Conventions Of Music Videos

I am going to be analysing three music video and giving my personal opinion on them and what techniques have been used and what type of music videos they are. I will be looking at a concept, performance and narrative based music videos.

The first video I looked at was Chasing Pavements by Adele.

Personally I quite like this video as at the start you don't really get what's going and just wait for something to happen, to give you a clue. It keeps your attention on the video. I think by Adele herself featuring in the video it makes it that more interesting as it's like she's relating it to her life in a way and not just a random idea that doesn't relate to her.

There are many close ups in this video, for example of Adeles face when singing and the couple on the ground.
Adele is well known for singing about her past/current relationships. So this song is Adele quite clearly singing about a past relationship and how things aren't meant to be.

Editing - In the video we see straight away Adeles face and a blurred background. The sole focus is on Adele's face, looking sad and gloomy. Straight away by seeing this and without hearing the song you know it's not going to be a cheery song. Otherwise her facial expression would be completely different and she would be moving about a lot more.

Camera shots - Personally I think the way the camera shots have been used, the video looks really good and works well. For example many camera shots are used when the couple are dancing on the pavement. Camera shots on their hands and close ups of their faces are used a lot. This is good for the audience to see as we get a bit more of an idea as to what's going on.

Miss-en-scene - I really like what's going on in the background in this video, I do find it quite strange how everybody is rushing around the couple on the ground and then it cuts to Adele who looks really subdued and in no hurry to do anything. I think it shows the theme of the video really well. It's like she's telling a story of somebody who's struggling in a relationship and it's like everything else around them is carrying on as normal, rushing. There's quite a lot to look at in the video so I did find it quite interesting and didn't get bored watching.

Target Audience - I think this video is for everybody really. Anybody in a struggling relationship and somebody who has just come out of a relationship can relate to this. Obviously also people who just like Adele and the song in general. However I do think this video is probably aimed at women more than men.


Music Video Style -  This video is a narrative based based video, also slightly performance based also as for a few moments we see the singer Adele in the video. To me, the video uses a surreal dance and link to a car accident and  a broken relationship.

The next video I looked at is by Lana Del Rey and is called Ride. Unlike most music videos this video is extremely long. It's just over 10 minutes long. For almost 3 minutes it's just Lana speaking to us about what's happened in her life, and then she starts singing. In the video we see that the video is set as an 80's theme and about how America used to be. It's like her personal diary, her telling us a chapter that she's been through in her life.

I think the theme of this video is about her finally feeling free and saying it's ok not to fit in. I think she's trying to get a message across to people, girls more so that they shouldn't believe everything that's said and should just do what makes them happy. Lana Del Rey already has a massive fan base so many people will  of been waiting for this video to be released as they probably would have already of heard the song. The fact it's ten minutes long will bring in an even bigger audience as curiosity will make them wonder what actually happens in the video if it's ten minutes long.

Editing - The video has quite a grainy effect to it and looks quite old. I like this effect and think it looks sophisticated, the film is set in a hot place obviously and the way it's been editing it looks sunny all the time and it's never gloomy, it makes you feel quite relaxed watching it. There are clean cuts through out the entire video (no blur).


Camera shots - During the video we see many cuts from close up of Lanas face looking sad and exasperated to long shots of what she's doing. I like how detailed the entire video is as there's a lot going on and you have to watch the whole video to really understand the meaning of it and what's going on. By using all of the different camera shots it makes the video a bit better to understand and get the hang of. When she's talking about certain things, we'll see a cut to that specific thing/what she's doing.

Miss-en-scene - At the start we see lana on a swing in a deserted place, to me, I think this is the first thing we see to show that she feels free and doesn't have a care in the world.. As we later learn in the song that that's what it's about.

Target audience - Lana uses the beauty appeal in her video quite often in the video which is a massive advantage to her as many teenage boys and men already find her attractive so will purposely watch this video. As well as teenage girls and I would think 20-30 year olds.

Music video style - This video is obviously a narrative as we see and hear Lana talk about her life and what's happened and is continuing to happen. However we do also see her perform the song but only briefly.

The next video I looked at is R U Mine by Arctic Monkeys. 

Editing - The editing in this varies from fast cut to zooming in and out on things. Because this video has been record with a handheld camera the filming could be called quite clumsy as the camera is sometimes all over. However for me it just adds to the video and makes it seem more real.

Camera shots - This video is filmed using a handheld camera, or at least that's what they want us to think. I think by doing this it's worked out better than a normal video of say them performing because to the fans it's more personal as Alex himself is recording him and Matt. I think the fans would prefer that as it's not done often.

Miss-en-scene - This video has first been introduced by the radio commentator and then just goes to Alex and Matt in the car. Then at the end we see the entire band performing with instruments as for the majority of the video it's just the singers Alex and Matt in the video who are the singers. Then the other two join.

Target audience - I think the audience for this video is teenagers/young adults as that's Arctic Monkeys usual fan base.

Music video style - This type of music video is a performance one as although we can't see Alex Turner or Matt Helders stood performing and singing they're still performing in the car. I think this video is really effective as I can't think of any other videos that have used this type of setting to record a video.

Music Video Techniques

Lyrics let the audience know the general mood of the video, then the camera shots will add to this and either relate to the music or contradict it. Either way, it will get peoples attention. Then the tempo will decide the pace of the editing, obviously if you have a fast song you're not very likely to do really slow and long shots, the cuts will be quite fast and smooth, sometimes abrupt.

Genre is mainly reflected in the way mise-en-scene's used. The surroundings in the video can sometimes be a big clue as to what the videos about.

Intertextual reference can be anything from a parody of another music video/a film or just referencing something that's been done before and playing on that. Personally I think this is a good thing for a music video to have as it will bring in a bigger audience as if they're fans of what the music video is referencing then their curiosity will make them have a look.


There are many theories about what a music video should include. The theory I looked at is Andrew Goodwin's. Below is what Goodwin thinks is necessary for a good music video. Close ups are often used in videos, whether it's emphasising the instruments that are being used throughout the video or a close up of somebody's face. 

• Links between lyrics and visuals
• Links between music and visuals
• Genre characteristics.
• Intertextual reference
• Notions of looking
• Voyeurism
• Demands of the record label
• Performance based, concept based and narrative based.

Goodwin states these above points and says they are completely necessary.  However from many music videos  I've viewed, links between lyrics and visuals can sometimes be extremely evident and other times they're present but only very slightly and there may only be small indications to the lyrics. I think his theory is completely right and is what a good music video should take into consideration.

In my opinion if the music doesn't really relate I don't actually mind as long as the video is one that will keep my attention. Many videos do this. Their song is about one thing and then their video is like the complete opposite.

Music Video Styles.

The three music video styles are

• Performance based video
• Concept based video
• Narrative based video

Performance based video either means the artist/band can be performing throughout the video or somebody else is playing out a performance in the video. They could even be singing in role of the band artist. This has been done before in the video below.

Above is the video for The Vaccines - Teenage Icon. As you can see this is a performance based video as the band themself are performing their song. However it's not just them, so it makes the audience follow the video instead of just them performing on their own. The people doing the same as the actual band in the video are on their album cover, Come of Age. So their fans will see a definite link. The video focuses entirely on the band singing and playing their instruments as they're performing in a lift so it's a very closed in environment. The video is very fast paced and by changed shots from the actual Vaccines and the role playing one's I think this keeps people interested.


Narrative based music videos have a storyline and tend to follow it throughout the video. An example of this is below.

A-ha Take on Me is a massive narrative video. It starts with the woman in the coffee shop reading a comic book about two 'villains' having a race chasing the 'hero'. The hero then comes to life and follows the woman around. We then see the coffee shop waitress throw her comic in the bin and then in the animation in the video we see two people trying to chase the animated man. When they catch him the video then shows us the woman on the floor next to the comic what's in the bin. She then takes it home and the animated man turns into a real person. For me, personally this video is really interesting as because it's a mixture of animation and real life, it keeps your attention. A-ha themselves feature in this video and at the end it shows their name on the front of the comic. This video is the kind that sticks in your mind.


A concept based video don't tend to have any storyline at all, and sometimes the theme doesn't even go with the song. It's completely random. By doing a concept based music video sometimes it stands out alot more than others. I think if the video is in time with the music then it's a good idea. It will keep the audiences attention. It can sometimes be very simple but extremely effective. With concept based music videos you can go either way, it can be a humorous video or quite serious, most go with humorous.


An example of a concept based music video is something that is quite unusual and not necessarily much to do with the song. This is a style of music video that is based a single concept or idea.

The Purposes Of Music Video

The main purpose to music videos is to sell the song. This can be done in many ways through a video and can attract all different kinds of audiences. Other purposes to a music video are:

• To give people a better understanding of the song(if the video is narrative)
• To entertain the audience
• Expanding the singers/bands profile and make them more known
• To create a memorable vision to the audience so everytime they hear the song they'll remember the video.

Debatably the above factors are just as important as they music video being purely for promotion. However I still think promotion is the main purpose to music videos. Without music videos the song won't be played on channels as they'll be nothing for the audience to view on screen. It will still be played on the radios but maybe won't be as memorable to the audience, they're likely to forget it. The music video serves as a promotional tool for the artist.

Music videos haven't always been about revenue. Years ago they were made for completely different reasons. solely to promote the video. However now when an artist brings out a music video channels have to pay to play the video and then they bring out things such as tour DVDs and CDs.

The first video to really create a storyline was the famous Michael Jackson - Thriller. In this video we see Michael Jackson himself acting out a storyline while performing. The below video is thought to be one of the most memorable music videos to this day.
In this video we see Michael Jackson turn into a zombie. This video could actually also be viewed as relating to Michael Jacksons personal life as at the time he brought this out he called himself a 'Monster' because of surgery he's had. Some videos can relate to the artists actual life but with a bigger picture and it's not always blatently obvious.

There are three types of music videos:

• Narrative based video
• Concept based video
• Performance based video.