2000's Music Promo's

2003: Beyonce- Crazy in Love 

This music promo is conventional in the way that all the shots are focused on the main artist, and so making it that all attention and focus is on her throughout the whole of the promo, the camera shots are mainly close ups and extreme close ups of the artists face, however some mid and long shots are used to show the setting. This video is also conventional in the way that the artist is shown to be performing the song, however unconventional in the way that the whole video is not focused on the performance of the songs, as in some shots more of a narrative is seen.

The mis-en-scene throughout most of this promo is very bright and colourful create a light and cheerful atmosphere, which matches well with the song itself, even in the scenes where the lighting is darker, spotlights are used in the way that still draws attention to the artist.

2004: Black Eyed Peas- Pump It

This music promo is quite conventional in the way that most of the video is focused mainly on the artists and the performance of the song, but does not fall into the category of a performance video as there is a narrative behind the video.


The setting used, does not relate to the lyrics however it suits the type of song and works well with the melody used. The narrative used shows the artists in a very powerful sense, in the way that they are in control of all the situations seen in the promo. The mise-en-scene is quite plain which brings the main point of focus to the artists themselves, focus is also drawn to the artists in the clothes that they are wearing in comparison to other characters in the promo. The band are wearing quite colourful and eye catching outfits whereas the other character are wearing blacks and greys which help them to blend in with the other colours in the mis-en-scene drawing almost no main focus to them.


A range of different shot types are used throughout this promo, establishing and long shots are used to show the setting there are also a number of close up and extreme closes up of the artists again making them the main point of focus.

1990's Music Promo's

1995: Atlantis Morrisette- You Outta Know 

This promo is quite conventional as it shows the artist singing throughout most of the clip, it also shows the artist in quite an exotic looking location which is seen in a number of different music promos.

In a number of clips in this promo the artist is shown on her own in a very empty landscapes, which almost reflects some themes within the lyrics, and shows the idea of being alone and without someone. A number of different shot types are used throughout this promo, however a large number consist of mainly establishing and long shots, these shots help to show the vast landscapes which shows her isolation from anyone else. However cut into these shots, clips of her singing with a band are seen, giving the promo a more conventional performance aspect.

Towards the end of the promo the artist is scene in more built up areas which contrasts the shots seen early, reflecting a change in emotions of the artist (e.g. not feeling so alone any more)

1990: MC Hammer- U Can't Touch This  

This music promo is quite conventional for the genre of music that it is, being a dance track; compared to a song that would need to show narrative or emotion to illustrate the lyrics.

A number of different camera angles have been used throughout this clip to show different people in different locations as well as the artist, who in some shots can be seen singing/miming along to the words. A number of high and low angles shots are used as well as a range of close up shots to long shots. This video compared to others is a montage of all the different shots that they have got, this works as it reflects the energy in the song.

A lot of different editing techniques have also been used throughout this clip, some colours are made more prominent than others and some shots have been made on grey scales with only one or two colours shown, the mise-en-scene is mostly quite bright colours again reflecting the energy of the music. In shots where the mise-en-scene is darker the artist is spotlighted, and flashes of different colours can be seen which still creates are more cheerful and bright looking shot.

1980's Music Promo's

1983/4: Matthew Wilder- Break my Stride 

This video is very conventional for music videos, showing only the artist performing on a stage; inferring that they are playing to an audience.

This mise-en-scene in this promo is focused mainly on the performance of the artist, rather than showing any objects/images to assist with any narrative, the room is lit with a blue lighting, this is the same throughout the promo, and spotlights are used to bring the focus onto the artist and when needed onto the dancers. The artist in this video is wearing the brightest colour making him stand out from others in the video, the next point of focus is on the dancers as they are spotlighted and wearing green.

The shots in this promo are mainly mid shots, and close ups of the artist singing. However at the beginning of the promo an establishing shot of the stage is seen, this also makes the promo quite conventional, as in most videos for any genre tend to begin with an establishing shot of the artist, or the setting. Panning shots are also used to show the band and to show the audience that is there watching them perform.

1985: Madonna- Into the Groove 

This promo is slightly more unconventional than others, however for what it is, it fits with the genre well, this promo doubles as a backing track for the movie 'Desperately Seeking Susan' and so instead of using conventional scenes seen in a number of promos, this also has scenes and characters from the movie mixed in with scenes shot for the music video, however the main shots seen are all clips from the movie put together in a montage, this helps the promo advertise not only the song but the movie as well, through doing this the music promo also appears almost as a trailer for the film.  

This promo shows the singer throughout the video, however there is no real performance (e.g.showing just her singing); it is focused mainly of narrative. There is some illustration of the lyrics, however this promo takes a key theme and centres the different shots around it.

There are a variety of shots and transitions used throughout this clip,there are a number of pans to set the scenes and most of the shots are close ups, extreme close ups and reaction shots to catch and focus on the characters and the artist. The mise-en-scene in this promo is quite like and there are never any empty shots with just the artist, the shots are all quite busy, as many of them are clips from the movie, some shots have been edited to look as though they are in a photo, which creates a good effect when the shot fades to the artist looking through a number of photos.

Throughout the promo, a close up view of a photographer and a shot of this camera flashing is repeated, giving the idea of fame, relating to the artist and the movie.

Preliminary Task