The Pop Video: The Key Features and Processes

The Process:

Firstly, a 'commissioner' from a record label sends a track to five to ten directors who then submit a treatment - this stage is unpaid. After, the director who has submitted the 'best' treatment is then commissioned to make the video and this is when the director is paid.

Different Styles

Music videos vary and range from being primarily performance-based, narrative-based or concept-based. But sometimes they include elements of each. Narrative and performance-based videos often work closely together. As a result, we usually only tend to get a gist of the song's actual meaning and then naturally form our own ideas of what is being told.

Nevertheless, Goodwin suggests that music videos should ignore common narrative as it is in important in their role of advertising. Artists should aim to produce music videos that have a consistent repeatability in order to enhance their brand identity as this makes it easier for the audience to continue watching without losing interest. The artist acting as both narrator and performer helps to increase the authenticity however the lip syncing and other mimed actions remain the key elements of music videos. The audience need to be able to believe that it is real.

Will Young “Leave Right Now” 

Will Young features in his music video as both the narrator and performer. He lip-syncs and performs the song while being involved in a party which ends up in a fight.



An artist must also ensure that the music video is memorable as this will improve sales and audience numbers. There are different methods of doing so:

1) Talking Heads and Sia both make an artistic statement in their music videos. Sia, a modern example, uses American sign language. She says, "I’ve always been obsessed with the beauty of sign language. ... To ignorant hearing me, the movement and expression appears as a dance — a beautiful, emotive dance. But the real beauty is the communication hidden within these perfect shapes."

However, more recently Sia has released another artistic music video with her new single, "Chandelier". This has boosted her audience immensely as it has aired on mainstream television and radio and has gained 238,805,050 views on YouTube since it was published in May 2014.

People recognise these artistic elements of the video which makes them particularly memorable.

Talking Heads - "Once In A Lifetime"



Sia - "Soon We'll Be Found"



Sia - "Chandelier"

2) OK Go show how concept-based music videos can gain a large following. "Here It Goes Again" had one million YouTube hits after six days of initial posting. It is visually compelling and quirky, we see the band dancing on treadmills with a basic background, yet also key for promotion and marketing. It helped promote the band as it also won "Grammy Award for Best Music Video" in 2007. The band then used this similar theme in "White Knuckles" (2010) which sustained this one take performance with minimal props including dogs and plastic containers. While the two ideas seem entirely distant, OK Go's ability to draw the two together in a creative way interests the audience and makes them want to watch it over and over.

"Here It Goes Again" 

"White Knuckles"



Lady Gaga - "Born This Way"

Lady Gaga is known for creating controversy through her 'personal branding'. Her music videos often have underlying meanings to them that are expressed conceptually. They are successful because this style is maintained in all aspects of her career- they make up what we associate "Lady Gaga" with regardless of whether we enjoy the music or not. While watching her videos, it feels more like an art short movie than a music video which makes them intriguing to watch and as a result, it makes the audience want to watch them over and over.

A Historical Perspective: "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was created in 1975 by Bruce Gowers. It is regarded as an important music video because it was the first music video to have a great impact on sales: after the video release, the song went to number one. Also, it is the first to be seen as a work of art in its own right.