Music Video Introduction: Blog Tasks :)

Media Factsheet #69: Music Video

1) What is the purpose of a music video?

The purpose of a music video is to sell products, the most obvious of which is the song featured in the video. However, other connected products are also marketed by a music video 

2) How has the digital age changed the production and distribution of music videos?

The digital age changed the production and distribution of music videos completely because before, songs were only available at specified times in places that were approved by the record company (such as on weekly television chart countdown shows). However, the development of new media technologies meant that music videos, and the songs along with them, were more widely available at any time. Videos could be uploaded to video hosting sites like YouTube and viewed using portable media devices such as mobile phones and iTouch devices, allowing audiences to see the video and hear the song whenever and wherever they liked 

3) Which three major record labels are behind VEVO? What is VEVO and why was it created?

The three major record labels behind VEVO are: Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media. VEVO is a video hosting site specifically for music videos and the content of VEVO is syndicated to YouTube in the UK with YouTube and Google receiving a share of advertising revenue for directing users to the official versions of music videos rather than those uploaded by a third party 

4) What are the key conventions of a music video?

Movement, narrative, band/artist, lip-syncing, and intertexuality 

5) How can narrative be used in music video? Give an example of a music video that uses a narrative.

Narrative can be used in music videos to create a story that may relate to a song's lyrics and illustrate what is being said or be independent from the song and tell a different story. Some music videos have much more explicit narratives which are more closely linked to the song’s lyrics- such as Dilemma by Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland which shows a girl moving into a house as Nelly sings: “I met this chick and she just moved right up the block”

6) What examples are provided in the factsheet for intertextuality in music videos?

The example provided for intertextuality in music videos was the Blink 182 video for All the Small Things which makes references to videos by pop artists such as Back Street Boys (I Want it That Way) and Christina Aguilera (Genie in a Bottle) by directly copying scenes. However, references can also be more esoteric and obscure, allowing the audience to feel pleasure when they recognize the reference. For example, the video for My Chemical Romance’s Teenagers features ‘alternative’ cheerleaders, which is reminiscent of the cheerleaders in the video for Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. Most fans of My Chemical Romance are likely to be familiar with Nirvana and this iconic video 

7) Why do audiences enjoy intertextual references in media products?

Audiences enjoy intertextual references in media products as it acts as a reward for them for their knowledge but can also be an acknowledgement of their interests- this can make audiences feel seen and acknowledged as others may not understand the reference if they are not familiar with the other text 

8) Read the music video example analysis on page 3 of the factsheet. Select a music video of your own choice for each of the following headings and explain how each one links to the heading

 

Conventions (movement/narrative/artist): 

• In pop music videos, there tends to be a lot of movement to match the up-beat tempo of the music and this is seen in this music video during the "fight" moment in the video 
• There is often a narrative that reflects the lyrics of a song through a story that progresses through the music video 
• Taylor Swift is known for the narratives in her music video and the narrative in this music video is arguably the most distinguishable as we are presented with a clear progression of events- especially as this is a love song, a clear narrative can be portrayed 
• Pop music videos can be performance led, narrative led (or both) and it is clear that this music video is narrative led due to the clear story that is being told 
• In pop music videos, there is usually reference to the artist's name or song in the music video. In this video, as she sings the title of the song ("Blank Space"), Taylor's name appears in a tree carving where it says "Sean + Taylor" in a heart
• Taylor switches from singing to the audience to the man in the video repeatedly throughout the music video 
• There are a lot of establishing shots to establish the location of the scene and then there are long/mid shots where there are tracking shots of the artist 
• The use of close-ups allows us to understand the artist's emotions throughout the video and there are also scene where there is a tight frame to keep focus on the artist 

Intertextuality: 

• There are intertextual references to Wuthering Heights where they were dressed in dark clothing and had to make their relationship seem dark and sinister with a Gothic and mysterious feel 
• There are also intertextual references to The Picture of Dorian Gray where the man's portraits are slashed, followed by the slashing of his clothes 
• The red apple that Taylor is holding has intertextual references to Snow White's poisonous apple so the apple in the music video is reflective of Taylor's toxic/poisonous personality. The apple is red which also signifies the idea of the danger that the man is in due to her anger 
• The balcony scene references Romeo and Juliet which is a classic and iconic love story so the reference to this story creates the idea that their relationship is far from ideal and they should not be together but they can't be apart from each other 
• The shot of Taylor holding the apple is almost identical to the image on the front of the Twilight books which is another romance series 

Representation: 

• This music video portrays women as manic when they are in relationships because when the relationship in the video went south, Taylor began screaming at the man and fighting with him and we can see scenes where she drops his phone in the water fountain, slashes through a painting of him with a knife and vandalises the other paintings, cuts up all of his clothes and tosses them out of the window while they're on fire, smashes his car with a golf club and attempts to cut down the tree that they carved their names into 
• This music video also portrays men as the problem in relationships because he did something that caused their relationship to go downhill and Taylor clearly resents him for it 

Audience: 

• The target audience for this music video is likely to be for young people around the ages of 16-25 because this is when people start getting into relationships and listening to music about love or failed love
• The target audience is also likely to be around 16-25 because those are the ages that will understand the intertextual references throughout the music video 
• This music video is also likely targeted towards females because it shows how women deal with heartbreak and does not pay much attention to the way that men handle break-ups 
• This music video will not be aimed at older generations because due to the generational differences, an older audience would simply see Taylor as manic in this relationship but a younger audience will understand the struggles of modern relationships and sympathise with her instead of judging her for her actions and behaviour 

9) Watch the video for Ice Cube's It Was A Good Day (1993). How did this video set the conventions for later hip-hop music videos?

This video set conventions for later hip-hop music videos: the prop of a low rider car, the boys playing basketball, baggy clothing, gang culture, representation of 'the hood'. These conventions are now used in a majority of hip-hop music videos which leads to the suggestion that there will be a lot of intertextual references in hip-hop music videos 

10) How important do you think music videos are in the marketing and promotion of music artists in 2022? Are music videos still essential to a band or artist's success? 

I think that music videos are still extremely important in music artists success in 2022 because a majority of artists produce music to distribute on Spotify but the income from Spotify is extremely limited so the success of an artist would have to be achieved through the production of a music video. If an artist aspires to be successful in the music industry in 2022, they would have to produce a music video and perhaps the production of a music video shows the dedication that the artist has to the music industry and this may allow people to take the artist more seriously. Music videos also give audiences pleasure if they like the band/artist and this creates an environment where like-minded fans of an artist can interact and share their opinions of the music video and perhaps fans will share the video with other people and the success of the music video will increase rapidly and allow the artist to become more successful as well. This is why I believe that music videos are essential to a band or artist's success, especially in the digital age where there is access to an abundance of ways to interact with other fans and appreciate music videos