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Friday 22 August 2014

The Influence of Music Videos and the Synergy Created


Print off and add to Section A: Question 1a of your exam folder - conventions
This post will help you with the evaluation question on the conventions of your products
Task: Summarise this post and find your own resources

The influence of music videos can be seen in a wide range of media products, as well as the language used to describe the style and form of moving image media apparently preferred by younger people, now known as ‘The MTV Generation’. Since the 1980’s, there has been evidence of the music video form’s influence on TV programmes such as Miami Vice, in film trailers, and in the use of revived and re-released pop songs in advertisements, most noticeably the long running Levi jeans campaigns 



The camera and editing style of the work of many film directors from Guy Richie to David Fincher, clearly draws upon the influence of music videos and unsurprisingly many film directors cut their teeth on pop promos. The synergy of film and music videos is often apparent in the production of promo clips, which strongly resemble film trailers (and vice versa). There are often alternative versions of music promos, featuring clips from the film in which the song appears intercut with performances from the band; the film helps sell the single and album and the music video helps sell the film, thus creating synergy. One example of this synergy is Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Streets of Philadelphia which opens the film, alternating the shots of Tom Hanks in the movie with Springsteen singing whilst walking through the streets of the city. It is filmed to look like he is exchanging looks with Tom Hanks, but this is all achieved through the camerawork and editing. Another, more blatant example is Men in Black (Barry Sonnenfeld, USA 1997) where the mise en scene of the film is used in the music video with Will Smith, the lead actor, singing in the title track. Girls Aloud’s ‘Jump’ (2003) is drawn from the film ‘Love Actually’ (Richard Curtis, UK/USA, 2003) and is constructed so the girls appear to be in the room next door to the characters in the film.. Indeed all of Richard Curtis’s work for the production company Working Title have used this kind of synergy to increase the profile of the companies’ films.
In short, music videos have come full circle, where initially they drew on the influences of film conventions to sell their music (intertextual referencing), they now often play an active role in selling films.
Teaching Music Video – by Pete Fraser – BFI Publication

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