Music Video Conventions Case Study

Music Video Conventions Case Study

David Bowie - Life on Mars

Video Style type - Performance

Video Stages

• Slow establishing shots of the artist gradually introducing his bizarre appearance
• As the video progresses, the cuts become more frequent and the shots more intimate emphasising facial expressions as the music picks up in power and speed

Image of the artist

• The video's camerawork consists mainly of close-ups on the artist highlighting his facial expressions and make up, matching the message of the song as a misfit that breaks from the mould hence the title of the song
• The choice of unusual costume and make up, like the camerawork, underlines the bizarre theme the video-makers are aiming for to reflect the song's meaning
• Quick cuts between shots increase with the music's pace to further its effect

Purpose of the video

• Represent the song's meaning - someone breaking from society's view of normal from his costume
• Shock the audience through Bowie's unexpected and unusual appearance

Wow moment

• The initial introduction of the artist is the most powerful moment in the video as the audience for the first time see his bizarre appearance

Queen - I Want to Break Free

Video Style type - Thematic/conceptual

Video Stages

• The video opens with Freddie and the rest of the band dressed in comical costumes, particularly Freddie who is dressed as a housewife doing household chores
• Freddie then 'breaks free' from his monotonous housewife life by opening a cupboard into a world of pleasure and fantasies
• However, the video ends when he returns to the house and Freddie is seen as just another face in a black mass

Image of the artist

• The audience view the band as having a sense of humour through the mise-en-scene and costume, being dressed as women and an old man but also as having a deeper point when they see the black figures and the message the song is conveying
• The message of happiness and pleasure in the dream world is produced through various editing techniques such as slow-motion acrobatics when Freddie is with the women and the unusual setting

Purpose of the video

• To reinforce the message of the song, trying to break free from the stereotypes and restraints of society, in this case, on housewives

Wow moment

• The comical reveal of Freddie at the start of the video is an especially memorable moment due to its humorous nature
• Equally, the shot of Freddie among the black mass is poignant due to its deep meaning when combined with the lyrics of the song

Bon Jovi - Always

Video Style type - Narrative

Video Stages

• A story of a man who cheats on his lover and loses everything while cross-cutting between the artists playing

Image of the artist

• In the narrative itself, the artist appears foolish and unfaithful yet in the performance shots, he appears passionate and desirable simply portraying the failures of a fictional character
• The cross-cutting editing is done well to emphasise the power of the song as the artist appears to show great belief in his lyrics

Purpose of the video

• To entertain through telling a story and reinforce the meaning of the song of eternal love
• Show the artist's great passion for the song and what it represents

Wow moment

• The story's climax is most spectacular due to the conclusion of the story and the explosion in the narrative