Summary Of Vernalis's Theory

In the book 'Experience Music Video: Aesthetics and Cultural Context' by Vernallis, she discussed the essence and importance of camerawork and editing within a music videos.

Vernalis view was that edits were used much more regularly in music videos then in any other form of screen (like films, tv drama and commercials) and the more edits that begin to stand out and become more frequent within a video, the more successful the music video will become as it will reach its target audience faster . This is normally done with the technique of disjuncture, but at the same time the edits match the rhythm of the beat whilst cutting in and out of shots.

Also :

•  There are a lot of jump cuts,editing and transitions which help draw attention.
•  There are a lot of special editing effects used together with disjuncture.
•  The camera is NEVER in a static position throughout the whole sequence.
• A lot of continuity editing.
• Structure (as in a base track) is commonly used.

An example of the theory out into practise is the music video of Mark Ronson & the Business Intl- Bike Song.

There are lots of slow motion throughout the song that focuses on the actors (for example: in the girls riding up towards the men) and about 20-40% on the objects (like the bikes). Throughout the song we also see very quick and obvious edits that match the beat/ flow of the song. The camera moves with the characters, the objects and the rhytmn. There is eye contact made at the beginning of the chorus but during most of the verses, the actor narrates the story through the song. The repeated shots of the artist are shown to illustrate the story (and is part of the base track)