Coventions of the Music Video

Conventions are a set of agreed, generally accepted mediums to which is taken for norm or a certain criteria. Music videos have their own set of codes and conventions to which producers, directors and artists all abide by while making a promotional video for a song. However due to the massive demand and supply of music videos in this modern day, directors are constantly looking for ways to explore the boundaries and break the norm through not following music video conventions.

Nowadays music video conventions are so that any of these 3 items are usually in any normal promotional video in order for it not to break the conventions. These are :

• The performance clip, including band and singer performing for the audience.
• The narrative clip, suitable clips and images to create a story or narrative.
• An Art Clip, random and spontaneous art techniques.

A common music video would include shots of the band or singer performing the track throughout, while a narrative storyline would be built up with the use of clips and images that are placed intelligently to fit with the music. Despite this bands can sometimes tend to lean to one of the visual conventions to which is also now quite common.

For example :

• The performance clip, is purely and simply the band or singer being focused on for his performance throughout, this could mean the performer being involved with a storyline and playing to the audience from a range of different locations or situations, usually these are used in line with the mood of the music, making the performers emotions prominant to the audience. This video would reveal such techniques.

• The narrative clip, this is where a narrative storyline is built up for the audience by including either a short acted out number of scenes or a mixture of different relevant video clips and images, to ultimately create a story that in most cases should suit the emotions coming out of the music. For example.

• The art clip, this is usually a totally random and experimental version of music videos, they are used really to serve an entertainment purpose and in many cases have no real relation to the actual video itself. For example all different coulours and shapes or a sequence of random images or a animation.