Conventions of the video promo

Conventions of pop promo
Common Generic Conventions of Popular Music Promo Videos

Although pop video is fairly freeform generically and artistically it still employs several common conventions.

These include…

 The explicit and unashamed promotion of the artist’s “image” (aesthetic/generic/ideological) as a specific product with a brand identity, ready for mass consumption
 The featuring of the artist (almost without exception)
 A wide and extensive use of shot types, camera angles and movement
Repetition of reoccurring thematic elements and generically specific iconography (one key element often being dominant and providing the skeletal structure for the promo)
A possible narrative structure
A possible performance element
The flexibility to disregard Realism
Shots cut tightly to the beat of the track
A carefully constructed Mise en Scene appropriate to the content and tone of the track


 High impact instantly! (Don’t forget that competition for airplay on the main music channel outlets is intense)
As music journalist Annabelle Jankell said, “You have three and a half minutes to make an instant impact on people’s eyeballs, instantly!”