Welcome To My Music Video Production Blog.

In this blog I will be explaining and expanding on music videos as a whole. I will also be explaining the different styles of music videos and how they appeal to their target audience and the genre they are part of.

Music videos are constantly changing, they have been for years with new video styles coming out every year. Multiple factors come into the variety of music videos, technology is one huge aspect that effects music videos. With technology advancing by huge leaps every year, it gives music videos opportunities they did not have before as the technology now allows artists to produce new, fresh and unique ideas. One example of a change is green screen/chroma-key, this allows artists to use Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) in their music videos allowing more scenarios that may not be realistically possible. The effects such as CGI allow the artist to produce message that relates to the audience a lot more as it is portrayed easier. An example of CGI in a music video is Eminem's Not Afraid which shows Eminem flying around a city, this would be difficult to achieve without the use of CGI as well as time consuming. The use of CGI allows the artist to portray a message of him being free and superhuman in a way due to his sobriety which would be extremely difficult to achieve without the use of CGI.

This screen shot shows Eminem standing on the edge of a road which has collapsed. This represents how he felt while he was on drugs, as he could not have gotten past this barrier, however now he can due to his sobriety. Showing this to an audience would be difficult without the use of CGI. Realistically this would be extremely difficult to do as straight after Eminem jumps down the collapsed road and takes flight.

Purpose

Music videos are made for many purposes and many are made for specific reasons, I have listed and expanded on what purposes the music videos could be produced for.

1) To promote the artist/band

Every artist aims to get their music to be more popularity. They create music videos to branch out and broadcast their music videos over various forms of media for example television, the internet and mobile devices. An example of how a different medium gained a music video attention is Gangnam Style by Psy, this would not have been as popular if it was not for the video sharing website, YouTube. This gained the track over a billion views and brought the song to the number one spot in the U.K. The post-modern style of the video helped it get popularity but the fact that it was on YouTube allowed it to be seen internationally as it might not have got a spot on the U.K. charts were it not for YouTube.

Every artist aims to promote themselves throughout the duration the music video is broadcasted. However having other artists in the video may also get the video more popularity therefore helping the artist branch out more. Having other artists featured in the video allows the main artist to branch out and gain the attention of the featured artists fans as well as their own. This may also get the featured artists more attention as fans of the main artists will want to listen to the featured artists music. Expanding to having featured artists from different genres may also help the main artist get attention from a genre other than their own.

An example of a track with a featured artist could be David Guetta's Memories which features Kid Cudi singing the vocals while David Guetta produced the song. This allows David Guetta fans to hear Kid Cudi's vocals which may get Kid Cudi more fans as they might like his vocals and decide to listen to more of his songs. Kid Cudi fans may also listen to David Guetta as they like the song he produced and would like to hear more of his music. The mixture of hip-hop/dance music allows both artists to gain fans from another genre than they usually listen to. 

2) To gain revenue

Like most artists, they produce and broadcast music videos to gain revenue. By broadcasting their music videos, fans of the track may purchase the artists single or album. The revenue gained may be used for living, travel and allows the artist to keep making music as they will have money to book time in a recording studio. However sometimes a track may be created as a charity effort, this may be pushed towards an audience by performing the song live which will cause listeners to donate money to a certain charity. Therefore the artist may not gain any profit at all. 

3) To tell a story or convey a message

Some music videos are made to tell a story or convey a message, this may be to provide entertainment to the viewer. The lyrics of the song and the visuals provide a chance for the artist to tell a story or convey a message easily. An example of this is could be Eminem's Stan which tells the story of an obsessed fan who continuously writes to Eminem and when Eminem doesn't reply, he murders pregnant girlfriend and commits suicide by driving off of a bridge while drunk. The song alone tells the story however the video allows the viewer to visualise what is happening a lot easier and provides Eminem to expand on the song by giving it a film like feeling to it by having the video longer than the song.

This screen shot of the music video shows the obsessed fan known as Stan. The actor portraying Stan is also known for being in the film Final Destination. Having an experienced actor gives the music video more of an opportunity to be more like a film rather than a typical music video for this genre. The video of the song is 8 minutes however the song is actually only around 6 minutes. This is because the video includes parts were there song isn't playing but it is actually introducing Stan and showing how obsessed he is with Eminem.

The video of Stan is extremely depressing and features low-key lighting all the way through. It also features a lot of swearing and offensive language as it features alcohol, suicide, murder and self harm. This was censored for a radio however it was extremely popular regardless of the content and it is known for one of Eminem's best songs.

Main styles of music videos

 

In Concert

Kid Cudi's Erase Me clearly contains a staged audience

Many songs have in concert based music videos, this is when the artist/band performs the song in front of an audience during the music video. The artist/band could be performing towards a staged audience with the artist/band lip-syncing/miming or a live one with the footage being from a recorded live show. An example of a staged audience is in Kid Cudi's Erase Me in which he performs on stage dressed up with an afro and hippy clothes, it clearly a staged audience as the audience is not shown and you can tell it Kid Cudi is lip-syncing and pretending to play the guitar. An example of a music video with a live audience is Paris by Jay-Z and Kanye West which was performed 9 times to allow enough footage and various shots to be captured.



This is a screen shot of a live performance from the song Paris by Kanye West and Jay-Z



Concept

Concept music videos are usually based on a singular idea/scenario. This gives the artist's video a chance to unique and creative. This type of music video usually focuses on one particular editing technique. One example could be Taylor Swift's We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together which looks like it is all one continuous shot even though it isn't. During this video Taylor Swift changes her clothes numerous times and changes locations however it all looks like it is in one shot.

Narrative (Classical)

Narrative music videos usually contain a story whether it be within the lyrics or just for the music video. The video containing a narrative allows to audience to visualise and watch a plot develop through the use of imagery. Typically, the audience will focus more on the lyrics rather than the instrumental of the track this draws more attention to the plot of the music video. The lyrics of the track and the imagery of the video allow the audience to get a better understanding of the story and it is easier to watch it develop. A strong example is Eminem's Stan which is mentioned above and linked below. 

Music videos with a narrative usually tend to be longer than the song as they are seen as a short film and they contain moments were there is no music and the actors talk. This aids the music video by going into more depth and builds up the audience's emotion towards the actors. In Eminem's Stan there is over a minute worth of footage were there isn't any music as the beginning scene introduces Stan to the audience and allows the viewer to visualise how obsessed the fan is with Eminem. 

Romance

Music videos that have romance involved usually have some sort of narrative whether it be in the song alone or the video. This style is usually seen in R&B and Pop music, an example is Taylor Swift's We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together in which Taylor Swift explains her break up with her boyfriend and how she will not get back together with him. The song alone tells a story however the video visualises the story, although this is not seen as a structured narrative, it still tells a story.

Lana Del Rey's Born To Die showcases romance heavily during the video as well, however it doesn't showcase a typical break up or a perfect relationship. Instead it shows an unstable relationship between Lana and her boyfriend which eventually ends with Lana Del Rey dying in a car crash. During the music video Lana Del Rey is shown being grabbed by her boyfriend and having her neck grabbed too. This shows a negative form of romance which isn't unusual in music but it isn't often seen in Lana Del Rey's genre of music.

Nihilist

Nihilism is very popular among heavy rock/metal music videos, it is the rejection of theories of morality or religious beliefs. It is also seen in rap songs mainly seen as angry rap which Eminem fitted into at the start of his career and he would make songs which would be extremely controversial. An example of which is Just Don't Give A F*ck by Eminem, in which he mentions drugs, abortion, murder and rape.

Socially Conscious

Socially conscious songs are tracks that have an opinion on various events that are happening in the world for example war or poverty. Socially conscious music can be seen in almost any genre from pop or rock or rap. They usually have very strong lyrics and the lyrics are usually the focus of the song rather than the beat. An example of a socially conscious song is Kanye West's Diamonds From Sierra Leone which focuses on the topic of blood diamonds and the consequences of buying them. During the song Kanye West is talking about the effect buying diamonds have in third world countries. 

Post Modern

Post modern music videos include include scenes and shots that are seen as random and unrelated to the song or other shots rather than structured. This style of music video is useful for certain songs as it keeps the audience entertained and has a comedic effect. An example of a post modern music video is Gangnam Style by Psy which is random throughout and gained attention worldwide. 

Parody

Parody music videos are humorous videos which usually involve a change in lyrics but keeping the same style from the artist and instrumental. This creates a comedic effect which entertains the audience. One particular artist which is known for his parodies is Weird Al Yankovic, he often produces parodies of popular songs for example Michael Jackson's Bad. Weird Al Yankovic produces a parody called Fat. It is clear from the video that it is a parody as Weird Al is even wearing the same clothes as Michael Jackson and the video is set in a very similar location as the original Bad video.

Film Tie-In

Some music video's tie in with films, this helps to promote both the artists music and the film. The music video will usually include footage from the movie and occasionally footage from the film itself. The video involves the artist performing on the same set as the movie or in a location the film was set in. An example of a film tie-in music video is No One Believes Me by Kid Cudi which features Kid Cudi walking around the same location as the movie Fright Night. The music video for the song also features a vampire theme as the film itself is about vampires. During the music video clips of the film appear as well as some of the same sounds during the song. At the end of the music video it shows Kid Cudi walking into the daylight and exploding which also happens in the movie.

Performance

Performance is very common among music videos, this involves the artist performing the song in the video. whether it be lip-syncing or miming throughout. This style of video isn't subject to any specific genre of music, it can be used in any genre. Some music videos have clips of a performance in them allowing them to tell a story or create an atmosphere. An example of this is Justin Timberlake's What Goes Around Comes Around which shows Justin Timberlake performing the song but also shows him acting as the music video is a short film.