Techniques in Music Videos

A technique is the specific, skillful and efficient way of carrying out a task, or in this case, making a music video. There are 5 different techniques that a music video would use - Cutting to the Beat, Lip Sync, Multi-Screen, Chroma Key and Animation.

Cutting to the Beat

The process of cutting to the beat involves using significant beats in the song as a transition to clips and images. Its main purpose is to keep the audience engaged with the story and direct their attention to certain parts of the lyrics.

In Chris Brown's video for 'Look at me now', the is a lot of cutting to the beat, cutting between different scenes, introducing other characters and dance routines. In the beginning of the song, there is a dialogue between Chris Brown and another character, which is later followed by a syncopation (a combination of rhythms put in unexpected order which make part of the music off-beat), in which we see shots of both characters, created in a way that almost presents them as rivals.

On the first beat, we see a man screaming towards the camera, however, with no sound, setting a chaotic and wild tone to the video.

 

On the second beat, the character Chris Brown
had a conversation with appears to the camera, kicking before the lights go off and his/her eyes glow. This is another primal and animalistic reference, as being in a cage is typical for wild animals who cannot be restrained, matching the video theme.

Between the second and the third beat, there is an anticipation for a beat that isn't there, but however, the scene changes, as it reveals Chris Brown, short;y before jumping to the next scene.

The third beat transition shows the other character again, this time hanging from the top of the cage, like a monkey would.

The next two beats are very quick, in which the scene is the same, but Chris Brown changes face expressions quickly, creating the illusion of two different scenes:

 

On the last beat, the mysterious character jumps on the floor, and the video cuts to the next scene, where Chris Brown performs with background dancers.

Later on in the song, the beat transitions include more lyrical references such as:

"Yellow Lamborghini"

"bigger than gorilla" - this is another wildlife reference, similar to the hanging from the top of the cage, the screaming and the kicking.

Lip Sync

Lip Sync is the technique of syncing the video with the audio track =, creating the illusion that the artist is performing. It is used in many music videos, but there are a few different ways of approaching this technique. 

An example of using lip sync in a creative way is one of Victoria Secret's lip sync music videos, where they release a video of their supermodels lip-syncing to popular, new songs. Those videos are often used b MTV and other music channels when they play the song.

► Lip Sync and Playback

Playback and lip-sync is used when a director wants to create the idea of events happening in slow motion, while the lip singing in the video is still timed with the normal pace of the song. 

In order to achieve this effect, artists would have to learn to sing the song in doubled speed and record it. Afterwards, the video is slowed down by 50%, so everything seems in slow motion, but the artist sings in the right timing.

A good example for this is Ellie Goulding's video for 'Burn', as the majority of the music video is filmed in slow motion, creating a warm, nostalgic feeling.

► Playback and Lip Sync in Reverse

This is when a music video looks like it is going backward, with everything being reversed. 

When preparing for the video, the artist learns to perform the song in reverse and records the video, which would later be reversed to achieve the effect of a reversed situation, but properly synced.singing.

The Pharcyde's video 'Drop' is filmed entirely in slow motion, making it a good example for a playback and lip sync in reverse video.

Multi Screen 

In multi-screen videos, there are a more than one clips playing at the same time, showing more than one things happening. This is done by filming each video separately and putting them together in post-production. 

The multi-screen technique is usually used in girl band videos, like Little Mix's video for 'Hair', in order to show all band members singing: 

However, multi-screen could be used to accent on the meaning of the song. An example for this is Beyonce's video for 'Countdown', where multiple clips of her appear, creating the illusion of counting/countdown and anticipating a change in the beat.

 

 

 

Near the end of the video, more people are included, without editing, but the theme of multi-screen is still present through the camera angles and props.

Another way of using multi-screen is in an abstract concept video, combining contrasting concepts together, creating unusual images. An example for this is the video for 'Go Up' by Cassius, Pharell Williams and Cat Power;

Chroma Key

Chroma Key, also known as Green Screen, is a popular technique music video directors go to if a visual cannot be achieved in any other way. 

The process of it involves the artist performing in front of a green screen, which is replaced with a different backdrop in post-production.

An example of a music video featuring Chroma Key is Jessie J's music video for 'Domino'. She performs in front of a background that seems to come to life, as it moves and changes into different shapes and colours. 

Animation

Animation in music videos is used to tell stories that otherwise would be impossible. 

An example of a music video featuring animation is Chris Brown's video 'I Can Transform Ya'. The video uses a combination of Chroma Key and animation, creating the idea of a new, technologically advanced world and transformer-like images, as he turns into a man from a car, freezes time and makes people appear.

Another way animation could be used in a music video, is if the whole video is animated. An example for this is Kanye West's video for 'Heartless', where an animated version of him performs the song around animated women and famous cartoon characters.