Conventions of a Music Video.

• Music videos consist of a constant flow of shots, the pace often depends on the tempo of music. If the song is upbeat there is often a fast pace, with a slow beat the pace may be slowed down and more relaxed. The reason why these shots don't have that long of a screen time is to avoid viewer fatigue. By including a variety of shot distances and camera techniques it adds interest to the video. There are usually around 3 different sets used in one video, and the shots will bounce back and forth from them, this is done by jump cuts put in whilst editing allowing a sudden change from one scene to another. Shots like the crane shot is often used especially when stages are involved where the muscicians are performing because it allows the camera to hover around the stage and get easy access to capture what is happening. The types of shots that are used can depend on the type of music video is.
• Lip Syncing is an important convention. The editors of the video have to make sure the lips are in sync with the words in the music other wise it looks odd if they are out of time. Whilst lip syncing the musicions have to make sure that their miming looks believable also, they have to portray the same amount of emotion that is put in the way they expressed their words when recording vocals. They also should reflect the right emotion that the narrative of the song is giving off. If the song is based on something sad, then they shouldn't really be laughing and smiling in the video.
• Editing also includes things like split screens, CGI effects, the choice of diegetic sound and transitions between the shots etc.
• Mise en scene includes the props, costume and location. The props depend on the genre and the type of song for example if it is a rock band music video where they are performing, props such as instruments, equipment and lighting would be needed. Costume also depends on the genre and what they are representing in the video. Location reflects the narrative and also what the lyrics relate to. The mise en scene involves different types of lighting for different genres, like rock videos would include dark lighting compared to pop videos which would have bright colourful lighting.
• The performance in the video is important, the muscisians should look enthusiastic and their expressions should look realistic.