Conventions of a music video.

Each genre of music has it's own conventions of a music video, however some genres use conventions that may not necessarily be the stereotypical ones that first spring to mind. It is not essential that all music videos contains every convention, the most effective ones only use a few, but use these well. However they must use the basic conventions to make the music video look professional.
An effective way to prevent viewer fatigue is to change the location and costumes regularly, but this should not just be random. The best music videos change it when the time is right, for example when it fits in with the lyrics that are being sung. These simple things make the music video very exciting to watch and will become memorable to the audience.
Also the camera work is very important in a music video. In making a music video, you need to give the viewers something new to look at in every shot, otherwise they will become bored and lose interest in the video. This does not mean that the camera must stay still, camera movement is crucial. Some music videos will use a tracking shot, to either track the main performer or a character in the video that is important in the storyline.
When editing the music video, the main element that is focused on is the lip synching. If this is done incorrectly, the video will look unprofessional and it will not be watched. This will also disappoint the viewers are they are led to believe that the artist is singing throughout the video, and if the lip synching is done badly then it will reveal that they are not. Also in the editing process, the cuts on the clips need to be a match of the song. For example, a slow paced emotional song would not contain short fast paced with quick cut clips put together. Instead it might have slow paced, long shots with a long duration to reinforce the melancholy theme being portrayed.

ROCK:

1. The Script- Breakeven.
2. Muse- Uprising.
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers- Snow.
4. Blur- Song 2.

Rock music videos are known to have limited lighting with dark colours, either on their costumes or in the location. As rock music tends (not always) to be of a fast paced, the editing has to match with quick cuts and short clips. As you can see in Blur- Song 2 rock videos commonly use close ups of the band members that are performing the song. Another common feature of the rock music video, is to include shots of the fans that are there listening to them play live which can be seen in Red Hot Chili Peppers- Snow. 


POP:

1. Enrique Iglesias- I Like It.
2. Jennifer Lopez- I'm Into You ft. Lil Wayne.
3. Jason Derulo- Don't Wanna Go Home.
4. Jessie J- Nobodys Perfect.

Pop music videos tend to be a complete contrast to rock music videos. The lighting is normally a lot brighter. In Jason Derulo- Don't Wanna Go Home artificial light is used, which you can see behind him in the smoke, whereas in Jennifer Lopez- I'm Into You, natural light is used to light up the stone building and herself. In pop videos the main artist is shown, however these are normally close ups but either with a female character or some background dancers. In Enrique Iglesias- I Like It, it cuts from Enrique (main artist) to dancers in the club, and then cuts again to his female love interest.