Conventions of existing music videos

Cinematography

Most music videos use close ups and medium shots throughout the video. To create a relationship with the viewer, the performer sings directly to the camera, as if they're singing directly to that one viewer. Jessie J's Who You Are uses this throughout the song to create a strong relationship between the performer and viewer to enhance the dramatic emotions.
 

 

Long shots may also be included but conventionally, these shots are only used usually when the artist isn't singing. For example during an instrumental or just as the video is starting. Establishing shots are sometimes used at the beginning of a music video, in the conventional place but it's not a typical convention of music videos. Tilts and high/low angle shots are often used in music videos, especially in slow songs. Tracking shots are occasionally used but normally in a slow section of any genre song. For example, Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus uses a tracking shot just before the chorus.

 

 

Music video's almost always use the artist singing the song in the music video. This is a strong convention of all music videos as the record label are selling the artist, not just that one specific song. However Ed Sheeran's song Lego House did not use him in the music video, he used his best friend Rupert Grint instead. Rupert was made famous by the award winning series of films Harry Potter. This video is extremely popular, however it may not have worked if Rupert wasn't already so famous.

 

 

Editing

Conventionally, music videos are a continuous piece of footage, all in chronological order. This is because most songs are telling a story. The story is told through the images on the screen and the words in the song. It wouldn't have such a big impact if the video used montage, hence the use of continuity editing. To create realism, most music videos conventionally use cuts and the occasional fade at the end. This also enables the video to tell a story. If there were fades for example throughout the video, it wouldn't make as much sense to the viewer and it would take away from the big impact the video is supposed to create. Abstract videos and songs sometimes use fades, special effects and occasionally montage editing to fit the genre of the song. Much like Euan Baker's Your Heart Is So Loud video, although it's not essentially a music video.

 



 

Mise en Scene

Music videos vary in terms of mise en scene depending on their style. For example a music video of a dance-pop song will have flashing lights, maybe a dance routine and it will have props such as a microphone and other pop related items. The costumes are usually outgoing and brightly coloured, much like Jessie J's LaserLight video.

 

 





Jessie J is sponsored by Vitamin Water. So she features their product in her video LaserLight too. This is to promote the product and ultimately get them more money and custom. This is a common feature of a well known artist's music video.

 

Slow music usually features a quiet setting and 'everyday' clothes so the audience just concentrate on the song and the artist. Or bands that are not that well known. They do this so the audience also concentrates on them as an artist, as they need the publicity to get well known. Ed Sheeran did this in his music video for A Team, although he didn't feature in it himself.



Lip syncing is also a common convention, used in almost evry music video that has a soundtrack with dialogue. The performer will mime to the words then the soundtrack is added to the final video later, to create a professional finish.

Sound

Sound is conventionally the song the music video is being made for, occasionally with some dialogue or other diegetic sound over the top, creating realism. The music track makes the video, so without it, the music video wouldn't actually be a music video.