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1. CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF
MUSIC VIDEOS
Unit 29 Canel Osman 12ACL

2. The codes and conventions of music videos are the different
techniques used to construct meaning in them.
• These techniques can be divided into two types:
• Technical
• Symbolic

3. TECHNICAL TECHNIQUES
Technical – how meaning is conveyed using
technical equipment. e.g. the way the
camera angles are used, different types of
shots, sound either diegetic and non diegetic
sound, the pace and style of editing, and the
genre (can refer to mise en shot)

4. SYMBOLIC TECHNIQUES
Symbolic techniques are ways of
showing meanings beyond what
you can see. e.g. through facial
expressions, gestures, poses and
mise-en-scene.

5. REASON FOR CODES AND
CONVENTIONS
The codes and conventions can vary depending on the genre of music and
the style of the artist.
The general conventions include;
• The editing
• Non-diegetic and diegetic sound
• Mise-en-scene
• Props lighting
• Costume,
• Hair/makeup
• Location/setting,
• Colours
• Stereotyping
• Genre

6. PERFORMANCE
Performance is when the music video consists
mainly of the artists performing in the video.
An example of this is Taylor Swift – Red where
the video shows the artists continuously
performing the song live in concert and there
is narrative or any other scenes in the video.
This style of music video isn’t as common, as
music videos that are solely dedicated to
performance are not that popular, as target
audiences would not be able to engage with
the song or video, however, this example
used costume and lighting to display the
performance in a creative way making it
more interesting to watch.

7. NARRITIVE
A narrative music video follows a story line through the music
video. There are two types of narratives, linear and
fragmented. Linear narrative starts a story at the beginning,
goes on through the middle and ends at the end. A
fragmented narrative is one that doesn’t. Example of linear
narrative Katy Perry’s Thinking of You Example of fragmented
narrative Demi Lovato’s Give Your Heart a Break

8. CAMARO
Camaro is where a band or artist features in the narrative but
does not perform in the music video. A good example of this is
Drake and Rihanna’s What’s My Name where both artists in this
case play a part in the narrative but do not perform.

9. CAMERA
The way the camera is used is crucial in producing a music
video. It can have and create different effects by the different
angles, and camera movements. In general every music video
uses a variety of camera shots, angles and movements to
create different techniques and to make the video different
and unique in its own way, to other music videos.

10. CAMERA ANGLE
The way the camera is positioned determines the angle of the
shot t. There are many different camera angels used in music
videos to convey different messages.
Eye Level: This is a very common view as it’s the real world
angle we’re use to seeing things.
High Angle: This shot is where the camera shows the subject
from above, and the camera is angled down towards the
subject, which has the effect of making them appear less
powerful, less significant and or even submissive. –
Low Angle: This is where the subject is shown from below, giving
the impression of being more powerful or dominant.

11. EDITING TECHNIQUES
Editing is the process that concludes the making of the music
video. When you edit, you cut scenes down, add special
effects and add the track to the music video. The editing
consists of the following things:
• - Jump cutting
- CGI effect which is the process used for generating
animated images by using computer graphics
- - Parallel editing which is a method of cutting between a
couple of scenes or stories that are happening at the same
time

12. SOUND
Sound consists of two main forms; diegetic (sound which is
already present in the film) and non-diegetic (sound which can
be edited in). Sound is essential in any music video as this is the
main reason for why people watch and listen to them, to gain
a sense of art via different artists. Sound, like footage can be
edited to create different effects and variations to the normal
vocals that we hear. Parallel sound is when the music matches
the mood of the video. An example would be if the song was
slow then the video would also be slow to go with the mood of
the song. Some music videos have diegetic sound, where they
include sound from the surroundings, such as birds, police sirens
that make the video seem more realistic. However, the song
itself is non-diegetic sound.

13. MIS-EN-SCENE
The mis-en-scene for music videos focuses on the light, props,
costume, hair and makeup, location, and the colour of these
elements usually depends on the genre of the music video and
the style. These elements are also important in contributing
towards the chosen genre. They are used to convey the
importance of the people in the music videos. They are also
used to represent certain characters in different ways.
Lighting: how the scene is lit/artificial lights/side lights
Props: performance equipment, band merchandise
Costume: certain outfits Hair and makeup: style of the artist
Location: concert halls venues, streets, studio etc.
Colour: specific colours representing a mood

14. GENRE CONVENTIONS
With regards to genre, every music
type just as with films, there are
many different genres of music,
each with it’s own specific traits
and conventions which have been
established over the years.

15. POP MUSIC
Genre Conventions Pop Music videos are usually performance based
through choreographed dance or in a narrative storyline that connotes the
lyrics. Thus meaning that they often focus more on the musicians singing or
dancing skills, rather than giving the music video a flowing narrative or
storyline The band/artist tends to lip-sync to the song. The overall tone of
Pop music videos usually tends to be upbeat, fast pace colorful and bright,
with the artists sporting trendy, mainstream clothing or promoting a
mainstream product. E.g Dr Dre beats featured in Lady Gaga’s Just Dance.
Pop music videos tend to be of a fun and lively nature that generally
appeals to a younger audience. Pop videos are usually aimed at a young
audience, so they often are of a lively, energetic and have a fun nature. An
example of a Pop artist that includes all these conventions is Katy Perry’s
California Girls

16. RNB MUSIC
Generally speaking, RnB videos are a lot like Pop videos in that they are often quite
positive in tone and execution. The major difference between the two is that R&B videos
deal with more adult subject matter and are often aimed at an older audience than
pop videos. R&B videos tend to focus mainly on the artist themselves, there may be
backup dancers but the majority of screen time is dedicated to the R&B artist
themselves, generally speaking these types of videos are often set in clubs or bars, this
appeals to the older audience because these are places that they frequent. R&B videos
may also be set in exotic location or in large, expensive locations, such as mansions, this
is done more too show off the artists wealth. A common feature of R&B videos tends to
emphasis on the artists wealth. The artist wearing identifiable but expensive brands , as
well as driving luxury cars portrays this. This is used both as a way to signify the artists
wealth but it also serves as a marketing tool, fans of the artist are more likely to buy
imitation brands if they watch the music videos.
A good example of a RnB video that displays all these conventions is Drake’s Started
from the Bottom.

17. METAL/ROCK MUSIC
There are two major types of metal video, either the video is flowing narrative
with the song as a backing track, or the video is comprised of live footage of
the band members performing. Unlike Pop and R&B, which are usually upbeat
in both lyrics and video. Metal is known to focus on heavier, darker and much
more emotional themes and adult content. Regardless if the video itself is a
flowing story or live performance of the band, it is unlikely to be in such a well
lit, positive setting or tone as an R&B or Pop video, this is due to the fact of the
band is dealing with much more mature and adult subject matter, which is
reflected by the lyrics of most metal songs. Metal music videos often make use
of symbolism inn there videos, for example, Bring Me the Horizon’s Shadow
Moses is a great sample of metal conventions met.