Types of Music Videos- Music Video Theory

In music industry, music videos can be made to be shown along side to a new released song. Music videos can be split into three different types of music videos to help categorize them; Performance, Narrative and Conceptual (Experimental). They were catergorised by Simon Firth in 1988 to show all of these types of music videos express themselves differently to the audience and have different criteria to reach.

Performance

Performance videos are the most common type of music video in the music industry. These classically feature the band or star singer performing in a concert to wildly enthusiastic fans. The goal of this is to convey the sense of the concert experience with this band to the audience and to shows the audience that they should like this band if they are so liked by the fans. Performance videos can also show the band or star in their studio creating their song. This is a reminder to the viewer that the sound track is still important to the band or star, showing the audience that this is still the most significant element to them, excluding the belief that they are in it for fame or money out of the audiences minds.

Bon Jovi- Wanted Dead or Alive

The Bon Jovi song "Wanted Dead or Alive" has a music video categorized under performance. In the music video, they are seen to compare themselves to cowboys as it shows them traveling on their tour like cowboys used to travel. Cleverly, they also use traditional music shown in western movies when they are traveling and manage to put it into their song. Continuing with the theme of cowboys, the song being named "Wanted Dead or Alive" fits to the fact that the video is in black and white because most wanted posters back in western movies were in black and white. The title of the song, as well as the lyrics, can also link to the fact that they are always wanted to perform from the fans and it could almost kill them from how much they travel just to perform for the fans. This can show the audience that although it could almost kill them, they continue their travels just to perform for their fans. In this music video, they are also shown practising. Many of these shots are set up but are styled to show the "Rockstar Lifestyle" to the audience and that all they do is about the music and their fans.

Narrative

Narrative music videos may tell any story with a sequence in the events shown. A classic and most common example of this is Love stories. Narratives most likely follow the lyrics, being acted out in the music video or referred to in some way. Narratives are meant to capture the audiences attention with the story, keeping them entertained throughout.

Bruno Mars- Grenade

Bruno Mars' song "Grenade" uses the classic story telling of the man losing the woman and trying to get her back by being romantic; a simple narrative to perform. Bruno Mars is shown in this video to be comparing his self to Jesus through many ways. One way is by him pulling the piano through the streets similarly to how Jesus pulled the cross through the streets. The second way is through how in the video there is a gang that tries to persecute Bruno Mars just like how Jesus was persecuted by many people.

Conceptual (Experimental)

Conceptual, or experimental, music videos rely on a poetic poem, primarily a metaphor to get the point of the music video across. These music videos don't tell a story but rather create a mood to be evoked by viewing it. These music videos can also contain many different meanings and can be interpreted by the audience in many ways, keeping the audience interested in the music video because they want to figure out the meaning.

Sweet dreams- Eurythmics

The Eurythmics were famous for their conceptual videos, "Sweet Dreams" possibly being the peak of their career.

In this video, they bring across that the song is set in the music industry because records are hanging on the walls. The song can also be seen to be talking about the music industry and how music labels will try to use artists, especially through the line of "Some of them want to use you." This can also be seen through the line of "Who am I to disagree?". This line shows that she cannot disagree with how the music industry works because she is an artist herself.

Costume is also important in this video, both of them being in suits in the music industry room but in different clothes when in the field. This can convey to the audience their sense of freedom at vein, having to be serious in the music industry but allowed to be free in their dream world.