Genre Conventions in Music Videos- Rock

Performance-based Music Videos

Rock artists and bands like to show off their talents in performance-based videos.

For example Royal Blood’s Little Monster the band have completely focused the video on a performance the song. It is edited in a fast pace to match the tempo of the song, emphasising the beat. The flickering image gives the video a grungy look, and the clips of the crowd show them enjoying the music. Some shots are filmed from the crowd; the viewer feels involved and watches the video from the perspective a member of the crowd while also seeing close up shots (evoking feelings of intimacy). The images in general are fairly unclear; as we don’t get a coherent view of band members’ faces, Royal Blood show that they are not trying to use their physical appearances to sell their music and promote the band. This is one way rock music videos differ greatly from pop videos.

Green Day also use many performance based music videos, like this one for 21 Guns. Unlike Royal Blood close up shots of the artists, especially Armstrong, show their trademark black eyeliner, dark hair and pale skin. While they aren’t exploiting their appearance to attract fans, they are creating a brand for themselves. This shows that artists don’t always stick entirely to their genre conventions and image can be important in all genres. In the small narrative scenes, the actors both have dark hair and pale skin- fitting with the look of the band. The violence of the bullets, tattered wallpaper and falling feathers make the video very grungy and shabby. Green Day also use the protagonists to create synergy with the album. The actors appear in other videos from 21^st Century Breakdown as it is a rock opera. When they kiss they also recreate the image from the album cover. The use of a handheld camera also gives a chaotic effect.

 

Paramore’s Misery Business is also performance based. Unlike many other rock videos, Paramore use a lot of bright colours. This sets them apart from other bands and artists, and also links with Williams’ hair and make-up. Behind the band playing, “Riot!” (the name of their album) is scrawled across the wall. This is promotes the album to new listeners. The high school setting suggests a fairly young target audience, especially compared to most rock listeners. Paramore use rock conventions to target rock fans, but bring in a wider range through techniques like these. Despite Williams being very beautiful, she doesn’t wear revealing clothing or use sex appeal to draw in listeners. This shows that she is talented enough to not need to act like that.

Dark Lighting

In Linkin Park’s Numb, the band use a muted lighting to reflect the emotions in the song. This is very common in rock music videos. This video has both narrative and performance elements. In the latter we see Linkin Park recording their song in a church. This creates a sense of intimacy with the band. By being set in a church the video suggests that while the song has rather angry elements, the band are good people. The narrative strand shows a teenage girl who is being bullied and it self-harming. This reflects the dark emotions of the music. We see her feeling hopelessly alone, but resisting conformity in order to fit in. We are also shown her talent for art, suggesting that she is an extremely under-appreciated girl.  At the end the two elements come together as the protagonist runs into the church to find it empty. The fact that an actress is used shows that, like so many other rock artists, the band isn’t excessively self-promoting.

 

The Pretty Reckless have also chosen to use dark lighting in the video for Heaven Knows. Like Lincon Park, TPR have used the lighting to reflect the emotions in the song. The video features many rebellious teenagers in a dark, claustrophobic classroom. This could suggest the band’s attitude towards school and rules in general. This will appeal to most of their listeners, as their music is targeted at rebellious young people. Unlike many rock artists, Momsen does reveal her naked body, only partially covered by some kind of black paint or tape. This may be to draw in a wider, mostly male, audience by using her physical appearance. However it could be Momsen empowering herself; deciding to give her fans what they want rather than having it taken from her. The way that she throws her robe open, Momsen suggests that she is completely in control. This also fits with the lyrics of the song which state that she is sinful and rebellious.

Evanescence’s Bring Me To Life is set at night, so the lighting is very dark with the only bright lights coming from windows. The video follows Lee walking along the side of a building in a nightmare. The danger of the video suits the tone and tempo of the song, and appeals to the band’s listeners who are likely to be quite rebellious. The nightmare suggests that she has some internal confliction- possibly a fear of being let down since the dream ends when her boyfriend cannot save her from falling off the side of the building. With her hair and dress billowing in the wind, Lee looks almost like a ghost, giving the video a gothic tone.  

 

 

 

Genre Conventions in Music Videos- Pop

Narrative-based Music Videos

Narrative based music videos are very popular for pop artists. This may just involve actors, however usually stars the artist or band. This allows them to show off their talents other than singing, while also puts the focus on the artist. This is very important for pop artists as their image is a big part of their brand. While for many other genres the music is the most important factor, pop artists mostly appeal to listeners with only casual interest in music. This means that they are also very interested in the artist’s personality and appearance. Furthermore the target audience of pop artists usually involves much younger listeners who want people to look up to. They can sometimes be short movies up to ten minutes long, even though the song may only last four minutes. In this case the narrative will usually be established before the song starts, and then concluded after.

 

An example of this is Katy Perry in the video for Last Friday Night (TGIF). In this video Perry stars as a nerdy teen, who ends up going to a party, having a make-over and partying wildly. The story shows us that the video is aimed at young people. Most will relate to the excitement of the party, and Kathy’s physical and emotional feelings at the end. They will also want to go to a party like the one in the video which is much larger than most house parties. Also younger children will see the video and be excited about growing up so that they can party like Katy Perry. Furthermore, the cast of the video includes Rebecca Black, Hanson and Darren Criss and Kevin McHale from the T.V. show Glee. All of these people have target audiences of young teenagers and preteens. Despite this Corey Feldman and Debbie Gibson play Kathy’s parents. As former teen idols, they will be recognised by parents of the children/teenagers watching the video. This introduces an alternative audience to Perry’s music.

Taylor Swift also uses a narrative-based video for her song Mine, which is clearly targeted at an audience of young girls. Unlike Perry, Swift’s video is only as long as the song, however it presents a narrative set over many years. The theme of romance appeals to young girls as the sweet, cheesy story is stereotypically what the majority of girls aspire to have. Flashbacks to Swift’s childhood give the audience an insight into Swift’s life. As a country/pop artist, Swift’s fans are very interested in her as a person, as well as an artist. Swift appeals to this fan base by revealing that her parents got divorced. Some of her audience will be able to relate to this, and so may feel especially connected to this video.

While her target audience is generally older than Swift and Perry, Gwen Stefani also shows the same pop conventions in her Cool music video. Stefani stars in her narrative-based music video about a couple who, years after their relationships ends, and still friends. The use of match cuts add a sense of falseness to the lyrics- they show that the two are still thinking back to their time together. However I think the ambiguity of the video perfectly express the complexity of their feelings towards each other. Stefani’s video appeals to an older audience than Last Friday Night and Mine as instead of presenting teenage fantasies, it shows a much more realistic story. Furthermore Stefani’s listeners may have been in similar situations, and so may relate to her.  

 

Dance Routines

Well-choreographed music videos are very typical of pop music, and have been for decades. From the Michael Jackson in the 80s, Britney Spears in the noughties to Little Mix now, dance routines can make songs instantly popular. Simple routines like Thriller can make songs infamous, while others allow fans to learn the routine. Thriller was also one of the first music videos shot like a short film. The dance routine is known by people young and old around the world, and has kept the song's popularity strong 30 years later.

For Spears, the …Baby One More Time dance routine is not as well-known as Thriller, however it is instantly recognisable. Furthermore the majority of her audience was young girls, and so the video appealed to them as they could copy the choreography. The majority of the moves are simple and exaggerated, making them easy to copy and learn. It really is the sort of dance you can imagine girls dancing around their room with their friends- which is exactly the kind of thing they would want to be doing. Additionally the schoolgirl costume was perfect for the video as most of Spears’ listeners would have school uniform, and therefore be able to recreate the video themselves. The iconic video helped establish Spears as an artist.

Little Mix’s Move video is solely performance based unlike Thriller and …Baby One More Time. Without a dance routine the video would have been extremely plain and simple. The majority of the band’s fans are the same audience that Spears was targeting ten years prior. This shows the change in culture in that decade- Spears was criticised for showing her midriff, as this was seen by some to be setting a bad example to her young fans. In Move the girls wear less clothing yet have to receive as noteworthy reproach. This could be seen as a positive or negative change, however it mostly shows that artists not only have to think about their target audience, but also the current culture.

 

 

 

 

Audience Research

 

I gave my questionnaire to a fairly diverse range of people, and tried to keep age and gender groups reasonably equal in numbers. This will allow me to recognise which features of a music video are generally the most and least popular, and which audiences are suited to particular conventions and genres. In the pie chart above the blue segments represent male participants, while the pinks represent females. I gained both quantitative and qualitative data, in order to gain both statistics and particular opinions. My results have allowed me to see what my music video should be like…


Quantitative Data Results

This bar chart shows that Pop music is the most preferred genre of music across the age groups, while Rock is the least. My results also suggest that Alternative music is more popular with older listeners, and Dance music is favoured by people between the ages of 21 and 40.

 

 

I have found that most participants wanted to see artists and bands wear fashionable clothing in their music videos. Most of these participants were female, with the plain and eccentric clothing being more favoured by males. This is as I expected, however more men than I expected also prefer fashionable clothing. Eccentric clothing was very popular with the older participants, but also liked by the youngest. From this I will probably dress my artist in fashionable clothing, unless their target audience is over 40.

70% of people asked thought that a music video should relate to the song lyrics. Therefore in my music video I will think about what the lyrics are saying, and not stray from the ideas and emotions conveyed.

The majority of people did not think that music videos should be sexualised, especially the youngest and oldest participants. Only two people thought that they should, however many stated that videos could be sexualised if it is appropriate for the audience. My video will not be sexualised, especially if my artist is aimed at younger listeners.

Performance-based music videos are the most popular across all age brackets, therefore when I create my music video it will be performance-based. I will definitely avoid a concept- based video as I found this the least popular option. As narrative-based videos were reasonably popular, I may include a narrative segment depending on the audience I decide to target.

Qualitative Data Results

Most participants stated that they don’t like it when music videos do not feature the artist/band, but like to see them throughout. They also often specified that they enjoy originality, but only to a certain extent- most did not like extremely quirky videos. They did not enjoy sexism, especially the objectification of women and unnecessarily sexualised scenes. Many specifically referred to Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda video, saying that they didn’t like videos which were ridiculously raunchy, involving degrading and “twerking”. Many participants said that they wanted to see the artist performing live, but were split on their opinions about extended, movie-like videos. When creating my music video I will take these opinions into account and attempt to produce something which my target audience especially will enjoy.

Conventions of a Music Video

Camera Shots

Camera shots are very important in music videos, as different shots give different effects. Some shots are simply to set the scene, while others create intimacy between the viewer and the artist. A variety of shots can be found in Foxes’ Glorious music video…

Big Close Up- Big close ups show the artists’ face from their chin to forehead. This shot creates a sense of intimacy as this is a lot closer than you would usually be to another person.

 

Close Up- Here a close up is used to focus on the artists’ face. This helps to convey emotion.

 

Medium Close Up- A medium close up shows the shoulders and head, focussing on the artist performing but with less of an emotional connection than a close up.

 

 

Mid Shot- The artist takes up approximately 50% of the shot, so while the focus is on her, the background and subject are balanced.

  Medium Long Shot- This shot still focus on the artist, while also giving a sense of location. Here, in front of a white wall, the artists’ bright orange jacket allows her to really stand out. However by showing the wall high above her, Foxes appears rather small.

Long Shot- There is very few long shots in this video. This one is used to show the artist dancing.

 

 

Extreme Long Shot- This shot is used to show the location, and while there is a couple sat at a table, they are very small in the shot.

Camera Angles

Camera angles are also very important, as they can change the appearance and representation of a subject quite dramatically. Taylor Swift’s Love Story music video effectively uses a wide range of camera angles…

High Angle- The artist is being looked down on by the viewer, making her appear small and therefore vulnerable.

 

Low Angle- This angle is used surprisingly a lot throughout the video. While the artist is playing the role of a vulnerable young girl, these angles present her as strong and dominant.

Bird’s Eye Angle- Arial shots show the subject from directly above, sometimes from a plane. Here it is used to show the couple dancing.




Camera Movement

The way the camera moves can affect the outcome of a shot. The camera usually moves to follow an artist or actor, but it could alternatively be used to follow another subject or to establish the scene. Different movements include…

Tracking- The camera travels along a track, moving towards, away from or parallel to the subject.

Steadicam- This combines the smoothness of a static camera with the handheld camera’s ability to move and get close to the subject.

Handheld- This can be very effective for point of view and action. It is used to create a jerky, dynamic feel and produces a deeply emotional, almost visceral response. It is fairly rare in music videos.

Pan- The camera pivots along the horizontal axis.

Tilt- The camera pivots up or down, along the vertical axis.

Zoom- The lens moves, not the camera. The speed of a zoom can give a specific effect, for example fast zooms can be disorientating.

Editing Techniques

The editing process consists of making the video, fitting the visuals to the sound and adding any effects.

 

Jump Cut- where two consecutive shots show the same subject and differ only marginally to create the effect of jumping ahead in time. In Ella Eyre’s If I Go, multiple jump cuts are used to quickly jump through several shots in time to the beat. This makes the video very visually exciting, contrasting with the simple setting.

 

 

 

Split Screen- the screen is divided into multiple images, showing that the frame, unlike the human eye, isn’t a continuous view of the world. In the video for Telephone, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga use a split screen. This reflects the quirky style of the video and also gives it a comic effect, stopping the viewer from taking their malicious actions seriously.

 

Computer-generated Imagery (CGI) - the use of computer graphics contributes to the music video. In Ed Sheeran’s Sing, CGI is used to create a puppet version of the artist.

 

 

Diegetic Sound – this is sound existing in the world of the video. It is most often found in narrative based music videos as it can add to the story being told. Beyoncé uses diegetic sound at the beginning of If I Were a Boy to introduce the plot.

 

Costume

The costumes used in a music video are often used to either represent the artist in a particular way, or to define a character.

 

Britney Spears, Hit Me Baby One More Time- In this video the school uniform, especially knee high socks and grey cardigan, show that the artists’ character is a schoolgirl. With the fluffy pink hairbands and pigtails, her youth and innocence is expressed. However the short skirt and cropped shirt created a sense of sex appeal. This costume created a lot of controversy as some suggested that it encouraged children to dress provocatively. The costume became Spears’ most iconic look.

 

Destiny’s Child, Survivor- The girl group wear an array of themed outfits, fitting with the narrative of the video. While the outfits (these in particular) are very revealing, the animal skin/fur and army print have strong connotations. This suggests that while the girls are seen merely as physically attractive, they are in fact much more than that.

 

The Backstreet Boys, I Want it That Way- Unlike female artists, costumes are rarely very extravagant for males in music videos. However that doesn’t mean they can’t be iconic; I Want it That Way has been described as one of the most iconic music videos of all time, and has been parodied in many others, including Blink-182’s All the Small Things.

Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX, Fancy- In the video, the artists and actors dress very similarly to the cast in Clueless. This gives the video a clear theme, and makes it very iconic. Furthermore, the target audience is likely to recognise the reference and therefore enjoy the video.

Hair and Make-up

Similar to costumes, hair and make-up can be used to present an artist or actor in a certain way.




Katy Perry Feat. Kanye West, E.T.- Through the use of extravagant make-up and hair styling, the artist has been made to look like an alien. This reflects the lyrics of the song and theme of the video. The braids at the start of the video and volume towards the end change the appearance of head shape, and make-up has been used to give the illusion of scales.  

The Saturdays, What Are You Waiting For? - In their video the singers wear glamorous make-up, however the natural shades give them an ‘every girl’ look. By not using excessive amounts of cosmetics, women can relate themselves to the band. Despite this, they still look attractive; not only do women want to look like them, their looks also draw in a male audience which their music alone does not. The bronzer and wet/beachy hair give a summery look and amplify the holiday theme.

 

Christina Aguilera, Candyman- Hair and make-up can also be used to set the scene in a specific era. In this video the artist wears a variety of styles to set it in the 1940s. For example, this hairstyle with the bandana clearly reflect the wartime propaganda. This may also express a sense of female emancipation, independence and strength.


Lighting

The lighting used in a music is dominantly used to illustrate the time of day, however if often used to reflect emotions and themes.

Maroon 5, Maps- The lighting used in this video is very significant. The video is generally rather dark, mirroring the sad plot of the video. The lack of colour in the hospital setting echoes the theme of death. The scenes in the party are slightly lighter with candles instead of harsh, artificial lights. This signifies how the party is a happier place than the hospital, however it is still dark; it is where the artist cheats on his girlfriend. Lighter still is the scene before the party, showing a happier time for the couple. The focus of the bright lamp at the end links to the idea of a person walking towards ‘the light’ after death.

Location

Setting is very important in music videos as it can establish the plot, along with some themes of the video.

Ella Henderson, Ghost- This music video is set in a motel. This is used to emphasise themes of suspicion and infidelity. Furthermore it suggests a sense of being lost, motels are associated with being financially and/or emotionally insecure.

 

 

Michael Bublé, Haven’t Met You Yet- As it is located in a supermarket, the video expresses how the important moment of the character meeting his future wife could happen any day, anywhere. It also reflects his optimistic frame of mind, as he sees the most menial task in the brightest way possible.

 

Wheatus, Teenage Dirtbag- Being set in a school, this videos appeals to be relatable to the viewer who will be in, or have been in school. However it suggests that the song is primarily targeted at teenagers. The location is very generic, so that audience can easily imagine themselves as a part of it.