Representation Theory - Looking at professional music videos

What makes a good music video?

• Narrative
• Multiple locations
• Props & Costume that fit the genre
• technological editing e.g. System Of A Down - Chop Suey!
• Showing emotion through cinematography
• pace of editing is to the beat

What are the main conventions of a music video?

• Soundtrack
• Eye contact because it pulls the audience in
• Narrative/Abstract
• Performance
• Lip Syncing

I watched some professional music videos and noted down what I liked and Dislikes about them.

Demi Lovato - Made in the USA

Liked

• There was a narrative to the video.
• There was an introduction before the song started.
•  It includes the artist and her lip-syncing.
• Pace of editing fitted the speed of the song and edited to the beat.
• There was several different settings.

Dislike

• There was too many flashbacks in the video which made it very confusing and difficult to understand unless you watch it multiple times.

Blink 182 - All the Small Things

Liked

• There was a few different narratives making the video interesting, they were taking the mick out of groups and boy bands and how they would film a music video.
• They also used Black & White in their video to show this.

Dislike

• People could be offended by these comments and by the fact that in some of the video they are completely naked (however it was blurred)

Sum 41 -In too Deep

Liked

• There was a narrative to the video.
• The edits were top the beat.
• Featured a performance from the artist/s.

Dislike

• The artist was not very good at lip-syncing so it was very obvious that is had been dubbed over.
• There was very few locations (2).

Miley Cyrus - We Can't Stop

Liked

• There were lots of people in the video (cast).
• It was edited to the beat.
• Used CGI for parts of the chorus 'It's our party...'.

Dislike

• Miley is being exploited as she is wearing provocative clothing and acting in certain ways in which some people may find inappropriate such as shaking her bottom to the camera.

Sinead O'Connnor - Nothing compares

Liked

• The video used long cuts because it was a slow song. It also emphasised the seriousness of the song as did the fact that the video was in black and white.
• Lipsyncing adds to the verisimilitude of the video.

Dislike

• Video gets boring after a while because it is the same all the way through.

Grimes ft. Blood Diamonds - Go

Liked

• The setting is in the desert which is unusual for music videos.
• they used a fish eye lens which gave a very different fell to the video.
• It was an abstract music video.
• Use of neon paint in the mise-en-scene made the song very light-hearted.

Dislike

• Lip syncing is out of time.
• Mirror shots in the video do not work.

Slash - By the Sword

Liked

• Post apocalyptic
• Simple Narrative means the video is easy to understand, appealing to a wider audience
• use of mise-en-scene added to the verisimilitude of the video.

Dislike

• Post production animation was poor and seemed rushed.

Duke Duemont - I Got U

Liked

• Video is filmed in a tropical island and it makes people jealous of them.
• They used a P.O.V lens to make is seem as though you were there.

Dislike

• It didn't feature the singer

The Offspring - The Kids Aren't Alright

Liked

• There was only one location but in different places within that.
• Morphing was used in the editing.

Dizzie Rascal - Bonkerz

Liked

• Fish eye lens
• changes in mise-en-scene

Dislike

• Repetitive