Types of Music Videos

 

Music videos generally follow a specific pattern or somewhere around the pattern, so it's actually pretty difficult to categorize them strictly into groups.

STANDARD PATTERN

The standard pattern is an amalgamation of elements that we commonly observe in almost every music video - a bit of performance in the form of simple choreography or lip-syncing, a story, or a series of events or a particular event broken up and shown at various points throughout the video, and of course, a music video can't be made without having a concept.

1. Who's Laughing Now _{Ava Max}

This music video has all the elements present in most music videos, hence following a standard pattern. It looks like the outline or blueprint of a basic, generic music video to me. The video has pieces of non-linear narrative bits, choreography and lip-synced performance in various locations, and editing which transitions quickly from one scene to another.

2. gogobebe _Mamamoo

This music video for "gogobebe" by Korean girl group, Mamamoo, shows the members performing choreographed moves or present in various places natural for their characters (office, bathroom etc.) and sets, with a basic slight plot of them being invited to a house party (where they show up at the end, but in the wrong place), which they turn into a chaotic event. The party concept is complemented by the fancy outfits, and bright sets, so the focus is in all directions. I initially thought of including this in the "narrative" types but realized after watching it twelve times that the narrative part wasn't very much the center of attention to be considered the most major element.

3. Panini _{Lil Nas X}

This music video has linear, simplistic events that are easy to follow, with Lil Nas X and his robots performing a simple choreography along the way in every scene, with him lip-syncing. The video is set in a very futuristic setting - machines, advanced technology, neon lights etc. that create their own aesthetic.

However, there are some vaguely defined lines that we can use to identify music videos, based on what seems to be the predominant style in it.

PERFORMANCE BASED

1. Be Kind _{Halsey & Marshmello}

Performance videos usually involve the artist lip-syncing, however in this particular video, Halsey uses dance and her facial expressions in order to convey the emotion in the lyrics, without lip-syncing to them, making it a unique example of a performance video. The video also contains symbolic imagery such as the shift in setting from the concrete warehouse to colourful and bright CGI locations.

Halsey usually has music videos following a standard pattern or a narrative, so this is something new we got from her and no one's complaining – the video not only has a unique aesthetic and is artistic, but also in a way, depicts her own personality shining through it.

2. Cherry Bomb _{NCT; NCT 127}

I chose this music video by Korean boy group NCT's sub-unit, NCT 127, as a standard example of a performance video, because of the obvious attention called to the members performing impressive, synchronized choreography (one of my favorites) to go with electropop genre, and lip-syncing in a warehouse/parking lot/garage as the prime location, as well as other sets that have a similar vibe.

It also stands out with unique animations incorporated into the video, such as the exploding cherries and race cars which add a sort of "playful" twist in the video which otherwise seems serious (considering the members' expressions) and the settings.

3. Juice _Lizzo

Empowering as always through her music video, Lizzo defies all existing beauty standards and expectations, spreading the message of body positivity. The music video is pretty simple, showing Lizzo in different sets and scenarios, and on television, lip-syncing and grooving along to the song.

NARRATIVE BASED

1. Addicted To You _Avicii

This music video flows in a linear and coherent manner, much similar to a film, as it portrays a lesbian couple/criminal duo as they rob bars, banks etc around an 80's/90's era town, portraying criminality and violence in a unique and artistic manner (perhaps even glorifying it). The compelling narrative creates a sense of sympathy for the characters as well as the tragedy that ensues because of them, as one of them is shot whereas the other runs into a group of cops with a bomb, resulting in several casualties and, of course, her own. I personally liked how they relayed the narrative, catching the audience off-guard at more than just one point in under 4 minutes, in a way that definitely makes it a no-skip for me.

2. Birds _{Imagine Dragons}

This beautiful, tear-jerking story tells the fictional-fantasy story of a rare child who is from a family that can grow feathers and wings like birds, and how he struggles to deal with this new-found identity, the music video containing a symbolic meaning and message - acceptance of and belief in one's own self. It took a unique direction of making it an animated video, which even though isn't completely new, but is rare.

3. Happier _{Marshmello ft. Bastille}

Another narrative video that will make you cry if you're half as sensitive as me. The music video has a non-linear narrative with the story spanning over a long period of time, starting from when the little girl gets a puppy, and then following their story as they grow up together, the dog being put down when it gets sick, and ending with her father getting a puppy for the girl's (now obviously a grown woman) daughter. The video uses colour codes throughout, using hues of yellow and yellow props - a colour that indicates warmth and joy - starting from when she gets the puppy and ending when they are at the hospital, hence complementing the mood of the video.

CONCEPTUAL BASED

1. Love It If We Made It _{The 1975}

*This video may potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy

The song and the music video are both one of my favourites because of the overall message the portray and the way they show it.

Music video uses flashy colour contrasts and editing, with obtrusive texts, over-exposed and pixelated images and video clips, arranged in a rapid, non-linear manner. The video is a representation of all problematic current-affairs, calling out those responsible and showing the victims of all the injustice happening in the world, hence using pop-culture platform to bring to awareness the socio-political state of the world. For example, from 00:34 to 00.39, as the lyrics "selling melanin" and "suffocate the black man" appear, it references the hypocrisy in the way in which white people idolise tan and dark skin tones, while police brutality against the black community is still a persistent issue (with clips of Eric Garner being suffocated to death by the police).

2. Cigarette Daydreams _{Cage The Elephant}

I chanced upon this music video three years ago and it haunts me to this day. It's made up of fractured, non-linear bits and pieces from one woman's life, her thoughts, memories, hallucinations, "daydreams", and recurring motifs to weave a symbolically rich video. The video oscillates to and from reality and delirious images, showing the woman's mental state and they way she comes to terms with her past and aligns her present. The way the concept unfolds made me rewatch this video several times over just to try and make sense of it.

3. Face _Woosung

Member of Korean band, The Rose, Woosung released this single which portrayed a very unique concept, rare especially in the Asian music industry. The music video includes a lot of representation - plus size female model, a drag queen, an androgynous model - as well as close up shots of faces with blemishes, freckles and acne, thus deliberately breaking away from typical beauty standards. Despite the mostly warm, bright and aesthetically pleasing colour palette, and bits of Woosung's jovial, child-like bouncy performance, the music video contains several symbolic elements that are very suggestive. That contrast and low-key antithetical approach of the song is the main reason (apart from Woo) that I found it attractive and fun to watch.