Music Video Production

Here is a glossary of key terms that I have come across throughout my music video production. I have explained what they are and have provided an example to give you a brief understanding of what I am talking about.

Style

Genre specific

Genre specific music videos are music videos that follow the same pattern as its genre. For example rap music would have that gangster theme to it where there would be money/drugs or some sort of crime scene involved in the music video. In the same way romantic music would have a love theme to it where there would be scenes of couples, hugs and kisses etc. An example of this is Professor Green - Jungle. The reason why artist do this is to prompt the users about what their music video is about. If someone were to suddenly release a rap music video with romantic scenes it would confuse the users as it is not something that they are used to seeing. It would seem more like a parody and thus the audience would not take it seriously however by using genre specific features it reinforces the point that the artist is trying to make. Using love scenes to further reinforce that it is a romance music video.

In concert/Live Footage

Live footage in music videos is a feature where some of or the entire music videos consists of scenes of the artist performing at a concert or being live on

stage. An example of this is Avril Lavigne - What The Hell. In the song she is shown walking to different places until she eventually reaches a concert where she is performing on stage. The reason why artist do this is to show the audience what it would be like if they were to visit an actual concert. They want to show them the excitement of the crowd and the intense feeling that occurs on stage.

Animation

Animation in music videos is a feature where some of or the entire music video consists of animated scenes. An example of this is Reel Big Fish - i know you to well. The reason why artists do this is because there may be something that cannot be expressed using real people because of human limitations. Using animation will make it easier to explain to the audience the point that the artist is trying to make because you can simply draw it.

Interpretive

Interpretive music videos is a feature where the artists interprets something else. What this means is that they've seen something and then they want to show their own version of it to the audience. The reason why they do this is because they want to give the audience an opportunity to develop their own interpretation of the music video so that it means something different to each individual. An example of this is Hot by Avril Lavigne.

Narrative

Narrative in music videos is a feature where the artist is telling a story. This can be expressed via the lyrics or from the video itself. An example of this is from Carrie Underwood - Before He Cheats. We can see that it is telling a story because in the video it introduces all of the characters. Then it shows a boyfriend cheating on his girlfriend and the things that she does before she confronts him. Afterwards it shows the resolution of the climax and what happens between the characters. It follows the pattern as a normal story would and the reason why artists do this is because often a statement cannot be explained simply through words, but through narrative means.

Referring/Homage

Referring/Homage in music videos is a feature that refers to the way in which artists refer to another celebrity/song/movie etc in their music. There are many ways in which this can be expressed for example, through the lyrics, the dance, the attire, or even the entire music video itself. Below I have given an example of referring/homage being used in a music video. In Chris Brown - She Ain't You we can see that Michael Jackson is being referred to via the attire and the dancing. Unlike parody homage isn't used as a means to mock something else, instead it exists to give recognition to another thing. It in a sense promotes the other party for a good cause.

Pastiche/Parody

One of the features that can give a music video its own unique style is a parody or pastiche theme throughout the music video. When talking about parody in terms of music videos it refers to the ways in which the music video deliberately makes fun something else, whether this be an artist, a movie, a celebrity, anything in general. An example of this is the music video I'm On A boat (ft.T-Pain). In the video they are deliberately stating the obvious that are standing on a boat, whilst showing the daily activities that are done on a boat. I feel that the reason why parody exists is to show the viewers a comical side as apposed to the original thing. Perhaps they wanted to entertain viewers because if you kept on watching the same style of thing over and over again you would eventually get bored, as a result of this parody video were made.

Conventions

Lyrical Interpretation

Lyrical interpretation in music videos refer to music videos that tell a story by interpreting the lyrics in their own way. In other words its like when something looks like one thing but the meaning is entirely different. The reason why artists do this is to express their own version of something that they have experienced or how they feel it should have been done. An example of this is from Nirvana - Smells like Teen Spirit. The lyrics of the song can be broken apart and deciphered in order to understand the meaning of the lyrics that Kurt Cobain was trying to express.
For example the phrase teen spirit could refer to the deodorant that his girlfriend wore and therefore this song could be referring to their relationship. On the other hand the phrase teen spirit could simply be a play on the actual world team spirit and could been referring to how teens would engage in cooperative play. When this reference is used in conjunction with the first lyrics of the song "load up on guns and bring your friends", it gives the impression that people tend to assume that teenagers in groups engage in violent acts. This therefore gives the song a much deeper meaning and leaves the audience to decipher it to gain their own interpretation of the song.

Extending or Consolidating Meaning

Extending or consolidating meaning in music videos refers to when artists try to bring the audience together in order to help them understand the song more. It gives the song more meaning than what it is supposed to have in order to have an impact on the audience.The reason why artist do this is to get the audience thinking because often things are not what they seem despite them being completely obvious. At times the meaning behind some music videos are not entirely clear and therefore the artist would have to result to extending the meaning of the song so that the audience can relate to it. an example of this is Pink Perfect. In the video we can see the protagonist witnessing other people that in her eyes look perfect when in reality no one is perfect however she fails to realise this until the near end of the video. We can see that she attempts to steal the clothing that the other people are wearing in order to be like them. Later on she decides to accept herself for who she is and devises her own unique style which in the end she likes.

Allusion

Allusion in music videos refer to when artist make a reference to something whether that would be directly or indirectly. However this kind of reference is different to referring/homage because it is much more obscure and bleak. An example of this is from Taylor Swift - Love Story. In the video we can see that she is making a reference to the love story of Romeo and Juliet as she plays the role of the princess in a castle being Juliet. The reason artists use Allusion in music videos is to express themselves through a reference of something else to make it more clear so that the audience can understand and relate to it. In this case with love story , there are many romance music videos out there but the fact that Taylor Swift is specifically references Romeo & Juliet is to give the impression that the love was much more passionate and has a deeper meaning to it.

Links to Other Artists

Links to other artists are often used in music videos when one artist has experienced a similar situation to another and they would therefore both appear within the music video. What this does is that it gives the audience the impression that the artists experiences can relate to each other. As a result of this it creates tension and gives the music video a deeper meaning. Alternatively it can be done to show two different opinions from two different artists but used in the same song as they are both talking about the same topic. An example of this would be from Busta Ryhmes - We Made It ft. Linkin Park.

Techniques

Cutting to Beat

Cutting to the beat refers to when the frames of a music video has been repeatedly cut in order to match the timing of the beat. The reason why artists do this is because it keeps the audience engaged with the music video. If the video kept playing along the music with no cuts then it would not match the beat of the music and will eventually get boring for the viewers. In addition to this they could end up confused because they would be for example watching a slow paced video whilst listening to a fast paced soundtrack. An example of this Killswitch Engage - The Arms of Sorrow

Effects

Effects in music videos refer to improving footage via software like Final Cut. Nearly all editors in the present day use effects in music videos. This is because they want to attract the attention of the audience. With effects you can improve your footage and make it look good by modifying the actual footage on software like Final Cut. It allows you to make the impossible possible. For example if you wanted to have someone's claps cause an earthquake then you can choose the earthquake effect from the video filters in Final Cut. Not only will this improve the look of your footage but it will emphasise the point that the artist is trying to make. Sometimes things are not quite clear with just lyrics which is why editors add effects on the actual footage to reinforce the point that the artist is trying to make. By doing so it will allow the viewers to follow, relate and understand the music video.

Miming and Lip-Sync

Miming and Lip-Syncing is a common trait hat occurs within many music videos today. This refers to when the artist does not actually sing during the recording of the music video but instead moves her lips in time with the lyrics to make them seem like they are actually singing the song. The reason why artists do this is because they will not sound the same than when they initially recorded the song in a studio where all other sound is isolated. The advantage with lip syncing is that the artist can put more energy into miming without tiring themselves out making the performance look much better than if they were to sing all the time.

Camera Movement/Angles

During the filming of a music video there a several different movements the camera takes as well as shots from different angles. An example of a camera movement is Pan. In a pan shot the camera moves in a horizontal movement where the camera goes from one direction to another (left to right). Pan The effect the Pan movement gives to audience is that it makes them feel as though they were in the music video themselves looking around. As a result of this they are able to understand and relate to the music video even more. An example of this is from JJ-Project Bounce where you can see the camera bouncing horizontally as the people jump , creating an effect where it seems as though the viewers are inside the music video. It makes it more exciting for the viewers.

As well as camera movement there are also camera angles that affect the way a music video is portrayed by the artist. For example there are certain angles that can make a person seem superior like a low angle shot.

This shot lets the audience see the city from a different perspective. It's a high angle shot because you can clearly see the city but the cars are very small yet visible. The aim of this shot is for the audience to understand what the artist is trying to say by using the city as an example. We can see this because the artist has been made more visible than the other parts of the city.

However this shot has a different objective. This long shot is designed to get the audience to look at the city and what it has become. They did this by making the artist very small so that they would not focus on him , instead they would be looking at the collateral and will be able to relate to the music video more effectively.

Chroma-Key

Chroma key is an editing technique that editors use to create effects that are either very difficult to do or just not humanly possible. The way in which they do this is by having the artists perform in front of a green screen. They use the color green because it is very far away from human skin colors. As a result the avoid using colors like red/yellow/black or white because there are some fragments of those colors in the skin. To do this successfully the artist must not be wearing anything green so that he/she can be clearly seen and then used in the chroma key editing stage. The reason for this is if they do, the artist will blend in with the green screen and they will end up changing along with anything else that is of the same color. With chroma key you can put whatever is in front of the green screen anywhere you want, do anything with it. For example making a fire appear behind someone even though in reality there is nothing there.