Codes and Conventions of Music Videos

By: Victor Scarabelli

Codes and Conventions

Codes and conventions are ways to construct meanings which are put into a text. Codes and conventions can be divided into 2 sections the Symbolic and technical.

Technical

Technical shows the technology and the equipment used in the production in order to construct meaning, to create a music video you're more likely to use different angles shots, pace and style, diegetic and non diegetic.

Symbolic

Symbolic shows the meaning which are beyond what it’s shown such as facial expressions and the mise-en-scene.

Mise-en-scene

In music videos the mise-en-scen can vary depending on the music genre and the type of music video. The props use in video music are all related to the music such as the performance equipments and the band merchandise, the costumes use has to be a certian comstumes which is somehow related to the style of the music.The location used to create music videos can be any location such as concert halls, venues, streets etc..

Sound

The sound used in music video have a certain change in levels of sound, also including diegetic sound.

Style

The style can vary as well, Music Video can be classified into 5 different sections
⦁    Performance - Bands or Solo Artists playing
⦁    Narrative - the music carries a story behind it
⦁    Mixture - Mixture is the Performance base combined with the narrative base.
⦁    Cameo - Band or artists which are featured in the narrative but does not perfom
⦁    Animation - Digitally (flash) / Stop-frame.

Editing

The editing part of a music video is very important as in a music video there are many different editing techniques such as jump cuts and quick cuts and also placing the editing in the right place in order to match the music.

Cinematography

Most of the shots used a music videos depends a lot on the style of the music. These are the most common shots used when comes to music video production: 
⦁    Crane shots - this shot is those shots where the camera hovers over the stage.
⦁    Low-angle
⦁    LS and ELS
⦁    Pans / Tilts
⦁    Trancking shot.