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Josh Sunley

Music Video Production

Case Study
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Unit 29 - Music Video
Production
We will look at Music Videos from a number of perspectives, this
template is for you to write up your notes and to complete your
case study.

The document is split into 3 different tasks, each with separate

questions to answer.

Task 1 is concerned with the purposes of music videos and the

strategies employed by labels and artists

Task 2 is concerned with the styles, techniques and conventions

of music video production

Task 3 is your own case study into a minimum of three music

videos where you can unpack and discuss the videos considering
everything you have looked at in Task 1 and 2
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Unit 29 Music Video
Production
Learning outcomes, this case study is concerned with
the first two learning outcomes of the unit:

1. Understand the purpose of music videos

2. Understand the styles, conventions, and techniques

of music videos

3. Be able to originate and plan a music video

production for a specific music track

4. Be able to work to complete production of a music

video.
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Unit 29 Music Video
Production
Assessment Criteria
The assessment criteria addressed by this case study,
further details are in your project brief:
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Notes on completing the case
study
It is often easier to show something you are discussing
than to take time describing it. With this in mind, feel
free to add lots of illustrative images from your chosen
video examples. Links to YouTube/Vevo/etc are also
encouraged.

Remember, when you make a point or define

something, you should follow this with an example, an
explanation of this and then link to further texts/videos
where possible.

If you dont think there is enough room to add your full

response to a question, dont just reset the font size to
really small, add an extra slide wherever necessary.
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Task 1 - Purposes
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Task 1 - Purposes
Q1 - Outline the 3 core purposes of music video with a short
explanation for each:

Entertainment The reason music videos are made is so an

audience can visually see the meaning of the music there
listening too, It also allows the artists breathing room on
performing live, if a music video is released, the demand for live
performances is reduced.

Branding/Identity Artists like to make a statement about their

views on topics of issue, politics mostly. By creating music videos,
they are able to visualize the issues they see, and convince those
around them. In some cases, the artist will also use the
opportunity of collaboration to increase their own popularity by
including another artist in a music video.

Sales - By using music videos as a method of endorsement for

products, sales and popularity increases. This is because of the
artists high profile and if an audience see certain products being
used by the artist, they will want to be associated with them, by
using the same products and brands.
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Task 1 - Purposes
Q2 What are some of the broader purposes of music videos? Think about
some of the strategies employed by artists in their videos and how they
represent themselves, you could consider where the artist is on a major label,
independent label of unsigned, is there a difference between them?

With mainstream, large label bands. It has be found that the concept, style
and long term purpose of music videos, is to brand, and sell. For instance, One
Direction. Their videos have a distinctive repetitive feel to them, 5 boys,
smiling, singing, pointing happily, the typical teenaged lads. The brand which
they create is tailored to lure in women to spend money on them, buying
tickets to go and see them live, Spending money on merchandise etc. Music
videos which come from large labels promote this.

On the other hand, smaller bands and labels are keen to create unique
perceptions of themselves, because they arent as mainstream both in the
style of music that is produced, and there brand, they are able to create music
videos which identify what they want to make, not what they are scripted to
do to lure in an audience.

In comparison to each other, there is a deep contrast between the two. Larger
labels what to make artists profitable, and so they use generic techniques in
order to lure in an audience which will spend money on that very brand, where
as smaller bands and labels use the opportunity of making a music video to
express themselves and there beliefs.
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Task 1 - Purposes

Q3 Describe what is synergy is and how it has been used in music videos

Synergy was first used and pioneered in the 1930s by Disney, it allows for
other companies to use mickey mouse within there products or adverts,
since this would also expose Disneys brand to potential customers or
audiences. Essentially, the idea of synergy is to permit other companies to
show your brand on their own products so that new audiences are able to
see it, and spend money on the brand. Another example of synergy is MTV
in the 1980s. MTV would boost certain songs to the top of the charts in
order to boost sales of that artist.

On the other hand there is Convergance. This is where artists work along
side films in order to boost publicity, elements of a movie are then
combined into a music video to create an official soundtrack. Some
examples of Convergance include: Aerosmith/Armageddon, Guns n
Roses/Terminator 2 and finally Men In Black 2/Will Smith, who both acted in
the film, and made the soundtrack to the film.
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Task 1 - Purposes
Q4 Branding; select an artist you like and look at how they
present themselves in their music videos. Explain what their
brand is, who it appeals to and why they might have done this.

The artist which I will be looking into is Martin Garrix, a 20 year

old Dutch DJ. His genre of music is based mostly around EDM,
Trap and Pop. This would probably mean that his music videos
consist of the typical symptoms of a big top 40 artist. However
each of his videos are unique and make a statement, which is
rather unusual for an artist which has signed with a
medium/large sized label company (Spinnin Records)

His brand isnt targeted towards marketing or profitability, but

his style of music video does contain elements of some
mainstream videos, for example filming videos of a party that
he is hosting (fictionally) which can be seen in other
mainstream music videos from artists such as Jessie J, or DJ
Fresh.
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Task 1 - Purposes

Q5 Compare One Direction and Animal Collective music

videos, what can you discern about each act from their videos?
What is the main aim? Explain why.

One Directions music video are laid back, and rather typical of a
boy-band. The video for You Dont Know Your Beautiful shows the
5 member walks down the beach in a VW camper just enjoying
themselves whilst singing, clearly attempting to repeat previous
steps from disbanded boy-bands, this is because of the aim of the
band. One Direction is Simon Cowells creation signed with his
label and so he wants to profit from them through merchandise,
tickets, and song downloads. By appealing to the audience of
younger girls, they are more likely to achieve success in the
profitability of the group. Animal Collective however, are a very
different story. Their style of music determines the video that is
created.
 Task 2 Styles,
+Techniques and
Conventions
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q1 Describe and explain the use of camerawork in music videos, i.e.
the types of shot used with examples to illustrate this

Camerawork is the use of movement, angles and positions of the

camera in order to create a more dynamic feel to the video. This can be
done by synchronizing the cameras movement to the artists or people
on screen, or by rotating the camera around in a circular fashion to
create a more stage like performance. Camerawork can also be
beneficial to people with mobile phones or tablets wishing to watch a
music video. The smaller screens on these devices allows for more
difficult viewing, By getting more close up shots, this can be prevented,
and viewing can be of a higher quality for those using smaller screens.

However smaller screens are only part of the reasoning behind the close
up shots: Many artist prefer this type of shot because it creates a sense
of intimacy between the viewer and the song, As if the artist is
addressing you directly.
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q2 - Describe and explain the use of editing in music videos, i.e. the way
in which shots are sequenced, considering the rhythm of the edit and
combinations of shots and post-production techniques

Editing of a music video consists of cutting and compiling footage

together in order to create a montage of clips which pull together a
storyline or mood. Often enhancements are made to the video in the
editing period, these enhancements include many CGI elements, from the
basics of colour correction/grading to much more advanced block-buster
style film CGI.

Editing is can be noticed more often in videos of solo females , this is

because the audience ages and gender can vary and so they have to keep
both sides happy.

Editing Is present in most modern music videos from popular artists or

composers. Edits usually arent made if the music video is of a live
performance
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q3 - Describe and explain some of the technical developments
in music videos, i.e. in terms of how the music videos are filmed,
edited/produced and viewed

Through years of technical advancements, improvements have

been made to the ways of which we make music videos has
changed drastically. It started with the development of new
cameras, which reduced the cost of production by not having to use
film, and recording directly onto memory. This made production
cheaper, and quicker. Many other techniques were introduced in
the 1990s such as Long takes, and the use of steadicams.

Coming more towards the future many of the methods that are now
used in music videos, are inspired by films. A prime example of the
is the use of chroma-key, a plugin which allows the use of green
screens. Allowing for creation of more scenes in music videos.
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q4 Genre conventions; often music videos adhere to
genre conventions within their visual style and
production techniques. Select a recognizable genre and
use illustrations to explain what their genre
conventions are.

The genre I have picked is in-concert. This type of

genre is making a music video look as if it is being
performed live to a real audience, This type of video is
commonly found in videos from people like rock bands
or sometimes boy bands. Some videos of this genre are
actually from a concert that was real, to prevent the
need for a brand new production.
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Task 2 Styles, Techniques and
Conventions
Q5 - John Stuarts description of the music video
incorporating, raiding and reconstructing is essentially the
essence of Intertexuality. Can you explain what Intertexuality
is and find some examples of it in music videos?

A way of describing what intertextuality is, is by calling it a

visual reference. There are mainly 3 types of intertextuality,
those being: Cinema, Fashion & Art Photography. The aim of
intertextuality, is to transform there creation, to represent a
familiar scene, usually from a triple A rated movie. This
concept becomes clearer when you see an example, Chris
Brown intertextualised Michael Jackson music video thriller
by using the same clothing and environment.
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Task 3 Case Study
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Task 3 Case Study

For your individual case study you are required to prepare

material on a minimum of three music videos.

This should provide discussion on the usage of the

following:
Purpose of the video [consider the strategy of the artist and
the intention behind the video, remember the core purposes
and break this down into the other purposes we discussed]
Style[s] used
Techniques employed
Intertextuality
Camerawork/editing
Genre conventions
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Task 3 Case Study

For your individual case study you are required to prepare

material on a minimum of three music videos.

This should provid e discussion on the usage of the

following:
Purpose of the video [consider the strategy of the artist and
the intention behind the video, remember the core purposes
and break this down into the other purposes we discussed]
Style[s] used
Techniques employed
Intertextuality
Camerawork/editing
Genre conventions
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Task 3 Case Study

You should include a video link for the video

You can include as many illustrative stills as you like

Be creative in your approach, it is suggested you use

the heading on the previous slide a guide on how to
structure your response to get you started

Remember, make a point, use a specific part of the

chosen video as an example, explain yourself and then
link to another video where possible
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Let Me Love You DJ Snake.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euCqAq6BRa4

Eminem When Im Gone: The purpose of the music video is to visualise a cyber life and how reality can be
skewed so easily. The video is played out to be true until the very end where the character loses and
regains his life, and reveals his true identity as a 13 year old boy.

The editing techniques of the music video really add to the feel of
the video, its fast moving, colourful and cinematic, The cuts
happen quickly to keep up with the pace of the actors and the
colour corrections fit the environment perfectly for the situation.
However towards the end the video is changed from this high
octane world, to the real life, none video game, where things are
far from colourful. Instead the colours change to make the second
person look much more creepy, keeping the cool tone but adding
green hints.
The camera angles within this video mix between fast paced
and slow dependent on what lyrics are being sang, for
instance, in the chorus, the characters get chased by the
police, but in the main verse, they cuddle up to each other,
looking after one another.

In terms of genre conventions, the very first verse sums it up a dream

the reality is it is simply a video game, and both the players would be
dreaming of something like this video, instead of there own lives. Other
lyrics like never let you go summarises there love for each other in the
game.
This song shares many of its styles and similarities with one of his earlier
singles what do you mean within the first frame, there are neon lights,
and muscle cars, both of which are in Let Me Love You. Through this we
can assume this is what his style is, and from there we can make further
comparisons from his video. One of his other video however, is a
complete contrast from his usual style Love Yourself seems relatively
simplistic and doesnt feature any neons or muscle cars, which brings it
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Eminem When Im Gone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wYNFfgrXTI
Eminem When Im Gone: The purpose of the music video is to visualise a dream that the artist had. The
music playing behind the video uses a minor key, which makes the song sound more tense, which fits
perfectly with the context of the dream, gone nightmare.

The cuts and edits in the chorus of the song are much more
subtle, and they arent as aggressive as the rest of the video,
much like the tone of the song. It uses simple transitions like fade
to paint the picture, but when in a normal verse, the transitions
are quick from scene to scene, making it difficult to keep up,
however this does relate to the song fairly well, since this is a
dream of his, he finds it hard to keep track of everything
happening, later in the song. Other edits in the video are minimal,
The camerawork in the song is widely subtle
varied,colour
there corrections,
are shots fromvignette and slow motion
pretty much every angle with the exception of Birdseye. The angle of
the camera is dependent on the way that the artist wants to address
viewers, or the characters. For instance, when the artist is talking to
his daughter, the camera is behind the child, showing that he is
addressing the child, but he wants the audience to be a part of it.
But other angles, show Eminems perspective as if you are
addressing
Unlike many pop songs, the genre conventions in this song, links closely into
the video also. The video paints a picture of the song, for example the
picture on the left shows just after the lyrics fine, me and mummy are
going the photo shows a mirror of the two, who then disappear from the
mirror and shortly after, this dream ends, with the visuals show him waking
up from the nightmare.
In comparison to other videos of this genre, Eminem has used the generic
styling for his genre: a grungy style with limited colour range in the cooler
end of the hue spectrum. Lose Yourself shows this pretty well, and though
time does shine through on the videos quality, the way it is made hasnt
changed through the time technology has evolved. Ghetto Gospal also
backs the point relying on grungy styling, but 2Pac styled this with himself in
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Justin Timberlake Mirrors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuZE_IRwLNI
Justin Timberlake Mirrors: The purpose behind mirrors is to show another perspective, or reflection
upon the thoughts of other people, like one a the lines in the song Two reflections into One

The edits and the cuts for mirrors are quite slow, but not subtle.
The scenes, and characters change every 2 or 3 cuts. This does
link in with the songs name: Mirrors because of the scene being
the same for each character, it looks as if it is mirroring another
time. The actual contents of the video are mostly unrelated to the
purpose of the song, with only a small amount of content relating
to mirrors, though there is one in pretty much every scene.
The camerawork in the song once again is varied. However because
of the name of the song, each scene has a mirror in it, and the
cameras have interlinked this in mostly every shot they take. It also
appears to keep the close shots and a minimum to characters, I also
noticed in some scenes, mirrors on the walls would show different
things to what was actually going on, in order to show different
reflections of concepts, linking into the lyrics were making two
reflections into one.
The only true link I can find for Genre conventions would be the mirrors,
and differing reflection, the scenes and characters dont represent any
lyrics or title in the song, they appear to be inside a clubhouse/hotel
which houses amusements such as mirrors or photo booths etc.

This video is unique because of its environment it is shot in, however

the purpose is pretty much the same, with a correlation between videos
such as Thrift Shop still apparent within the video because of some of
the scenes in a partying or playful environment. In terms of some of JTs
other works, This video is unique because of the topic, yet does share
the same platform as other videos of his, notably What goes around
Comes around This song sexualises women in the same way as
mirrors, and is shot in a similar location/environment.