Vernalli’s main points and ideas on editing and camerawork in music videos.

In ‘Experiencing Music Video’, Carol Vernallis’s focuses on the editing and camerawork of music videos and tries to explain to us the main points and ideas on those particular areas that are taken in consideration when making a music video.

While studying editing and camera work, Vernalli has realised that editing in music videos come much more frequently than in films and in fact they seem to have a rhythmic basis which in most cases is closely connected to the song. This means that the usual rules of ‘continuity’ editing which we came across with our thriller productions is broken when it comes to music videos, mainly because that way you tend to draw the viewers’ attention to what is on the screen.  Similarly, edits such as wipes, may be made really obvious for the same reason to draw attention to them. Another thing which is very common to music videos is the use of jump cuts, this is perhaps as common in music videos as the use of close ups of the main artist. Having close ups of the main artist not only makes the audience aware of who the main artist is, but also promotes them. Finally, Vernallis’s informs us that a master shot (also known as base track) is frequently used in order to give the video a structure.

   

Just Jack – Straz in Their eyes is an example of a music video that illustrates Vernallis’s ideas because we can clearly see the obvious use of special effects in the course for instance when the people explode an turn into stars. Similarly, there are about 3 base tracks, the hotel corridor, the black screen, and then the stage which the video keeps going back to. There is also no real continuity as the video features a variety of places that are pretty much different or not linked with one another and there isn’t much of a story middle and end.

Supergrass – Sun Hits the Sky is another example of a video that follows the points Vernallis had made. In Sun Hits the Sky, straight away there’s use f jump cuts as the red car makes its way close and close to the camera. Similarly, it is obvious that the base track for the video was the desert where the group was signing and playing their instrument, this is known because ever so often it would go back to them playing an singing along to the song. Finally, there’s use of obvious edits such as the overlapping of two scenes near the end, this is an interesting technique to use because it grabs the audiences’ attention, while also relating to the mood of the song as it’s very calm.