Industry Research 1:

Conventions of Music Videos:

Camera Shots- Similar to any filming, a variety of camera shots are used throughout music videos some of these being close ups, mid shots, wide shots, high angle shot, low angle shot etc. Camera shots like these are used to put emphasis on the character, setting and emotions that are wanted to be portrayed in the video. Probably the most important shot when filming a music video would be the close up, this is because in a lot of music videos the main protagonist is shown singing the song, so therefore a close up shot of the face would both help the audience understand not just what is being sung but the meaning of the words being sung.

Camera Movement- Camera Movement varies on both the genre and tempo of the song. For example if the song was a slow song the camera movement would reflect that with slow movements, and the same for if the song was fast. The song “My Immortal” by Evanescence uses camera movement very well to match the genre and tempo, panning and zooming is used to set the scene and feeling of the particular scene. Other camera movement include crane shots,  tilts and tracking.

Mis en Scene:

Mis en Scene refers to the importance of how the props and characters are presented to the audience (what we see).  Judgements can be made from what we see so the planning and execution of the Mis en Scene is of vital importance to create the effect the director is aiming for. For example in the song “Do It Like A Dude”  by Jessie J the audience can tell from the costumes such as baseball caps and jackets that are usually stereotypically seen as things that a guy would wear, that they are “hard” and their mannerisms are that of men, hence the title “Do It Like A Dude”. There is also a scene where we see a woman hacking away at what looks like a pigs leg which adds to the image of women acting like men.  Other things such as lighting, sound and props come into consideration when planning a music video.

Editing:

The editing is the post production process once all the filming is complete. This is where things like the syncing of the mouth movement and the song lyrics are worked out, also things such as the cuts between the scenes, which are used to connect the various shots and give the video a sense of continuity and flow through the video. Effects are added in this part of the process such as black and white, fade and dissolve which are some of the most common effects used. The Black and White used in “Talk” by Coldplay suits the setting featured and makes it more intriguing, the bright lights also would not stand out if it was in colour, making them more prominent.