Carol Vernallis

Carol Vernallis says the camera in music video seems to mimic the way we view sonic space... do you agree? Do you think we are conditioned by music video to read sonic space in particular ways?

Like everybody else on the year 13 media course this concept of sonic space is an utter mystery. If I were a detective I would know the answer but I am sadly not so will refer to Ms B!

She suggests that the jumping camera focus is like the camera in place of our eyes, doing what we do when we listen. However, this is predefined for us by the Director - we have even less choice to look away/outside of the Director's choice than we do in film - do you agree?

This is partly true in my opinion. Yes, it is hard to concentrate on shots as they're only there for a few seconds at a time and unless they are for example the vocalist beauty shot then you won't see it too often in the video. The director has to choose which shots best compliment the music and the feel of the song in a small amount of time, but I feel that they put the audience in mind when choosing these.

She says music video is more like listening than viewing - do you agree?

I disagree, music video is a promotion tool for a song. It adds a new element to the song which is the visuals. They add new dimensions and meanings to the songs lyrics and also to the bands brand image. I think that music video is very much based on the viewing over the music.

"We compensate imaginatively for what we do not see in the frame" - Agreed?

Yes, this is true in my opinion. This is very handy in the creation of music video as we don't have time to make a fully complete narrative so you can use suggestion to hurry on the story.

The constant motion in a music video and the variances it shows mean that a strong CU is a stable point. The music video "brings us towards these peaks, holds us against them, and then releases us" - do you agree?

Yes this is true as the point of a music video is to brand the artist and to constantly show shots of the artist makes us feel close to them, and helps to identify with them.

Is the viewer "sutured (stitched) into the diegesis of the film world through the editing"?

Yes, it is very close cut and fast cut aswell, meaning that we have to use our imaginations to fill in the rest of the space and story, involving us in the world of the music video.

Music video is freer in terms of viewer identification and perspective - agreed?

In a sense as the artist/director can do what they want with the track, putting their own meaning on the song. However in terms of audience, the demographics will pretty much match the fan base because people only really would listen/watch videos of the genre of music they are in to.

Carol Vernallis believes the image alone cannot tell the story - do you agree?

Yes this is true as music video is all about the synergy between music and image. Without the music the video is empty and the meaning can be misinterpreted. The genre of music helps to identify the pace and style of the story.


Vernallis has some very good concepts on music video and I look forward to looking into them in more depth later this term.