Music Videos: Codes and Conventions

Codes and Conventions of music videos:

Cinematography:

1. Music Videos combine a mix live performance with stage performance to maximise its impact on the audience,
2. Camera usage and image sequence are crucial in the videos impact on its audience,
3. Camera movement, angle and shot distance are crucial aspects to be analysed,
4. The camera can be used to track the performer when they are walking/dancing or it can be used to move around the performer so as to create a more dynamic video,
5. Close-ups should be used throughout to emphasise the commodity of the artist as well as his/her voice.

Editing:

1. Fast cut montages are crucial to intense soundtrack videos as they help to ensure multiple viewings because of the difficulty to see the video from the first viewing,
2. Slower paces videos and transitions are used more to emphasise a particular mood that the artist want to put across-these are more common amongst female artists,
3. (Music Video to analyse=The Verve-Bitter Sweet Symphony)

Music Video facts and tips:

• The rise of digital technology had a big impact on the recording industry,
• New digital recorders made it cheaper to record as well as improving quality and enhancing the experimentation that can be had in the editing stage,
• Non-representation techniques (not showing the artist within the video) was becoming more popular,

Music Videos: The Beginning

• The introduction of film and cinema gave way to the idea of combining moving images with music, thus the first ever music videos were produced n film as far back as the 1920's.

• In the beginning music videos were popular amongst Jazz musicians as a way of promoting themselves and the newly invented music genre, the first of these videos came with artists such as Bessie Smith with her St. Louis Blues in 1929.

• The Move into the Modern Era:

• 1965: Bob Dylan sang Subterranean Homesick Blues in the film Don't Look Back-The song was credited for being the first modern music video.
• 1970: The Record industry uses TV shows to promote its artists, initially starting with 'promos' to replace the live performance of artists.
• 1975: Queen released Bohemian Rhapsody, this was the very first video to incorporate the new technology of digital visual effects, this set the base for all future music videos and set about the modern era for music videos and artists alike.