What is a music video?

A music video is a short film which usually matches the lyrics of a song and tells the story. Music videos are used to promote a track and help increase the sales by making the target audience more aware of the song and the artist. The more a music video catches the audiences attention the more memorable the song becomes.

Most music videos follow conventions which are common scenes and features which appear in each genre. 

Pop - 

1. Fun and light hearted 

2. Usually has a narrative

3. Targeted at youths

4. Singing to the camera

5. Colourful

RnB - 

1. Artist always shown

2. Close ups

3. Dance routines

4. Party lifestyle

5. Provocative women

6. Expensive clothes and cars

Rock - 

1. Band on stage

2. Dark colours

3. No narrative

4. Jump cuts

Other Music Video genres:

Rap
Funk
Dance

Electro
House
Grime

Hip Hop

Bhangra

Jazz

Blues

Soul

Latin

Metal

Folk

Country

Which artists fit into which genre:

RnB - Chris Brown & Beyonce

Pop - Olly Murs & Kelly Clarkson

Country - Carrie Underwood & Taylor Swift

Hip Hop/Rap - Tinie Tempah & Eminem

Grime - Skepta &Tinie Tempah

Rock - Linkin Park & Paramore

Music videos are usually of the artist however over more recent years artists have started using other people in their videos either to portray the artist or simply play the characters in the story. 

1) Concept Based
Artists such as Lady Gaga have used a variety of erratic scenes in their videos. This is known as a concept, which is an idea or style which the artist is trying to present to their target audience. A concept based music video rarely relates to the lyrics and isn't dependant on a story line.

These two shots show the different aspects of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" music video. They demonstrate her unique sense of style and her daring behaviour which has made her so iconic in the music industry.

Another artist whose music videos are mainly concepts is Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson's videos became iconic for his innovative ideas and dress sense just like Lady Gaga. 

2) Narrative Based
Other styles of music videos include a narrative, where the artist tells a story and most of the footage either relates to the lyrics or shows the audience a montage of events. "Hall Of Fame" is a song by The Script featuring Will.I.am and is hugely narrative based. The video tells two separate stories about a girl and a boy who each work hard to succeed in their career. The video shows their struggles and how they get there. 

The girl in the video is in fact deaf and as the video reaches the end the audience are shown how she uses the vibrations from the speakers to feel the music and interpret it into a dance. 

The boy is an aspiring boxer and throughout the video the audience can see how he has no support in his home life and he is attacked by a group of boys who live near him. The two shots above show the young boy being chased down the road and beaten up behind a bin.

The narrative relates to the lyrics in the song which are to inspire people to follow their dreams and work hard for what they want to achieve. The lyrics such as "You can be the greatest" and "You can be the best" are aimed directly at the viewers which inspire them and along with the two narratives in the video tell a story which the audience can relate to.

This video follows the conventions of a narrative because - 
- A story is told in chronological order
- Casual clothing is worn to create a realistic atmosphere
- The lyrics relate to the video

Role of the target audience - 
The target audience for this particular song and video can be broad as it can relate to anyone who has an ambition. However it can be particularly inspirational to people who have a big dream in life and a need and want to succeed and maybe have personal issues like the characters in the video. The video shines a positive light and gives hope to people who constantly have people putting them down and struggles in their daily life. 

3) Performance Based
A performance is where the artist sings or dances to the camera. It has become increasingly popular for artists to use footage from their concerts or tours in their music videos. UK rapper Example's "Changed The Way You Kissed Me" is only footage of his concert throughout.

The average cost of a music video varies by artist and how and the idea behind their video. Beyonce's Crazy in Love video would have cost a lot less than her Countdown video which includes computer effects. A smaller artist like Olly Murs would probably make music videos which cost around £100,000 to make whilst a bigger artist like Beyonce or Rhianna could cost £1,000,000 or more. The most expensive music video ever made to date is Michael Jackson's Scream as there was a large amount of CGI involved. 

Music videos are broadcasted on music channels and this used to be the main source of distribution. However as the internet has evolved audiences view music videos more online, using wesites such as Youtube because this means they can watch any video at any time.