2) Make money - the music industry is a gold mine and music videos are a key asset to this profit making. A music video can take many forms, from appealing to the audience and their emotions to shocking and standing out from the rest of the market.

3) Advertising - artists can either be contacted to write a song specifically for a company and their new advertising campaign or approached by a company for the use of an existing song. Adverts can be a good way for a popular song from a previous decade to become a hit again. A prime example of this is the John Lewis Christmas advert featuring a cover version of 'The Power of Love'. Originally produced by Frankie Goes To Hollywood in 1984, the song hit the charts again thanks to the popularity of the advert.

4) Product placement - a music video can be a good platform for product placement. Some artists will purposely include products and logos which, when shown on television, have to be distorted or removed for licensing and payment issues. As with fashion, an artist can be influential to the market and boost sales through their video.

5) Social media - music videos and song sales are easily boosted by social media. This expanding media platform allows the audience to share a video, discuss a video and become aware of a video. This can be a good tool for a controversial or shocking video as the audience is more likely to discuss and share.

6) Widen the audience - music videos are easily accessible in the age of social media with artists finding fame with a YouTube video. The audience is exposed to new artists or bands through social media therefore increasing hits and possibly sales.

7) Expansion of talent - a music video can express the talents of an artist. One of the best examples of this is Michael Jackson. Without music videos, Michael Jackson would not have been able to denote his dancing to the audience, a factor that made him so well known from his early videos.

8) Pre-release recognition - artists often choose one of their key songs from their latest album to release first. The most recent case is Miley Cyrus, releasing 'We Can't Stop' and 'Wrecking Ball' from her new album and releasing fairly shocking videos to promote her new image and style to boost pre-release orders of the album.

9) Entertainment - in some cases a music video is what makes a song popular, rather than the quality of the music. A recent example of this is Psy's song 'Gangnam Style' that became a YouTube sensation with nearly two billion hits. The song was popular for the dance rather than the lyrics.

10) Sell the brand or image - a music video is a tool used to sell an image of an artist. Artists sometimes expand beyond music and develop their own products, with a music video giving them the platform to promote themselves. It can also be used to sell a look or statement.

11) Extension of income - music videos can increase the income from a track with views on the internet and on music channels on the television. As well as sales for radio plays, the music channels work in a similar way. The more popular the song the higher the income.

12) Promote festivals - companies can put videos together to promote a festival and a range of artists so that it appeals to a wide audience. This type of video not only promotes the festival but also the artist as they usually have a new release when appearing at events.

13) Synergy - a collaboration of two artists, sometimes from different genres, that can boost a career or widen an audience. Will.i.am collaborated with Cheryl Cole to launch her to the large American music market. This is not a guaranteed success for artists, especially if they are from different genres.

14) Charity - some songs are produced for a charitable cause and the music video can promote the talent involved with the cause. The most well-known music video for a charity was 'Do They Know It's Christmas' which was produced twice in 20 years. The video engages a range within the audience due to fan bases and also denotes the work of the charity.

15) Promotion of new talent - similar to synergy, an established artist might collaborate with an up and coming artist to promote them to an audience. The music video will visualise a link between the two and possibly denote a friendship and future collaborations.

The video will also be shown on television music channels (depending on the channel, time of day and audience sensitivity). The track has only been released in a handful of countries, including the United States, so is set for sales to increase with further releases and album pre-sales.

1940's

With the rise of the musical came the 'soundie'. A 'soundie' was a musical film (only a few minutes long) made to be a form of entertainment and boost morale of servicemen on leave. The soundie was seen as a precursor for music videos - telling a story visually to a piece of music. Soundies were viewed on a Panoram juke box.

Soundies declined in popularity after the war and were not produced after 1947.

Why were soundies similar to music videos?

Soundies were telling a story through a visual piece of work which is essentially one of the purposes of a music video. Modern music videos have evolved into making money and self promotion whereas soundies were for entertaining audiences and morale, which much of the entertainment was made for.

This particular video 'Who's Yehudi?' uses similar camera techniques to modern videos. The band and artist play to the camera with a running story in the background.

For British audiences, the music video emerged with the BBC programme 'Top of the Pops'. In 1975 it would be Queen's busy touring that would lead to the change in the music video. The band were unable to appear on Top of the Pops and therefore created a video to be shown in the slot. This video not only promoted the band, but shaped modern music videos. Again, like the 1960's camera angles and lighting enabled the video to engage a young audience.

Not only were televisions in nearly every home, they were also in colour. This was a new aspect of filming to think about. It would enable more promotion of products (product placement) that is used in some modern music videos. It was also another way to capture the attention of the audience.

'Bohemian Rhapsody' is similar to modern music videos. Several sets are used to keep the video interesting and the focus is on the band rather than a storyline, the two primary ways of visualising lyrics to the audience.

During the 1960's the popularity of the 'promotional clip' climbed. The Beatles highlighted this form of promotion in the early years of the decade with their film 'A Hard Day's Night'. The promotional clips were used to raise the profile of a band or artist. As it was recorded it could be repeated on television throughout the day and broadcast in more than one country - expanding the audience. This allowed the artist(s) to widen their promotion of a song or album as they could make live appearances in one country and have promotional clips playing on a television channel in another country.

Television was more widely available than the 1950's with many more home owning a set. The Beatles were the most famous band and known for their successful use of the promotional clip which evolved over the decade and their career. As with the change in film, The Beatles clips mirrored the change in style and technique. This included the range of camera angles, edits and even lighting - the new wave in film was fronted by Jean-Luc Godard.

Both the style of film making and the development of artists branching into this new type of visual promotion shaped and continue to influence modern music videos. Lighting is key to a successful music video and using a range of camera angles keeps the audience engaged.

With the demise of the Panoram juke box meant a lull in the development of the music video. In the 1950's bands and artists were not making music videos to promote themselves or save money, they were appearing on television shows and filmed performing for the viewers. The 1950's was the early stages of the television being available in the home, many could not afford this luxury item. As well as this financial aspect, channels were limited and programming was only on for a few hours during the day compared to the modern 24 hour viewing on hundreds of channels.

Musical films had an impact on the development of music videos today. Singin' In The Rain from 1952 was one of the most prominent musical films of the decade, featuring techniques used in the making of a music video. Musical films developed storylines and choreography on screen to music, using various camera angles, editing and playing to the camera.

On the 1st of August 1981 MTV launched on television with the words 'Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.' Music videos had a platform to reach audiences, rather than a slot on mainstream television, the audience was able to purely watch music videos for the latest hits. At the beginning this was primarily rock.

With the launch of MTV, music videos started to become a serious way for artists to promote themselves and increase their revenue. Now artists required a promotional video in order to be seen by a new audience and to be seen as 'with the times'. Music had hugely developed since the 1940's, in terms of style and technology. By the 1980's music also had a large influence on society. This was shocking for older audiences as artists like Madonna pushed the boundaries of what was seen as taste and decency at the time and influencing the young generation.

Through this style of music video, artists became more prominent in advertising. Artists began recording music and videos specifically for advertisements and films. These music videos featured scenes from the film, sometimes the artist even starred in the films. This continued into the next decade.

After the jump in success in the 80's, the music video became a serious money maker for artists. Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' was the first music video to have considerable financial backing. Music videos had become a miniature film. MTV was now available to an international audience and a single music video had the potential to launch a major star. With the popularity of music video, the industry became more about the visual rather than the singing talent.

Music videos also opened up the personality of the artist. Audiences were given an insight into the person behind the music and the style they represented. One example of this is Bjork. The well known song 'Oh So Quiet' was different and lively, denoting the personality of the artist rather than the true message of the song. This can loosely be compared to Miley Cyrus' 'Wrecking Ball' in which the message of the song can be lost within the controversy of her image in the video.

To date this video has had nearly 148 million hits on YouTube and is seen as one of the most influential music videos of all time.

A music videos style can be influenced by any financial backing the artist may have received or if the song was written specifically for a company or product. Justin Timberlake's 'I'm Lovin' It' was written for fast food chain 'McDonald's' and therefore the music video was influenced by the companies branding. Although it is subliminal to the audience the colour in the video has been muted and the red and yellow highlighted to denote the companies recognisable colours.

A homage video can be compared to referencing and pastiche. A homage can pay tribute to an inspiration of the artist. In this example it is Chris Brown paying homage to Michael Jackson. A homage can contain small references or completely pay tribute to an artist. In this case Chris Brown is dressed like Michael Jackson in his video 'Bad' and the video includes similar dance moves - two things Michael Jackson was famous for in his videos. This style of video often makes reference to a star who was hugely influential to the industry or the artists choices in life.

Some artists make references to others in their videos. This can be obvious or subliminal to the audience viewing the music video. This referencing can link to the lyrics and meaning of the song, particularly when the artist has written their own lyrics. In Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me A River' (depending on the audiences knowledge of his background) there is referencing to his break up with Britney Spears. This video combines with a narrative storyline and features a blonde woman but the audience does not see her face. This woman is the reference to Britney as Justin Timberlake follows her around the set.

A parody is not primarily made to generate sales, they are to entertain audiences. With the rise of YouTube there are thousands of parody music videos on the internet. A parody video can contain either the original lyrics or altered to make fun of the artist. An example of a parody is this Will.i.am and Britney 'Scream and Shout'. The video makes fun of the artists performance and appearance to amuse the audience. The video is similarly set to the original, allowing the audience to immediately connect with the video it is mocking.

Music inspires a new generation and due to the development of music videos pastiche as a style is becoming more common. Lady Gaga has been compared to Madonna and her videos are often similar to those Madonna would produce in the 1980's. The power of dance in the videos parallel each other as well as the style and meaning of the music. Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' came under attack by Madonna herself as a copy of her work rather than a tribute.

A surrealist music video can be compared to a narrative one. A storyline has been developed but the content is closer to a dream than reality. An example of this is Jamiroquai's 'Virtual Insanity', a video that portrays the meaning of the lyrics through actions that would not take place in reality. In the video he and the furniture glide across a minimalist room, essentially depicting a futuristic setting. Surrealist videos can stand out to the audience, like this Jamiroquai video from 1996.

An impressionist music video revolves around the mood of the music rather than focusing on telling a story. In Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep' video the focus is the beat of the music and the mood of the lyrics. Impressionist videos are often used for songs that are 'real' meaning they are based on the life of the artist. The audience can relate to the lyrics and therefore the video is not required to visually sell a story.

As the most common type of music video, the narrative tells a story, portraying the message of the lyrics to the audience. This style is the easiest way to denote what the artist is saying and the meaning to the audience watching. A narrative music video does not require the artist to be a part of it. In this video, 'Same Love' by Macklemore, the focus is the storyline of equal rights rather than a video directly attacking the Church and the music industry. Narrative videos can envoke emotion from the audience and denote social issues and meaning to a wide audience.

With interpretative music videos, there is no connection to the lyrics of the song it is visualising. Instead, the artist uses mainly dance as a tool to portray a message rather than a narrative storyline. In her more recent videos, Lady Gaga uses interpretative dance, which at times have been controversial but can identify the style of an artist within a market. This style of music video is more commonly found in music with few lyrics as there is no defined meaning to the song. Interpretative music videos have the ability to promote, genre of music or even start a new dance trend.

Music videos often contain a small amount of animation in the form of lyrics, character or scenery. One band that was famous for their use of animation in their music videos was The Gorillaz. Rather than portraying the band in the videos they were animated characters in a completely animated setting. Animation in a video can make the artist or even that one song stand out to the audience, being remembered for a long time after release in such a saturated market. Animation can take multiple forms, for example: stop-motion, claymation which are mainly digitally produced.

The use of in-concert and live footage in a music video has been a style since the early stages of video development. This style is often adopted by bands rather than a solo artist. It can denote the dedication to the fans as well as promote the artist. The footage from a tour or concert allows the audience to connect as they may have been present for the performance.

Some camera shots used in this style of music video depict the audience singing along with the artist and even an emotional connection to the band. Music videos with this type of shot will denote a fan crying at the front of the crowd, reinforcing the fan dedication to the band, subliminally connoting to the audience of the video that the band is of a high profile or engages with a large fan base.

I am inspired by the narrative style of music video. Although this is the most popular style of music video I believe there is more creative freedom with the style, allowing the director to think outside the box in regards to a storyline that will successfully connect with the audience.

What would you consider for your own production of a music video and why?

I would consider mixing styles together to create a successful and memorable video for the audience. I would combine: narrative and impressionist. These two styles work well together, complimenting the visual and the audio of the overall video.

Music videos for pop usually have a range of camera shots to denote the action and movement rather than emotion. Unlike the typical indie/rock video, pop uses a number of sets to keep the audience engaged and some sort of narrative flowing. It also allows for a range of colour, props and costumes to be used. The mise-en-scene of pop videos is generally busy and eye-catching. Pop videos often feature fast paced editing, cutting to the beat of the music. This includes 'jump' cuts in the action within one scene.

With music videos the artist generally breaks the fourth wall and therefore lighting on the subject is usually fairly even. depending on where the light source is. In this video, it is a mixture of natural and artificial lighting, with slight shadowing on the face in a studio setting due to the lighting position. Costume in music videos can define a genre as well as identify the artist(s) style. Some artists in the pop genre are recognised by their outfits. In this video, the outfits are used to sexualise the artist, like some other female artists videos.

Pop is similar to hip hop in terms of sound and props. When a male artist is performing there is stereotypically a car featured, with the artist standing by or on top of the car. In this video a car is set on fire and Jay-Z raps while Beyonce sings and dances. The only sound featured is the track over the video. The colour in this video is lively and vibrant to reflect the mood of the song and action within the video. Pop music is mainly upbeat with a positive lyric interpretation, including dancing. Pop videos are stereotypically bright, using the mis-en-scene to enhance the 'pop' bubblegum image.

What is 'Chroma Key'?

'Chroma Key' is the use of a green or blue screen in a video. This is a type of special effect, allowing the background to be changed in post-production. If used well, this technique can 'layer' scenes and merge them to look like one.

Example

In Peter Kay's Comic Relief version of Tony Christie's '(Is This The Way To) Amarillo' the chroma key technique is used due to the amount of talent appearing in the video and time available to shoot. In some scenes Kay appears along side two other celebrities, walking on a treadmill in front of a green screen. This was not done to a high budget and therefore it is obvious to the audience that this technique has been used.

Pros and Cons of 'Chroma Key'

Depending on the amount of time and money spent on the production the quality of the chroma key technique can vary. When done well, it is not immediately obvious to the audience that it has been used. Also this technique can save time, filming in a studio rather than a location.

Song: Tony Christie '(Is This The Way To) Amarillo'

What are 'Camera Angles'?

'Camera Angles' are used to denote the action on screen in a certain way. For example, a high angle is typically used to make a person look small - in an argument this is used with a low angle to denote to the audience who has the power in the conversation.

Example

In Beyonce's 'Run The World' low angles are used to denote and connote the power of the women, reinforcing the message from the music. However when a shot from behind the men is used, a high angle is used, possibly connoting their opinion of the women.

Pros and Cons of 'Camera Angles'

'Camera Angles' subconsciously denote the feeling and message of the music or dialogue. Therefore the use of the wrong angle can confuse the audience. When used in the correct context a camera angle is a powerful way of visually portraying the lyrics.

Song: Beyonce 'Run The World'

What are 'Camera Movements'?

'Camera Movements' are used to visually enhance the narrative of a video. They can affect the audience's engagement and understanding of what is going on within the video.

Example

In Fiest's '1234' there is no editing therefore the camera movements was key to engaging the audience and keeping them interested throughout the video. The camera tracks the action on a crane so that different camera angles can be achieved without getting in the way of the action. The use of a crane allows the director to get a range of shots, compared to panning the action.

Pros and Cons of 'Camera Movements'

'Camera Movements' are important to capturing the action effectively for the audience to take interest in the visual movement. Depending on what camera movement is required, the cost for production can be quite high.

Song: Feist '1234'

What is 'Multi-image'?

'Multi-image' is the use of more than one scene appearing on screen at once. A technique sometimes applied in film and television, 'multi-image' is good for denoting concurrent events, for example, a telephone conversation.

Example

Eminem's 'Without Me' uses this technique in a comic book style. The video often features typical comic book phrases, linking multi-images together so the audience can view both sides of the action. One example of this is the video call at the beginning of the video - the audience can see the person on screen and the reaction of Eminem's character.

Pros and Cons of 'Multi-image'

Multi-image can require more filming to get several sides of a story and therefore incurs more time and costs for the production. However it can be an effective tool, particularly in this style of video, suiting the style and engaging the audience.

Song: Eminem 'Without Me'

What are 'Effects'?

Effects or special effects are typically computer animated and added in post production. Occasionally a music video will contain other animated effects such as stop-motion animation and claymation.

Example

In Muse's 'Uprising' video uses a mixture of computer animated effects and filmed effects. The main effect was the flames. One reason for the use of computer effects could have been the health and safety aspect of film making, particularly with the explosions. The effects created on set were similar to Thunderbirds in that a small scale set was made and therefore the flame could be controlled. Also the miniature figures created a surreal space to connote the 'uprising' to the audience.

Pros and Cons of 'Effects'

Effects take time and money to produce but can visualise situations that would not have been possible to film. Effects open up the options for narrative and creativity - even simple stop-motion animation can be easy to create for a music video.

Song: Muse 'Uprising'

What are 'Miming', 'Lip Sync' and 'Playback'?

These techniques are used in almost all music videos and refer to the singing and playing of instruments. Most bands/artists will mouth the words to the song as it is played on set and pretend to play instruments.

Example

In Nickelback's memorable 'Rockstar' video, it is not just the band using these techniques, it is actors in multiple locations. This is obviously lip syncing as the actors are slightly off the track in certain places, whereas the artist will know their lyrics. However the style and technique made the video memorable to audiences.

Pros and Cons of 'Miming', 'Lip Sync' and 'Playback'

Lip syncing is a technique widely used but can take time for the editor to match the audio and visual when in post-production. It also means that the director can focus on the visual aspect of the video rather than worrying about recording the artist's voice and any instruments at a high standard.

Song: Nickelback 'Rockstar'

What is 'Cutting To Beat'?

This technique is a decision made by the editor to edit or 'cut' a piece of footage to the beat of the music. This cut could be to another piece of footage or a jump cut within the original footage being used before the edit decision.

Example

In Jay Z's iconic '99 Problems' video the decision is made to cut on the beat between the various action in the video while still managing to tell a narrative storyline. This video regularly cuts to the beat, occasionally skipping the use of this technique so that the audience is able to watch a particular scene for longer.

Pros and Cons of 'Cutting To Beat'

Deciding to cut on the beat of the music in a video allows the visuals to flow in sync with the music, creating a cleaner look. However, the editor usually limits how many of these cuts are made as it could potentially disrupt the narrative of a video. This technique can be time consuming and requires skill to successfully create.

Song: Jay Z '99 Problems'

A convention used in a music video, referencing people, places or events. In this classic song 'Gangster's Paradise' allusion is used, making reference to the people and culture of gangs and the consequences of this. The video is used as promotional material for the film... and features Michelle Pheifer. 'Why are we so blind to see that the ones we hurt are you and me?' is one of the key lines from the song.

Song: Coolio ' Gangster's Paradise'

Sometimes artists reference another artist/person in their lyrics and/or music video. This is most common in the rap genre, with this example from Kanye West. Within his lyrics he mentions another artist and a celebrity, relating to his personal life rather than mocking another artist. West mentions 'I got respect for is Wiz/And I'll admit I fell in love with Kim/Around the same time she had fell in love with him.'

Song; Kanye West 'Cold'

A convention used in most videos, especially narrative, lyric interpretation is visually reinforcing the message within the lyrics. This enables the audience to engage with both the visual and audio aspects of the video and have a clear understanding of what the artist means. In Katy Perry's video for 'Thinking of You' the narrative follows the lyric interpretation of loss. The audience is therefore instantly engaged with the story through this convention.

Song: Katy Perry 'Thinking of You'

Extending and consolidating a song's meaning is similar to lyric interpretation but the decision is taken to go beyond the surface meaning and effect the audience with the visuals. A narrative music video allows for this type of convention as many different ideas could be used to represent the song. In the video for Rudimental's 'Waiting All Night' the song's meaning is extended with a narrative that effects the audience. It follows the recovery of a man after an accident and amputation.

Song: Rudimental 'Waiting All Night'

The mise-en-scene for many hip hop videos is exterior sets, particularly street scenes. In this video, an alley way is denoted but the focus is on the artists and the lighting changes throughout the video. The camera shots vary within the video, alternating between long shots, extreme close ups and medium shots, depending on the artist in the shot and the lyrics. As with pop, the only sound featured is the track.

Hip hop videos regularly feature fast paced editing, particularly featuring jump cuts and edits on the beat of the music. This denotes the pace of the music and engages the audience. This video features this type of editing, and can sometimes difficult for the viewer to watch.

Particularly due to the name of the song, bright lighting features heavily within the video. The two most common colours and red and blue, denoting the law, a trait reinforced by the main prop, a police car that West is standing on, connoting his feelings towards the service. His costume is not particularly eye catching, the focus for the costume being the sexualisation of women - denoted by Rihanna. This features heavily in most hip hop videos.

Oasis' 1995 video 'Wonderwall'

There is one main studio location used in this video with smaller sets created to denote various scenes. Each scene is occasionally cut to the beat, sometimes fading or using a camera like flash that reinforces the setting, with the lighting designed with a photo shoot look. Most indie/rock videos will either choose this or natural lighting for an exterior scene.

Unlike pop and hip hop, indie/rock does not focus on the costume within the video. Costume does denote a certain style of artist but the focus is more on the props and performance. Indie/rock videos are simpler than others but are used to interpret the lyrics rather than an elaborate narrative. To keep the audience engaged, the director uses a range of camera shots and scenes within one set. The simple yet effective mise-en-scene in this particular video, denotes the indie/rock theme. The colour of indie/rock videos is often dark, reflecting the mood of the lyrics within the song. In this Oasis video, it is entirely black and white. This connotes the mood and possibly helps with the lyric interpretation.

The focus of this video and many others from this genre is the props of the band. The instruments are mimed and in some scenes held with a guitar being the only object in colour. Unlike pop and hip hop, indie/rock videos often leave out any extra sound including effects or dialogue.

Grading Criteria 1

Assignment 1 – Why Music Videos

Task 1: Purposes of Music Videos - Unit 29 - (P1) 

Task 2: Music Video Research - Unit 29 - (P1, M1)

Task 3: History of Music Videos - Unit 29 - (P1, M1 & D1)

Grading Criteria 2

Assignment 2 – Videos and more videos

Task 1: Understand styles of Music Videos - Unit 29 - (P2 part) 

Task 2: Conventions of Music Videos - Unit 29 – (P1, M2)