Music Video codes and conventions

Music video theorist Andrew Goodwin wrote a book in 1992 titled, Dancing in the distraction factory. Andrew stated that music videos are often constructed by the link between the visuals, the song and the artist. In this book he stated that there are 7 primary codes and conventions with regards to music videos. These are as follows:

- All music videos have certain genre characteristics which coincide with the genre of the music.

This simply means that a music video is   distinguishable based on the genre of music being played. For example rock music videos might include a more hard-hitting and cynical theme about things such as death or heartbreak. There are many examples of this such as War pigs by Black Sabbath which is music video depicting lives being torn apart by war. In the comparison of this music videos which belong to genres such as electronic dance music are usually themed around a more uplifting and positive theme. An example of this would be Phillip George's - Wish you were mine music video. This video focuses on a young boy living in a rigid and dull world who starts dancing uncontrollably to the music.



- Relationships between the lyrics and the video.

This means that the lyrics in the actual song have relevance to the visuals shown in the video. For example the video could be a direct illustration of what the lyrics are trying to portray or they could have a more subtle relationship which can only be discovered if the audience looks deeply into the video. Also some music videos have literally no relevance to the lyrics and are there to simply look aesthetically pleasing. Here is an example where the lyrics directly relate to the visuals. My chemical romances - welcome to the black parade, literally depicts a black, sinister parade welcoming a ill man. This allows the audience to create a visual image which is dictated by the band and record label. So basically the record label has forced the visual image of what they want the audience to see. And sample of a music video not relating to the lyrics would be Faul & Wad Ad vs Pnau's - Changes. This video illustrates a group of young girls who infiltrate a group of boys hideout with a scouts theme to it. The girls use toilet rolls to defeat the boys which has 0 relevance to the actual lyrics.

-Relationships between the music and video.

This means that the actual sound created matches the video with regards to aspects such as lighting, atmosphere, tempo, intensity and even the theme. So for example a strong relationship would be something such as Magnetic man's music video of I need air which is strong due too many reasons such as: the tempo of the song which is very fast matches the fast flickering strobe lights which creates an intense and passionate atmosphere which is reflected in the genre of music intended for people to let themselves go and move their body to the sound of the beat. The music video uses blue and black colours which can create a dark and spooky feel to the video which matches the spooky nature portrayed in the video of young people dancing in a dark warehouse type building.

-The demand of the record label will be evident in the video.

This basically means that the more successful the artist the less control the record label will have on the music video. So for example up and coming artists will have little influence on what is actually produced as they are not the ones funding the production of the music video whereas stars such as Justin Bieber will have record labels throwing money at him to use so that they can have a part of the success. A classic example of record labels taking control of the production of music videos is the case of Meghan Trainor's - 'me too'. This video was photoshopped to make the artist look more aesthetically pleasing to the audience without the artists actual permission. This was seen as a scandal and sparked outrage amongst many fans as she is usually portrayed as a body positive artist.

-Artist iconography

This is when the artist is portrayed as an icon throughout their appearances in music videos. This can be achieved by giving them a fake identity and dressing them in a specific style. there are many classic examples of this which include: Daft punk and Deadmau5 who have helmets on so people only recognise the individuals through the character they have created for themselves. This allows the artist to carry a level of continuity with them allowing the thing that makes them an icon something that people relate to the artist. So for example when people think of a mouse they will think of Deadmau5. This also allows the artist to create their own image from scratch allowing a completely unique form of the individual to be born.

        -The notion of looking

        

      The notion of looking is simply a tactic used by artists to grab the attention of its audience whether that be through sexualising the video, creating something surreal or even using realistic techniques so that the audience can internally relate to the video. A classic example of this would be the use of male gaze. The male gaze is the way in which the visual arts and literature depict the world and women from a masculine point of view, presenting women as objects of male pleasure. This is commonly used in music videos to attract male attention. A prime example of this would be the song 'stacys mom' by fountains of wayne. This song uses lots of nude like scenes to entice a male, heterosexual audience into watching the whole video. This use of voyeurism is used in most music videos as it is a successful way in retaining an audience.

       -Intertextuality

Intertextuality is the reference to other media products within a media product. Intertextuality is often seen is tv programmes or films and not as much in music videos however it is still prominent. An example of intertextuality being used in a music video is Plan B's Ill manors. Ill manors the song and ill manors the film are based on the same themes and ideologies using similar visuals as they are both set in urban London.