How to study Music Videos

Movement is essential to music video and usually compliments the rhythm of the song. Movement can be achieved by physically moving the camera, the people in the video moving and dancing or through speed of editing. For example, the video for Justin Timberlake's rock your body relies heavily upon movement to create a sense of excitement for the viewer. Rapid editing editing, with many shots being less than a second long, compliments the dance routine and use of flashing lighting in the video. Similarly, the video for Rihanna's rude boy uses special effects behind Rihanna dancing and playing drums to create movement that matches the beat if the song.

A music video may have a narrative. The storyline may relate to the song's lyrics and illustrate what is being said or be independent from the dong and tell a different story. For example, I was a teenage anarchist by Against Me! features a loose narrative which links to the song's lyrics. The video features a young man running along Venice Beach trying to avoid the police who are chasing him, indicating that he is a rebel or 'anarchist'. Other videos have much more explicit narratives which are more closely linked to the song's lyrics, such as dilemma by nelly featuring Kelly Rowland which shows a girl moving into a house as Nelly sings ' I met this chick and just moved right up on the block '.

Most music videos feature the band or artist ass they are also a product to be sold. The artist may be featured performing their music, either in the form of lip-syncing or playing instruments in the case of a band. The artists may also be featured but acting rather than performing or the video may feature a combination of both. For example Plan B's she said features a narrative linked to the songs lyrics that the artist is acting out as well as performing the song. Sometimes, a band or artist are represented in some other way in a video, such as by animation or actors playing the role  of the artist.