Analysis of current music video

Music video analysis: Paramore- Hard Times 

Many current music videos appear to have similar conventions. Here is my analysis of 5 different conventional techniques used in this music video.



Direct address to the audience-the musicians/actors will directly stare into the camera looking to the audience. This breaks the 'fourth wall' and is quite common in music videos, as oppose to films, where a suspension of disbelief is held throughout.







Lighting changes-these are often and very noticeable. Lighting can jump from dark, low lighting to high key in little to no time. This is not apparent in films as this would seem unrealistic and shock the audience who would not be expecting it.






Special effects are commonly used to add a visual and many times may not match the music. In this music video, boldly coloured streaks of light randomly appear and disappear throughout the video. It draws in the audience through the use of colour and having a cool effect.




Costume changes are very apparent in music videos. They often connote different aspects of the character within the video, or different persons they are taking on. Most often they are bold and immediately recognized by the audience instead of blending in. In this video, they are wearing brightly coloured jumpsuits for example, yellow, pink and blue.



The editing of a music video is, in many ways, the most common convention of music videos. The discontinuous editing is used throughout which creates a dysfunctional sense of time for the audience. It is an instantly identifiable feature of music videos as scenes often jump from one to another.