyrics. The main job for Bart is to make his audience laugh. As a content provider of YouTube his audience is quite large. Bart Baker earns money through the number of views his videos receives so the funnier his videos are the more like and shares he will get. I could make a parody music video by coping the style of a another media text and making people laugh.
Referencing:
Skyfall by Adele has a lot of referencing in it to the movie Skyfall. The video features lots of clips from the movie itself. For example at 1:35 there is an intimate shot from the movie. This shows the audience there is love or passion in the movie causing more interest for the actual movie. The music video has an action scene from the movie at 0:40 which if seen by action movie lovers would make them want to watch the movie. Some of the shots in the video taken from the movie such as at 0:23 don't match the slow pace of the song. This makes them stand out and make the video more interesting. Adele is known for being a serious in her videos. She is also well known and popular. The James Bond films are also very famous. By having Adele do the title song for the movie they are advertising the movie and Adele can gain a wider audience. The audience would want to watch the movie after seeing the music video as they would be interested to know what the movie is about.
Animation:
Animation music videos feature some form of animation or stop animation. One More Time by Daft Punk is an example of an animated music video. At 0:47 you see a group of blue cartoon characters singing to the song. There is a concert happening where live music is being play; at 0:53 you can see part of the audience and the stage. At 0:57 you can see people having a good time. The institution are trying to convey to the audience that going to a daft punk concert will be fun. Daft Punk are a French Electronic music group. By using an animated music video they are able to stay hidden and don't have to feature in their video. The audience would want to know more about the group. They want to enjoy their live music and the music video shows that Daft Punk would do something cool and new at their concert. I could use animation in my music video to by having something like fireworks in it.
Pastiche/ Homage:
A pastiche music video imitates the style of another text. often it can be a direct copy. An example of a pastiche music video is Thriller by Micheal Jackson. It has many intertextual references to the American werewolf in London. At 4:44 the two actors are walking through a deserted road like in the movie. There are a lot of intertextual referencing to 1950s Zombie movies like at 8:00 the zombies in the picture is from 1950s zombie movies. At 7:44 you can see that the setting in the picture is quite similar to the one in the music video. The institution would want to people to know what the music video is referring to. People would be used to the old movies and people would see that in the thriller video as it makes it more interesting. The zombies in the video make the music video more fun to watch. I could use intertextual references to other movies and song that people would know. I could set my music video at a place that people would know well from another media text.
By raising awareness of the music video people will see it and then want to buy it. Often the release of a music video can become a big event. To build up to the event teasers and behind the scenes footage are released. Fun, random, and controversial videos get a lot of attention. Music videos can be crazy and fun which makes people share them and that makes the artist well known. By doing something controversial like Nicki Minaj in the video for Anaconda she gained attention for her music and it got almost 300 million views on YouTube. The institution will earn money from all the views as. With videos being controversial the audience would want to watch it and see why people are talking about it. Controversial videos make the audience question what is acceptable.
Visual Representation:
Music videos allows the artist to be seen without actually having to perform. Music videos can give the lyrics more meaning. The videos allows the artist to be known through their personality however these personalities can often be just brand. for example Hannah Montana was a brad created by Disney. Miley Cyrus on the other hand is not the sweet innocent girl that she used to be. now that the show is over Miley wanted to change her image and so she did with her video for We Can't Stop. This drastic change caused Miley to get a lot of criticism. The video featured shots of Miley kissing a barbie at 1:49. Sudden changes aren't as good for the artist and institution as they can lose fan. Its also not good for the fans as they can lose interest in the artist and their music. This can lose the institution money. However the 500 million view on her videos is making the institution a lot of money.
Synergy:
Artist can often create a song to be featured in a movie.This is promotion for the movie and song. An example of a music video with links to a movie is Boom Clap by Charlie XCX. This song is a part of the sound track for The Fault in Our Stars. The video is set in Amsterdam which is a very important part of the movie. Also the video has clips from the movie; for example at 1:20 Hazel and Gus kiss. Seeing clips from the movie make the audience interested in what the movie is about. The benefit for the institution is that they get paid for creating a music video for the movie. Another way this is a benefit for the institution is that fans of the movie buy their song earning them movie. In the case of Boom Clap and The Fault in Our Starts the movie is a lot popular than the artist and the song. The music video lets people know that Charlie XCX made a song for he The Fault in Our Stars and this causes her fan base to grow. In the same way if a popular artist did a music video for a less popular movie the movie will gain more popularity.
Income:
An interesting music video is played frequently on music channels as people want to watch. Often music channels are paid to keep playing a music video on their channel. This puts the song out there for more people to hear and as a result more people would buy the video. An example of this is Mirrors by Justin Timberlake which was played every hour. The negative side to this is that people can grow sick of hearing the same song again and again. Music video can also benefit the institution through views on YouTube. When someone goes to watch the video the institution are paid money. Likewise the distributed earn money through allowing ads on the videos. CD collections are another way the institution can earn money through music videos.
Art:
A music video is the chance for the directer to do something new. This is a way the artist can become more memorable. Memorable videos lead to more sales which is a benefit for the institution. Music videos allow the use of new pioneering editing and special effects. An example of this is the song She Wolf by David Guetta. At 1:30 the are cool special effects used in the music video. Music videos can also be a good way to tell a story or convey a message.
Social Media is a website where you can share your thoughts, pictures, and videos. A couple social media that are used to share music videos include Facebook and twitter. The benefits of this is that that artist's video is shared between friends causing the fan-base of the artist to grow. More people will see the video and the artist will become well known. The negative for the institution of having their video shared on social media is that their is no financial gain. Comments on the video can get the video feedback and let the audience express how they they like the video. On the other hand the comments can get the video a lot of bad publicity too. Social media allows the artist to get world wide recognition and increase their fame. An example of this is Gangnam style by Psy. Psy was a famous K-pop artist but after Gangnam style he became famous world wide.
Mainstream TV:
Mainstream TV channels such as BBC, Channel 4, and ITV often show music videos. Music producers would get advertisement for their music. The easiest way to advertise your music on a mainstream channel to have an interview on a chat show. On Alan Carr: Chatty Man a new music video is always played. A lot of different people watch mainstream TV so the artist would get a much bigger audience. The advertisement make people want to buy the music and so the institution will profit. Due to the large number of people watching the video the artist does not have control over who sees it. This is a positive thing due to the fact the artist would gain audience. More people will see the video. It may not be such a good thing for the channel as particular music is aimed at a particular audience so many people may lose interest in the channel. The institution would have to pay money to have the video played on the channel.
Music channels:
Music channels have a particular genre playing so it is aimed at a set audience for example BuzMuzik is aimed at people who like Pop music This benefits new artists as they can gain fans. For example a new pop videos can be found on a pop channel and this will gain an audience for the audience. Meghan Trainor who recently became more known through her song All About That Bass. Music Channels benefits the institution because they gain money from allowing the video to be played on the channel. The audience is able to watch more video's and hear new music that they will enjoy. The audience can find new music. However the channel has to pay for the music to be allowed to be played on their channel. The views have no say in the music that is played on most channels.
Direct CDs:
Very famous artist can sometimes make CDs with all their music video that they can sell. Music videos can be played at the will of the consumers. the institution and artist both gain profit from it. special editions DVDs allow fans to get more from the audience. Artist like Michael Jackson who have died are still earning money from his music CD's. Downloading is not required so there is no risk of getting a virus. However the artist has to work on something new for the CDs. Consumers can view music videos at will on streaming websites such as YouTube. Hardly anyone actually sits down to watch music videos on a CD player. it is easier to stream videos. these CDs can often cost more to produce than how much they are actually being sold for. for this reason the CDs are a lot more expensive than if you were to download them. Whitney Houston's CD has 20 songs on it and costs almost £40.
Streaming Websites:
Streaming websites such as YouTube allow music to be streamed free online. A positives of this is that it easy to access and easy to view for the consumer. the institution is paid for allowing their video's to be streamed on the website also this is an advertisement for the video. sites such as YouTube allow you to subscribe to channels which then notify people of new videos being released. this benefits the audience and the institution. the comment system allows people to give their opinions and feedback for the video. you can also get negative comments on the videos and also get hate. For example Rebecca Black got hate on her music video for her song Friday. YouTube can allow people to leak music videos. although you have access to any video that is on a streaming website whenever you'd like you need internet to stream the video.
Artist websites:
Artist have their own websites often set up by their management. You can watch their music videos on these websites for free. This is a way for the artist to promote their new music for free to their fan and get them to buy it. On the website the artist could only have teasers and backstage footage that would make people want to not only watch the full video but also buy it. The negative side to these websites are that they are too exclusive. Only fans would go on the websites which will not get the music video out there. Not having the full video on the site is a negative for the audience as they will have to wait for the full video. If videos are too explicit the site can be shut down. this defeats the purpose of having a website. Not everyone knows that an artist has a website so its harder for get attention for their music video. Artist website allow you to know more about the artist such as their YouTube channel. They can even include links to their music videos on their website. By clicking the links and watching the video you make the artist earn more money as an ad will appear. Artist advertise Their music and merchandise on their websites. When you go on edsheeran.com the first thing you see is a link to where you can buy his music and merchandise.
Downloads:
Downloading music gives the audience instant access to the music video. They can keep the video on their phone or music player and listen to it without needing internet like you'd need on a streaming site. Downloading music can be done for free this is a good thing for the audience but a bad thing for the institution as they don't make a profit from the video. Music videos are made to be bought or to make people want the video. When people buy the video on ITunes they spend money on it making the institution profit. On the other hand illegal downloading sites such as The Pirate Bay cause a loss. often the videos that are downloaded are of bad quality and are unreliable. For example you can download a computer virus with the video. An illegal website breaks the copy right law and therefor can not only be shut down but the creator can be sued.
