Key conventions of a music promo

Camera work – a range of shot types, a range of camera movement, composition/framing, point of view

Editing

Mise-en-scene choices - props, locations, people, lighting

Use of sound

Editing - cuts transitions, video effects, SFX, CGI

Narrative/performance - is there a balance?

Impact of genre

Other concepts in a music promo are;-

• illustration - the promo basically illustrates the ideas / narrative in the song lyrics
• amplification - the promo uses a key idea / image from the lyrics and develops it
• Disjuncture - the promo bears no resemblance to the lyric or its meaning; often seen as unconventional / ‘arty’ videos

These different concepts are all to do with the content of the music video in reference to the lyrics.