Music Video Magazine Advertisement- Arctic Monkeys

For the brief I am looking at, part of what we have to analyse and make is a magazine adverts to advertise our music video. I am going to look and pick out key parts of 10 adverts to extract the key parts which make them work well and not work well so that I can use this as a basis for when I make my own.

The first advert I chose was for the Arctic Monkeys song 'The Jewellers hands'  released September 2009. I chose this magazine cover because of its simplicity. I like the slightly dark tones of the song yet the alternative vibe they bring link to the colouring and layout of the album and the typography used. The black background follows the darkness of the song, but also creates a nice simple colour way between the black and the white used for the typography and the white edging of the main image. The typography of the band logo follows an old bold english style font which gives the vintage vibe which links to the band and songs feel. The logo, main image and 'New Album' text are alined down the centre of the advert with the two star ratings along the side. I personally like this layout as everything doesn't stick out like its trying to be shoved in your face and is easy to look at and comprehend, I find this because of the few features on the advert literally being the logo, picture, star rating and 'New Album' text which makes it basic and simple to view all parts of the advert really quickly. The main image is very saturated and basic in the sense of two shots of the girl however the white outline links to the colour way of the advert and makes the image standout more to match the boldness of the text despite it being dull. I don't really understand the concept of the girl shown in the centre which could be a subliminal link to the song or a theme however this doesn't standout to a basic viewer like myself.

Music Video Analysis Conclusion

From viewing and analysing many music videos in the last few weeks I have realised the differences in conventions between multiple genres and styles within genres. From this I can identify what can and can't be expected from genres and how I can go against or follow to make my video different/ the same and pre existing.

Genres such as Rap and Hard Rock/ Metal convey darker themes whether it be a representation of reality and the themes of the streets in rap or a darker evil feel to metal rock genres as a whole which then reflect in certain ways of producing etc. An example of this I have gathered would be how often low key lighting is used and uses of silhouettes and shaded areas are often planned out and used to create a darker feel to the video which emphasises the themes within lyrics. Often the settings of the videos are scarier places aswell, whether it be alleyways in 'Xaviers Wulf' video Thunderman or actual nightmares in Enter Sandman by 'Metallica'. This use of the darkness then creates a key link in the feel of the music to the style of video which works very well. Camera angles often oppose in both genres, for example the metal genre like the band Metallic use high angle shots of the person in fear in the video presenting a loss of power, whereas the band is shot from a low angle presenting dominance and importance of there selfs and control in the video. Often in the rap genre many low angles are used against the dark lighting to show a figure through the dark which makes the rapper look strong and dominate despite the darkness trying to take over. Editing is used to emphasis the power rap and metal use, the hard hitting bars and chords. Fast straight cuts are mostly used for this at the peak of a build up in a drop in the music which creates a hard hitting feel. This then often cuts to performance based shots of band or rapper in which low angle actions of close ups on instrument playing or hand coordinations emphasis the power in lyrics.

Other genres like pop, dance and the indie style music follow very different sorts of mine en scene, editing, sound and camera angle techniques which make them suit the music styles to match. A lot of these genres themes are much happier and brighter as themes and in tone, so much more high key lighting and brighter colours are used to match this. This is evident in shots like sunsets etc which the colours would be enhanced as a focus to the audience and higher lighting for lens flares and focus on the artists as a main person in shot. They also use lots of very quick cuts in a row of multiple shots for example during dance tracks when there is a build up to a drop in beat. These quick cuts follow the drum beats which is pleasing to watch and hear at the same time as an out of time cut wouldn't fit as well. Along with this a external focus from the artist on things such as strobe lights and peoples feet dancing create interesting creative shots to fill gaps between elements of lyrics with shots of the artist. Many of the dance, pop and indie videos I have watched are performance mixed with concept. Many of the concepts often link slightly to the lyrical meaning of the songs, however are metaphorical in nature making the videos look interesting and different. An example of this I have seen would be during the video California Girls by Katy Perry which is about the beach and the vibes however contrast with a Candy world theme which links however presents the same messages in an alternate reality world to present the bigger picture of this world not being for everyone.

Overall from extracting these conventions linked to genre in video I have been able to identify much more clearly what is expected and what isn't by audiences when watching music video. From this now I am going to chose a genre I would like to work in and link to elements of focuses I would like to film to create my final piece. This will all undergo in the planning process after I have looked into target audience and the use of digipacks and advertisement.

Music Video Analysis- Callum Welsh Chesaspeake

Callum Welsh was a student at the Chalfonts Community College school I study at however is two years above me. For Callum's final A2 piece he created a narrative style video based around the skating scene in which he captures elements of what skateboarding is all about and some of the things skaters do in a day.

The mise en scene of the video sets in Uxbridge where there are urban concrete obstacles and Fass skatepark. These settings along with the underground car park create a nice few places to shoot for shots of the video as a very raw realistic reality of what skating is about is created in the classic scene of UK style city is shown and the idea of the group of skaters facing the world in their own way is thought by the audience. Shots of timelaped sky and fast shots of skating through the city create the a background of the life style which I personally like as it gives the audience depth and purpose to the theme of skating with your friends and having fun. This is reinforced through low angle shots while tracking on a board of other skaters which present them high up in shot almost presenting the idea of the skaters being key to the video and them having the ability to do whatever they like in conjunction to the setting of the city; them against the world. The use of black and white filter then enhances this theme and links in well as the presentation of the raw simplicity and goals of the skaters and their lives can link to the raw basicness of the black and white shots. I finally like the use of the marginalised silhouetted shots towards the end with the coloured sky which is arty looking but also finishes the video off nicely, as the open space shown in the long shots presents the skaters differences against society and and them being slightly marginalised reinforces this as its showing the idea of difference and them being different not being central and higher up in a hierarchy society level. Despite this, close ups of the joy on the boys faces finish the video nicely, as it presents the idea that although people are different they enjoy the ways they are spending their time and the ways they live their lives.

Music Video Analysis- Prentice Johnson Jetson and Sensei Untitled

Prentice Johnson was the year above me at school and was a friend of mine. Prentice created a music video for his final piece at school for his advanced portfolio in media which uses the sound track Jetson and Sensei 'Untitled' song which is of the dance rap sub genre.

The music itself has a calm slow bouncy beat with a saxophone melody line over the top. This combination creates a nice paced rhythm for the song and then an added piano loop of out of time mixed minor and major notes with the slow rap over the top creates a trance like feel for the audience. This tone created is then where the inspiration of the video has been created, with the symbols of raves and 'trippy' visuals matching the semiotic meaning of the lyrical words and the musics feel which Prentice achieves well in his shots. The mise en scene of the shots starts with the low angle shots of a Nintendo 64 being plugged in and started, with the angles changing and a blurred colour effect added between shots. This initially starts the feel of the video, the visual colours and mixed visions kicking in. This starts the music video off well, as then the progressing scene of a  rave is introduced which links nicely, and as the songs beat drops the 'MC's' hand is raised as if he is mixing the track live, which creates a powerful start to the song. This match between the lyrics and shot works very well. The MC is then shot from a low angle as if he is given the power over the rave, he has control of the music and how the vibes are made. Extra shots of the lights helps to set the scene and the feel of the video as they all link to the party idea the audience can imagine. Following scenes of shots in mcdonalds are then shown, where extreme close ups are used where editing techniques of editing external scenes inside other shots are shown, which is clever as this effect follows the idea of multiple visuals being shown which then mixed in with the blurred edited colours creates a well thought out and creative video.

Music Video Analysis- Jordan Searle- Vicktor Taiwo Digital kids

Jordan Searle previous A2 media student produced his own music video to Vicktor Taiwo's song Digital Kids for his final piece for A2 media. I like his piece so i've decided to quickly analyse his work to see if I can use this for inspiration for my own work as I knew him.

Jordan uses a narrative structure to his video, focusing on the little boy wondering through the woods adventuring and then a second setting in a blank white room in which the boy is often shown laughing with the white background. Whilst wondering through the woods many camera angles are used creatively with certain effects, such as a zoom in track of the boy running into the distance with a slow mo effect on top which looks really nice. This is because the slow mo creates a blurred trans like effect which suits the music, and the zoom in at the same time focuses the audience on the boy. The use of black and white and the darkness of the black and white also suits the video he has created. It suits as a darker tone wouldn't work well with the expression of the boys faces and his body language and the music style being a slow paced song.

Music Video Analysis- Katy Perry California Girls

California Girls by Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg was directed by Matthew Cullen and was inspired by the work of Will Cotton who was an artist director. Released 7th May 2010 the video stayed in the charts for 6 weeks which reflects its popularity.

The concept style video doesn't follow the lyrical structure talking about the beach etc yet uses a 'candy' theme which works well. This is because of its bright colours which work well with the happiness of the song, and the structure of the candy land in shot which almost look like alternate reality of the real world, like the cotton candy clouds which could represent the beach. This metaphorical world created then links to the song in the fact that the 'perfect' things Katy talks about isn't always real in real life which is good as the fake world represents this.

The camera angles often are medium/close up shots. Many of the shots show a medium shot of Katy Perry often mixed in with a pan, tilt or track which is usually in the middle of a verse line, then a close up of a subject like the ice cream at the end of a bar/line. This then emphasises the alternate reality as the symbol of the ice cream is something desired which then links to Katy's lyrics of the dreamy idea of California and its girls/.

Her body language and facial expressions then fit the themes and tone in the song. The upbeat happy tone of the song link to the over expressed facial features Katy uses which fits well, and her gentle dancing up to the 'key change' in her voice at the end of the song and her lying on the cloud also fits as the song is easy to dance to in which her actions are not over complicated and her lying on the cloud links to the sexiness of the California girls she talks about in her dream world.

Music Video Analysis- Dorje Aeromancy

The band 'Dorje' is a modern passive hard rock metal band formed by well known Youtuber Rob Chapman who is known for his musical involvement in Andertons music store as an online promoter/ entertainer and his own company 'Chapman Guitars'. The song and video released October 2012 is the first single they released together as a band and its become well known as the song representing their band.

The performance based video is set in a darkened room with a heavy lit centre where the band is standing in a circle including their amplification units and cables connecting all together. The use of this mise en scene and the purpose of them being all together creates the idea of the bond they have which is vital in a band for the chemistry for them to work together, they are all facing inwards and a circle connects all the way round which also presents their bond. This is further reinforced by the use of electrical cables which connect all the parts for them able to play as one.

The editing of the video has a range of straight cut speeds, where medium lengthen shots are used lasting a fair few seconds however the cutting speed increasing rapidly on hard hitting punch notes within the song to emphasis power and aggression in the music link to the modern metal genre Dorje are known for. Camera angles of close ups on the band members hands then are shown in the punchy parts of the songs which further emphasis aggressiveness. Other low angle pan shots are used when verse riffs are being played. This then creates the trans like tone and fits it well as the smooth pan and low angle creates a nice contrast between the hard playing and the smooth lit pan shot.

Music Video Analysis- Xavier Wulf Thunder Man

'Thunder Man' by Xavier Wulf is a rapper based around L.A who is up and coming to his raw spoken styling of messages within his lyrics. Released December 2014 he has already been recognised in cultures such as the BMX scene in which I have analysed the 'OSS' and 'The Come Up' filmed John Hicks who actually filmed Wulf's Video for 'Thunder Man'.

The videos Mise En Scene is a range of dark night themed scenes mixed with certain sections where a sun set sky is seen. The dark lighting and midnight setting creates a shady theme between the Spooky tones in the bassy backing track and a high pitched melody, Xaviers hooded jacket presenting him as undercover, the darkness covering his body all mixed in with the lyrics about social problems which he is preaching about in song. The camera angles give Xavier power within the video, with many low angles looking up at him which ties in well with the expressive aggressive hand movements he uses as he raps. This gives him dominance despite being covered by the darkness as he fills shot and his actions present a sense of strength which is reinforced by being looked up on in shot.  Being covered by darkness then gives a sense of rebellious nature which links to the lyrics of his song complaining about social issues. Many shots are slowed down to a mid paced slow motion, where John Hicks well know style of creative structuring of shots is seen as side on shots of Xaviers head smoking is often shown and a focus of the smoke is a opposing to his aggressive body language. This also links in well to the rebellious nature of his words and actions as the use of drugs being smoked presents the idea of not caring well as a symbol. Many of the shots are shaken as an after effect which  is added to shots to add and emphasis Xaviers aggression.

Music Video Analysis- Martin Solveig Intoxicated

Intoxicated by Martin Solveig and GTA is a modern dance/pop song released summer 2015 and is currently being played on popular radio stations like 'Capital FM' and 'Kiss'.

The video style is 'Concept' and many strange and obscure focuses/ actions are seen throughout the video including a woman in a bath, two women fighters wearing abstract dresses dancing with vogue hand movements, men in blue and red suits dancing, an old man cleaning a car and licking ice cream and then a main male singing/mouthing the under lyrics to the song.

The mise en scene shows backgrounds of flat colours of pinks to blues and oranges to greens etc in a gradient creating a summer tropical vibe to the video which links well to the song itself being released in summer 2015 and its upbeat tempo making it a dance style song and the colours suiting this theme. Basic settings are set up for each obscure focus in the video, e.g. just the ropes of the wresting ring and a colourful background while the two dance inside which works well as the song is basic in itself repeating loops many times and no lyrical content which could be a link between the two. As the video is 3/4 of the way through the songs pace slows down in which a change from high key lighting to a dimmed light is seen which works well as a calming tone is created matching the visuals to the musics pace. The body actions also slow down further fitting the vibe at this time in the song. Fairly long shots are seen and many of the shots are slowed down in a slow motion style timing for many of the activities seen, which works well despite the upbeat tone as an emphasis of the enjoyment the people are having is presented.

Music Video Analysis- Prodigy Nasty

The music video 'Nasty' released at the beginning of 2015 is a hit from the Prodigy's new album 'The day is my enemy'. The video features a fox which is being chased by hunters through the streets of England and several alleyways who want to kill it. The fox later puts the hunters into a trance like state and lures them into the woods where they turn into fox themselves.

The style of video is an 'Animation' which uses real photographs edited to basic grey tones with a constant of the edited colours of orange and yellow in the sky which match the fox. The animated fox over the dulled photographs creates a main focus on the bright orange fox which connotes the idea of not belonging around theses areas in the contrast. The grimy tone of the music links well to the street settings and a raw edgy theme can be clearly seen between the music and the graffitied, dark, messy streets. The camera angles often marginalise the fox, creating the idea of no power or importance to the surrounds/ society links as he isn't central and doesn't often fill the screen. This is also reinforced by the fox often being shot from a high angle and is placed towards the bottom of the screen which creates the idea of being looked down on, or a hierarchy status in society being at the bottom. Quick cuts in certain areas fits the pace of the build up in music towards chorus sections which is significantly faster than the verses/bridge sections of the song.

John Hicks Videographer

John Hicks based around Long Beach California films and edits for the company The Come Up and OnSomeShit which broadcasts and releases BMX styled videos which are promotional to the company itself and other bike brands around the world. OnSomeShit is the shop itself in California and their website/ youtube style platform for bikes is The Come Up in which Hicks helps edit and film promotional videos to OSS and for individual edits for members of the sponsored teams.

Hicks grew up North Long Beach which is on the border of Compton so growing up in a Ghetto environment which gave him the drive to look out for himself and focus on biking. At 14 Hicks started filming in which he says he could do very well at all, yet after 3-4 years of filming and learning to edit taught him the sort of shots he likes most and he fashioned he styling around his vision.

Hicks style incorporates a raw saturated film including the creative arty shots between clips of riding to present depth and culture to riding itself which he capture excellently. He style is one of my favourite at the moment as the pace of shots flow well and a narrative structure can sort of be seen to present time in the videos which reflects the efforts and time the riders put into the sport themselves.

Music Video Analysis-Metallica Enter Sandman

Metallica a Thrash Metal band created the song Enter Sandman for their self titled album or the 'Black Album' which was aimed to appeal to a much more mainstream metal/ hard rock audience. Filmed July 3 1991 and released on the 30th, the video relates completely to the lyrical meaning of the song, linking to the themes of nightmares and a constant follow of 'The Sandman' of a little boy. Images of the child having the nightmares is seen, with the shots of an old man being shown and performance values of the band in the background aswell which creates a narrative style video with performance values creating a hybrid styled video.

The mise en scene of the video uses a range of locations and settings, with a constant of the boys bedroom throughout. Settings of a dark night and a large truck heading towards screen, falling from the top of a building, covered in snakes and falling from a mountain is shown being the literal nightmares of the boy on screen. The effectiveness of the scenes is the colouring of the scenes all matching with dark saturated tone throughout which creates an evil feel to the video. This then links to the song itself and the bands values in industry of there metal dark approach to music which makes the video suiting to both themes in the song and the band. This can then also link to the albums name the 'Black' album which suits the dark scary settings in shot.  

The camera angles and editing techniques really makes the video as effective as it is to follow the conventions of the thrash metal genre Metallica's music is categorised in. A mix of both 'performance' and 'Narrative' styles of video are seen, where fast cuts between both helps build tensions and suspense of the actions of the boy and his nightmares which follows the build up in heaviness in the music. Extreme close ups are used throughout, focusing on band members hands and body movements playing in the dark which presents and enforces the aggression and grittiness of the music. The band playing in the dark also then fits well with the low key lighting of the boy in bed. It helps the fast transactions between the band and boy and the 'nightmares' flow well whilst changing really quickly. This pace in cuts between clips then links to the speed and timing of the style of music they are playing. Further zooming in close ups of the boys face and neck as he is trying to sleep helps emphasis his struggles to sleep as the nightmares are effecting him which fits well with band member movements as it wouldn't look as good if the band were moving and he was still.

Music Video Analysis

Now I have looked into the different genres which have developed over time and the history of music video itself I am going to analyse a range of music videos. I will look at different genres and different styles of music videos within genre to help broaden my knowledge of preexisting videos.I can then extract what I like from each which I could later incorporate or gather inspiration from for my own work.

Music Video History

Music videos have been around since the 1920's however did not come into popularity and a mainstream for artists today till the 1980's. Jazz artists such as Bessie Smith originally made a short film to match his songs as early as 1929.

In 1959 Tony Bennett produced a video for his popular song 'Stranger In Paradise' which was further distributed and played on US and UK television. This saw the start of music video based television programs and channels, such as todays MTV.

1964 saw The Beatles and their first music video 'Hard Days Night' which became influential and a development in the music video art form due to the creation of a base to follow of music video format, which many contemporary artists at the time further used and later genres such as rock and pop gather inspiration from.

The Beatles 'Hard Days Night':

As new genres and subgenres evolved rapidly in the 70's, television program 'Top Of The Pops' in the UK saw the importance and potential of music videos and there promotional values and clips of newly released music videos were used as teasers to draw their audience back in week after week as they would create a build up to the full music video to be shown. This then boosted their revenue and number of views as their audience would come back for more from the snipit of interest shown.

Queens 'Bohemian Rhapsody' saw a new evolve to the standard music video as a larger budget spent allowed for new advanced special effects for the time making the video a standout for the era. The start of much more advanced effects used in music videos set the bar high and created a boundary for videos of the future.

Queens 'Bohemian Rhapsody':

In 1981 MTV was first broadcasted and the first music video they showed live was the song 'Video Killed The Radio Star' by the Buggles.

Michael Jackson was the next break though at this time period, who first introduced a narrative to his music videos which was briefly seen in Billie Jean and Beat It, however was most recognised in Thriller in 1984 which was in a short film narrative structure. This style changed the game as a stronger link between lyrics and visuals became clearer and the story told within lyrics could be seen onscreen.

Michael 'Jackson Thriller':

From the 90's to present day, technological advancements have allowed for high quality cameras for better footage and much more advanced editing platforms and software which is the step up from before. This technology upgrade has allowed for many styles of music videos to be made including animation and typography mix along with videos. At present times, sex appeal has become a norm to videos due to the edginess attracting media attention for publicity starting with artists such as Beyonce and Rihanna. This has then led on to newer artists such as Iggy Azalea and Miley Cyrus who use the appeal to stay in with trends.

Rihanna 'Pour It Up':

Music Genres

The 50's saw the creation of the Rock n Roll genre in which Bill Haley & His Comets became popular and portrayed the genre. They were founded 1952 and were introduced as; white musicians in which they became successful in achieving 9 hits in the top 20. They were considered revolutionary and the smart attire became a well known iconic look for them. The 50's also saw the introduction of the 'Rock N Roll King' Elvis Presley who's career started 1954. He produced 32 number one hits and 18 number one albums.

The 60's (swinging sixties) saw racial integration in music as Motown Record Corporation was the first record label to be owned by and primarily feature african american artists. Motowns first  hit was 'shop around' by the Miracles which got to number 2 in the charts and was also Motowns first million selling record. The Miracles started to introduce the genres hip hop, dance, funk, soul and disco which became more popular in the 80s.

The 70's saw the big leap into the rock genre in which some of the most influential bands of all time formed including 'Aerosmith', 'Kiss', 'Led Zeppelin', 'Pink Floyd', 'The Rolling Stones' and Black Sabbath. The rock genre then saw many sub genres forming into Hard rock and punk which saw many groups of gangs form in association with the music.

The 80's saw the 'Metal Genre' originate with the introduction of Metallica and Iron Maiden which play to current day and many of the dance, rap and hip hop genres develop and become popular. Artists such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Tina Turner, Lion Richie, and many rap artists in which many genres developed.

The 90's saw the introduction of Grunge with the famous band Nirvana which created groups of teens with fashion of punk and metal mixed together. Girl bands such as the Spice Girls were formed and many others to form the 'Pop' genre we know to date.

What Is A Music Video?

A music video is a video or short film used to accompany a piece a music. Music Videos are primarily used to promote and market the recordings of the music itself and the music production company however bands/ artist often choose to make one to popular songs of theirs for artistic purposes. Music Videos date back many years however came to a mainstream in the 1980s when MTV based their programs around the art form.

Their are many Editing and Sound techniques evident within music videos which include:
Editing to the beat of a song
split screens
CGI/special effects
jump cuts
straight cuts
diagetic sound along with track itself
changes in volume and levels of sound

Music videos have become very popular in recent years that a collection of music videos are now often put onto a dvd to watch in which audiences engage in for there aesthetic values. Many music videos have become 'daring' in the fact that more songs are becoming much more sexualised that the videos themselves are slowly including more sex appeal of the artist rather than a narrative structure.

Music Video Styles- Animation

An Animation music video is the combination of cartoon styled graphics in with moving image to create the narrative to the story of the music video. Animation can create the band portray a story or just an animation as a narrative or a performance. Typography can also be used within for lyrical per poses to be seen by the audience as a subtitle, and to also then create movement and influential shapes into the lettering to turn the words into part of the scenery.

Some Examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8Qp38qT-xI Gorillaz- Feel Good inc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGBhQbmPwH8 Daft Punk- One More Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTP2RUD_cL0 Dire Straits- Money For Nothing

Dire Straits Money For Nothing video is clever in the use of animation, as the lyrics of the song link the animated character actions well and the 'television' screen sung about and shown displays real shots of the band. This then create an interesting focus for the audience as reality is distinguished and is a theme of the song itself.

Music Video Styles- Notion Of Looking

The Notion of Looking music video style is the visuals of the artist or character within the videos narrative viewing something from a certain perspective which can then be portrayed to the audience. The audience can grasp a sense of emotion as they can see what the artist is viewing from they're aspect however not through their eyes which means close up camera angle shots of the artists/characters face is seen by the audience and the emotion upon their faces work in conjunction with what their viewing for an audience reaction. These visuals then link to the tone and pace of the music, for example and angry facial expression and action being watched would link well with a heavy aggressive music genre.

Music Video Styles- Concept

The concept style of music video follows the idea of creating an almost abstract obscure feel/focus to the video which is often based around artistic interpretation, sometimes not linking to the songs feel/ lyrical meaning. This then creates a surreal feel the the video for the audience.

The video which stands out the most to me about this is 'Cant Stop' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers which uses abstract to make the scenery 'weird'. Erwin Wurm is credited for the style behind the video; as an abstract sculpter Erwin create 1 minute sculptures of abstract styling which the directors used as a focus of the video. Scenes of the band members balancing water bottles on their heads, flying through the air, pink foam peanuts and jumping out of trash cans can be seen as examples of the abstract essence of the video, however in retrospective they arbitrary actions which follow and took inspiration of the themes and ideas used in Wurms work. I personally like the use of concept in the video, I like how the twangy spanky tone of the music has a feel of brightness which can sort of link to the almost spontaneous wackiness of the actions within shots which creates a happy vibe.

Music Video Styles- Cameo

The 'Cameo' style of music video is when other artists often from the same recording label are collaborated with an artist in the songs visuals of the music video. This still involves the artists usually singing through the video with but backs to them performing whilst a sense of narrative is still evident.

Some examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2AitTPI5U0 Michael Jackson- Black or White
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpUYjpKg9KY Limp Bizkit- Break Stuff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXvzzTICvJs Ed Sheeran- You Need Me

My favourite out of these three 'Cameo' styled videos would be Limp Bizkit's Break Stuff video. This is due to the effectiveness of the many people featured within the video including 'Snoop Dogg' and 'Eminem' in which makes the visuals relatable to many people. There isn't a full narrative, however scenes of multiple relatable settings are shown like the Skating scenes which then links to the theme of the music being rebellious and then the heavy tone of the music linking to the aggressive actions of  the band members and the featured artists shown on screen.

Music Video Styles- Narrative

A 'Narrative' style music video is the mix of a 'Performance' styled video where the band/ artist is focused on however a mix of this along with a basic story line is portrayed in time with the music. This style of music video helps portray a message/ story behind music lyrics and tone to the audience. This style of video is seen within many music genres but often seen in pop, hip hop and dance music as the lyrics in pop and hip hop are often deep and about life lessons/experiences and the visuals help portray, whereas dance music can have no lyrics at all yet the emotion behind the visuals of the narrative can match the tone of the music.

Some Examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M97vR2V4vTs Rudimental- Waiting All Night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JjqTinl-VI N.W.A- Straight Outta Compton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zR6ROjoOX0 Iggy Azalea- Work

Rudimentals video of 'waiting all night' was pieced together from footage of Bmx Champion Kurt Yaeger and his accident making him an amputee and his journey of recovery ending the video with him back on his bike with his friends and he is happy. Emotion plays a big part to the connection between the music itself and the visuals of Kurt and is seen when there is the middle section through to the ending where there is a build up in the music towards a loud expressive finish. This build up in music from the middle to the end then matches Kurt training to build up strength after his accident and his attempt of riding his bike again in which there is a peak and he is able to ride with his friends again which matches the musics tone and pace build up which then creates emotion as the audience and empathise and there is a relief in the audiences mind that the struggle is finished for Kurt. This then makes this style of 'Narrative' music video very effective and is personally my favourite music video of all time.

Music Video Styles- Performance

There are 5 main types of music video styles which categorise music videos made to present day. Performance, Narrative, Cameo, Notion of looking and animation are the five types which I am going to break down and explain.

Performance:

The 'Performance' style of music video mainly focuses on the band/artist blandly playing by themselves or in front of a crowd. They usually do not have a narrative structure at all in the video and would include a wide variety of camera angles and regular repeats. The performance style of video is popular within the rock genre due to a band focus which is fun to watch through individuals actions playing their instruments, the effort put into their performance and chemistry within bands which makes the performance style video interesting to watch with out a narrative.

Some examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w7OgIMMRc4 Guns N Roses- Sweet Child O Mine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boanuwUMNNQ Metallica- Whiskey In The Jar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30w8DyEJ__0     Arctic Monkeys- Brainstorm

All of these music videos use repeated shots of band members and instruments as a focus of an exaggeration of the music playing. The energetic movements of the members create a focus for the audience and the pace of the visual playing and movements match the songs beat, pace and tone which engages the audience and makes them move. This then makes the basic shots of just the band members interesting to watch and makes a successful 'Performance' music video.