Music videos - purpose and styles

Purpose of music videos

• An important promotional tool for marketing performers and their music.
• Help to create the 'star image' for a new performer (e.g. Lana Del Ray).
• To develop and adapt the image of a more established artist (e.g. Rihanna).
• To interpret and anchor the meaning of a song and to entertain the audience.
• Iconography indicates the genre of music and the style of the performer.

Performance: Lots of close-ups of the performer, direct address to engage the audience, difference outfits (e.g. One Direction - what makes you beautiful)

Narrative: A story is created, sometimes the lyrics don't match the visuals at all. sometimes the artist doesn't feature at all and they are just actors. Enigma codes (e.g. Katy Perry - thinking of you)

Conceptual: They are based on/around an idea or an image and can be about sending a message to the audience. (e.g. Lady Gaga - bloody Mary)

One Direction - What makes you beautiful

This is performance based music video as it a lot of different camera angles such as close ups of the performers and the video is very based on them.

David Guetta - Titanium


This is a narrative because a story is created. The boy is shown to have superpowers and we see him trying to escape the police. The story shown doesn't match the lyrics.

R.E.M - Everybody hurts

This is conceptual because it is based around the idea that everyone hurts no matter what race, gender or age they are.