Reflecting back on AS Year: What makes a music video...

The glitz, the glamour and flashing lights. Your possible favourite person in the world is on the screen, the only time where you get to have a little one to one catch up session with your favourite artists. Where your conversation lasts briefly three minutes, consists a verse, chorus and a bridge and you're more likely to hold the same discussion an hour later...

Of course this isn't an actual conversation! It's a music video; where you are the viewer and your favourite artists is the performer (it's what they're known for after all).

But yet... What actually make up a music video? 

 The following definition is used:

A videotaped performed of a recorded popular song, usually accompanied by dancing and visual images interpreting the lyrics.

Though they can be seen to be a bit more complex; they can be both outrageous and  stylish, they don't usually follow the structure of editing and camera that you would see in TV dramas or the News. 

Music videos have become an important part of the music industry and could be the vital reason behind artists' sales of their singles and album releases.

What is the main purpose of a music video?

The music videos main purpose is to PROMOTE the single, the album where their single is from and, of course, the artist. To do this, a music video has to:

1.      Sell the song in a way that the audience can remember the song from the video.

2.      To provide the viewer with with a better understanding of the song so they engage with it both visually and audibly (this is achieved through a performance or a 'story telling').

3.      To entertain the viewer by highlighting the talents of the artist - dancing, singing, performing and physical appearance.

The music video could be considered to be a marketing tool that is used as a visual aid to help sell the artist, their brand and their products (singles/albums/gigs) to a wide an audience as possible.