Categories of Music Videos

When looking at the research I have conducted so far, I realised that I haven't emphasised as much on music videos as I maybe should have. Therefore I will now do some research solely on music videos.

There are three types of music video, 

• Performance Based Video
• Narrative Based Video
• Concept Based Video

Performance Based Video 

This category of video is quite self-explanatory. It consists of the artist/band performing their song, they may not be dancing/moving but as long as they are singing or even playing an instrument, it is a performance based video. The main focus of the video will be the artist performing, even if it is not shown at all times. Stereotypical locations would include places such as studio's, gigs and concerts on stage. This helps advertise the artist/band, as it shows them singing to an audience, which may influence viewers to buy tickets to their upcoming tours. It also solely focuses on the singer, without a storyline interrupting their attention in the video. The artists will lip sync the song when they are being filmed, with the final edit of the track being added on top when it is being edited. Performance based videos tend to be low budget, however the artist must be relatively established so that the audience doesn't get bored of watching them. Despite this, up and coming bands tend to use this category of video, as it is usually the cheapest.

TAYLOR SWIFT - RED 

For the video of RED, Taylor Swift has used a Performance Based Video style. The video consists of watching Taylor performing on tour. Difference scenes show Taylor in different costumes, with fun props, lots of lights, changing sets and an abundance of fans having an amazing time. By packing in so much into the video, it portrays a fun-filled, energetic show to the audience, which may influence viewers to purchase tickets for her other tours. There is a kind of narrative feel to the video, as there is a beginning, where the team warm up together and taylor appears on stage and there is an ending where the fans cheer loudly and taylor exits the stage. I believe Taylor used this video for her song RED, as that was the name of the album and tour, and in a way it is a showcase of her RED tour.



Narrative Based Video

A narrative is a story, therefore narrative based videos consist of a footage that tells a story within the music video. The storyline is likely to link or have suggested meaning to the lyrical content, however this is not always the case. Actors and actresses usually play the parts in the video, but sometimes the artist/band takes on the main role themselves. Performance based scenes are sometimes included, but if they are not and the band is not seen throughout, it is a purely narrative based video. They can sometimes be looked at as mini films, as they have a middle, beginning and end. A handful of videos will even have a climax part, where during an instrumental or powerful part to the song they will make it more emotional. This category is frequently seen within slower songs with the narrative of a love story. Another way it can be used, is with songs that have been featured in films. Clips from the movie will be edited into the music video, creating excitement within fans when they get to see more sneak-peek footage when they watch the video, before the film has been released.

ED SHEERAN - THE A TEAM

The narrative for The A Team video, is about a young girl who has an addiction to the class a drug, heroine. The beginning of the video show the young girl dead on a park bench. The middle of the video consists of her story, and is a flashback to show how she died. The video ends with the young girl dying as the lyrics sing, 'angels to die'. This means that a circular narrative structure has been used. The narrative relates to the lyrics written by Sheeran, who said he wrote The A Team 'from an experience I had when I did a gig at a homeless shelter and I was a bit taken aback by some of the stories that I heard'. The majority of the acting is done by actress Selina MacDonald, although Sheeran does make a cameo.

Concept Based Video

This category of video consists of storyline based around a particular concept or idea. The concept it usually unique, unusual or obscure. The idea is to be dramatic and convey a message by being metaphorical, in the aim to attract audience and keep them glued to the screens throughout watching. Sometimes, particular editing or filming techniques will be used, to add to the abstract feel of the video. There are two types of concept video...

1)THEMATIC concept videos concern more about the genre of music the video is. They consist of lots of common themes, for example a folk song may include fields and farms whereas a pop song would include lots of energetic dancers and bright colours.

RIHANNA - RUDE BOY

Rihanna's video for Rude Boy is famous for its whacky colours and editing style. It was released in 2010, when RiRi began to step away from being the nice girl in the music industry and show she had grown up along with her genre of music. This is a pop song, which is represented in this thematic concept style based video, through the dance moves, colours and fast pace editing. There is no narrative structure to the video, and it is partly performance based as we see Rihanna dancing and lip-syncing to her track.

2)SYMBOLIC concept videos use symbols to build up a meaning. This symbols can be shown through moving images, lighting and the pace of the video. By using a range of images and symbols, a meaning is created which can sometimes be contradictory. The pictures shows will either support or contradict the lyrics to the song.

RADIOHEAD - JUST

Thraves video is famous for the intriguing story line, of a man laying on the ground but not telling anyone why. This creates enigma for the audience as they want to know why he is laying down. This creates symbolism, from the different reasons that people would believe that he is laying down.

In conclusion, I have learnt how to distinguish different categories in music videos. From the research I quite like the look of a Narrative Based Video, but I also think Performance Based would be interesting to work with, especially the lip syncing.