Music video fact sheet notes

Our class received a fact sheet written by our teacher, Mrs McDonald, for curriculum press, which I have made notes on the main points of information included in it and completed the activities. This will overall help me gain a further knowledge and understanding of music videos so I can produce my own at a better standard by knowing the purpose, conventions and genres of music videos.
Purpose of a music video

• Their purpose is to sell the song being played
• Also promote products featured in the video such as albums, films, tours and merchandise
• Music videos allow for audience to have access to the main product unlike other product

Digital development for music videos

• Before the digital age music videos were only available at times and places approved by the company such as Top Of The Pops
• Development in media technology meant music videos were more widely available as they could be played through sites like YouTube and portable devices such as mobile phones and iTouch devices
• Companies originally attempted to prosecute those who uploaded their music videos to YouTube for copyright infringement but it was too time consuming, expensive and futile
•  Now companies and artists host their own YouTube channels where they host their own music videos and offer links to purchase the music legally from iTunes.
• TV shows such as X Factor also have YouTube channels where they show performances and links to contestant versions of the songs on iTunes
• Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group  and Abu Dhabi Media launched Vevo to host their music through YouTube while earning YouTube and Google a small revenue from advertising

Music video conventions

• Movement is essential to music videos and usually follows the song's rhythm
• It can be achieved through moving the camera, characters or editing
• Music videos could have a narrative which may relate to the lyrics of the song or tell a different story.
• Most Music videos feature the band or artist as a part of the product either performing using lip synching, playing instruments (if its a band) or as characters acting in the video or a combination
• Intersexuality (references to other media) is used in music videos which are either clear to the viewer or obscure

Activity 1
I was asked to analyse a music video, for which I chose Promises by Nero, based on the following:
Movement
There is a very strong sense of movement throughout this video, firstly through the editing and camera movement which follow the same rhythm and tempo as the music. Also the characters mirror the music's pace through movement, particularly when dancing in the video.
Narrative
The narrative follows a woman falling in love in a dystopian future and being arrested for it.
Band/artist
The female member of the band is featured in the video as an important looking character singing with the music. The other two members are also featured in the video as characters resembling guards.
Intertextuality
The dystopian setting of the video has a lot of reference to the film Equilibrium (2002) which follows a similar plot and includes very similar costumes to those featured in the video.

Music video genre

• Music videos often rely on codes and conventions associated with a genre
• F. Gary Gray is a film director from the 1990s known for being the first to use most of the visual codes found in music videos
• These include low-rider cars, basketball courts, gang culture, women in skimpy clothing, and financial excess emblems.
• The hip-hop subgenre of grime recently has returned to the basics of hip-hop music videos creating 'hood videos'
• Hood videos are generally filmed with a low budget and revolve around the rapper's neighbourhood to show their pride from where they've come from.
• They also feature conventions like big groups, baggy clothing and links to gang culture.   

Activity 2

Musical genre	Clothing	Behaviours	Video settings
Hip-hop	Urban, casual clothing-tracksuits, jewellery	Driving fast cars, being among women	Performance towards camera
Metal/Rock	Dark colours, T-shirts	Playing electric guitars	Live performance
Punk	Tight, black jeans	Skate boarding	Live performance/ performance to camera