Styles and Techniques in Music Videos

Popular music genresPop – Melanie Martinez – DollhouseLink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcVv9R1ZR84This song has elements of pop in ways such as how it appeals to women and the interesting use of outfits and storyline. However this type of pop is specifically electropop and sounds more electronic compared to average pop. The video is also much more serious in a way and the pop is not upbeat.

Rap – Eminem – Rap GodLink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbGs_qK2PQAThis is clearly a rap song, shown by the title of the song, the words of the song and also the speed that the words are being spoken at. This is also shown by the type of language used in the music and that the background music has a techno kind of style to it to match up with the fast pace. The video also shows him wearing outfits such as hoodies which rappers tend to be known for wearing and also that the video itself features technology in it along with groups of people dancing along with the music.

Rock – Set it off –Why Worry Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sesKiKYQn84This song is a rock song because of the way it makes use of fairly angry sounding lyrics, electric guitar that is fairly fast paced drum beats that start off the song and then pick up as the song goes towards the chorus along with the lyrics. However the video to this song is interesting by the fact that it is based in a church and acting as if the main singer is preaching the words of the song while the back up singers act as a part of a choir.

Styles and TechniquesIn-concert (live footage) – Baby Metal – Gimme chocolate!!

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIKqgE4BwAY

Rather than having a music video for this metal song, the band chose to make the official video for it to be a recording of them performing the song on stage at their concert and also cuts to shots of the audience enjoying the music.

Animation – Avicii – Waiting for love (Lyric Video)

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ncIVUXZla8

This song does have a music video to it. However, the official lyric video for this song is animated to go along with the music and tells a story that wouldn’t be thought of straight away when the lyrics would be heard. In this way the lyric video has a completely different story to the music video and therefore gives different reactions to which one has been seen first. In many ways, this may mean that people could prefer the lyric video rather than the music video.

Narrative – The All American Rejects – Gives you hell

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxUATkpMQ8A

The narrative for this song is portrayed throughout the song and the music video in which it shows how two neighbours are enemies are the start with each other but are secretly just jealous of each other’s lives, this progresses in which they argue a lot with their wives standing in the background but they switch their lives at the end of the video. This is shown with a contrast between both neighbours where one is 'prim and proper' and the other acts in a less mature and more wild way. The setting of this scene is in middle class, suburban America.

Pastiche – Blink 182 – All the small thingsLink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ht5RZpzPqwThis is a pastiche type of song in the way that it mainly follows the style of other music groups and has general lyrics and not that much originality.

Parody – Taylor Swift – Blank Space PARODYLink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIv7x1SmsCs&index=4&list=PLqDBF7wlqFhpF236or8GbV-ImoQ7kImnKThis song is a parody song in the way that it is based off of an already existing song and is made for the purpose of humour for the audience to view. Therefore these videos tend to make fun of the original artist of the song in a way that is unique. The settings replicate the original settings used in the original version of the song, along with the costumes but Taylor Swift herself is being played by a male and there lies the parody.

Surrealist – Bastille – Pompeii Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F90Cw4l-8NYThis song has a surreal music video to it in the way that everything seems normal but as he goes throughout the city, people are not as normal as they seem and actually seem to be monsters that are all who populate the world now apart from one man who at the end also becomes one of them.

TechniquesCutting to the beat: Panic! At the disco – Emperor’s New Clothes

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qFF2v8VsaA

This is a clear example of the fact that the video has been cut to the beat during it’s shots to match with the music and works well with the type of horror like elements used in the story of the video. This is shown particularly at 1:33 where the video uses the cuts of the shots to show that the man has fully changed into a demon.

Miming and lip sync: Nickleback - Rockstar

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmeUuoxyt_E

This is a very obvious use of miming and lip syncing in the way that many people are pretending to be singing the same song in the exact same way where there is actually only one singer. However this does fit with the need of the video as it’s expressing how all of those people would like to live a Rockstar style of life.

Multi-mage: Brunettes Shoot Blondes - Knock Knock

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC_0NzJ2mWA

Although this is not as well known, this is a very good and unique use of multiple shots in the way that the multiple shots are actually shown through the screens of objects such as phones in order to create a sort of animated/multi-mage story to match up with the pre recorded song that is being played in the background.

Melanie Martinez – Dollhouse

Eminem – Rap God

Set it off –Why Worry

Baby Metal - Gimme Chocolate!!

Avicii – Waiting for love (Lyric Video)

All American Rejects – Gives you hell

Blink 182 – All the small things

Taylor Swift – Blank space PARODY

Bastille – Pompeii

Panic! At the disco – Emperor’s New Clothes

Nickleback - Rockstar

Brunettes Shoot Blondes - Knock Knock