There are a number of ways that we can categorise music videos, according to musical style, content or target audience. Below are four definitions that we will be using that categorise music video in terms of content. It is important to remember that many music videos are a combination of these four categories.
Narrative – Tells a story, usually based on the lyrics of the song. Sometimes the narrative will follow the lyrics word-for-word and at other times it will be a narrative that is related to the over all ideas being communicated in the song (can be any genre of music).
Hip hop – Centres around a rapper, usually shot from a lower angle to make him or her look more powerful. Usually features lots of beautiful women, flash cars, and expensive clothes – all associated with the main rapper. There is often the suggestion of the artist being all-powerful. However, Hip hop music videos also depict poverty, life in the ghetto, graffiti, b-boy and DJ culture.
Band – Centres around a rock (rock, indie, punk, etc), usually contains shots of the band playing live. The focus is on them as musicians/artist rather than the power they feel they have.
Abstract – uses interesting imagery that, on the surface, seems to be totally unrelated to the lyrics of the song. The idea is to create something that is as visually impressive as the song it accompanies – it is usually a quirky/funny idea.
Codes = visual and audio components of a film that can be read for meaning
Messages = ideas that are communicated through the codes present in a piece
Working in pairs, note as many codes as possible in each style of music video. At the end of each video make a comment about any messages being communicated.
