Definition of a Music Video

Music Video Definition

 

Music videos date back to the 1920s, being referred to as 'musical short films' and 'illustrated song', however they became a more popular art form in the 1980s, when MTV made them the focus of their format.

According to theorist Joan Lynch's theory (1984), music videos all fall into three basic video structures. these are 'performance', where the music video would contain a form of performance, such as the band performing the song, or a dance performance to acompany the song. An example of a perfomance music video is:
Vampire Weekend-Cousins

The second music video category, according to Joan Lynch, is 'narrative'. A narrative music video is one which tells a story within the video. Music videos in this style could also be considered as short films. A music video which falls into the narrative category is:
Alt J-Breezeblocks

The final music video category is 'concept'. A concept music video is one which is more experimental and artistic. The images have not conventionally got a link to the lyrics, but will usually have a link to the music in terms of beat. They will focus on one, or multiple, original ideas. An example of a concept music video is:

Jon Gow (1992) had identified six main features which music videos contain, these six categories are:
- The anti-performance piece : videos without performance
-Pseudo-reflexive performance : video production process is included in the video
-Performance documentary : videos containing vérité footage of onstage performance and/or offstage activities
-The special effects extravaganza : performance is overshadowed by special effects
-Song and dance number : focus on the physical ability of dancers and vocal ability of the song, usually through lip-syncing techniques
-Enhanced performance : video blends performance elements with visual elements, justified through associational, narrative or abstract forms of motivation

Finally, Andrew Goodwin researched hundreds of music videos and came up with seven key conventions and codes that are in the majority of music videos, which are:
-Relationship between the lyrics and the visuals
-Relationship between the music and the visuals
-Particular music video genres have their own individual style
-Record company demands many close-ups on the artist
-Artists develop their own star iconography, eventually leading to their individual star image
-Reference to voyeurism, particularly towards women and in terms of looking (screens within screens, binoculars, film and movie camera etc.)
-Intertextuality

Music Video Analysis. Raury - 'Devil's Whisper'

Raury - Devil's Whisper

The music video for Devil's Whisper is a hybrid between performance and narrative. There is a relationship between the music and the visuals, in terms of beat, and a subtle link between the lyrics and the visuals. There is a fragmented narrative, this is identifyable through the constant jumps between time and space, between the story and the performance.
The video starts off as a performance, in the conventional style of music videos in the 'country' genre of music, with the artist, Raury, on a small stage in front of a small audience, in a stereotypical American bar.

The music video's exposition would suggest that the song is purely a folk song, due to the huge amount of American, country, iconography, such as the settings and costume. This goes with the song as it partly falls into the folk and blues genre. However as the video continues, we see the country iconography slowly leave the video and a more modern setting and costume choice is implemented. The video begins at an open mic night, then leads to a field, then to a dinner party, and the video seems to become more and more unsettling, to both the audience, and the characters. The protagonist, Raury, notices something is wrong when he falls into the dark setting where unexplainable things are happening, such as an outside baptism in a bath. As the visuals make us feel more uneasy and confused, this is portrayed through the subtle use of cinema vérité style camera techniques, the lyrics and the visuals have a link, as the lyrics say about running from the devil, Raury is literally running from a ferocious looking dog, which is representing the devil in this instance.

Possibly the most unsettling image in the entire music video is one where Raury's, once supportive, open mic crowd are seen in a point of view shot, from the stage, with lit up eyes, so much so that they look slightly demonic, again leading to connotations of evil and the devil.

There are many extreme close ups in the music video, which could have been included by the director  to interpolate the audience, making the video more intimate, rather than us constantly spectating from a distance. Also, there is a lot of use of lens flare within this music video, we see it near the beginning of the music video when Raury first sees the female. The lens flare could be used as a blocking device, when used, to create a sense of ambiguity, similarly to how blocking devices are used in film. However as apposed to conventional blocking devices, the lens flare is more aesthetically pleasing to an audience, but is still creating some sense of mystery and ambiguity. The lens flare which is used in the exposition, over the girl, looks like one from ambient lighting, which would connote beauty and purity through how natural the light looks. On the other hand, the subtle, but constant, lens flare seen when Raury is rapping, looks like it is from more artificial lighting, such as stage lights. This would connote the distress of the situation and how unnatural the situation is. This is reinforced by what has happened previously in the music video.

The end of the video sees Raury laying on the roof of a house which has no relevance to the previous scenes in the music video for Devil's Whisper. However it is not until you watch the music video to God's Whisper that you realise then ending is actually the exposition of God's Whisper. This had actually left fans confused because Devil's Whisper was released after God's Whisper, but the music videos is seen to be before, which had sparked a lot of conversation and debate about which came first.

Director Study - Anthony Mandler

Anthony Mandler

Anthony Mandler is a music video director, as well as a film director, TV advert director and photographer. He has had extremely successful careers in photography and as a director. Having directed music videos for artists such as 50 Cent, Justin Bieber, Jay Z, Eminem and many more in the music industry. Mandler is well known for his frequent collaborations with Rihanna, having directed the music videos for hit songs such as, 'Unfaithful', 'Disturbia' and 'Diamonds'.

Anthony Mandler's style is fairly inconsistent, due to the fact that he works with a huge variation of artists, both singers and rappers through all different genres. His work can be a reflection of the artist, the genre or the story of the song, and sometimes incorporates all of these features. Anthony Mandler follows some genre conventions in his music videos. For example, in music videos for 'Find Your Love'-Drake and 'Hustler's Ambition'-50 Cent, it constantly cuts back to the artist in the studio, either singing or making their music, however most of the time they will be lip syncing or acting with the sound controls, otherwise known as pseudo. This is a stereotypical feature within Hip Hop and Rap videos.

'Hustler's Ambition'-50 Cent

'Find Your Love'-Drake

Many of Mandler's music videos contain a huge variety of settings, ranging from derelict buildings to party scenes. In 'Beautiful'-Eminem, the majority of the videos is shot in a huge empty building, which resembles a church or cathedral. The reason this setting is chosen is to juxtapose the facts stated at the beginning.

The shots in the exposition are used to add context to the video, which connotes that the video, and the derelict church/cathedral, is in Detroit, or that the location is meant the be seen as in Detroit. Also, the shots are about the success of Detroit and Michigan, but this is juxtaposed by the setting itself. This example tells us that Anthony Mandler thinks through the locations of the music videos he directs. The choice of setting can add context to the story being told through the music itself. Also, the setting should, and conventionally does, reflect the mood and narrative of the song. This means that if a song is a more upbeat 'party anthem' then it could be shot in a nightclub, or an upbeat song being accompanied by an upbeat music video. For example, 'Get Me Bodied'-Beyoncé, the music is upbeat, so Anthony Mandler has directed a music video which goes hand in hand with the track.

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