Performance Music Video Analysis

The Top Key Features of a Performance Music Video Analysis
OneRepublic's video for counting stars follows most of the conventions (the top 15 key features) of an effective performance music video, however as they are a band who wish to focus more on their music rather than their image, some of the key features aren't as evident in this video as they would be in a more cheesy, pop video.

One key feature is that the music, lyrics and imagery work in collaboration in the video, which is definitely present in Counting Stars, as lead singer Ryan Tedder's dance moves work with the lyrics (for example, "swinging vine"). Some other imagery within the video also works with the lyrics, for example the flashing lights on the ceiling could represent stars. The imagery works well with the music, clapping to the beat of the music and hitting guitars, but there is also some seemingly random imagery, like the crocodile which features often in the video.
The performance drives the video, with many shots of the band miming effectively and playing instruments (or pretending to), but there are also some shots of other people dancing on the floor above the band, suggesting a slight narrative or conceptual idea, as well as the performance - it is quite typical for performance videos to contain some narrative or concept to keep the music video exciting. Sometimes a band or artist may switch between artist performance and artist in-character performance; in Counting Stars, most of it seems to be artist performance, however some shots, like the high angle on Ryan looking down, sat on the floor, with his hands clasped, could be more of an in-character performance.
One of the most important features of an effective performance music video is that the performance will be engaging, impactful and visually striking, and OneRepublic achieve this in their video through the whole concept of the collapsing building, with objects falling and everything rattling about, and the artist covered in dust which scatters whenever they move. The way in which the band perform, especially Ryan's performance, is very care free, and he often dances in an unstructured way, making it rather engaging, and this also allows the audience to get an idea of the identity of the band - care free attitude, fun, etc. A sense of their identity is therefore built up mostly through their movement and band relationships, and there is a lack of highly stylised costume and make-up and beauty shots, as again OneRepublic focus more on their music. They wear simple black clothing, and there are often CUs/MCUs of them singing/playing instruments, which could act as beauty shots respectively.
A strong sense of development is expected in a performance music video (things changing and moving on) and this is definitely seen in the Counting Stars video; initially the atmosphere is quite calm, with the slower pace of the editing and the music is actually calmer here, however as the song progresses, a beat kicks in and it becomes more energetic, and the video reflects this with the band performing erratically and the building collapsing, presumably because of their energetic dancing. Some binary opposites are used in the video, making it more interesting, for example, cutting from CUs of just one of the band members, to an LS establishing shot of the whole band. The flashing lights on the ceiling also create extreme lighting changes. Discontinuous editing is standard, and is seen in the video through the random shots of the band performing, intertwined with the other people dancing, etc.
Another key feature is that the video will be polysemic in nature, offering different layers of meaning, despite being a performance video. In Counting Stars, we are shown a rhapsody like congregation scene, which suggests religious connotations of the song, whereas the use of the crocodile and the collapsing building could imply danger and facing up to danger. Recently, animals have been appearing in OneRepublic's music videos, and so the use of the crocodile could be them continuing on with this running theme, which is presumably related to the fact that their new album is called 'Native'.
Audiences are very important when it comes to music videos - they will gain pleasure from popular culture references, the video will hopefully be aspirational to them, and overall, the video is likely to provoke a strong audience reaction. The congregation upstairs, the fashionable black clothing and the instruments are popular culture references, and the band's general attitude and cool style would be very aspirational for fans. In conclusion, the Counting Stars video provokes a strong audience interaction as it is a very fun video, easy to dance along with, the narrative congregation idea adds religious connotations, making it more impactful, and also the band's appearance and movements will appeal to fans and maybe even the ladies.