Definition of a music video

- A music video is a set of moving images that has been created to be played along with a song. The moving  images normally represent the song some way, whether its a live performance by the band(performance), or a story being told by an actor(narrative) or even just coloured shapes moving in time to the beat of the song(concept).

- A music video is very important to the song, it can add a deeper story line and can help the viewer understand the story better than just listening to the music.

-It is also a chance to include the artist, normally this would be by a performance but can also include a type of acting or visual art performance like dancing. 

-Music videos are a way of advertising and promoting the band/artist. Sometimes the music video will be uploaded before the single is released to get the consumers excited for the song. 

-Music videos can be seen as works of art, People such as Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas and Duran Duran have one Grammy awards for their music videos. 

-It has almost become a competition in music videos to who can create the quirkiest or original idea which sometimes takes the emphasis of the actual song, showing that music videos can represent the song in both positive and negative ways.

- There are many theorists who also give definitions and ideas about music videos, Andrew Goodwin identifies 5 key aspects in music videos.

 1. Thought Beats/Seeing the sound
This means seeing the sound in your head, the voice can be seen as an instrument and all voices are unique, you need to be able to understand and interact with the song. Goodwin also says that songs can be made to be like stories so the song can be a two way communication, the artist telling us the story and us listening to it.

2.Narrative and Performance 
Songs tend to fail to give us the complete narrative, we only get a slight idea of the meaning of the song but then interpret it our different ways. 
Narrative and performance work together as it makes it more entertaining for the audience to watch again without getting bored.
The audience need to be able to believe the performance being put on, this is why it is often the artist lip syncing etc as they can make it more believable as they normally have a better understanding of the song. 

3. 'Star Image'
The star image is a way for an artist of band to look unique in the industry, their star image can develop over time but is a major influence towards their music video. It is simply certain aspects of an artists style that are easily recognisable to the audience.
Examples of Star Images are;
Elvis Presley-quiff and signature phrases.
Michael Jackson-glove and trilby hat and also iconic dance moves
Some artists are even known just for their hair style e.g Jessie J and her signature black bob and fringe.

4.Relation of visuals to the song.
-Illustrate; Images included in the video are used to reflect the lyrics and meanings of the song, this is very common.
-Amplify; Meanings and effects have been manipulated and are drummed into our heads so we remember them, usually to portray a significant message.
-Disjuncture; Where the meaning of the song is completely ignored in the video.

5.Technical Aspects 
How the music video has been created e.g camera work, shots and angles, mise en scene, special effects, editing, cutting and camera movement. 
Mise en scene is vital, the music video needs to look as professional as possible, this is done by mise en scene which includes anything in shot of the camera e.g costumes, props and actors.