The Three Categories Of Music Videos

Performance Based videos

        Performance based music videos are general focused on the actual artist, this is common in various genres, one example is Imagine Dragons, who usually feature in there videos playing to the crowd. Another example is in pop, this is due to pop stars being huge idols in the industry for a wide audience, therefore other industries can take advantage of a performance based project to advertise their brand. 

         

     Also, due to the focus being on performance, they usually are cheaper to construct as they are generally basic and simple, adding to the impact of a performance alone video.

Advantages and disadvantages of performance based music videos:

A – They are generally cheaper and are very simple meaning they can be done by any level of performer. A performance based video also allows self-promotion

D- They are usually however very boring due to them being generic and cliché.

Narrative Based Videos

Within the narrative genre of music there are three different types of narrative:

Illustration - this is where the narrative in the music video very closely reflects the lyrical content of the song.

Amplification – the narrative may be slightly influenced by the lyrical content however it uses different themes to compliment the songs feeling

Disjuncture – this is where the narrative holds very little relationship to the song and it s quite random

Advantages and disadvantages of Narrative videos:

A – They can cause a feeling of empathy for the artists intentions and it allows a story to be created for the audience rather than just a visual element to show it is their song.

D – They can possibly be expensive and if the narrative isn’t clear it can cause confusion for the viewer.

Concept Based:

There are two types of concept videos which include:

Thematic – which are based around a theme or idea which is strongly dependent upon the style of music. Example if the genre is rap/hip hop, the video may contain shots of an urban setting.

Symbolic – there is often lots of symbols involved in the video to create a meaning . This involved lighting to create a mood and pace to represent emotion. These videos may either support or contradict the initial meaning of the song.

Advantages and disadvantages of concept based videos:

A – They can be unusual and creative meaning they are memorable to the viewer making it more successful.

D – It doesn’t usually allow the artist to promote themselves and they can confuse the viewer meaning they aren’t always successful.

In conclusion I plan to merge both narrative and performance based products to create a niche product new into the media industry.

The reasoning for this choice is as followed:

Due to my limited budget I needed to cut costs where possible therefore as stated earlier performance pieces are  generally cheaper and are very simple to construct meaning they can be done by any level of performer in effect making this genre very easy for my self due to my limited experience creating music videos. However I wanted a deeper meaning for my piece so drifted towards a narrative product for its properties such as creating a personalised story for my viewers rather than just a visual element.