1. MUSIC VIDEO DESIGN

2. 0.01 TRIVIA! What was the first music video to air on MTV in 1981?
Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles
How many music videos are played on MTV now?
0.01

3. EDITING
Pacing –shots quickly edited / intentionally long & drawn out; How does this reflect mood of song?
Rhythm— cuts / edits synched to beats or chords, etc.? Is pattern being created ?
“ Abstract Effects”—is video layered? multiple frames in one frame? in reverse? Sped up? Slowed down? Repeated? Colors changed? Blurred? Keyframing? Etc. etc.etc.

4. RELEVANCE to the MUSIC
Lip-syncing?—audio matches singer’s lips for much of video; band playing song start to finish with b-roll over top.
Beat-syncing – shots edited on beats: snare drum, cymbals, bass drums, chord changes, etc.

5. RELEVANCE to the MUSIC
Literal / Narrative–clips in video follow what singing is about. Sometimes done to a fault.
Mood / tone –overall look and feel of the video reflects feel of the lyrics/instruments. Some examples might be:
Happy/ upbeat – might feature bright colors, hazy filters, lots of moving shots / actors
Sad / Intense – dark colors, low light, slow edits, high angles, high contrast, serious acting, etc.
Mysterious – blurs, flashes, shadows, silhouettes, etc.

6. CONCEPT / DESIGN
Abstract concept –goal of video is to be different and memorable. (remember, music videos have a lot more freedom to be bizarre, abstract, and nonsensical).
A single, complicated / uncomplicated shot for the whole song
Shots with highly complex choreography (moving in interesting ways)
Elaborate uses of mise en scene / props
Reflections, blurs, lighting, lasers, choreography, projected video, psychedelic
Animation—Is 3-D, stop-motion, cartoon animation, creative text animation used? Why?
Cheap aesthetic—“intentionally bad” for some reason?

7. CINEMATOGRAPHY (FILMING)
What types of shots are used? Why? Some examples:
Are there lots of wide shots to reflect loneliness of the lyrics?
Are there CUs to show what a singer / character is thinking?
Are there quick, complex motion shots to reflect the fast rhythm of the song?
How are light, shadows, colors, reflections, movement used?
Is it dark and dreary to reflect sadness and isolation?
Is it bright, colorful, oversaturated, high contrast?
What type of depth of field is used? Why?
Is it intentionally overexposed or underexposed?

8. Things to remember
To sync a singer’s lips with good audio, shoot the person singing along with the song being played (as a reference track). When editing, match the song in the reference track to the good audio track, then eventually delete or lower the audio from the shot.
Singers may need to exaggerate mouth movements when lip-syncing so video will clearly match audio.
Take advantage of the freedom you have with music videos. Almost any theme or idea can be great if you put enough thought and hard work into it.