WHAT IS A MUSIC VIDEO?By Lydia McCarthy, Rosie Ward, Sophie Johnston & Lizzie Garrard

DICTIONARY DEFINITION A music video or song video is a short film

integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings.

PETER FRASER DEFINITION “A music video is a short moving image

product shot for the express purpose accompanying a pre-existing music track and used to encourage of sales of the music in another format.”

OUR DEFINITION A music video is a collection of short clips

created by producers to match the tone and mood connoted by a song. It can consist of literal or subtle narrative to fit the genre of the music. They are used by artists to promote their music or to accompany their own brand.

STEREOTYPES OF MUSIC VIDEOS When analysing Britney Spears’ music video for ‘Toxic’ we noticed

certain aspects of the video that ran parallel with other popular music videos within the last decade. For example:

- Montage - Fast pace editing to fit the track - Narrative with interjecting clips that added to Britney’s brand as

well as the mood of the song. - A clear concept - There is correlation between the visuals and the lyrics. - Some genres hold iconography that fits the tone of music and the

audience the music is trying to reach. - Artists are featured heavily to remain popular for the company and

viewers. - A connection to previous videos is also hinted through intertextual

references. - Also we noted that Britney’s brand and appearance in the video

was stereotypical of a female artist at the time of the songs release.

WHAT MAKES A MUSIC VIDEO SUCCESSFUL? In preparation for the making of our music video, our group

watched a number of popular music videos to help point out stereotypes that make the songs successful or the videos memorable. We noticed that all the videos had a clear branding that fitted the artist. For example, an artist that’s recognised for their popular music videos such as Michael Jackson often used dance routines to enhance the aesthetics of the music video and to fit his target audience who would enjoy the interaction of a dance routine with the artist. This was incorporated into Jackson’s live performances and helped him to become the popular artist that he was.

We also realised that it is essential for music videos to be relevant to pop culture at the time of their release. This is because technology is evolving rapidly and therefore artists have to maintain relevant in the modern music industry to appeal to their audiences and make their music sell. This has become particularly important within the last decade as the increase in illegal downloading now means that artists promote themselves via their videos.

STEREOTYPICAL CINEMATOGRAPHY USED IN MUSIC VIDEOS Close-up: Extreme

close-up:

High angle: Low angle:

Establishing shot:

Wide angle shot: