Component 2 Section B music: the in-depth study of the set music videos, analysing their media language (performance and narrative conventions, visual style, editing to the beat) and representation, and how the music video promotes the artist and appeals to the audience.

What this dot point is asking

Component 2 Section B is the in-depth study of music, and the set music videos are at its centre. This dot point covers analysing their media language (the performance and narrative conventions of the music video, visual style, editing to the beat) and representation, and how the music video promotes the artist and appeals to the audience. The skill is to read the video's conventions in depth and link them to the artist's image and audience appeal.

The conventions of the music video

The music video is a distinctive form, so you read its conventions rather than treating it like a drama. Performance and narrative elements, the artist's styling and star image, the visual style and the editing cut to the beat are the conventions you analyse. Understanding these conventions lets you read the set videos in depth.

Analysing the media language and representation

For each set music video, analyse the media language and representation.

• Performance and narrative. Identify whether the video is performance-based, narrative-based or a mix, and how each element works.
• Styling and star image. How the artist is styled, performs and is framed, constructing a star image and a representation that carries values.
• Visual style and editing. The look of the video and the editing (often cut to the beat), and how they create meaning and energy.
• Visuals and song. How the visuals relate to the song's mood and lyrics.
• Representation. How the artist and others are represented (including gender), the values this carries, and the star image it builds.

Reading these in depth, and linking them to the artist's image, is the analytical core.

Promoting the artist and appealing to the audience

Because the music video is a promotional form, the audience and industry context is never far away. Explaining how the video promotes the artist and appeals to the audience, as well as how it constructs meaning, gives a full framework reading.

Worked example

How this is examined

The music video set products are examined in Component 2 Section B, with extended analysis questions on media language, representation and audience. Short questions target one aspect; longer questions ask for in-depth analysis of how the video creates meaning, constructs the artist's image and appeals to the audience. The reliable approach is to read the conventions in depth, analyse the star image and representation, and link to the promotion of the artist and audience appeal. Confirm the current set products with your centre.

Try this

Q1. Explain how a set music video constructs the artist's star image. [5 marks]

• What the marker wants. Read the styling, performance, setting and visual style, explain the star image and representation constructed, and link to audience appeal (AO2).

Q2. Explain how a set music video appeals to its target audience. [5 marks]

• Cue. Link the conventions, star image and visual style to the target audience and the promotion of the artist and song (AO2).