Comparison of Music Video Findings

The content of music videos and the meaning behind them will often change depending on the style of music. For example a Rock video will often include some form of live concert depicting different situations in which the band plays the song (such as in the music video for 'Thunderstruck' by AC-DC).




A slightly heavier style of this, Heavy Metal, has similar traits. It will often not have much of a narrative and will mostly include the band performing most of the song, along with the vocalist lip syncing the lyrics. An example of this is Slipknot's 'Before I Forget' in which the band performs the song in a small room; similar to 'Thunderstruck' however they are playing by themselves rather than in a concert with a large audience.




Whereas in a Pop music video, there will often be clips including a large crowd of people at a party or similar event. However this is often related to the age group performing the song. For example, in Miley Cyrus' 'Party In The USA', the video involves a mass of teenagers in a empty desert-like location having a party. In between and during these clips it involves segments of the song being lip synced by Miley Cyrus.



A similar example of this could be Katy Perry's 'Last Friday Night', depicting the artist and a group of teenagers at a party, but in a household rather than an outdoor location. It also involves sections of the song being lip synced clearly by the artist. This style normally uses close up of the artist when lip syncing so as to allow the viewer to see what the artist is saying. It is also used as a way to promote the artist with their image.




For styles like Drum 'n' Bass or Dubstep, there are not a large amount of music videos compared to other styles of music. The only exceptions are more mainstream artists from these genres such as Chase and Status (D'n'B) or Skrillex (Dubstep). In the videos created by the mainstream artist, there will often be a large amount of editing involved, possibly with green screen used. It may also have a point in the video when the dynamic of it shifts to coincide with the song's 'drop'.

For example, in Pendulum's 'Witchcraft', there is a large amount of CGI and special effects used throughout the video to create the final product.



By Jack Fanchette