Research - Codes and Conventions

Codes and conventions of a music video vary depending on the genre of the music, the mood, and the beat of the song, also can effect the lighting, mise-en-scene and propps etc.

The main general conventions for a Music Video:

• The artist/band is shown in the video whether this is performing at a gig or concert that they are playing or they are involved in the narrative of the video this could save money for actors and is often done. Also a number of music videos now consist of basic ideas such as just walking and don't have a main storyline/narrative, a good example of this is coldplay where he won award for both his music videos which involved him in rewing for the whole of the video and also when walking along the beach which was done all in one shot, which does go against some people's ideas of the conventions of a music video, but this is seen as the new way.
• Lyrics of the song influence what is done/shown in the music video for example the lyrics from a song mention a boy playing football then a shot of that would be shown to link in with the lyrics and make the lyrics clear as it shows someone doing that.
• The pace of editing fits in with the pace of the music. A good example of this is the prodigy alot of their songs are loud and upbeat and alot of there videos involve alot of action and lots of short clips which are shown. What often happens is that the clips involve one shot then from a different angle and then the shot after goes back to the previous angle this prevents the audience from getting bored from seeing one clip for 5-10 seconds.
• The codes of mise-en-scene/dress reflect can show the audience alot of things such as the type of music they sing and what genre they might be in e.g. lots of cash and bling suggests a rapper. Also mise-en-scene/dress can show us the mood of the song.

The main conventions of a CD Package:

• A main image has to be used on almost each page of the CD package but the best image should be on the front cover.
• The front and backcover should use the same background, colours, text to keep the continuity and make it look as one as this is how it will be viewed when the Cd package is shut.
• The text on the front cover needs to be large, bold and stand out ontop of the background.
• The front cover is often simple, but it is key that it fill up most of the space on the page to keep it interested and preventing dead space on the page.
• Often the picture presented on the front cover involves the artist/band and any awards that they have won, or comments from well known sources.
• The back cover should involve copyright,distribution, production and exhibition information to make the audience aware.
• The inside page should use the same background, colours, text to keep the continuity throughout and make it look as one as this is how it will be viewed when the CD package is open.
• Inside page should have one main image with information presented along side it about the artist/band/songs/album etc.
• The right hand side of the page should be basic as it will most of the time be covered up by the CD and won't be seen often, but still needs to involve colour and image to prevent it looking dull and blank.

The main conventions of a Magazine Advert:

• This involves one large image that instantly can be recognised with the aritst/band, this could be a picture of the artist/band, a logo which is well known for them or even the same image that is shown on the CD cover.
• It need to be bold, clear and stand out ontop of a blank and basic background colour.
• A master head should be used at the top of the page to present the artist/bands name along with the album name, this makes it clear what they are trying to sell and who they are if the audience does not already know.
• Text should also be used at the bottom of the page explaing when the date of the album is out, the formats you can buy the album on, website information of the artist or company distributing the album.
• The text throughout the page often uses one main colour this is a simple and basic colour as the image should stand out and the text should be easy to read so basic is often the option.