Music videos just like any other video genre follows conventions. Though many music videos share the same conventions, individual music genres each have a set of conventions that they also follow. Generally music videos follow these conventions:
Camera work:
- Close up shots - Close up shots are frequently used in music videos to show lip syncing and to reflect on the lyrics of a song.
- Long shots - These show the importance of the background and the actor/singer's actions. It helps develop an idea of what the song is about.
- Tracking - This follows the actions of the singer/band and shows what they are doing.
- Pan - This shows more of the surroundings and emphasises its importance.
Mise en Scene:
Mise en scene is more dependent on the genre of music and the meaning behind the lyrics. For example more upbeat pop songs such as 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams mise en scene usually consists of:
Bright Colours
 |
| Sourced from Youtube.com |
Fashionable bright clothing and jewellery
 |
| Sourced from Youtube.com |
Upbeat dancing
 |
| Sourced from Youtube.com |
High key lighting
 |
| Sourced from Youtube.com |
Party locations
Slower and more emotional songs such as 'Chandelier' by Sia include:
Low key lighting
 |
| Sourced from Youtube.com |
Dark colours
 |
| Sourced from Youtube.com |
Dark/ decrepit locations
 |
| Sourced from Youtube.com |
Expressive motions/dance
 |
| Sourced from Youtube.com |
Bland and plain costumes
- Jump cuts - This is a technique often used to show different angles or different scenes.
- Cross cutting - This shows two scenes of action.
- Narrative - The edit allows the audience to follow the story
Each genre has their own conventions which they follow. Below are links to the conventions of some music genres:
