Conventions Of A Music Video

Camera Shots
Music videos consist of a variety of shots including Long shot, Close shot and Mid shot. Close ups are used a lot to reflect emotion, location, and they are also used to help the viewer see the movement of the lips on the artist/vocalist and so they can see what they are singing.

Camera Movement
This is used to trace and follow the artist or band. Camera movements include tilts, panning, tracking, crane shots and pedestral shots.


Mise En-Scene
This is the arrangement of people and props on stage or in a scene in a music video. The mise en-scene reflects and represents the mood of the song and situation and also helps portray maybe the hidden message that the artist/band wants to put across by physically showing the viewer the situation.

Editing
Editing consists of many things but the dominant editing technique in music videos are jump cuts. This helps the video jump from one scene to another like the song jumps from a verse to a chorus for example. Other effects such as fade may also be used in more common pop videos.

Lighting
Lighting is very important in music videos as it can help portray the mood of the song. If the lighting is bright the song is most probably more upbeat and happy whereas if the lighting is dim or dark then the song could possible be slower and have more of a darker mood. Also colour schemes vary depending on the mood intended to be made by the song and video.

Sound
The sound is important in terms of the song itself and the dialogue or added sound effects in the video itself. If a song is not properly recorded and the sound definition is not good then it will not be as enjoyable to listen to. On the other hand; if the sound is good quality then people will listen to it more. Also the added sound effects and dialogue need to be appropriate and not too loud that it drains out the music too much.

Props
These are important as they can hold a significant status or they can add detail and attention to the main character or artist. They can help tell the viewer what may be happening and also help to describe the lyrics of a song to the viewer by showing a physical representation of the song itself.