Structures of Music Videos

There are 4 different Structures of music video:

Performance: 

This is when the music is performed either through dance, playing of an instrument or singing. Their is no narrative in the video it is just performance. An example of this is



Their is only performance as it is just the girls and Beyonce dancing to the music with nothing else. This style is most used by rock artists and dance artists

 Narrative: 

This is when the video shows a story usually the story has some connection to the song either through the lyrics or the message of the song. Their is no performance in the video just a storyline. An example of this is 'Sleepwalker' by Parkway Drive

Their is a narrative being shown here in relation to the music, it is a point of view shot of a man representing the sleepwalker.

Abstract: 

This is when the video and music have no relation to each other and no performance is done in the video to mimic the music. An is example of this is 'Vermillion Pt. 2' by Slipknot.


The Video is very abstract to the song, their is no change of scene or appearance of the band. Their is no significant objects or people apart from the girl.

Hybrid:

 This is when the music video uses two or more qualities of the other types of music video. It can incorporate elements of all three Abstract, Performance and Narrative. An example of this is 'Wormholes' by Volumes

This is a

combination of abstract performance and narrative as some of the shots have nothing to do with the music or story.This is a typical structure of a music video and all artists use this type of hybrid.

Favourite Music Video Presentation

I have chosen the music video Through the glass by Stone Sour. It is a hybrid music video of performance and narrative. I like this music video because it has a clear message it is trying to portray; the message being that Hollywood and most celebrities are one dimensional; that they are fake and are artificially made for us to look up to them.

I like the match on action that this video does with the cardboard cutouts and the actual people, It is quite cleverly done. I think the lyrics do match some of the storyline for example "its the stars that shine for you... its the stars that lie to you." This is matched with the one dimensional cutouts.

I mainly like he music video for the concept and message that it is trying to put across. Which is, that Hollywood and celebrities are one dimensional and created to be sold to the public no different from advertisement or a product in a shop.