I love MV teasers. It’s weird, but I often like them more than the actual MV. Perhaps it is because teasers manage to highlight the best parts of the music video and the song. This heightens the anticipation and gets me excited for the release.
Although a teaser teases both the MV and the song, I’d argue that the teasing of the song is a bit more important. After all, if the song is lackluster, why even bother watching the music video? Generally, teasers include a bridge as the background music instead of the actual chorus. The bridge included is one that builds up to the chorus or the climax of the song and it is essential for creating anticipation.
A teaser also tries to create excitement for the music video. Some teasers include continuous clips while others only provide snippets of scenes. This usually depends on the type of MV. For example, Kara’s “Damaged Lady” teaser shows snippets in order to show off all the members. And even though the music used in the teaser isn’t the actual song, there is still a rise in the music that serves to create tension.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsOAAJVVQnY]In contrast, JYP’s “Had Enough Parties” teaser shows a continuous clip before inserting other scenes. What his teaser also does well is hint at the story. Although the song didn’t pique my interest, the story complexity did and I watched the MV to find out what happened. Drama MV’s not only hint at the story but also gravitate towards showing the more dramatic scenes in brief flashes to garner attention. These types of MV’s also tend to include a variety of background scenes.
Another focal point for a teaser is the dance. Groups that are more known for dancing or want to highlight a unique dance often put the dance in the teaser. This is another element to draw viewers in and it works every time on me. Choreography is important in K-pop and exceptional dances are a big draw. I’ve never been a fan of Teen Top but the dance intrigued me so much that, after watching the following teaser, I couldn’t wait to check out the MV and their live performances.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc8h8tVGvFY]One of my favorite teasers, though, is the teaser for VIXX’s “G.R.8.U” because it was refreshingly innovative. Although jarring at first, the teaser smartly played on fans’ expectation of the norm and created a buzz by subverting that norm. Immediately, fans wanted to know what was going on and what the teaser meant for the MV. Shortly after the teaser was uploaded, fans even reversed it to hear the “normal” sound and their anticipation grew even more.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O75mB1Xue7M]But, of course, every group doesn’t need to be innovative with their teasers to elicit excitement. Simply having a good song or an interesting story or dance is enough. Ultimately, a teaser’s main purpose is to inform fans of a comeback and create anticipation for said comeback. This can take many different forms but the majority of teasers display the members and a chosen part of the song.
Whether you like them or not, teasers have become a relevant part of K-pop and are here to stay. I, for one, love checking out MV teasers and can’t wait to find out what group will surprise me next.
Do you like teasers? Share your favorites below!
