Styles and Conventions of Music Videos

Hip Hop music video: Club can't handle me

This music video style uses typical locations of clubs and discos which include flashing lights and a mixture of both long and short shots. This example is set in a club where you can denote neon lights, expensive cars and the main artist wearing chains and expensive sunglasses inside. This connotes that the artists are well known and rich and successful. You can also denote different kinds of dances and this relates to the type of music video as it makes the audience want to dance. The video also denotes many low angle shots such as (2:06) and this implys the artist's power over the audience. The music video denotes long shots of Flo Rida surrounded by lots of people particularly females such as (1:42) and this suggests that he is well liked among them which is meant to suggest status. Typically in this style of music videos, you denote a crowd dancing or bouncing their hands in the air in time with the beat of the song which connotes that they like the song (0:53). In the music video there are alot of references to the wealth of the artist through the use of mise-en-scene. You see Flo Rida in a close up showing his expensive looking watch to the camera (2:03) and this connotes status. 

Performance music video - Heart in your heartbreak

This type of music video style typically denotes an artist or band performing the song in different locations. This music video denotes the band playing in a music shop then later on playing in other locations such as a lockup. The camera is usually long takes and is typically hand held which makes the audience think they are there experiencing the performance. The mise-en-scene denotes bright costumes and artificial bright lighting and this creates an energetic vibe.

Narrative - Hero

Enrique Iglasias's Hero music video is a narrative as it follows Todorovs theory of an equilibrium, disruption and a final equilibrium. At the beginning of the video you denote close ups of Enrique and Jennifer in the car looking happy (1:25) and the lighting is naturally sunny which connotes that everything is okay. Then in the disruption, you denote darker lighting which signifies that something bad will happen (2:15). You also see the villains (the gang that stops them) wearing black costumes which reflects the fact that they are the villains in the story. They are shown fighting Enrique and then you deontes a change in weather (3:41) as the sun goes down, the clouds move faster and it starts raining. The pathetic fallacy denoted connotes that something big has happened and reflects Jennifer mood. The new equilibrium is reached as you denote a range of close ups and long shot of Enrique dying in the arms of Jennifer (4:05) which makes the audience feel sympathy.

Interpretive - Im on a boat

Interpretive music videos are when the video shows exactly what the lyrics are saying. This music video for Im on a boat actually shows the 3 men on the boat and show exactly what they are saying. For example when the lyrics denote "I've got my swim trunks and my flippy floppies" and then in the video you denote the guy wearing his trunks and waving his flip flops around in a mid shot (1:14). This style of music videos tend to be less serious and abit on the humor side depending on the lyrics.

Abstract -