Formal Conventions
Formal conventions are conventions of ALL music videos. Some of these include the editing matching the beat of the music. Depending on the story/song the editing usually speeds up if the song does or the events in the video become more intense or fast-paced. The mise-en-scene (including props, costume, make-up, location and lighting) all represent the mood/message that the song is trying to show the audience and is made understandable by the music video to help to allow the audience the understand the lyrics. In terms of cinematography, close-ups are almost always used to show emotion of the character. The artists ususally star in their videos and if they are a band there is often a scene in the video of the band playing.
Conventions of the
genre
Conventions of the genre are conventions that appear in every music video which are of the same genre. For example, a typical
convention of a pop song video is that it has a linear narrative which relates
to the lyrics of the song. The music uses the video as a support to help the
audience understand their lyrics. It also acts as another media platform to
allow the lyrics to be understood on another level.
In pop songs, one
of the most common themes in the videos is a love story as the songs are love
songs. This is a very common theme used in pop songs. There are also typical
conventions in terms of edits too such as slow motion. Slow motion allows one
particular moment to be appreciated for a longer time and allows the viewer to
see and dwell on the details that you wouldn't normally be able to if the shot
was played at normal speed. In terms of linking to the theme of the song; love,
it makes the viewer feel happy emotions and also links to the people in the
video who are appreciating their moment.
