Reflecting back on the AS Year: Part 1

What I learned about music videos

1. A music video is a short film which integrates a song and imagery for an artist's promotional purposes. I learnt that although music videos cost a lot of money and effort to be made, artist's still choose to create them in order to provide visual pleasure for the viewer and add an image or a vision to their song.
2. I learnt that every genre has it's own conventional features. For example, in a rock video you're most likely to get individual scenes of all the members of the band, and then a group shot. You'll probably see some sort of stage and fans cheering for the band. Darker colours and loads of instruments, whereas, the conventional features of a hip hop video are slightly different. In a hip hop video you're most likely to see big shiny cars, women who are over sexualised to look like some sort of a "trophy", gold chains & a sunny location. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etAIpkdhU9Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gRPsz7Gf5k

AC/DC - Hells Bells

Lupe Fiasco - Next To It ft. Ty Dolla $ign

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Andrew Goodwin stated that there are 5 key aspects to a music video:

Thought through beat, song and visual relations, narrative and performance of the song, the protagonist (how much screen time they receive). 

He also mentioned that there are three ways in visuals are used to promote a song:

Illustrating: when the music video uses shots and imagery to provide meaning for the song and the genre. 

Disjuncture: when the meaning of the song is completely ignored in the music video.

Amplify: when a series of images and camera shots are being manipulated and shown repeatedly throughout the music video in order for the viewer to memorise a pattern and remember the song in their head.