Types of Music Videos

Music videos can be divided into three separate categories, these are; 

Performance Based Video 

Narrative Based Video 

Concept Based Video

However music videos can also be entirely made up of animation; however this is rather uncommon. Music videos can also combine different categories within them to make a hybrid music video. 

Performance Based Video 

Performance based music videos generally focus on the artist or band performing throughout the whole music video. They either stand on a stage singing in front of a crowd or in a studio, however they make frequent contact with the audience by looking directly into the camera when they sing. If the artist or band is singing on a stage, the audience they are performing to also usually feature in the music video in order to create a connection with the audience at home who is watching the video. Performance based videos tend not to have an type of narrative within the video and use a variety of camera angles to capture the artist or band and often repeat some of the same shots, such as; close ups of band members playing instruments or close ups of the singers face. Because these performance based music videos focuses on the artist or band it helps to represent their star image; therefore this type of music video is frequently used pop artists. However rock bands also tend to create performance based music videos because it can show off what their concerts are like which will help to engage with their audience. These type of music videos are commonly, referred to as more ‘low key’ because they are less complicated because they don't follow a plot or require additional people to feature in the video. 

The music video for Perfect Skin by Peace is a performance based music video which shows the band performing the song in a home made studio. It doesn't feature a crowd that the band are performing to however the lead singing is looking directly into the camera when he sings so the audience feel connected to the them. 

Another example of a performance based music video is You Give Love A Bad Name by Bon Jovi. This music video features the band performing the song live to an audience at one of their concerts. It includes shots of the crowd reacting to the performance as well as the band looking directly into the camera; this helps the audience feel connected to the band and video.

Narrative Based Video

Narrative based music videos follow a plot or storyline throughout the whole of the video. Characters within the video are either played by actors or by the artist/band members.  Normally if the artist or band is featured within the video they are singing parts of the song to show how it is personal to them; this would be an example of a hybrid video. This is because it features elements of both narrative and performance based videos. The a story behind a narrative based video usually relates to the lyrics of the song however sometimes the music video has little relevance to the lyrics which creates multiple interpretations of the song and its video. The structure of a narrative based music video can appear similar to that of a short film, by having a clear beginning, middle and end. A narrative music video will often use intertextuality and sometimes mimics film genres. 

The music video for Cocoon by Catfish and the Bottlemen is a narrative based music video, where the band is not featured at all in the video. The storyline follows 2 protagonists who meet at a mental institution. Over time they fall in love, however every time they spend time together they are separated by the workers at the institution. The music video for this song, relates strongly to the context of the song and its lyrics. 

Fall Out Boy’s music video for Dance, Dance is a hybrid of narrative and performance. The music video follows the story of a couple going to a homecoming dance, each of the band members feature in the music video; both as themselves and as other characters with individual stories. 

Concept Based Video

Concept based music videos are based around an idea or concept. These type of videos tend to be fairly unique because they use interesting editing techniques.  The concept or idea in the music video is usually completely different to the meaning of the song which creates confusion. A concept video is sometimes combined with elements of a performance video to help maintain the purpose of the video. 

The music video for Dream Lover by The Vaccines is an example of a concept music video. The music video is inspired by retro science-fiction and shows the band members wearing blue jumpsuits and fighting aliens with lazer eyes.  

Californication by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers is an example of a hybrid, concept and performance video because it goes from shots of the band singing and playing their instruments to shots of a video game. 

Animation Based Video 

Animation can either make up a small part of the music video or the whole thing. The animated content can range from the images being hand drawn, created/designed by computer graphics or moulded out of specific materials such as plasticine. 

Two examples of animated music videos include, Heartless by Kanye West and Your Body Is A Weapon by The Wombats.