Key Features of music videos

Music videos work around three codes and the relationship between theses codes is key to understanding how music videos work. These codes, Music, lyrics and iconography, are designed to provide pleasure for the viewers and encourage repeat viewings. There is a common acceptance that the relationship between a music video and its lyrics have to link; however this isn't necessarily true. An example of this is Fall Out Boys song "American Suitehearts". This lyrics portray the song to be romantic where as the music video is humorous. 
Below is the music video for "American Suitehearts" - Fall Out Boy.

  
Questions that are worth asking of any music video are: Do the visuals illustrate, amplify or offer disjuncture with the lyrics? and do the visuals illustrate, amplify or offer disjuncture with the music? Applying these questions to the music video above I think the visuals offer disjuncture with the lyrics and amplify with the music. When visuals illustrate with the lyrics or music this means that its not always literal. For instance, we might see someone opening the door in a music video and the lyrics may link with the visual but not for all of the lyrics. Amplification means that there are new layers of meaning added to the song. For example, if we hear a sad song and the music video illustrates a morbid event, this amplifies the audiences emotions. The definition of disjuncture in context with a music video means there is contradiction between the lyrics and image. 


Another key feature of a music video is editing. The most common and effective form of editing used in music videos is fast cut montage. This is when we are rendered from seeing some images displayed in a music video, resulting in multiple viewing. An example of this is Outkast -"Ms Jackson".  In contrast, there are some music videos that use slow pace and gentler transitions to establish a mood, for Instance Dido - "Thank you". Digital effects work along side and enhance editing. Digital effects might take the form of split screens, colourisation, and CGI.

CGI

 

Split screens

Colourisation