Carol Vernallis Analysis

Carol Vernallis 'The Kindest Cut' investigates and establishes editing techniques in the different methods found between music/film video editing. In her 2001 work she debates the impact of star image, the importance and function of editing in narrative meaning, how sound and image are synchronised through editing, the repetitive close-up shots of the artist in the music video and how the editing considers the music entirely.

Vernallis is an associate professor in the communications studies department at Wayne State University and her theory teaches students four main categories that she believes are the most vital notions that all link back to the way music was initially constructed.  These four categories are:

• Editing 
• Narrative
• Diegesis
• Camera Movement and Framing

Editing:

Editing and post production is often an important part of a music video and can even be relied on to be the basis of the actual music video , before any narrative. This can deflect from the limits of continuative editing, which goes against the convention that music video editing can break conventions of continuative editing. Vernallis argues that an edited music video has four different prominent conventions and topics, these are:

• Juxtaposed frames
• Breaking the 30 degree rule
• Jump cuts
• Cutting to lyrics or the beat of the music

Narrative:

Music videos are a visual response to the lyrics of the song or the narrative created by the music , thus meaning that regardless of what we see on the screen , it will reflect the narrative created by the lyrics of the song. The narrative can sometimes be left unfinished and this invites for the audience to have a more creative view of the music video as it would be left open for the audiences views. There is normally a main point to a music video, this all depends on the narrative. This could be told through the mise-en-scene in post editing or the music itself in terms of lyrics.


Diegesis:

In media, diegesis is a style of story telling which presents an interior viewer the world and that the world is experienced by character in situation and events the narrative, examples would be telling, recounting and enacting. Opposite to mimesis which to 'show', diegesis would be characterised by tributes such as:

• Indirect speech 
• Narrating
• citation 
• text on screen e.g. place name, time and dates. Which is a way that exposition is shown. 
• Reporting

Camera Movement and Framing:

Vernallis develops on the idea of establishing are a key feature when it comes to how a music video should be shot. They are used often as well as close ups of the band or individual objects that relate to the narrative or the lyrics. She also talks about 'master' or 'extreme' shots. This is when the camera is used for more than showing what's going on or in static mode; master shots is when the camera is used to help an audience feel as though they're in the middle of all of it. Such as tracking shots or how the camera moves in 'Childish Gambino - Sweatpants'.
Depending on the genre it can be more difficult to try and use these types of shots. Being able to frame them can also be shown in a certain way by having everything in shot done on purpose or just being used to the cinematographers advantage.





References:

Vernallis, C. (2020202) The Kindest Cuts: Functions and Meaning of Music Video Editing