Music Videos are comprised of two types of image Performance clips Conceptual clips – narrative and artistic In the majority of videos the two are combined

Performance Clips A performance clip is a video that shows the vocalist(s) in one or more settings, such as the recording studio or on-stage at a concert You can see this in Green Day’s ‘American Idiot’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FpELShRKGI

However, the performance can take place in a different setting, perhaps with more variety. The singer could be in their bedroom, singing out of the window; they could be walking down the street (common in rap music videos). You see this in Kylie Minogue’s ‘Can’t get you out of my head’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c18441Eh_WE

Narrative Clip A narrative clip contains a visual story that is easy to follow. A pure narrative clip contains no lip-synchronised singing. The story is an idea, a “concept”, hence conceptual The narrative usually relates to the song in someway, albeit subtle at times. You can see this in Elbow’s ‘Powder Blue’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u15JygmXM8

The song is about how love can conquer difficult times The song is about how love can conquer difficult times. This is reflected in the video, even though the song isn’t explicitly about this situation.

Artistic Clip Music videos use artistic elements to enhance the overall piece. Some videos are purely artistic since they show sequences with no obvious narrative and no singing. They can be described as artistic since they purposefully manipulate images but don’t tell any sort of story. Purely artistic videos are more common in electronic or experimental videos

We can see this in the Chemical Brothers’ ‘Star Guitar’ (although it’s hard to see any artistic merit!) There is definitely a concept of a journey but no defined narrative http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S43IwBF0uM

Combining Clips

Performance with artistic elements:

Moloko: The Time is Now A performance video which is heavily artistic. Watch the video: what can you say about how the song’s meaning & lyrics have been explored in the video (predominantly through the editing)? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkjWwz3kc3Q

The song is all about time; Roisin Murphy sings “give up yourself unto the moment” and the ultra-slow motion plays on this concept of time

Performance with a simultaneous narrative and artistic elements.

Coldplay: God Put a Smile Upon Your Face The band are performing against a white background, spliced with shots of a separate, ongoing narrative. Slow motion, black & white film stock and effects (such as the disappearing hand) are used. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9Kcg_8gK30

Cher: Life after Love A combination of narrative and performance. Cher’s is commenting on the connection between the two people; broken when the guy leaves with someone else, etc. She isn’t involved in the narrative: she’s simply narrating the girl’s thoughts

Using Narrative Effectively

A narrative-based video can be more meaningful than a performance-based video. It can also be easier to film / edit. Why? To make a performance video interesting for 3-5 minutes, it needs to be extremely varied, achieved through careful choreography, filming techniques and editing. The stage environment needs to be well designed, lighting needs to be effective… it can be hard to achieve.

Watch this performance video by Snow Patrol twice, from 0:00 – 1:30 On the first viewing, observe the setting, the position of the band, the camera movement (e.g. tracking shots from side to side, forward, backward etc; tilting; panning On the second viewing, count how many different shots are used and how short they are (some are literally only a second). Consider the speed of the edits to keep the viewer’s interest

If you choose to do a purely performance-based video, you must consider the following limitations: Tracking shots are hard to achieve without a dolly The singer must be miming in perfect sync with the music Musicians must be in sync, playing the appropriate instruments in a realistic way. (E.g. a drummer must be drumming the beat in time with the music) You need a large number of shots & edits Shots need to be varied Edits need to follow the tempo (fast-paced songs = quick edits, requiring more shots) Slower songs will need careful choreographing in order to make them meaningful, e.g. close-ups of the singer, facial expressions, etc

A purely narrative-based video, or one combining narrative with performance, will be easier to shoot and edit, providing it is carefully thought out With a video you have all the advantages of a short film (i.e. a good story) without the need for scripting, actors remembering lines, etc The success will partly depend on the choice of song: find a song with meaningful lyrics; a song where there’s already a hint at a narrative.

A narrative film also avoids the need for very short shots, reducing the filming demands and the need for accurate sound synchronisation The narrative could feature the vocalist as the main character, singing where appropriate Look at this video: although it would present challenges in terms of props, the shots are more straightforward and there is a clear narrative http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQZ7JUhQR-c

Where to go from here: You need to think carefully about what kind of video you would like to make DON’T simply choose your favourite song or band. Your marks come from technical skill so think of a song which gives you more opportunity for creativity than limitations A slow or medium tempo will be easier to work with than a fast song.