MojoTrancer
Well-known member
Just bought some music videos on itunes and I'm noticing a new crop of cliches popping up in promos lately.
So let me hear some of the ones you guys have been spotting.
I'll start with a few (in no specific order):
1. The evil/dead ballerina/dancer - seen this one a couple of times now.
2. "it was all a dream..." - probably the most over-used cliche in music videos. period.
3. subtitled dialogue - I actually like this one, but it is happening more and more.
4. The "pool party" where there are hundreds of girls in bikini's...
5. The fake press conference where the artist sings to the press how much he/she hates being in the press
6. driving down the Vegas strip/Sunset Blvd. in a convertable
7. Emo 40's wardrobes
8. Camera 2 inches from singers face
9. Shaky cameras
10. Lights pointed directly into the cameras lens.
11. Couples arguing. Then the girl walks out. another variation is then said girlfriend/boyfriend gets sick/run over by car.
12. "The Dancing Guy" - a early/mid 90's staple. You always had to have a single guy dancing around. He usually wore spandex, or a t-shirt and slacks. Possibly a hat. Maybe a cane.
13. Wind blown flags - also a 90's video staple.
14. Having other people besides the singer sing along with the song and looking emotional or having the eyes closed...
15. Rapid fire cuts that threaten to cause eppileptic siezure
16. Staged concert music video. They play on a fully constructed set, yet no fans , or footage of spliced fans in. which is basically every Poison video:
17. The Movie Homage - This is a big one. Can't believe I didn't think of it before. You recreate a famous sequence from a feature film. This ranks up there with "Just a Dream' as the biggest cliche in music videos.
18. all the guys sitting in a circle while only the lead singer and the guitarist play.
19. Slow/Fast motion Everything. With a variation also being everything in fast motion except the singer/band.
20. The band totally rocks hard in some dingy abandoned industrial basement, which is cross-processed for a green tint, and the contrast is pumped way up, and there's big lights and flares everywhere. Maybe the video, or part of it, is black and white!
21. Setting a bunch of crap on fire! It rocks and I seldom get tired of it, but it is a cliche.
22. The Artist (and possibly a lot more people) stands around singing and acting up in front of a neutral, high key background. the background is usually white but not always. This is a Hype Williams staple.
23. Degradation of authority figures.
24. Performing in front of the artists name , either CG'ed , or even more usually used, a giant light panel, or even their name on fire!
25. MORPHING!!!!!!!
26. Depth of field only 2 inches deep Also now you have to crush your blacks or blow out your whites
27. Bosses yelling at the employee, who is usually the lead singer in the video.
28. A vase filled with flowers being thrown against a wall and shattering in slow motion.
29. fog machines - singer always performing in a layer of fog
30. Singer/band is at a photographers studio during a photo shoot while they're singing or playing and having this photographer taking pictures as they pose.
31. Movie soundtrack music videos - one part music video intercut with one part movie trailer.
32. Spandex - need I say more.
33. Band is in the recording studio performing the song as if it was the first time they are playing it. Could also be a variation where they are rehearsing or recording the song.
I'll keep adding them as i come up with them.
Help me out guys! Gimme more!
So let me hear some of the ones you guys have been spotting.
I'll start with a few (in no specific order):
1. The evil/dead ballerina/dancer - seen this one a couple of times now.
2. "it was all a dream..." - probably the most over-used cliche in music videos. period.
3. subtitled dialogue - I actually like this one, but it is happening more and more.
4. The "pool party" where there are hundreds of girls in bikini's...
5. The fake press conference where the artist sings to the press how much he/she hates being in the press
6. driving down the Vegas strip/Sunset Blvd. in a convertable
7. Emo 40's wardrobes
8. Camera 2 inches from singers face
9. Shaky cameras
10. Lights pointed directly into the cameras lens.
11. Couples arguing. Then the girl walks out. another variation is then said girlfriend/boyfriend gets sick/run over by car.
12. "The Dancing Guy" - a early/mid 90's staple. You always had to have a single guy dancing around. He usually wore spandex, or a t-shirt and slacks. Possibly a hat. Maybe a cane.
13. Wind blown flags - also a 90's video staple.
14. Having other people besides the singer sing along with the song and looking emotional or having the eyes closed...
15. Rapid fire cuts that threaten to cause eppileptic siezure
16. Staged concert music video. They play on a fully constructed set, yet no fans , or footage of spliced fans in. which is basically every Poison video:
17. The Movie Homage - This is a big one. Can't believe I didn't think of it before. You recreate a famous sequence from a feature film. This ranks up there with "Just a Dream' as the biggest cliche in music videos.
18. all the guys sitting in a circle while only the lead singer and the guitarist play.
19. Slow/Fast motion Everything. With a variation also being everything in fast motion except the singer/band.
20. The band totally rocks hard in some dingy abandoned industrial basement, which is cross-processed for a green tint, and the contrast is pumped way up, and there's big lights and flares everywhere. Maybe the video, or part of it, is black and white!
21. Setting a bunch of crap on fire! It rocks and I seldom get tired of it, but it is a cliche.
22. The Artist (and possibly a lot more people) stands around singing and acting up in front of a neutral, high key background. the background is usually white but not always. This is a Hype Williams staple.
23. Degradation of authority figures.
24. Performing in front of the artists name , either CG'ed , or even more usually used, a giant light panel, or even their name on fire!
25. MORPHING!!!!!!!
26. Depth of field only 2 inches deep Also now you have to crush your blacks or blow out your whites
27. Bosses yelling at the employee, who is usually the lead singer in the video.
28. A vase filled with flowers being thrown against a wall and shattering in slow motion.
29. fog machines - singer always performing in a layer of fog
30. Singer/band is at a photographers studio during a photo shoot while they're singing or playing and having this photographer taking pictures as they pose.
31. Movie soundtrack music videos - one part music video intercut with one part movie trailer.
32. Spandex - need I say more.
33. Band is in the recording studio performing the song as if it was the first time they are playing it. Could also be a variation where they are rehearsing or recording the song.
I'll keep adding them as i come up with them.
Help me out guys! Gimme more!
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Also now you have to crush your blacks or blow out your whites, if you dont, ur not a music video lol. If you wanna be in the big league, do both 
