What makes a good/successful music video

What is the main purpose of a music video?

The purpose of a music video is to;

1) Sell the song, and invoke a reaction so it leaves you remembering the song

2) To give the listener a better understanding of the song. (If the video is narrative)

3) To entertain (to show off other talents the musician may have, for example dancing or acting)

4) To sell CDs and DVDs to viewers. Creating a memorable visual for the song increases its chances to sell

5) Marketing for the purposes of exposure and expansion of the artist's profile:

Despite all of these being factors in why a music video is important, some people argue that the end result still has to serve one purpose: promotion. The music video is a promotional tool for the artist. It sometimes serves as a conduit to attention from a label, but more often it is a catalyst for CD sales or artist song downloads

What makes a good/successful music video 

Generally, successful music videos are predominantly based around close-ups and mid-shots, some of which will be of the singer or the band. As in most TV this is partly due to the size of the screen as well as to meet the desire of the viewer so that they feel personally connected to their band or artist.

It could be argued that the music video is a means of advertising; if people who are not yet fans are able to view a music video which is exciting and captivating, they will have a stronger desire to buy the artists records than if they were exposed to an uninteresting music video.

Continually, to maintain audience interest, directors and editors make sure to use the most effective means of editing in music videos. This is known as ‘fast cut montage’ which does not allow the viewer to be immediately aware of what the images are as they move so quickly, meaning that they will want to watch the sequence again to have a greater understanding; thus ensuring a higher level of hits on websites like ‘Youtube’ while keeping the audience interest very high.

And example of a music video which uses the technique of ‘fast cut montage’ is the ‘Hype Williams’edit of Big Sean's "Marvin & Chardonnay".

Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' was listed by Guinness World Records in 2006 as the "most successful music video", selling over 9 million. In 2009, the video was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, the first music video to ever receive this honor  This was for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.