style convetions and teqniques TB

Styles

Popular music genres

• Different genres use completely different aesthetics for their
music videos.

• For example, Lil Peeps cry alone music video has a vastly different
aesthetic from Despacito, this is because music videos are meant
to compliment the songs lyrical content and themes.

• Because lil peep explores dark themes it needs a darker/moodier
video to fit better. Whereas a happy song made for a mainstream
audience aims to make the viewer happy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJQP7kiw5Fk - Despacito
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzV_QZODisQ – Cry Alone

In concert videos

Music videos often use videos that show them performing
Infront of an audience. The band/artist lip syncs and plays
a song usually Infront of an audience. This helps the
audience understand how they look and act through their
fashion sense and mannerisms. It can also bring nostalgia
to the viewer if they have previously seen them before.
Lil peeps ‘Lil Jeep’ music video incorporates a large
amount of videos and audio from his live performances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUPPrimH7Ow

Animation videos

• Music videos incorporate animation for self expression,
you can make a very outlandish animation than usual
music video because it is often a lot cheaper to make, so
there isn’t many financial restrictions.

• For example, Lil Dusty g’s video for ‘Nobody’ would be
very difficult to film but because it is stop motion it
makes it a lot easier/cheaper.

• This video includes shots and effects which aren’t readily
available when shooting a standard video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io0kTOZyl00

Interpretive videos

• These videos allow the viewer to find their own meaning
to the videos. These videos don’t usually follow the literal
lyrics of the song. This makes the viewer think a lot deeper
than they usually would when watching the video.

• An example is Slug Christs ‘On It (Seven Grams)’ music
video which uses his distinct visual style without using any
literally meaning, this is to let the viewer find it
themselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxf22SGGG8s

Narrative videos

• These include a story for the viewer to follow, this makes
the video a lot more engaging. Videos that incorporate a
narrative can also open the music up to new audiences
who aren’t necessarily into a style of music but engage
with the video because it’s more story-like. They often
feature a literal expression of the songs lyrical content.

• An example of a narrative video is City Morgue’s ‘THE FALL
BEFORE THE GIVE UP’ because it follows a storyline.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PXQypKb4z0

Impressionist videos

• These types of videos try to match the songs
ambience and tone. These videos don’t do
anything literal that is said in the music video.

• An example of this is Sosmula’s ‘Gimme Dat’. The
music video fits the angry fast paced song
perfectly. There are no literal actions in the video

• All of Sosmula’s music videos use elements of
impressionism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IIX6v4FF0g

Surrealist videos

• Surrealist music videos Incorporate very unnatural themes.
They are meant to be very unrealistic.

• In Sosmula’s ‘Yakuza 2000’ music video you can see him
standing on what seems to look like a completely different
planet, this makes the video surrealist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O84SOt4S28w

Pastiche, parody

This is music that has a goal to make the viewer
laugh, often taking tropes from popular music genres
to poke fun at artists.
An example of this is Bo Burnham’s ‘Repeat Stuff’
which was aimed to poke fun of artists like Justin
Bieber.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt9c0UeYhFc

Techniques

Cutting to the beat

• Music videos which cut to the beat often prioritise rhythm over
anything else. They are often very quick paced. Doing this helps
the video create rhythm.

• An example of this is Sosmula’s ‘Gun sport’. The cutting fits to the
beat perfectly. The video is very quick paced

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnxZl4RSibM

Physical and computer effects

• Visual effects have many uses for music videos. They can help bring
the idea to life when the idea is so outlandish. They are also used to
impress the viewer and enchant them. Special effects also can bring
a new audience who are interested in the video more than the song.
An example of this is Sosmula’s ‘Yakuza 2000’ which features very
impressive visual effects.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O84SOt4S28w

Miming and lip sync

• In music videos the artist/band often mime
their lyrics linked to the track. These types of
videos are usually more narrative based but
not always.

• An example of this is Sosmula’s ‘Outer Space’
where he lip syncs and mimics the lyrics.

• This makes the lyrics seem a lot more
personal to the artist when they are singing
it, like it’s their own.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On4NapV3uA
0

Playback lip sync

• Sometimes the song is slowed down while
recording the video, this is to make it fit better
in the final video.

• An example of this is Oliver Tree’s ‘Hurt’ which
shows him jumping off a building, while falling
down the building he is still singing the lyrics at
the same speed as the song.

• The song had to be sped up so his lip sync
would fit.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqpnbSFpr
B4

Split screen

• Split screen is used to show two things
on the screen at once. This can be
helpful for the viewer because it shows
them different perspectives at the same
time.

• An example of split screen being used is
The Kills ‘Heart of A Dog’. It uses two
shots side by side throughout the music
video.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur
Pxe4jxdt8

Camera movements

• Camera moments like pans, tilts and tracking shots
are used to create flow and rhythm in the music
video.

• An example of this is Pezzhead’s video for ‘It HurtZz’
which incorporates a lot of different movements.

• The strange camera movements in the music video
are used to add to the weird, Avant-Garde feels of
the video.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWsEB8ImbyY

Camera angles and shot types

• The An euse of shot types and angles can help with
the tone of the music video. High angles are used to
show that a character is inferior and vice versa for low
angles.

• An example of this being used is Pezzhead’s ‘Final
Dayzz on erth’ which is almost shot entirely from a
low angel to show how imperious.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWPWIMgt4uw

Chroma key

• A greenscreen is frequently used in music videos
because it allows the creator to do a little more on a
cheaper budget.

• An example of chroma key being used is Nascar
Aloe’s ‘IPA’ which uses a greenscreen to show him in
different places throughout the video.

• A greenscreen allows the editor to ‘key’ out the
green and displace with another video or image
they would like easier than cutting around the
subject

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20AFGcVGSu8

Mise-en-scene

• This can be lighting, props, costume and setting. With
these being used it helps make the music video more
unique and differentiate music videos from each other.

• An example is all of Zillakami's music videos, he always
wears the same casual distinct style.

• His sense of fashion has been very basic for years, he
always wears the same custom jeans from his friends’
brand (https://missingsincethursday.com/). In more
recent years Zilla’ has mainly been seen wearing his
‘Rick Owens Ramones’ shoes originally released in the
Fall/Winter 2013. He always pairs this with a cheap
basic graphic t-shirt. This casual style expresses his
grungy image.

Conventions

Lyrical interpretation

• Music videos frequently are made with a deeper meaning in
mind without having that meaning spelt out to the viewer. The
viewer has to find the meaning themselves, some videos use
literal representations of the music's lyrical content. I find
having to find a videos deeper meaning a lot more enjoyable
than having it spelt out to me.