Research - Carol Vernallis' Theory

Carol Vernallis carefully looks at and discusses the camerawork and editing of music videos in her book ‘Experiencing Music Video: Aesthetics and Cultural Context’.

She noted that, in comparison to film, editing in music videos is used significantly more often, stands out in order to attract attention, and is discontinuous, with jump cuts frequently used. Base tracks (or master shots) are used to form a basis for the video and enable the other shots to be ‘built’ around it. In music videos, the song is the most important thing, camerawork may move or so cuts/edits may appear rhythmically in time to the music.

A music video that illustrates Vernallis’ idea of substantial editing that stands out is ‘Who’s That Chick?’ by David Guetta featuring Rihanna. The transitions are very quirky and additionally features parts of the lyrics edited into the video.



‘Poker Face’ by Lady Gaga is an example of a music video that uses jump cuts and slow motion to great effect, especially in the opening sequence which makes it dramatic and instantly grabs the viewer’s attention.



Editing is used in ‘Moves Like Jagger’ by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera in a way that matches the rhythm of the track. Nearly all the cuts in the video are in time with the beat of the song.