Conventions of a music video

Conventions of a music video

The main conventions of a music video are as follows:

Camera shots and movement
In a music video there are normally lots of  long shots, close ups and mid shots. maybe a extreme long shot at the beginning of the video to establish a location if the music video was based around a narrative. The main shots are typically used to put emphasis on the artists and to show there emotions. Close ups can be used to show emotions but can also used to reflect the words of the song through the the movement of the lips. The movement of the camera is normally to follow the artist/band so they are always centered in the shots to show they are the main attraction . This may be different when is comes to a narrative because the shots would be more focused on making sure that the audience can understand what is happening. The most used camera movements are pans, tilts, tracking and crane shots.

Mise en Scene
Made up of props, costumes, location, body language and facial expressions. This includes where all the props and performers will be placed in the stage/shot. The musics videos mise en scene will normally match the theme/genre of the song. In most cases of music videos the lighting is reflected my the mood of the song e.g. if the song is very sad and slow then the lighting will be very dim or bland, whereas if the song was really happy and giddy the lighting would be very bright and colorful.
An example would be Meghan Trainor - All About That Bass. In the video the main props are balloons which are commonly associated with special occasions such as a birthday so it gives the vibe of happiness. The costumes are also very bright (bright pink and baby blue) to further enhance the same vibe. The lighting is very bright to again show that the song is a happy one and to enhance the props and costumes.

Editing
The main transitions of a music video are jump cuts so you are able to easily go from one shot to the next in a fast manner. This is a good thing to do in a pop music video because most of them are very fast pace. You are able to match the pace with simple but fast and effective jump cuts. By adding in a simple jump cut allows a sudden change from one scene to the next.

Sound
Sound is mainly the vocals in a music video since the reason you make a music video is to advertise the film. Other sounds included are the actual beat or instruments used within the song. In some cases you can used sound to created a short film e.g. Michael Jackson's Thriller.