What is the function of a music video?

What is a music video?

• A videotaped performance of a recorded popular song, usually accompanied by dancing and visual images interpreting the lyrics. 

• However, the production of music videos are far from simplistic. This can be very experimental and stylised, utilizing a different structure, camera and editing techniques that we aren't familiar with seeing in conventional broadcast moving image texts, such as TV drama or News.

What are the functions of a music video?

• There are many different purposes of a music video such as giving a visual representation of the song, but it's main purpose is to promote the single, the album the single is from, and of course, the artist. To do this, a music video has to:

1. Sell the song in a way that the audience can remember the song from the video.
2. To provide the viewer with a better understanding of the song so they engage with it both visually and audibly.
3. To entertain the viewer by highlighting the talents of the artist - dancing, singing, performing and physical appearance.

A good example of a music video is Lady Gaga - Telephone. This is because it is an event video and it conforms to the music video conventions of the pop genre. Her costumes, props and crazy hairstyles also help promote her music videos as they are her trademarks.