Code and conventions

Codes and Conventions

Codes are systems of signs which create meaning.

Conventions are the accepted ways of doing something.

Codes and conventions are split into technical and symbolic.

Technical is the micro elements such as camera work, sound and editing. Symbolic is the macro elements for example the location and make up.

Music videos codes and conventions can change through the different genres they tend to change through the use of – camera work, editing, sound and mise en scene. (these are used in majority of media products such as film).

Macro The costume of the artist within pop music is very fashionable and vibrant this is so that they stand out to their audience which helps promote their image. It also makes the audience want to buy those clothes so that they look like the artist. The make up is dependent on the artists because some wear heavy make up others don’t. No visible make up is used on male artists however they still wear it. Some male artists wear heavy make up such as Michael Jackson in his music video to ‘Thriller’ this is because it fits with the theme of the song. Female artists wear make up to make them look more attractive. Other female artists use it to exaggerate their strong personality and to make them stand out. For example Lady Gaga – Just Dance, (this was released in 2008 by RedOne) she is wearing vibrant clothing and heavy make up to show of her personality, this allows the audience to connect with her because they can see into her personality and what she is like as a person. It results in more albums and singles being sold because she has that relationship with her audience.https ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Abk1jAONjw

Macro The settings in pop tends to be a party location for example Las Vegas. Some are filmed in a ‘rough’ area but this is rare. They change the location to connect with the audience, for example if they film in a rough area they connect with different people than they would in the richest place in London.

Pop music contains both linear and non linear narratives. Linear narratives tell the story in chronological order where are non linear is where the story will be told out of order. In some pop music videos there is re-occurring events such as a dance routine.

Maroon 5 – Maps was released in June 2014 it is an example that has a non linear narrative because the story is not told in chorological order. This story is used to connect to the audience so that they feel sorry for the artist even though he is the reason the girl is in hospital. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmugSMBh_iI

Micro The music within music videos is non-diegetic as it is added onto of the video after it is created. Some music videos so have diegetic sound because it goes with the storyline and creates a better affect. This is shown in Maroon 5 – Maps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmugSMBh_iI The clips that have been filmed have to be in sink with the music because the artist normally mouths the words and therefore it is important that the artist is lip synced to the music, otherwise the video would not look very good/professional.

Editing clips to the beat is often used to make a video more pleasing and more effective, making the audience enjoy the video more. The clips are also edited so that the artist looks ‘perfect’ which makes them appeal to the younger audience. This is shown in Ella Eyre video to ‘Comeback’ as when her and her friends drop/hit things it is too the beat of the music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnnvfHz7qzA Jump cuts and transitions are normally used because they allow the location to change from one another. This is shown in the above video when there’s a close up of Ella’s eyes and then the other close up is in another location (graphic match) There are mainly many close ups of the band or artist within music videos this is so the audience recognise them on album covers.

Micro Lighting is highly natural majority of the time however they use unnatural lighting to create a positive feeling about the artist which encourages the target audience to buy their music. The high key lighting is always balanced out with low key lighting.

Props are dependent on the lyrics and the artist. Props can be anything from tears to the band’s instruments. Props can never be defined as a certain object because they change throughout music videos.

The editing varies because the pace of the music is different – if the pace is fast so is the editing and vise-a-versa for example in John Legends ‘All of me’ the editing is slower than Michael Jacksons ‘Thriller’ Tints and filters are also used to boost the colours and to make the music video of a better quality. The artists are sometimes photo-shopped so that they look ‘perfect’ The main camera shots used are close ups of the artist and long shots of the performance. The close ups help the artist sell the song to the audience because the audience feels like they are connecting this is shown in Stigma’s music video ‘Glitterball’ there are close up of Elle Henderson’s. Different angles and movements are used so that the music video is unique. face.