Research Blog: Music video conventions

 Welcome back.

To learn how to do something you must see it first. So here we are. We look at 3 different videos, so let's get into it.

WUSYANAME by Tyler, The Creator:

The music video opens with an establishing shot of a blue car, with suitcases on the top, driving down a road towards mountains in the distance. From this shot it moves to a bird's eye view on the car to a wide shot of the same. The wide shot is then cut into a close of the back windshield and the suitcases.  The Actor (Tyler) was wearing an outfit that fit perfectly with the setting. All other background actor were in a similar style, though he was the only one in a hat. A female lead actor was introduced as Tyler was trying to talk to her as shown through a close up and two shot, cutting between the two. This continues until there is a close up on the dish is her hand as she is walking away from him. She then sits at a table with another man in a two shot, the two bring the only ones in all gray. It then freezes and text appear saying 'call me if you get lost' with colorful stars bordering it. Ending the music video.

SEE YOU AGAIN ft Kali Uchis by Tyler,  The Creator :

The video opens with a wide shot to a medium close up to a close up, actors in all white with white background. A cut to black to a split screen with a medium close up. Another fade to a wide shot then close up. Fades to black once again to a medium close up to a wide shot to an extreme long shot,  showing the setting of the submarine. The extreme long shot was more into a long shot of a new person, in a boat, wearing yellow. It fades to black returning in a different setting. The actor from earlier is seen in white while background actors were in red and white. He is seen walking in a different direction from the background actors, a close up shot. Then he is seen in dim lighting, a quarter of his face lit, in all black with a trumpet player in a two shot. Then to a high angle were he is seen walking on the others. A tracking shot is used to change location into a low angle. The low angle then turns into a wide shot, where a new setting is introduced another tracking shot is used. A prop of a tire set swings in the background. Then it's a close of on Tyler as a ghost turning to bees, which covers the camera fading to black. 

3005 by Childish Gambino:

The establishing shot is slightly blur from view, then it pans to the ferris-wheel's carts. The actor (Gambino) is shown in a similar outfit to the teddy bear he his co-starring with, shown with a two shot. The actor is lip-syncing the lyrics to the song. The shot changes a close up and flows into a extreme close up, panning the camera slightly while the lights dim.  The camera pans more until it returns to the two shot, the lights dim and brighten. As the lights dim the camera goes into a close up and extreme close up again on the actor. All the while the bear goes from moving and being still. Panning again, the lights are getting dimer until they completely go out. The background is shown on fire as the camera continues to pan and it returns to the cart, where the bear is shown charred and alone in a medium close up. Then it fades to black with the song still playing until the video returns with a wide shot of the carnival.