Conventions of a Music Promo

Camera Work

• Close ups often used - shows instruments and creates tension. Also shows the brand of the instruments - becomes a form of advertising, and also shows that the band have the money to play expensive instruments
• Mid-shots used to show the performers - helps to sell the band, giving priviledged access. Also helps to promote the skills of the band and their musicianship
• Panning & Tracking creates movements and helps to move with the characters through a setting
• Audience reaction shots
• 1st person shots from the perspective of the audience and the performer
• Crane shots - give scale and size of audiences
• Performing into the camera
• Invisible observer

Editing/ Editing Effects

• Camera cuts to the beat of the music
• Sometimes slows down the editing depending on the song genre
• Advanced editing effects are commonplace
• A lot of videos use green screen effects
• Lots of jump-cuts are used

Mise-en-Scene

• Instruments  - shows that the audience can do it. Gives a sense of reality, and adds credibility to the performance.
• Location links with the lyrics of the song & the genre
• Lots of music videos include a cast - not just the band
• Representation of stereotypes
• Costume is also linked to the genre
• Stage performance is often well lit

Narrative & Performance

• Strong link to the lyrics
• Bands often focus on performance - smaller audience, perhaps a 'secret audience'
• Intertextual references commonly used
• Narrative adds to repeatability
• Often don't follow a traditional narrative - can be mixed up/fragmented
• Sometimes narrative is left for the audience to work out