Music Video Conventions

There are two different types of music videos, and they are both used for different purposes. One kind is 'performance' and the other is 'narrative.' A performance video is one of the earliest forms of music video and is a lot simpler than other types of music videos. One of the main purposes of a performance video is to promote the song however, they can also be used to create a star persona or to show a connection between the audience and the singer in a way that makes the audience feel as though they have a connection with the artist.

However, a narrative music video is what happens when the filming and editing suggests a story which may be told within the lyrics of the song. Typically, the events of the film may have a clear linear structure or it could be a series of unrelated narrative events. They also may use a variety of different camera techniques to ensure that the audience remains engaged such as using a wider variety of camera angles to make it more interesting eg point of view shot. They also generally include uses of stereotypes as a shortcut to meaning since they dont have as much time to explain characters and this is a universal way to portray characters in a way the audience will be able to recognise them.

Mabel's music video for her song God Is A Dancer is a clear example of a music video which shows conventions of a performance video. There are no aspects of story telling shown throughout the video, and there aren't any clear distinctive characters or events which take place. The music video generally consists of her dancing in a warehouse and along a catwalk, which shows that this music video is mainly for the promotion of the songs and as an extra way to generate more profit as well as just radio play. Furthermore, it also uses some of the techniques which are known for being in performance based music videos such as addressing the audience directly through using closeups o the singer as well as her lip syncing into the camera. Considering she is wearing revealing clothing this could be interpreted as her showing that music is liberating and that people should feel free to express themselves when they listen to it. The whole song is about dancing and the lyrics go with the beat of the music which encourages people to dance and not feel ashamed by themselves.