Andrew Goodwin's Music Videos - Theory 2

Illustration

An illustration video can be described as the simplist way of constructing a music video. It is probably the method used mostly in todays music videos, especially in the genres of pop and rnb, as the artists try to avoid being somewhat controversial in an attempt to gain a larger market. An illustration video will simply cut to the beat, giving the audience a non suggestive steady pace matching the music. The lyrics of the song will typically reflect what the artist is doing in this narrative, and the overall concept will be simple and easy to grasp for anyone watching.

This particular video is called Rebecca Black - Friday. This song is almost so much of an illustration video it becomes humerous. This clip depicts Rebecca getting ready for school, while the lyrics describe her getting up eating cerial and going to the bustop. This is a great example of an illustraion music video.

Amplification

Amplfication is considered to be a step up from the illustrative method. During this method the band/artist will design a concept based around the lyrics and will use this concept to construct a narrative. These videos are more suggestive and open to interpretation than illustrative videos. During these videos we will sometimes the the band/artist, but they will often take on a fictional role in the video. The lyrics are also sometimes projected with the music videos. This method is used to promote the band and help establish their particular genre.



This particular video is called Parkway Drive - Sleepwalker. This video is a great example of an amplification video, as the whole narrative is based around the lyrics, and the overall mise en scene (crumbling city) reflects the concept of the lyrics. We can also see the lead vocalist (Whinston) take on a fictional role at the end of this clip.

Disjunction

Disjunction music videos are probably the most profound, they follow no particular formula, and can be completley unrelated to the lyrics. They are often just a full narrative, with no performance elements involved, and the band are rarely; if ever included in the video. This method is rarely used in popular music such as pop, rap and rnb as these artists typically try to improve their popularity by promoting themselves. This method however is usually adopted by artists who are already well established, and have no desire to promote themselves. These videos will also sometimes have a serious underline theme, and the band will aim to convey this message, without featuring in the video, as they feel the message is most important. This if not done correctly can be seen as a badly made music video however.

This particular video is Skrillex - Ruffneck Bass. This video is a perfect example of a disjuncture video, as the theme throughout this video is entirely random and farfetched. The actual themes have nothing to do with the music what little lyrics are actually featured in this song. Skrillex himself doesn't feature in this video, as he is probably the most well established artist in the dubstep sub genre, and so he doesnt feel he has to visually promote himself. This also features the typical humerous undertones found in Disjunction videos.