Codes and Conventions of a music video

Camera Shots: Music videos usually make use of many long shots, close up and mid shots. They are used to to create emphasis towards the artist, location and emotions. Close ups are also used to show emotions, usually reflected by the lyrics of the song at the time and sometimes via the movement of the lips of the artist.

Camera Movement: Movement of the camera(s) is often mainly used to follow and trace the artist and/or band. This movements can include tilts, pans, tracking and crane shots.

Mise-en-scené: This is the arrangement of performers and props within the video. Mise-en-scené places important on the representation of something.
An example of this being shown is the track 'Mad' by Neyo. This mise-en-scené involves the artist 'Neyo' walking alone down a road, being in an isolated room. This relfects the isolation from his lover. Colours are often used to show the mood at the time so props include dark clothes and hats which represents the down mood of the song. The lighting is also kept very dark, black and white; to again represent the angry and depressed mood.

Editing: After studying various music videos it is clear that jump cuts tend to be the most used editing technique used in music videos. This allows a sudden change from one scene to another and keeps a fast pace keeping it in time with the pace of the music. Transistions such as fade and dissolve however are also very common in music videos as they create a different effect to straight cuts. Each is used depending on what type of action/pace/mood the artist is trying to create.

Lighting: You find many music videos that are black and white to help place emphasis on a particular mood. Other videos make use of artifical lighting to create an enhanced look.

Sound: This tends to mainly just consist of vocals of the song. However sometimes produces can include the sound of the enviroment to help create effect/mood/feeling/etc.

Props: These hold a vital role in aiding to add to the scene and they create significance on particular people and/or objects.

Costume: This matches scenes and relfects the genre or the mood thats trying to be created. Costume is a very important factor within the video because it has an influence over viewers as they might want to dress like the artist as they aspire to be like them (role models).

Colour: Colours are normally used to set the mood of the song by creating an atmosphere within the video. E.g. dark colours would be used to create a down more serious mood and bright colours for a more upbeat, lively enviroment.


These conventions go further when looking at the specifics of certain genres. For example:

Indie/Rock: Tend to be black and white, shots of the artist/band are used regularly throughout the video and close ups/long shots are favoured.

HipHop/Rap: Video locations tends to be a party or club location, achohol/drug references are frequent and branded objects appear often. Luxorious homes and cars are a favouriate. Camera shots tend to focus on long and establishing to show off the 'luxury of their lives'.