Conventions of music videos

Movement;

Movement is a big element of a music video and usually compliments the song as it normally goes with the rhythm of the song. The movement of the camera and the angles that it is shooting the music video shows the dancing and can show many different cuts to show the fast pace of the chorus of a song and this also compliments this.  This editing of the camera can change the music video all together and go with the music. For example, in Beyoncé's video for her song 'Single ladies', she used a dance routine throughout the music video to compliment the song and use actions to represent certain phrases and words within the song.

Narrative;
Some music videos have narrative that tells the story of the song and the music video at the start or at the end of the song in the music video. This helps the audience to see what the song is representing and what the video is showing so that it is clearer and more understandable for the viewers. For example, Lana Del Rey uses a long narrative telling a story at the start of her song 'Ride' and it helps set the scene for the video and show the true meaning of the song and helps the audience understand the song and appreciate it.





Artist or band;
In most music videos, the artist or the band is shown at some point throughout it so that it is recognisable to the viewers and so that they know who sings the song so that they can go out and buy the single or the album, that the song is on. The music video may feature them singing on a stage or in the story that they are telling through the video to help explain the song and add enthuses onto it. If the artist or band are singing the song in the video, they are lip-syncing to it and playing the instruments to it (if it is a band). If the artist or band are in the video in the story they are acting and preforming within it, or the music video may show them doing both.


Intertextuality;
In some music videos, they use intertextuality to reference to other singers or films using credits at the start and end of the song with the title of the song and the singer or bands name so that it is recognisable and it shown as something important and professional to the viewers. Other music videos also use this concept in their videos by copying scenes and referencing to other music videos so that viewers recognise what they are trying to do and make it more fun and enjoyable to watch as it is similar to something that they have seen before.

Some other references to things can be done in more abstract manors. This is done in some music videos so that the audience feel like they have achieved something when they notice and recognize the reference that the video is presenting through the video. For example, My Chemical Romance referred to Nirvana's music video for 'Smells like teen spirit' in their video for their song 'Teenagers' by using cheerleaders so that they can see that they have used them for inspiration with their video and their song.