Key features of music videos

Music videos are created in order to give the viewer pleasure from watching it so that it encourages them to share the video and repeat viewings which make the product more successful in a popularity and in a financial sense.

Music videos can be split into 3 different categories:

• Illustration - not always literal.
• Amplification - new meanings added to the song.
• Disjuncture - contradiction between visuals and lyrics.

Illustrated music videos are the most common form, these are mainly used in order to show a visual that corresponds with the lyrics.

Amplified music videos are where a particular message or meaning is created by the lyrics of the song, and is further amplified throughout the video through visuals.

Disjunctured music videos completely ignore the lyrics of the song, and can be seen as completely unrelated to the lyrics of the song. Disjuncture is common within concept based music videos, as visuals are contrasted against the song lyrics.