Task 2: Styles, Conventions and Techniques Worksheet

By Vanessa Ohanekw

A) Briefly define the following conventions of music video in your words and the effects they may have on the audience.

Lyric Interpretation- This means going deeper within the lyrics and reading between the lines. The lyrics may say one thing and on the other hand could mean another thing just depending on the depth that you look into it. This may have an effect on the audience because the lyrics that these artist sing could relate to actual life stories and problems. In some cases these lyrics may help people and what they could be dealing with.

Extending or consolidating songs meaning- This means going deeper within the actual music video and seeing through the real meaning and understanding of the music video. Thinking about what the artist wanted you to think and feel while watching the video. The true meaning within each action in the video.

Focus on performer- This means that the music video is based on the performer and her/ his album. The performer will be the base of the music video and it means focus on the performers and there career.

Lighting for mood- This means that for what ever mood is being portrayed in the music video there will be the appropriate lighting to match the mood. For example if the video is happy there would be bright colours in it and there would be no sighs of gloom at all. However for a video that is sad the lighting would be quite dull and dark suiting the mood of the music video.

The lighting in this music video is very gloomy and dull due to the mood of the whole music video which is sad.

The lighting in this music video is very different to the one on top. The lighting is much more bright with brighter colours because the mood of this music video is much more happier and light.  

Allusion- This means that a music video is making reference to other things. For example pastiche & homage. This is where another media text in this case a music video references another in an affectionate way ( as a tribute). When another media text refers to another the name for that is intertexuality.

This is an example of an allusion. This music video was made for the memory of Paul who unfortunately died. This is a music video as a tribute for his memory.

All of the conventions combined have an effect on the audience in different ways. With the focus on performer it would have an effect on the audience because the audience would recognise the performer and certain things about the performer. For example the way the performer sings and carries him/ herself Also how they act with their fans and what types of things they wear; all these units would make the audience connect to the performer in different ways. Such as wanting to look up the performer and wanting to hear more of that particular music he/she sings. 

With the lyric interpretation they would have an effect on the audience due to the emotions that they create within the lyrics, it could have a very close connection with some people and sometimes could actually help with personal situations that could be going on. Also with lyric interpretation it would create a certain emotion that the audience would connect to. For example the music video see you again is an Allusion to Paul Walkers memory due to him passing away; so the audience would have a very strong connection with the lyrics and the words that connect within the film and him in general. See you again is a very good example of extending a songs meaning because they are talking about Pauls passing and the film. So this would also effect the audience because they feel on more of a closer and personal level with the music video and the meaning towards it. 

The lighting for mood would have an effect on the audience because different levels of lighting in a music video plays around with the audience's emotion. For example when you watch a video with lots of bright colours and upbeat tempo the audiences reaction is usually happy and light for example with Taylor Swift 22. However whenever the music video becomes dark and dull with the lyrics to match the audiences reaction automatically becomes more serious and sometimes sad for example with the music video jar of hearts by Christina Perri. 

In conclusion conventions do have a very big effect on the audience and how they emotionally feel and connect with the lyrics, image, performer and lighting.

B) Give an example of a music video which shows the following: 

Special effects such as chroma key ( green screen) = Cher Lloyd Swagger Jagger 

Multi-mage (multiple images on screen at once) = Eminem Without me

Cutting to beat = Pussycat dolls don't cha

An artist artist miming and lip-syncing to a playback track = Miley Cyrus Party In The USA

Animation = Junior Senior move your meet

References to or includes another artist = Nicki Minaj Fly ft. Rihanna

C) Briefly define the following styles of music videos in your own words an give an example of it being applied in an existing music video. 

Illustrative- This means that the music video and what the artist is saying connects very strongly; and that it is very obvious to the audience what the message is about because it is being shown clearly within the lyrics and the video ( picture). There are many points when the actions in the video were completely the same to what the lyrics were saying. For example at when he says " as they tried to teach me how to dance" in the video there is a toy robot dancing at that exact moment. Also when he sings "A disco ball is just hanging by a thread ( thread thread )" When he sings this in the video shows an actual disco ball being hung just be a thread and when it says thread in the brackets it shows the actual words being spelt out.

This is a very good example of an illustrative music video. 

Interpretative- This is the complete opposite to illustrative. This is when you ( audience) have to think more deeply about what you are watching. This means that the narrative from this video is not exactly obvious to what the video is saying. Meaning that the bond between the narrative and music video will not be obvious at first. 

An example of an interpretative music video 

Surrealist- Surrealism is an art movement which has the purpose of going over the border between fantasy, dreams and reality. When it comes to music videos they aim to use weird and shocking imagery creating a fantasy like quality to their music videos. Which would probably stick in the audiences minds for a while. It is something that you would not usually see in real life it does not always have to be something scary it is just something that u would not see everyday. 

I thought this was a good example of a surrealist music video because the way the drawing of the man takes his hand out of the book to grab the girls hand; and the way she turns from a human to a drawing like the man i thought that was surreal an not something that would actually happen in real life.

Pastiche/ Homage- This is where a media text ( a music video ) references another in an affectionate way as a tribute. Or references other things. 

I think this is a good example of a music video that uses homage because the video uses location and themes from the popular horror film the shinning.

As-live - This is when a live performance of the artist is singing their song in the music video itself. This is not stagged. It is live footage of the artist. This is when the music video shows the artist live in a concert. 

In this music video this shows a Whitney Houston at her concert

Parody- This is where one media text imitates another or mimics another. A parody will take a music video and change it in a way that it is now mocking the song. In a parody video they cannot have the same exact words because that would be known as copywrite. 

This is an example of a parody of Taylor Swifts music video i knew you were trouble

Animation- This is something that does not use human interaction. There are two types of animation one is called stop motion animation and the other one is called digital/cell animation. Animation has a cartoon texture to it. Something that does not look like real life scenes. 

This music video is an example of a stop-motion animation