Conventions

1. Types Of Music Videos &
Conventions.

2. Narrative Based Music Videos
What is a Narrative music video ?
• Narrative music videos generally describe how events are organised and structured in time and space alongside this are
the relating lyrics of the song which help to assist in the storyline of the music video.
• The collaboration of both dramatized visuals sand lyrics work hand in hand to develop further into the entirety of the
music videos meaningful story
• Majority of the underlying storylines in narrative music videos are generally based upon heart wrenching love stories
that heavily entice the emotions of the audience.
• The importance of narrative music videos can be seen in the light of directors exploring significant social issues which
are generally not touched upon in terms of raising awareness and therefore this gravitates a lot of media attention
and other audiences which could potentially spiral into some sort of controversy which is a major way of helping to
promote a music video.
This music video entitled ‘love the way you lay’ was a extremely
controversial music video that explored the delicate topic of domestic
violence which then lead it to grab vast media attention. It Tells a story
about a couple being deeply in love but however can’t seem to
maintain a happy relationship and when things begin to take a turn for
the worst the violence is triggered and spirals out of control and this is
seen throughout the music video. To enhance the authenticity both
the artists Eminem and Rihanna have either suffered or been the
perpetrator of this particular conflict. Joseph Kahn the director wanted
to ensure audience saw the devastating extremes of
domestic violence and stated that ‘’ not all couples fight like this’’ but
his interpretation of individuals being deeply in love but evidently not
right for one another.
An example of a Narrative music video: Eminem Ft
Rihanna – Love The Way You Lie

3. Technical elements of Narratives
• In terms of the construction of a narrative music video the
technical element of editing in numerous cuts and also
implementing a variety of different shots helps to enhance the
effect of the duration of time as this short film which usually has
the duration of 3-4 minutes has to showcase a clear and highly
captivating storyline and by adding in numerous shots and cuts it
seems as if a lot of action is consistently occurring.
• There are 2 types of main layouts and these include linear based
video or fragmented one. The linear type focuses on a story line
with a beginning, middle and end.
• Intertextuality as a common feature used within music videos

4. Opening Narratives.
What is a opening narrative?
• An open narrative is a structure that allows there to be no general ending and gives the chance for the
story to be left open. This urges audience to create and build upon their own meaningful ending of a
particular music video.
• An example is Drake – Find Your Love - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyv4Bjja8yc
Within this music video the female vixen positioned behind the artist Drake places a
gun to his head and a shot of her getting ready to pull the trigger . However it fades
to black and audience don’t find out the concluding outcomes of whether he dies or
not. This enables audience to then question the many possible events and creates
space for imaginative thinking to begin as they create their own ending.

5. Closed Narratives
What is a closed narrative?
• Closed narratives have the opposite type of endings in comparison to the open narratives as they have a
finalised conclusion
Example : Drake – Just Hold On Were Going Home
• Throughout the music video drake is seen determined to rescue his lover in the face of the villains as well
as numerous obstacles and at the end of the music video Drake is seen to have defeated all problems and
is content with the rescuing of his lover.

6. Andrew Godwin's Theory Music Connecting to
the Video
Amplification:
The amplification theory links not only narrative elements but also
performance elements to display an artistic and creative outlook
which allow audiences to achieve an understanding or meaning and
connotations through the collaborative elements working together
which help establish a significant statement or underlying message
guided by the lyrics of the song itself.
The song is called the good life and this seen in text as well as in
materialistic terms of him splurging on highly expensive cars.
Illustration:
Illustration allows the music to simply connect to the video
due to the fact that it simply focuses on the songs literal
meaning and this is reflected visually for audiences. The
most common form of this seen is by the actions of the song
being carried out on screen or the lyrics of the soundtrack
physically appearing in the music video.
Disjuncture:
These types of narrative videos declare intentions of shying
away from the actual content, meaning and genre of the
song. Therefore this music video now incorporates
numerous abstract ideas that alter the original identity of
the song. These radical changes can reflect on the artists
and directors level of creativity when in the initial
production process .
Rihanna is known for highly controversial music videos and
this music video however doesn’t correlate very closely
with the title and uses abstract images and visuals that
generally create a vibrant upbeat aura which reflects the
extensive creative input from Rihanna.
Example – Kanye West Ft Rihanna All Of The Lights
Example :Rihanna -Rude Boy
Example: Kanye West Ft T-Pain – Good Life

7. Performance Based Music Videos
Performance based videos consist of a mixture of :
• live performances such as concerts
• real life situations including behind the scenes footage
warming up for a performance
• In a studio which focus on the artist and a message they
are trying to communicate
• spending time with close family and friends , rehearsals
and time spent with fans.
Performance based music video are highly captivating based
upon the idea that fans and audiences feature in such music
video and this allows audiences to gain a sense of belonging
in relations to social integration of Maslow’s Hierarchy of
needs.
Mostly seen are close ups of the artist performing the song and
this is used to reinforce the idea that the soundtrack is highly
important along with the video. An important benefit of
performance based music videos are the fact that they help
to promote tours and numerous other live performances. This is
due to the millions of fans seen in the music video singing
along in such a vibrant atmosphere which encourages
audiences to then have this experience first-hand by
purchasing tickets to these live events. They also consists of
personal performances of artists in studios singing as well as
potentially performing choreography .
Example: Chris Brown – Beautiful People
Chris Brown is seen spending Leisure
time with his close friends on scooters
Studio based performances , usually
are used within more emotionally
intensive songs
August Alsina Ft Nicki Minaj – No Love

8. Todorov
Todorov stated that there are 5 narrative structures that all narratives follow and
these include:
1. Equilibrium
2. A disruption occurs to the equilibrium
3. Realisation of the situation as something need to be done to solve it
4. At this stage the character/s attempt to restore the order
5. Reoccurrence of the equilibrium – this is based on the fact that order is
officially restored normality can commence
Key Terms:
• Beginning= State of the equilibrium
• Middle – Disruption to the equilibrium
• End – establishing of the equilibrium

9. 1.Equilibrium
• Equilibrium stated as the female protagonist calls her lover however hears that
he is in the presents of other females mistresses.
His lover is calling him however
has no idea about his
whereabouts.

10. 2.A disruption occurs to the
equilibrium
• Disruption to the equilibrium caused as he releases his deviant actions have been
recognized by his lover.
Here he sees the calls and a general
shock of devastation takes over as he is
seen dwelling on the consequences to
his actions.

11. 3.Realisation of the situation as
something needs to be done to solve it
• The artist ‘Trey Songz’ decides that he must immediately fix this and decides to
make his way to his lover’s presence and explain himself.
A state of realisation of his actions begin to
establish themselves before setting out to solve
such issues

12. 4.At this stage- the character/s
attempt to restore the order
• The artist then drives to his lover in order to acquire major forgiveness and mend the relationship that
may now potentially be in ruins. When in her presence he consoles her as well as expressing his
apologetic state
The artist is displayed in a sports car which of course
is a major convention of R&B music videos –
attempting to arrive at his location as fast as he can

13. 5.Reoccurrence of the equilibrium – this is based on
the fact that order is officially restored normality can
commence
• The situations is now resolved as the conclusion demonstrates how both happily
cling on to one another reflecting the contentment of the relationship

14. Propp’s Theory
• Propp’s theory in the 1920’s developed on 6 stages of
a narrative that was based on traditional Russian
fairytales. The 6 stages of his theory included:
1.Preperation:
The initial scene being set
2.Complication:
A problem occurs which can be generated by ones evil
actions
3. Transference:
the hero gets help and leaves on his quest
4.Struggle:
Commotion occurs between the hero and villain
5.Return:
The hero triumphs in his quest and then establishes his
noble actions
6.Recognition:
The hero is then rewarded while the villain will be crucially
punished
It is common that mainly music
videos of the Pop genre take this
particular type of form due to its
dominant convention of sticking
to a story based narrative.

15. Concept Based
What concept based music videos consist of :
• Concept based music videos never tend to have a structure but may simply link to a single
idea. This single idea within the music video may have no relation to the lyrical content of
the song. It is highly common that these types of music videos take a unusual and random
approach that trigger off instant attractions from audiences
• It is typical that majority of these types of music videos consists of one type of editing
technique throughout the video
• It also gives audiences an opportunity to give their own meaning to the visuals seen in the
music video
Red Hot Chilli Peppers -
Californication

16. Conventions

17. Conventions
of pop
music
videos
Mainly Narrative
based with
numerous
performance
elements seen
throughout
Fast editing cuts to
add to the vibrant
and fun mood of the
video
Party
atmosphere
usually created
Colourful theme
implemented
throughout the
video Energetic and
technical dance
routines
Mostly appeal to a
younger audiences –
teenagers.
Lyrical content
focused on love and
relationships

18. Conventions
of Hip Hop
Mainly location
are seen to be in
club settings
Numerous other
famous artist will
feature in the music
video along with big
entourages
Mansions are a
highly common
location assisting in
glorifying their
wealthy lifestyle
Numerous low angle
shots to help
reinforce the power
of the rappers that
tend to dominate this
genre
Covered in
materialistic goods
including jewellery
and designer
clothing
Sexualised exploitation of
women. This is usually
portrayed through sensual
dance routines and also
being emphasised through
minimal clothing

19. Conventions
of Rock
Frequently take the
form of being
performance based
* Mainly occurring
on stage during
concerts
Dark Coloured
Clothing
Includes
handheld and
uneasy camera
movements
Huge amounts of
tattoos and body
piercings -
enhancing brand
identity
Messy Hair –
enhancing the
rebellious look
that matched the
ideology of the
genre
Band performances.
Entertainment factor
increased through
the close ups of the
instruments

20. Conventions
Of R&B
Dance Routines
Prominently
includes a narrative
Topless males
Grey scale / Sepia
tone used
Locations include
clubs , beaches ,
mansions and set
based performances
Women either
displayed modelling
or dancing
provocatively
money is depicted in
a good light and
consistently shown
by the artist through
materialistic goods

21. Challenging Of Conventions In R&B
Music Videos
I carried out further research within the R&B genre due to the fact
that this was the choosen one for my media product. I came
across a number of modern day changes of conventions however
mainly on how women are still depicted to be sexualised objects
but have acquired new found dominance that merely disregards
their sexualised femininity. This emergence of power could be
based on the huge decline of patriarchal control influencing
society. This effectively establishes a key idea of women having
the potential to dominate along with exploring provocative assets.
Male R&B artists in R&B
music videos
displayed themselves
as topless in the early
2000’s this has now
changed to the
showcasing of
designer clothes.
Example: Nicki
Minaj – Looking