Specific Knowledge of Music Videos

Target Audiences for Music Videos 

The target audience for a music video is typically made up of pre-existing fans of the artist, although due to the purposes of a music video, the target audience is usually extended to also be targeted at people who aren't fans of the band at the time, in order to build promotion and hype for an upcoming release. Most bands will make a video in a more pop based style in order to reach out to a larger audience. An example of this is the video for Use Somebody by Kings of Leon, because features of it such as the large number of close-up shots which are normally used in pop music videos. This means it demonstrates how the band are attempting to attract a new, larger audience to their work. 

A contrasting idea about target audiences within music videos is a video which aims to please pre-existing fans, without necessarily earning the band any more fans. This type of audience targeting is usually favoured when the video is promoting a fairly low key release. An example of this is the video for All The Time by The Strokes. It doesn't contain any new video as it only contains clips of the band performing in the past - this is unlikely to open the band up to a larger audience, but is likely to please pre-existing fans of the band.

Typical Images Found in Music Videos

There are two typical images which are often featured in pop music videos - lots of closeup shots of the artist performing, or images of actors and perhaps the artist playing out the story which is being told within the lyrics. Closeup shots are often used if it is the image of the artist which is being promoted by the music video above the actual song, this is why they have been used so extensively in Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus.

In hard rock and metal videos, a typical image which can almost always be seen is the band playing in front of a huge crowd. This is to match the ideas about power and dominance which often run throughout the music, and they are often trying to market the whole band rather than a single singer. An example of featuring a huge crowd within a music video for a rock/metal act is Thunderstruck by AC/DC, as it presents the band as being almost heroic in the eyes of their fans who are singing along. It is also a clever image to base the video around in terms of marketing due to its use of the hypodermic needle theory. It makes it seem like the masses are a fan of the band - this encourages more people to also listen to the bands music as they believe it is the accepted thing.

Settings and Locations for Music Videos

The setting of a music video often encompasses the mood which is told in its lyrics, for example the unsettling tale about prostitution which is told in the lyrics When The Sun Goes Down by Arctic Monkeys is demonstrated by the run down, unattractive location. In addition to this, it is mainly set in the night time, which gives the video a more eerie feel as it makes the location setting seem even more uninviting. 

Another often used location for music videos is a domestic setting, such as a band playing within a house. This can often be in order to make the band seem to be more appealing an inviting, especially to a mainstream audience, which is why this sort of setting (such as a living room, or a place which many people are familiar with such as a shop or a pub) is often used for bands who are attempting to break into the mainstream with their music. An example of this is Follow Baby by Peace, which is set in a living room in order to make the band appear to be more down to earth and inviting.