The codes and conventions of a music video allow audiences to first identify the form. Codes and Conventions are used by institutions to create meaning in texts, in this case music videos. Music video Codes and Conventions (or "Language(s)") use verbal, written, sound and moving images. Codes and conventions are what audiences expect to see, and allow them to connect and fully immerse themselves in the media text.
Codes are conventions in which symbols and signs are assembled to create meaning.
An example of signs and signifiers can be found in the Doctor Who episode "Blink", where the shadow cast from a window onto a clock forms bar shapes, which forshadows and symbolises the episode's main plot - being trapped in time.
The conventions of a music video vary depending on the genre, the main conventions that stay the same throughout all genres are (but not limited to):
MISE-EN-SCENE: French for "Staging," or the literal translation "Put in Scene", Mise en Scene is the use of props and scenery in a music video. There are 5 main factors that mise en scene comprises of, these include:
Codes are conventions in which symbols and signs are assembled to create meaning.
Semiotics
The word Semiotics was coined by Charles Peirce (1839-1914) and is the scientific study of signs and symbols. Philosopher Charles Sanders said: "We think only in signs." (1931). Everything; tangible, intangible, audible etc; can become a sign when it is subconsciously designated a meaning.
According to Ferdinand de Saussure (1857 - 1913), a sign is made up of a Signifier (the sign's physical form/denotation) and Signified (the connotation/concepts/feelings evoked by the signifier). In order for something to be a sign it has to be widely recognised by audiences - "Nothing is a sign unless it is interpreted as a sign" - Peirce.
Polysemic signs have many connotations, often depending on the situation and audience. For example a kitchen knife may simply connote food preparation is a light genre, in a horror genre it would have dark connotations evoking feelings of unease and fright amongst audiences. Other demographic variances can completely change the perception of a symbol; for example the swastika (卐) to most Europeans signifies the Nazi party, but in Asia is is a symbol used by religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism to symbolise God, its also a good luck symbol, and also represents Purushartha (Dharma (natural order), Artha (wealth), Kama (desire), and Moksha (liberation)). It also represents eternity.
There are three main types of signs:
- Icon/Iconic
- A visual signifier which shares similarities to what is being signified (e.g. a picture of a cat).
- Index/Indexical
- Inbetween icon and symbol, someone that signifies something closely related, for example a clock may signify time, smoke may signify a fire.
- Symbol/Symbolic
- A sign that represents a concept or tangible object. e.g. 'C-A-T' represents a cat, or a peace sign represents peace.
An example of signs and signifiers can be found in the Doctor Who episode "Blink", where the shadow cast from a window onto a clock forms bar shapes, which forshadows and symbolises the episode's main plot - being trapped in time.
Music Videos
Conventions are used because they are tried and tested, and proven to work. An example of this could be dancing in an upbeat music video, this convention is used because audiences viewing dancing makes them subconsciously link the video with having a good time, they're then more likely to like the song, and therefore purchase it. Another interpretation could be people are much more likely to watch the music video if its entertaining and fun to watch, for example Zara Larson's music video for Lush Life (2015) features a lot of dancing - without this she would just be stood lip syncing to the song, and it wouldn't be interesting to watch.
The mise on scene in this video is extremely sparse and plain, with a predominantly white background. The color isolation of the gold jacket represents the glamorous, luxurious lifestyle the audience can aspire to, and the only real focus of the music video is her: commercification of culture (Fredrick Jamerson). The editing of the video, including the cartoon features, show how the video is post modern, as it denies its own reality.
The conventions of a music video vary depending on the genre, the main conventions that stay the same throughout all genres are (but not limited to):
- Lip Syncing
- Editing to the music
Many music videos defy all the basic conventions, for example Keaton Henson's "You Don't Know How Lucky You Are" (2012) features just a woman in vintage clothing, standing in a field, crying. No lip syncing or editing to the music, which are basic conventions seen in almost all other music videos.
This video by Keaton Henson purposely breaks the usual conventions of a music video. The Mise on scene of both the landscape and the clothing the actress is wearing represent the isolation and her empty inner landscape. The colour pallet of the video is extremely basic, earthy and almost sepia, which matches the mise on scene of the characters costume.
Cinematography
FRAMING: Music videos generally use close up, medium and mid shots for a variety of reasons; these are meant to evoke certain emotions within the audience, close up shots can better show emotion and create a feeling of intimacy or a connection between the artist/actor and the audience and long shots can create a feeling of distance etc. They can also be used to shift the focus of the video to something such a location. An example of this could be Miley Cyrus' video for "Adore You", in the music video a sense of intimacy is portrayed through Cyrus being in bed singing, this is backed up by close up shots.
MOVEMENT: Camera movement in music videos is used to pace the video. Rarely are tripods and a still video used as these can make the music video boring, and people may become bored and stop watching the video. Drone, crane, dolly, handheld and steady-cam footage are an example of some of the footage used in music videos. Shaky handheld footage, for example, may be used to create an amateur look in the music video, or illustrate a fast paced narrative. One example of this could be the single crane shots used in the music video by Keaton Henson for "You Don't Know How Lucky You Are" (2012), video is above. Another example could be Justin Bieber's video for "Beauty and a Beat" 2012, which completely juxtaposes Henson's video, it is shot to look amateur and hand held, so shaky cam footage is used, as an amateur filming a video wouldn't have access to cranes etc.
MISE-EN-SCENE: French for "Staging," or the literal translation "Put in Scene", Mise en Scene is the use of props and scenery in a music video. There are 5 main factors that mise en scene comprises of, these include:
- The position of props and characters in a frame
Positioning is used to manipulate the audience's attention, for example in Justin Beiber's music video for Beauty and the Beat, Bieber is often positioned right in the middle of the frame, this represents how he is the center of attention. - The clothing/costume, makeup and hairstyle of the characters
These aspects act to indicate a characters personality and communicate other information about them. They also give information about he time period the music video is set in and the culture that surrounds it. In Justin Beiber's music video for Beauty and the Beat the characters are all wearing casual clothing, which is because the music video is meant to emulate a home video. In music videos costume is thought of extensively by teams of stylists, publicists and advertisers, this is because the clothing that celebrities wear has a huge impact of the clothing their fans wear, therefor it is big business to dress them correctly to influence consumers to invest in a certain style or brand. This is a form of hidden advertisement. - Body language and facial expressions of the characters
Used mainly to indicate emotions of characters, facial expressions also add realism, as blank expressions (unless purposeful) can indicate bad acting to the audience, and break the verisimilitude. Body language is also used to show the feelings of characters. In Justin Beiber's music video for Beauty and the Beat, the characters are smiling and their body language indicates they're having fun, this fits with the theme of the music video - in reality they're probably quite tired and bored of shooting the same scene repeatedly; but showing this would break the realism of the video and make it less enjoyable to watch. In the music video Bieber and Nicki Minaj "grind" upon each other, this close body language represents sexual flirting. - The lighting used in the frame, including the intensity and colour
Lighting is used to manipulate the audience's attention and also evoke emotions. Different colours and intensities of light can reflect different emotions, for example in Justin Beiber's music video for Beauty and the Beat, although it is night time the location is well lit with flashing multicoloured lights, this represents a disco type feel and communicated that the characters are having fun to the audience. The colour of props also affects the feel of the frame - for example in a girly pop song, props may be pink to reflect the feminine environment, whereas in a gangsta rap videos props may often be black. - And the main component Setting (location) and props
Sets are either built, or real locations are used in music videos, they build expectations among the audience and give more information about the current scene. For example an heavy metal music video wouldn't make much sense if it was filmed in a church - unless the irony was intentional. In Justin Bieber's music video for Beauty and the Beat, the location is a water park, as the main focus of the video is a pool party. This location was probably used as it is a relaxed and fun environment, and represents the lifestyle Justin Bieber is presenting to his fans.
Mise en scene is used to communicate information to an audience, and the different aspects of Mise en Scene is used to evoke emotions among the audience and offer more information that just dialect alone.
Editing
Generally music videos are edited to the beat - jump cuts are used to link the visuals to the music, example below. Music videos also use many other transitions, depending on the genre of the music video, for example when videos imitate early forms of film, "cheesy" transitions like slides are used to fit with the genre of video.
In the video Ariana Grande sells the pop-culture gym lifestyle (comodification of culture), while still using the conventions of young female dancers. The video insinuates if you go to the gym and get a 'fit' body, you'll be like the celebrities and be a star. The mise on scene is that of an extremely modern, and quite unrealistic gym, this is a hyper-real simulacrum of the sort of gym a celebrity would go to. The clothing worn by the dancers is glamorous, fashionable, modern, contemporary and luxurious. The video mixes gym techniques and dance routines to fit with its narrative.
LIIAR Analysis of a Music Video
A LIIAR analysis is an analysis of a media text focusing on 5 main subject areas: Language, Institution, Ideology, Audience and Representation.
Language
The language of a music video encompasses the techniques used by the director to convey unspoken messages to the audience. These techniques include the use of conventions, semiotics, mise-en-scene, cinematography, genre and editing.
Conventions
The conventions of a music video include lip syncing and dancing. Both of these conventions are used in Lorde's video for Green Light.
Semiotics
Semiotics are the signs and signifiers used in music videos. An example of this can be seen in the music video, Lorde is unhappy in a club, a place where people are supposed to be happy, and having fun. This links in with the song as it shows how she is finding it hard to get over her boyfriend.
Mise-en-Scene
Mise en Scene is whats in the image, Lorde wears fashionable clothing, which is conventional of a postmodern music video. The location of a club and the flashing lights also link in with the 'party life style' often portrayed in music videos. The lighting also links in with Lorde's main lyric 'green lights', as the lights are green. This also links in with the semiotics, as the 'green light' is signifying her waiting at traffic lights, she is held back by the love she has for her ex boyfriend, and is waiting for the green light so she can move on.
Cinematography
Different camera angles and filming techniques are used throughout the video. The opening shot is a tripod shot, and it then moves to a handheld shot. Later on in the video when lorde is hanging out of a car window, a tracking shot is used.
Editing
The length of shots is dependent on the pace of the song. During upbeat sections of the song they are cut quickly, and they last longer during the slower parts of the song. Some shots, like the ones in the club, have been slowed down. A grain effect has been added to the video to give it a vintage look. The flashing stobe lighting was also probably added in post production, as often when filming a stobe, as a single flash of light is less than 1/24th of a second - which is the length of a single frame on a 24fps recording, the strobes can be missed out or split across two frames which can ruin the verisimilitude.
Genre
The genre of the music video is Electo-pop according to Wikipedia.
Institution
The song was released through the record label Universal New Zealand - which is owned by Universal Music Group. Lorde signed to Universal Music Group in 2009. Green Light is lorde's debut single from her second album.
Ideology
The ideology presented in this song is more lorde's than the institution's. This is because she co-wrote and co-directed the song and music video respectively. The music video shows a 'party lifestyle' with the club locations, and a 'luxury lifestyle' shown by the luxury car that picks her up from the club with a driver.
Audience
Audiences watch the music video to gain a further dimension, they enjoy the song, and want to see more of Lorde's creativity. It also helps to promote the video by being a visual side to the song.
Representation
Lorde, the main concentration of the video, is represented as young and free. She goes partying and has a good time, but looks sad. She is represented as heart broken, but waiting for the pain to fade so that she can be free and happy again. She isn't represented as a 'normal' teenager, as most normal teens wouldn't have perfect skin, lip plastic surgery and be able to afford private drivers in luxury 4x4 cars.
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