Conventions within a music video;
1) Goodwin suggested there need to be a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, this relationship will either, illustrate, amplify or contradict the lyrics behind the song.
Jessie J's 'Price Tag' video is an example of a video that contradicts the lyrics, she is singing about how is isn't about the money however she is stood in front of a money tree.
2) Thought beats enable us to see the sounds, the cuts are designed to fit to the beat during editing.
Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, Uptown funk has lots of thought beats with both the cuts and the dance moves and events occurring in the video.
Some of the lyrics are mimicked by events in the video such as 'fill me cup and pour some liquor in it'.
3) Genre-related style and Iconography- some artists have a trend of repeating certain actions or events within their music videos in order to establish a familiar trademark with their fan base.
-Genre is also the location as many locations are associated and fit within different genres of music.
Beyonces video for 'Best Thing I Never Had' had a wedding theme which goes with the romantic genre of the song.
4) Prevalence: multiple close ups of the vocalist or main person within the music video create a star image to promote a recognisable brand, person or image.
-Camera angles are used to make this person look good. Women are often sexualised with provocative angles, this links to Mulvey's Male Gaze theory which creates a fetishisation among the audience towards the artist.
In sam smiths video of 'Stay with me' he is clearly identifiable as the star as lots of close ups are used to highlight this.
5) Voyeurism- plays a major part in a music video, especially in relation to females- Goodwin recognised that many music videos included voyeuristic angles to women in order to entice the male audience.
Voyeurism- being made to watch/stare at specific things.
Rihanna's music video for 'Stay' entices a male audience as it features lots of carefully placed shots of her in a bath mostly naked.
6) Intertextual references to other media texts- it isn't uncommon to recognise the visuals or lyrics of a song as a direct reference to another media text. It engages audiences and provides them with gratification if they can recognise the link.
Taylor Swifts recent video for 'Bad Blood' is a perfect example, she gathered some of the most famous, inspirational women in the world to promote both her music and their buissess.
Key Aspects of a successful music video;
1) Though Beats- Goodwin recognised this by three steps
- look into the music and interpret it by looking at the versus/chorus.
-'the voice within the song', this is when the artists voice is extremely unique and recognisable.
- states the artist is telling a story and generates a reputation as a 'storyteller'. Music videos are created to emphasize the lyrics and the story within the songs.
2) Narrative and Peformance- Goodwin suggested that music videos should avoid the common narrative as their role is more to advertise than become a story.
-Artists should become both a participant and narrator to increase authenticity.
- Lip-synchin and other actions featured in the video increase its verisimilitude (realistic), this prevents disbelief.
3)Star Image- Goodwin suggested that this increases audience awareness of who the star is in the video.
-It shows development over time, which increases audience interest.
4) Relation of visuals to song
-illustate
-amplify
-disjuncture/contradict
5) Technical Aspects-Camera, including movement, angles and composition
-Sound, including pace and pitch
-Mise en Scene, (location, costume, facial expression, make-up)
-Editing, including post and production
