Steve Archer- How to Study Music Videos

Steve Archer suggests the following 'Top Five Things to Look for' when deciding if a music video is any good'.
 

At number 1 ... 'Thought Beats' or seeing the sounds in your head'

-He believes that synaesthesia is central to understanding a music video and they build the visual associations that connect with the audience.
-The lyrics such introduce a general feeling or mood.
-If a song is a story they stand out due to the first person mode of address
-These visualisations can arise from more personal, individual responses, sometimes even tied to a place or part of your own autobiography, the specific details of your life story and emotions.

 At number- Narrative and performance

 -should avoid a classic realist narrative, and that is their role in advertising.
-should have a repeatability factor therefore they can be watched over again.
-Often, music videos will cut between a narrative and a performance of the song by the band. Additionally, a carefully choreographed dance might be a part of the artist's performance or an extra aspect of the video designed to aid visualisation and the 'repeatability' factor.

 At number- The star image

-The music business relies on the relatively few big name stars to fund its activities; it usually fails to connect with popular audiences.
- Meta-narrative is a term that describes the development of the star image over time, the stories that surround a particular artist. 
- object of mass media fascination creates a star

 At number 4- Three ways in which music videos relate visuals to the song

-Music videos can illustrate the meaning of lyrics and genre, providing a sometimes over literal set of images
-Amplification is seen as the mark of the true music video Auteur, the director as artist, and an increasingly common way to view music video creative
-Disjuncture is a term used to describe those music videos that (normally intentionally) seem to work by ignoring the original song and creating a whole new set of meanings

And finally at number 5 ... Technical aspects of music video

-1. Speed! Speed is visualised by camera movement, fast editing (montage) and digital effects, camera, editing and post-production digital effects
-2. Meat! The meat of most music videos is the cut to the close-up of the singer's face.
-3. Beats! Often, the video will try and represent the music through the use of the cut to go with the beat or key rhythm.
4. Lighting and colour may also be used to emphasise key moments in the song, using methods from lighting live performances for dramatic effect.
-Mise-en-scene - obviously the setting for music videos is important, often to guarantee the authenticity of the clip rather than anything else.