Set Design/Location: The locations of most Pop music videos are places that tend to be showing a good time or give a good mood/vibe. This would include places like beaches, parks, hotels, clubs, shopping centres, an open top car on the motorway etc. This is done to amplify the emotion felt by the audience, enough to almost make them feel like they're there too, present and a part of all the fun or in contrast, all the pain and emotion should it be a love song about a break up. When deciding on whether or not to shoot on set or on location there are a lot of factors to consider. Shooting on location is a lot cheaper and less time consuming but you'd have to deal with more natural occurrences like day to day pedestrians or wildlife should you be out of the city. A sadder song would tend to be in a city, park or bedroom; places where the character would reminisce the past memories.
Lighting: The lighting plays a key part in the mood of the video and so much can be changed with even the slightest altering of intensity, colour, quality or direction of the light . Light is used to emphasise a mood, an object or character (highlights, shadows) or even things as simple as the time of day or season. If the music video is one of a positive pop song the lights tend to be bright, intense, and have a gentler quality/texture. Alternatively a sad pop song would have dimmer lights, only enough to brighten up the character and his surroundings to be seen, their would also be a rougher texture to the lighting representing what and how the character feels inside. With simple changes to these elements of lighting you can tell the audience what to feel.
Costume: Once again something as simple as clothing can play a big part on the reception of the audience towards the video. In pop music the characters tend to be dressed in the latest fashion and coolest trends. This way they're wearing what their audience would probably be wearing too and therefore it creates a sort of connection and closeness between the two and the audience feel they can relate more. Also clothing can relate mood, you wouldn't normally be in swimming trunks if you're heartbroken, you'd probably be dressed in long sleeves to cover up naked flesh can connote vulnerablility so by covering up they want protection and to hide that.
Makeup and Hair Styles: It's the same principle as with costume, it helps to make the audience and performer form a bond because of similarities if they follow the trends. Also like with costume their hair and makeup can strongly relate emotion and mood, if a girl has her hair all messed up and has mascara running down her cheeks she's evidently going through negative emotions.
Sound: Despite having the actual audio of the song in the video sometimes adding extra sound effects or maybe speech as little breaks between the song to help tell the story further (e.g Drake - Find your love or Green Day - Wake me up when september ends). If a police car passes through in the video for example, having a siren fading in and out as it travels by creates a realer effect, making the audience feel like the video is actually real and they are within and living this scene. This way they can relate easier, it's similar to the use of method acting, by mentally putting yourself in their state with their surroundings you'll feel their emotions.
Space: The way in which you use the space affects the reading of the video. Depth, size and proportion can be manipulated by camera placement and angles in order to create a specific mood.
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