music videos/ extra terms

High Key Lighting

A scene is flooded with light. Can create a happy, energetic mood

Focus Pull

Shifts the attention of the scene quickly from one point to another

Direct Address

When a person looks straight into the camera, as if they are speaking to YOU

Filter

Colours a scene in a certain way. Helps create atmosphere or enhances a mood.

Low Key Lighting

Often involves shadowy areas. Used in horror or scenes of sadness

Slow Motion Editing

Creates emphasis on a particular scene

Performance

A video that mainly consists of the artist or band performing in the video.

Conceptual

Videos that do not tell a story in linear fashion, but rather create a mood, a feeling to be created in the experience of viewing.

Narrative

A video which tells a story. It is often linear and has a cause and effect sequence.

Hybrid

A music video that contains a range of different styles. eg Performance/Narrative

Fragments

Short clips within a video that complement the main story or performance. Also known as B-Roll footage.

Genre

A style of music with particular characteristics - eg dance, indie.

Lip Syncing

When an artist looks to camera and sings the lyrics of a song, often using direct address.

Mise en Scene

Lighting, props, costume, make-up and location all help to create a visual style.

Anchor

When what appears on screen is linked to the lyrics.

Camera Movements

Helps to keep the pace of a video - for example, panning, tracking, tilting.

Representation

How artists, characters or locations are portrayed to audiences in a music video. Sometimes this is simplistically, through stereotypes.

Stereotype

People grouped together according to simple shared characteristics.