Analysing different genres of music videos

We can categorise music videos into three different main genres which include, performance based videos, narrative videos and conceptual videos. I am going to research into these three genres to see how they differentiate from each other. Further on in this project when I am making my music video I shall have to choose one of these genres so it is important that I get a wide understanding of them now so that I can make the right decision. For each type of genre I have found an example of a music video.


Performance

Performance based videos are quite simply the band or artist performing their music however this can be done in a variety of ways to retain interest which includes the video having footage of a live performance, staged perfomance, behind the stage scenes of the band in a casual relaxed environment which gives the audience a feel that they are getting a real insight into the artist/band. Perfomance videos are predominanty used by rock and indie artists/bands who are often prolific for their stage perfomances so this will boost their identity by having them perform in their video.This genre of music video has in the past and remains to be very popular amongst artists and bands. I think this is for the reason that the artist gets to purely focus on themselves and the music that they make rather then a glamorous video which can often detract from the raw talent of the music.

I have chosen Guns N' Roses performing their song 'Sweet Child O' Mine ' because I felt that this was a very clear example a performance based music video. Guns N' Roses are a classic rock band and this genre of video is very suitable for their image as it focuses directly on their music and the band livng the rock lifestyle. Each shot lasts only a few short seconds and sometimes only a second each which increases the Throughout much of the video the camera appears to be handheld as it sways and shakes which suits the nature of the song which is very upbeat and busy. There are many close ups on the instruments and the artists. The entire video is also filmed in black and white which gives the video a authentic aged feel.

Narrative

Narrative based music videos use visuals to narrate or tell a story which often directly link to the lyrics of the track. The artist or member(s) of the band might be used to ‘act’ out the story or an actor can be used as the main character in the video. This genre of music video gives the song a clear message to the lyrics with the story that is portrayed in the video.

The video for Paolo Nutini's song 'New Shoes' has a very clear narrative by linking the lyrics to what's seen in the shot(visuals). This makes the message of the video very clear and easy to understand for the audience. The video flows very well as the visuals are in time with the tempo of the song where the lyrics are being lip synced throughout the entire video and around the artist the actions are being played out.

Conceptual

Conceptual music videos focus strongly on the visuals within the video aswell as the music. They often focus on one idea or concept however this is not always clear to the audience as conceptual videos are often very abstract and even surreal.

The video for Nirvana's song 'Heart Shaped Box' is very abstract and does not follow a clear story that is obvious. There are a lot of symbols used within the music video which could have hidden meanings behind them which makes the audience concentrate and really think about the video that they are watching. This type of video suits the band a lot because their audience wanted something unique and original and Nirvana always delivered on that front.