Categories Of Music Videos

There are 3 main categories of music video:

• Performance Based Videos where the band or star performs in the song

Beyonce

Little Mix- DNA

JLS

These types of videos would appeal to the intended audiences as if they're fans of the artist it creates a personal relationship between the audience and the artist. Also, if they are singing directly to the camera it creates a connection between them. The videos that mostly use performance based visuals are from the 'Pop' genre as this is the typical convention of these videos.
On the other hand, they don't have a narrative to them which may make it hard for audiences to truly engage with the genre. These videos contain shots of the artists performing through either a live stage performance or a studio. There can also be a particular visual style that goes with the artist (a motif) which could differ from clothing to types of images. This category is popular to audiences as it allows the artist to connect with them creating more publicity for themselves. As their eye line is directly towards the camera it allows audiences to see their emotions and therefore they can engage with them more.

• Narrative Based Videos where there is a story for the audience to follow

Taylor Swift- Love story

Ed Sheeran- Thinking Out Loud

Frances- Don't Worry About Me (Narrative only artist is not involved)

Narrative videos help to emphasise the artists are more interested with their music rater than portraying themselves as the centre of attention. If the artist is included in the narrative visuals, this may tell the audience more about the person allowing them to connect more with the sing lyrics and storyline. However, most narrative videos are very costly for the record label to produce.

• Concept Based Videos where there is no real story or performance, but simply some unusual or strange images or visuals.

Take Care - Drake

Redo Hot Chilli Peppers- Californication

A successful concept based video is one which will keep the audience entertained into what can be seen on the screen. They usually contain unusual elements joined together to form the video.

However, these videos are usually hard to understand so audiences may not appreciate them as much.