Sven E Carlsson proposes a theory that music videos can be categorized as either "performance" or "conceptual" based on their narrative elements. For performance videos, the artist is prominently featured singing and dancing, exemplified by Rihanna's "Rude Boy" video. Conceptual videos emphasize artistic elements beyond just the performer, like Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" video which uses candy props and settings to tell a story beyond his performance. Carlsson also describes three types of performers commonly featured - the commercial exhibitionist, televised bard, and electronic shaman.

1. Sven E Carlsson Music Video Theorist

2. What is his theory? Binary opposites drives the narration of the video forward e.g. Black and White theme There are two category music videos fall into: Performance and Conceptual

3. Performance The audience can see the artist singing and dancing in the video e.g. Rihanna Rude boy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e82VE8UtW8A The performance can be of three types: song performance, dance performance and instrumental performance.

4. Carlsson believes the performer is often made into a materialization ‘commerical exhibitionist’ this is where the performer is made into almost a selling item; someone that fans often aspire to be and these scenes will be extremely high in quality and have a gloss to them. Another type is the televised bard, which is a singing storyteller who uses on screen images instead of inner, personal images. The third and final type is the elctronic shaman, sometimes the shaman is invisible and only his/her voice that anchor the visuals

6. The RihannaRudeboy video consists of shots of her dancing and singing only There is no narration beyond her performance She is made to seem as a sexual object to the audience: this is evident through her sexual dancing and tight clothing Rihanna’s dancing is very confident and the camera often shoots close ups which suggests that she understands her role in the video is to make the audience desire her Those who aspire to be like Rihanna in the video enjoy the video as they can narcissistically identify with the power she possess over the male actor

7. Conceptual The audience watch something beyond the artist that aims to have artistic ambitions e.g. Lil Wayne Lollipop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IH8tNQAzSs

9. Lil Wayne’s Lollipop captures the art of the confectionary sweets This is achieved by the sprawled sweets behind the female characters The video also uses extravagant props in the background such as the large swimming pool and the double act of the mirrors to narrate the video The camera pans on and off little Lil Wayne (the artist) which shows his performance is not the most important part of the video Lil Wayne acts as well as sings in the video which restricts the video from falling into a ‘performance’ type.