Different types of music videos

Different types of music videos 

A music video is a short film combined with a song and imagery to promote artists. There are different types of music videos which i shall explain in full details below.

Performance 

Performance music videos mainly show live performances of artists singing,dancing and etc. in front of audiences which may have an effect on how audiences take it in. For example, if the audiences are jumping and dancing this may reflect on viewers and they may do the same. It's almost like the producers are telling viewers how to "vibe" with the song using the performance technique. For example, Beyonce's 'I was here" was a live performance which was to promote her being charitable and to show that she did something for others, especially through the lyrics "i did everything that i wanted.." alongside cutaways and fades from the performance to archive footages of her helping orphans and children that need help. We also see the audience clapping and cheering for which will of course affect the viewers and also embrace Beyonce's good works and will be proud of her.

This is a music video by Red hot chilli peppers- 'By the way' which is a Rock performance video which shows a lively band with guitars and bass drums repeating the lyrics "By the way i tried to say i'd be there..". The lyrics had a lot of wordplay and that quirky list of words technique that rock music tend attain. This performance didn't show the audience despite being on stage, however the content movement and 'funk' would engage viewers and it's like audiences are being shown how to 'vibe' to the music as well as to follow the convention of the genre.

Narrative 

Narrative music videos tend to be used by RnB and Soul artists to carry out a message, to show personal experiences and emotions which are often about love and relationships and heartbreak. This allows the audience to empathise and relate with the the song which creates a bigger bond between the viewer/listener and the music/artist which artists aim to do so in order to gain more views and supporters. In order to achieve this, producers tend to use low tempos and instruments such as the piano and guitar which helps with the empathising. An example i have included to understand narrative music video is Trey Songz 'Cant help but wait" single which is RnB which follows the storyline of a woman who he fancies and happens to be his next door neighbour's wife being abused by her husband and he is trying to tell her that he would treat her much better. He tried to fight her husband after seeing him hurt her which led to a secret affair with him and the wife; in the end the husband caught both of them and the song ended with the cliffhanger "to be continued..' which Trey Songz didn't ever continue and left the audience to guess what would've happened next. This is very engaging and the mysterious ending is very effective.  

Etana's reggae music video "people talk" beats the stereotype of RnB music being the only genre that have a narrative side. The music video shows visuals of people being two faced to Etana; people giving her compliments and then as soon as he turns her back people badmouthed her. There are also shots where there's one woman that represents society and says society's expectations of women "you should show more skin!" Etana replies with "Me nuh see them, i just keep walking" (I don't see them, i just keep walking). This may have been a personal experience for Etana or just showing how she dislikes her society's conventions and is trying to make a change by saying that "mi ah hol' up my head up just the same" (I still hold up my head the same way i do) which is encourages viewers to still be themselves and that we don't have to meet others expectations. 

Conceptual 

Music videos like this are known to show ideas in unique ways using characters and visuals to sum up meaning which is very artistic. Also, what is seen is often more important than the actual music shown in the pop music video by 99 souls Girl is mine which is initially "boy is mine" by Brandy and Destiny child, the song was just remixed which means viewers would most
likely have heard that already however to engage viewers the visuals shows a robotic guy in some sort of backwards world, we viewers are then shown that he was 'disabled' before and it was a girl he met in the same situation that motivated him to be able to walk again properly and when they both learnt they ran away from the institution together. This i think shows how strong and weird love is at the same time. However, this would've been challenging for some viewers as it is very confusing and wouldn't be counted as normal at all, it's a bit supernatural.

Interpretative

Interpretative music videos Show correlation between the lyrics and the visuals which most audience prefer as it's easy to understand the idea as it has been interpreted already. Also, it's very often that music videos like this tend to make viewers feel like they're going on a journey with the artists which is very exciting. An example of this is the song "man down" by Rihanna in which she shot a man as she says in "central station" which is shown in the video when the man fell with a head shattered from one bullet and she also says "i never thought i'd do it" which goes well with the shots showing her greeting people and being cheerful until the point when the same guy manhandled her.

Another good example is "Running(lose it all) by Beyonce and naughty boy as the visuals shows a man and a female underwater lost somewhere trying to find each. The lyrics also support it; "so where are you? I've been calling you. I've been missing you." The struggle and the fighting with gravity from both genders shown in the video will obviously alert viewers that they're both in love and they are trying to find each other. 

Animation 

Animated music videos are hand drawn or computer generated which means no real humans are shown in the music videos however the artist music is incorporated. This allows artiststic visuals and unnatural Images which wouldn't be possible to do with real actors and humans. However, graphic and computer animation is costly and time consuming as it requires a lot of attention and using computers and props. An example, i have used is 'Black girls magic' by Londrelle which is the simplest animated video he's ever made which really goes well with the concept of embracing black girls. The animation shows the actual lyrics in complex ways on the moon and the visual of the girl brushing her hair appearing on the moon which  i'd say is a great effect. This is because black normally connotate 'roots' and the moon is know to "see your soul" which implies that the artist message is to show that black skin is wonderful and may be trying to stop discrimination.

Another example is the Vocalid animated video by Echo which contains flashing images and has a upbeat side to it, a bit like dubstep. The supposed woman in the visuals has a television head which then shifted into different types of images and different colours rushing out of no where with the lyrics "please can i be, please can i be, colourful" which gives viewers the ideas that the artists echo who has made this also wants to promote differences and the idea of being yourself hence the use of "please", begging society.




Surreal

Surreal music videos show no clear narrative or message which allows the audience to see the artists creative and quirky side. It also gives ideas of being different, independent and limitless which can be motivating for individuals as the artists do not follow the normal music video conventions. An example of this is Fireflies by Owlcity as it shows many toys In a room coming alive and the artist sings about things which he wishes would happen in the world which could never happen, "sock hop on to my bed". The main idea was that everything is not as it seems and maybe things we think are lifeless actually have life which is very superstitious yet unique!
Bangarang by Skrillex doesn't really have a meaning as the visuals shows two boys go around with explosives, exploding things and shocking people. The bass is very fierce and heavy DJ scratching effects which matched the 'bad boy' movement of the boys as well as the lyrics "shout to all my boss boys". This music video is basically just showing bad boys or should i say promoting violence and bad behaviour.