Carol Vernallis' Music Video Theory

Similar to Goodwin, Vernallis also has a number of theories when it comes to the way a music video is produced, performed and seen.

Her concepts are:

·         Narrative: The visuals are the response to a particular piece of music but there doesn't always have to be a narrative. There are many aspects to 'narrative' that Vernallis explores, firstly she states that there must be a driving force for the music video, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the narrative of the song. The narrative may appear to be incomplete, or the music video will end with no clear conclusion and it will also be presented in a 'Montage-style' with no indication of its real meaning but the song itself and the visuals are still presented. However, the narrative, if there is one, will often try to question the audience, and leave them stuck in thought. These points all link to each other, and it enforces the point that a music video is not only being an advertisement, but it could be considered a piece of art for many. It's two creative cultures merging into one in order to provoke an intense amount of varied emotions.

·         Editing: The editing for any video is key, but for a music video it does seem to be extremely important. Vernallis discusses a lot about the relationship with visuals and the music and she specifically talks about editing and its match with the phrase or beat of the music. Another important aspect of this particular concept is the idea that in music videos the rules for continuity editing should be thoroughly broken. This could be done either through cut scenes, extreme changes in pace or breaks in the 180-degree rule etc.

·         Camera Movement and Framing: Extremity in music videos seems to be a recurring theme within this theory of Vernallis, and this concept follows the theme. Extreme close ups, Fish-eye shots, and jumps in shot changes is part of this extremity and will feature in many music videos. Each video may have a specific way of using the camera shots, movement and framing and this 'style' will be distinctive to that particular video. If the audience then view a music video as art form, this aspect works very well as it allows for creativeness and innovation in the film-making world.

·         Diegesis (the world which music video is created): The themes of extremity, creativity, and curiosity do seem to be recurring within this theory. However, this aspect is all about the repetition of shots, colours, performance etc. Vernallis believes repetition is key in a music video as it allows the musician to get their message across through the concept of quantity, and it also means that they can create a world for their song, via the video, that leaves certain objects in everyday life connotations for the audience to perceive and recognise. Vernallis also says though that the diegesis for a music video may be revealed to the audience slowly. Curiosity and the constant jumps of space or time is the same in this diegesis concept too. This does add to the 'Wacky-ness' of a video, but in many ways it makes it more interesting, and something visually appealing.