Examples of absract music videos

The first abstract music video I have chosen is My Way by Calvin Harris. This is an abstract music video as there is no story line and there is no theme to it. Throughout the video there are a number of glitches which is an unusual feature to see in a pop music video. This video is unusual for the genre of music it comes from, this is because pop music videos are usually simpler and have a story to them which is what makes this one different.







The second abstract video is Chandelier by Sia, this music video features a girl who dances inside an abandoned apartment. There is supposedly a hidden meaning behind this video and due the videos success the artist continued to create a series of abstract videos in the same style. 







This video is for the song 'That's what I like' by Bruno Mars. I think this is an abstract video as pop songs usually have more than just the artist in the video along with dancers however this video features Bruno Mars dancing in the same spot for the duration of the video along with animations.

Example of a narrative music video

The first narrative music video is 'Symphony' by Clean Bandit. This is a narrative pop music video as it tells a tragic love story. The artists said it was the first time they made a linear music video as it follows the characters story from start to finish.





'Last Friday night' by Katy Perry is a good example of a narrative pop music video as it tells the story of a party that the artist is trying to remember from the night before.

Example of performance music videos

 Performance videos feature the artist or the band playing/ singing a song to an audience. A dance routine can be incorporated into the performance video to make it more interesting to watch. Performance music videos are often used by bands especially rock bands.

Andrew Goodwin points out characteristics and features that can be found in music videos

1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip Hop). 
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting). 
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music. (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting). 
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style). 
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
6. The artist may develop motifs or iconography that recur across their work (a visual style)
7. There are often intertextual reference (to films, TV programmes, other music videos etc).