What is a music video - Miss Miller (will add screen shots of music video in school, couldnt be done on my laptop)

Purpose Of A Music Video:

Different music videos have different purposes in order to relate to target audiences in different ways, there are various purposes of a music video:

1. To bring the lyrics to life visually: Music videos are a very effective way of conveying the lyrics of a song and bringing the story of the song to life visually by using actors to bring the story to life and also by using the artist of the song to tell the story through performance which makes the song more effective to the audience.

2. Makes more money: Music videos are a great way of promoting an artist or a particular song, target audiences of the video being able to listen to a song as well as watch the video would find the single or artist more appealing and would be more likely to purchase their material.

3. Artist Image: Music videos are an effective way of an artist giving their fans a chance to perceive them or their lifestyle in the way that they want to be perceived in order for their music to sell as well as any brands that they are also prom promoting.

4.Build a relationship with the audience: The audience are usually able to relate songs better through music videos because most music videos tend to be based on real life circumstances which makes the song more appealing to the audience.

5.Defines the genre: The genre of a song can be established by the audience because different music genres have different codes and conventions that help the audience gain insight on the genre of a particular song through the music video, for example most music videos by girl bands would generally include provocative clothing, coreography, and singers performing straight to the camera.

6. A short narrative or representation of the artist: Music videos are a way of an artist telling their story or narrating something that they have experienced through visuals.

7.To buy into the artists lifestyle: Some artists like to give their fans and target audiences insight into their lifestyle through music videos for example a generic hip-hop music video would include expensive jewelery and alcohol, attractive women in provocative clothing and flashy cars.


Styles Of A Music Video:

1. Performance (singing/dancing)
2. Narrative (telling the audience a story)
3. Concept (selling the audience an idea, theme or ideology)
4. Some music videos contain a mixture of different styles.

Codes And Conventions:
The codes and conventions of music genres are all different to each other because of different target audiences.

                                     "Pretty Hurts" Music Video (Beyonce):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXXQLa-5n5w&feature=kp

What is the purpose of this music video/ Why this appeals to the particular target audience?:

The concept of this music video is to show women in particular that what society considers as "pretty" or acceptable is not always as glamorous and pleasant as it seems, this is shown through various parts of the music video, for example when Beyonce is having her waist measured and sucks in her stomach in order to appear to be skinnier than she really is which gives the target audience of this music video the idea that sometimes trying to be pretty involves a lot of stress, insecurity and delusion which is not at all pleasant.

The concept of the music video also causes the audience to take into consideration the message behind the song by looking at the visuals which give a better narration the message behind the song. The music video causes the audience to build a relationship with Beyonce through the powerful message of the song.

The music video is mainly narrative based as there are various parts in the music video where Beyonce sings as she acts out what she is singing for example; when she says "pretty hurts" and smiles at the judges of the pageant show, this implies to the audience that in general alot of people that appear to seem to be happy are not as happy as they seem. Using this concept for the song is also an advantage to Beyonce as an artist as the target audience of the music video are given the impression that Beyonce a compassionate and authentic artist, which is favourable to Beyonce because this means that her fans are ore likely to keep buying her singles and supporting her as an artist because of the message behind the song through the visuals in the music video.

What are the codes and conventions of the particular music genre and how are they followed?:

Evidence that this music video is narrative and performance based is throughout the music as Beyonce mimes the lyrics to the song and acts out the occurances in the song which is equally effective because the audience are given a visual aspect of the story behind the song. Most pop music videos by female artists always involve the female artist being glamorously drssed and also being the main character of the music video (as shown in this music video). 

This gives the target audience a clear indication of the genre of the song through the music video which is also an effective marketing strategy to advertise the artist and the single.