Planning and Research - Music video Conventions

1)There is a relationship between the lyrics & the visuals.
(The visuals serve to amplify, illustrate or contradict the lyrics)
The music video could be illustrating what the song is about, the lyrics might relate to what is going on or it might go with the title of the song.

2) There is a relationship between the music & the visuals.
(The visuals serve to amplify, illustrate or contradict the lyrics)
The visuals of the music video might go with the beat or the rhythm of the song which could emphasise what is going on.

3) Particular genres may have their own style & iconography.
The conventions for different genres wouldn’t be the same such as R&B which would show all the glamour, money and rich lifestyle whereas Rock would focus more on the instruments and the band and the lighting is usually dark to give off that atmosphere.

4) There is a predominance of the Close-Up of the main artist/lead vocalist.
A lot of close-ups would be used of the artist to show who they are and get them recognised. We would also be able to see the emotion that is being shown with the lyrics and along with the music.

5) The video may help to develop the artists own style or star iconography – which then becomes recognisable beyond the video.
Some artists will develop a style just because of their music, this image will then carry on off screen where people will expect them to act a certain way because of what they’ve seen.

6) There is likely to be a reference to voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women & in systems of looking.
Women are often used in music videos to appeal to the male audience and sell the video.