What Components Make Up A Conventional Music Video?

Close-Ups of Main Artist

These close-ups create a sort of relationship for the viewer with the artist, helping promote them and their star iconography.

Alice Cooper, Along Came a Spider

Del Reys lyrics and video tell a version of the story of Jackie and JF Kennedy

Relationship Between Lyrics and Video

Lana del Rey National Anthem

Relationship Between Music and Visuals

Dramatic music makes for a dramatic video, calm music may call for a calmer colour scheme, and dance music videos may have more components or people in them. This can easily be seen in Matthew Komas Dare you, where the slow motion footage and earthy colour scheme enhance the slow, whispering music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clRjbYa4UWQ

The male gaze is a prominent feature of many music videos, but voyeurism is also seen in reference to looking through cameras, telescopes, or having screens within screens as Kanye West does above.

Voyeurism

Intertextual References

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVBsypHzF3U Lady Gaga ft. Beyonc Telephone

These make the viewer feel more connected and engaged with the video, as we like to recognise and relate things to each other.

Most intertextual references come from older pop culture in fashion, music, art, photography and especially cinema/TV.

A Conventional Music Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZLfasMPOU4 Staceys Mom By Fountains of Wayne

Relationship between music and visuals (ooo oooh)

Intertextual references: The video, directed by Chris Applebaum, is playing with references to the 1982 movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High

The license plates also reference The Cars main star Ric Ocasek, I <3 RIC

An Unconventional Music Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cT-P6w5wfc Sentimental Heart by She&Him

No intertextual references

Some Conventions: Clear relationship between visuals and lyrics, visuals and sound

As Steve Archer (singer, songwriter, and author) Summarises

Often, music videos will cut between a narrative and a performance of the song by the band. Additionally, a carefully choreographed dance might be a part of the artists performance or an extra aspect of the video designed to aid visualisation and the repeatability factor. Sometimes, the artist (especially the singer) will be a part of the story, acting as narrator and participant at the same time. But it is the lipsynch close-up and the miming of playing instruments that remains at the heart of music videos, as if to assure us that the band really can kick it.