The Codes and Conventions of Music videos!

Music videos have been accompanying singles for almost 40 years. They act as a visual aid to compliment the song. Like with any media product, it will have codes and conventions that for the most part are used in most single's. However, like anything with codes and conventions, a music video specific to a genre can subvert certain conventions normally associated with a single of that genre, and also not used at all. A music video can technically feature anything (within moral reason).

There are around 3 types of music videos that exist today, they are

1. The performance (The band or artist will perform their song)
2. The Narrative ( Music video following a story line, can be linear or fragmented)
3. Mixture of previous two, combining both.

With artists or bands signed to a mainstream label, they will have a bigger budget for the music video, but they label will have more of a say as to what the music video will feature, as they're the ones marketing the band/artist.

In my opinion, here are common things prevalent in music video's of artists with a mainstream label.

• With a solo act, any video they are in will have maximum coverage of them, the camera will be on them 90% of the time and elements of mise en scene such as costume and make up will be important in showing them off, they'll be bright and bold to show off the artist as much as possible
• The setting will always be showed off with an Els. Most likely to be an extravagant location, giving off the 'perfect life' ideal that a viewer would like to have, and they can also see the artist enjoying it
• Unfortunately with female acts, they're more likely to be sexualised. This gives them attention from both genders. Females will be awestruck of them and could also be envious of their looks, whereas straight males will see them as an object of desire, based off of the cleverly used Mise en scene elements of costume, make up and facial expressions.
• In some way or another, there'll be product placement in the music video, as a subliminal message for the viewer that the product on display is a must have

Cheryl cole's music video for her single, Call my name, in my opinion features all of these examples.

With pop bands, they'll be marketed to the same extent as solo artists, but with different techniques. One common technique is giving them titles, for example the spice girls had "Sporty" "Ginger "Scary" "Baby" and "Posh" spice. By giving them different titles, they can appeal to a wider audience of people, as there's a high chance that they can relate to one of them, based on name alone. Another example is with boy bands, they'll most likely feature a hot one or a goofy one, or one that doesn't get as much attention. With boy bands especially, they'll appeal to a largely young female audience, as they are objects of desire to them. These personalities will be on display in the music video's.

One Direction's You don't know you're beautiful shows off the points I make about Boy bands.

Independent labels are one's which largely feature bands, and with music video's they'll be lower budgeted but you can tell the band has had more involvement and the music video's always are more imaginative then most mainstream artists video's. They tend to be more passionate and humorous or whatever the band desires. Most music video's with bands, much like solo artists will have a mixture of narrative or performance, but they won't be trying to market or show off the band, it will act more as a visual accompaniment to the song.

Here is The Pixies 'Here comes your man' which aside from being one of my favourite songs, features an imaginative performance music video.

However not all mainstream signed bands will have music video's to show off the band or lack imagination. It can also play to the type of music the band plays.

Here is Weezer's song Undone.

Here is Mcflys 5 colour's in her hair.

Both signed to major labels but with different types of video's, this show's how genre can change the way a video can go with a song. The first video, by alternative rock band Weezer, is very low budget and artistically shot, with not one cut in the whole video. The band played to a sped up version of the song, so when the footage was slowed down to match the original pace of the song, the band members looked slow yet were in time with the music. Directed by famed movie director Spike Jonze, we can see the artistic flair in the video, and we also see something different to the normal performance video, because as the song goes on, the less they mime their instruments.

However with Mcfly's song, the video acts very much as something to show them off. The lead single off their first album, the pop rock band's label had to show them off so they gained a lot of exposure very quickly, a clear feature of wanting them to gain exposure is by featuring their names in the video. This is so anyone watching who is a fan can quickly attach themselves to a certain member.

In my opinion, Music video's should be what the artist wants them to be. I think a label can give them financial backing but shouldn't have direct control as to what the video is about.