Formal Conventions Of Music Videos

The formal conventions that are shared by all music videos usually include an performance and abstract narrative which allows the artist to be established as the band or singer of the song.
By doing this it allows the target audience to interact with the artist and this satifies the audiences expectations of the artist. As artists are hoping to show their target audiences a different view point each music video is unique to the artist. For example, in Katy Perry's pop music video she is trying to show a more sophisticated side to herself and how she has changed from girl to woman in her video. This contrasts with the theme of The Maines song as the alternative rock track is more dark and shows the lead artist tied down and set alight to show how misery has found him once again. The use of props follow formal conventions as when creating the song musical instruments are used, this creates realism which the audience can relate to. Also within a lot of music videos. the artists likes to self establish themselves by linking the music video of a previous song to their new video so that they can reinforce the idea that, that is their new music video (potentially erasing their previous image)  and that they are promoting themselves.

Editing used within most music videos is unseen by the audience which makes the music video look more professional and allows the narrative develop seamlessly. With the beat of the song, straight cuts are usually used which allows two or more shots to be linked together with the song. Throughout a lot of music videos, jump cuts allow the narrative to develop as they create progression from one location/setting to another.  Montage editing is often used which follows the typical conventions of a music video, this allows the music video to show sequences of edits that match the timing, beat and style of the song genre.

Within cinematography, close ups are usually used to present the artist of the song and emphasise the emotion they are trying to present to the audience.  Also by using close ups it makes the things shown in the music video more prominent. The lead singer is also typically shown with close up shots when they are lip syncing.  Pan shots and tracking shots are also used to develop the storyline and narrative and 'follow' the protagonist. When performance is used in the music video, such as choreographed dance, long shots are also typically used to allow the audience to see the artist perform and this also allows the audience to learn the dance routine.

Depending on the type of music video, the mise en scene can be portrayed very differently. Also within each music video there are codes and conventions that reinforce the idea of a particular genre. For example within a heavy metal music video, musical instruments woiuld be present and a lot of dark lighting would be used. Because of these codes and conventions we as the audience are able to establish what is conventional within a music video.