Music Video Categories

The three main types of music catergories are; performance, narrative and conceptual. Performance videos are those such as 'Let her go' by Passenger. Performance videos allow the viewer to see how important the soundtrack is aswell as the band members or artists are. These videos tend to show the actual group/artist performing on stages or in an enclosed room, much like at a concert.



Narrative videos basically do what it says on the package, its 'narrative', meaning the video tells a story. There is usually a linear sequence of events that occur however in some cases there are flash backs and flash forwards but still the video tells the story. The most common narrative music videos are love stories, the narrative itself is that two people fall in love or stay in love, something happens to break them up then they get back together at the end. An example of this is Enrique Iglesias's - Hero.


Conceptual videos have an abstract nature to them, they usually dont have any relation to the music itself. Videos such as Sea's - Breathe Me the pictures thrown around which dont really have any connection to her need to be held and wrapped up. Daft Punk also have many conceptual videos with the animation as the videos or the strange costumes with old school dancing.

JTN