Types of Music Videos

→In the music video industry there are 3 kinds of videos that directors have the choice of. These are

• Performance Based Videos - NOT APPLIED
• Narrative Based Videos - NOT APPLIED
• Concept Based Videos - APPLIED

Performance based videos - are texts in which the main band of the piece can be seen on set. Normally they can be actual production shots of the band in which the editor has edited in furthermore visuals to add creativity to the piece. An example would be Two Door Cinema Club's - What You Know. Where the band can be seen playing and singing with a group of girls doing various actions on stage in time to the beat. These texts are identifyable by;

• The use of the band/live or edited
• Various close-ups of the artists
• Particular visuals
• Filmed in unusual places

Narrative based videos - Narratives are particularily popular with the teenage female audience, they tend to be either sad or love stories which tend to include the artist. Someone guilty of this is Taylor Swift who writes various romance/break up songs in this case her latest 'Love Story' in which its a story of her getting with a guy. These can usually be short-film meets music video-esc kind of texts. The importance of these are trying to get the audience to sympathise or relate. Particularily Taylor who enjoys writing romance songs which never seize to be unpopular with the female audience. Ways to pinpoint a Narrative video are;

• Fast paced - muiltiple cuts
• A lot of intertextuality
• Mimic of films/shows
• Contadicts for effect
• Artist is part of the story

Concept based videos - tend to be based around a single idea, usually obscure or unusual creating surrealness for the audience - how it draws views in. Its success comes in its playfulness by how it draws the audience in. However there are two themes for a Concept video:

• Thematic - Depends on the Genre of the song - Rap, lots of streets etc.
• Symbolic - Uses symbols to build up a meaning, large use of montage. Fast paced, with lighting to set the tone. Visuals dont always have to apply to lyrics
• How to spot - Visuals not linked to lyrics, creative/anything. Unusual elements