Conventions of a Music Video

Camera Shots:

Music videos feature a number of shots that various reasons, to relate with the audience by expressing thoughts and feelings, but also to show the viewer what is happening. Certain shots that you would normally find in a music video include;


Very wide shot - This is where the artist is shown visible (barley) but the emphasis is still on placing the artist in the location/setting.








Wide shot - This is where the artist is shown taking up most of the shot but location/ setting is still focused on.









Mid shot - this shows the artist from his/her waist the head, and focuses mainly on the subject but still giving an impression of the location/ setting.





Camera Angles:

The way the camera is positioned determines the angle of the shot. There are many different camera angles used in the production of music videos to convey different images. Examples of camera angles are;





Eye-level - This is a very common view being the real world angle that we are all use to seeing, it shows subjects as we would expect to see them in real life.




High Angle - This is where the camera is filming the video from above,and the camera is angled down looking down towards the subject.









Low angle- This is when the subject is shown from being below, giving the impression of being more powerful or dominant.


Editing Techniques:


Editing is the process that concludes the making of the music video, Editing consists of cutting scenes down, adding special effects and adding the track to the music video etc. It also includes: Jump Cutting, CGI effects (the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics). An example of this is 'Skepta ft. JME  - That's not me.' The background is has been added on by a green screen.




Sound

Sound consists of two main forms, diagetic which is already present in the video and non-diagetic which can be edited in. Sound is absolutely essential in any music video as this is the main reason for why people watch and listen to them, to gain a sense of art via different artists'. Sound, like footage can be edited to create different effects and variations to the normal vocals that we hear.



Mis en Scene

Mis en Scene for music videos focuses on the lighting, props, costume, hair and makeup, location, and colour these elements usually depends on the genre of the music video and the style. these elements are also very important in contributing towards the chosen genre, They are used to convey the importance of the people in the music videos. They are also used to represent certain characteristics in different ways.

• Lighting - how the scene is lit/ artificial lights/ side lights
• Props - performance equipment, band merchandise
• Costume - certain outfits
• Hair and Makeup - style of the artist 
• Location - concert halls venues, streets ect.
• Colour - specific colours representing a mood