This is my research on music genre and the conventions of their music videos
Genre (in terms of music) is easily explained as the type of music. It helps us categorise different musics to different "kinds" based on similar themes. According to Steve Neale's theory on genre, genres are instances of generic codes and conventions being repeated in media products (music and music videos) and that genres are constantly evolving with each new addition.
Each genre of music videos have different common themes which can be understood by looking into the type of music videos.
Style of All Music Video:
1. Narrative
- Narrative music videos tells a story (either in a linear or fragmented manner)
- Narrative often correlates to the lyrics of the song
- Actors act according to the music
- Visuals align with lyrics/music to help viewer understand the lyrics clearly
2. Conceptual/Concept-based
- Based on a specific concept of theme (could be magic, supernatural, historial, religious, scientific, etc)
- The videos often attempt to intrigue a specific target audience. The use of unusual content also attracts audiences
- These are not easily understood and are more difficult to produce
3. Performative
- May include shot of the artist's performance (could be live or in a studio)
- Sometimes artist appears to perform (band or lipsyncing) in unusual settings - empty buildings, fields, etc
- May include closeups of the artist, particular visual style (costume, prop, etc.) that follows with the artist's aesthetic
Resources:
Here is my research into the genre me and my team had picked - Indie Pop
The indie-pop genre can be defined by its charactertics which include a small audience due to its niche, combines guitar pop with DIY ethics, melodic, less abrasive and angst-free compared to Indie-rock. My team and I concluded these conventions in a list:
- More towards the narrative style, sometimes implementing performances (often lip-syncing or playing instruments)
- Camera angles vary from establishing, long, medium shots and close-up. There are lots of focus on the surroundings with these shots
- Camera tends to stay at the eye-level to maintain sense of realism while high and low angles aren't as common
- Tracking, static/stills and hand-held movements are common
- Sometimes features the use diegetic sounds to add to the realism (such as parallel sounds that match the mood, tone, atmosphere of a scene)
- Often conforms to cut-to-sound editing
- Editing attempts to keep scenes organic-looking but professional with clean cuts and shaky shots so balance of the look of amateur and expert shots.
- Sun is the main lighting often used, while artificial lighting is used indoors
- Costumes reflects the setting of the narrative (time period/era, season and weather, age range, etc.) while often being subtle to allow more focus on the actor and surroundings
Resources:
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1. i heart u - Boy Pablo (2021)
Produced by: Nicolas Muñoz (the artist himself), Erik Thorsheim & Esteban Muñoz
Distributed by: Self-uploaded to Youtube
Genre / Sub genre:
Indie, pop
What conventions does it conform to?
This music video conformed to the pop genre by showing a mix of performance (lipsyncing and playing piano) than the narrative (love story). The narrative is simple and a digestible storyline that did not draw in too much attention. The mise-en-scene of the music video also had conformed with high key lighting and a colour grade in the post-production to give the video a brighter and saturated look to follow the joyous atmosphere of the song.
What conventions does it subvert?
This music video did subvert from the pop genre by leaning into the indie genre that often has contradicting conventions. However, the artist did a great job of finding a balance by having a low budget aesthetic which included a simple setting (outside setting), casual clothing/costumes, minimalistic style (few props used) as well as simple camera angles and movements like static shots, handheld camera motion, and zooms. Furthermore, the mundane acting makes the scene seem authentic that fits the indie genre. The usage of slow paced editing also subverts from the typical fast-paced editing of upbeat, pop videos.
What representations are there? (people/places/events)
The music video represented young (teenager to young adult) love to be innocent, silly, gentle and sweet. The representations of men and women in a relationship could also be suggested as the man is seen as the romantic protector while the woman is depicted as pure. Additionally, the landscape/location was also represented to be quiet and peaceful to enforce the portrayal of tenderness in the relationship
What technical elements are used to give meaning to the representations?
The mix of technical elements forms the representation found in the music video. Camera angles such as closeups show intimacy and closeness of the couple in while long shots display their action and how connected they are by always facing each other, hugging or being overall affectionate with one another. Mise-en-scene supported this by always showing the couple in bright, warm, natural lighting which implies a genuine and pleasant relationship. The sunny and spring weather also can be seen as a symbol of the blossoming of a relationship with the addition of the lush nature background and the roses placed on the piano have direct associations with love and romance to further build on this sense of passionate love between the couple.
2. Sunny Day - Beabadoobee (2023)
Produced by: Ground Work
Distributed by: Vevo
Genre / Sub genre:
Indie pop, bedroom pop
What conventions does it conform to?
This music video had a mix of performance and narrative storytelling that was typical of indie pop videos. With the unusual concept and weird visual elements, vintage/cottagecore aesthetic as well as bright colours, it heavily conforms to the indie genre that utilises unconventional ideas to attract niche audiences. Costume and clothing of the artist were fairly casual that further proves to be a feature of indie music videos. There were, however, elements that conformed to the pop genre such as closeup of artist performing and possibly a high budget set (as it included moving elements).
What conventions does it subvert?
The DIY and authentic look of the music video subverted from the standard high-budget produced visuals of the pop genre in which they normally use CGI on the details of the settings, however the artist took to having physical/man-made items (such as mushrooms and the dancing frog) instead. The song and music also aligns more with upbeat, optimistic tone of pop compared to indie. Not only that, the music video included choreography that's more of a feature of pop music videos than indie
What representations are there? (people/places/events)
Representation of women shown in the video is quite complex as it conformed to the potrayal of women to have some quality of purity, beauty and grace however also diverting the stereotype of women being overly sensitive and repelling things often seen as "gross" such as snails. This complexity could mean how the two statements can coexist with one another
What technical elements are used to give meaning to the representations?
For the former point on conforming to a stereotype, the artist was also depicted with ethereal qualities using post-production editing that gives her a radiant light and glow on her skin or the use of backlight to give her a shine, making her seem angelic ontop of her gentle demeanor implied by her soft smile, makeup and smooth skin. Props like butterflies and flowers can also suggest a fragility thats common in the representation of women in media. The artist can also be shown in poses that show vulnerability such as laying down on her stomach or side.
For the latter point on subverting from the stereotype, the female artist is potrayed to not be disgusted by insects and or mollusks by being unbothered by the presence of them as well as growing mushroom (which may imply mold). A closeup is used in the shot of the artist holding an insect with the intentional blocking to put focus on the insect by using a blur. Despite the blur, audiences are still able to tell the artist's expression of captivation or fascination by her eyes following the insect and her smile shown through the blur. A long shot was also used to show the artist walking past the mushrooms that confirms her indifference towards things that are typically disturbing.
1. The Best Day (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift (2021)
Produced by: Taylor Swift Productions, Inc. An in-house visual media production company of the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift (Wikipedia)
Distributed by: Taylor Swift Productions, Inc.
Genre / Sub genre:
Folk rock, pop
What conventions does it conform to?
The most obvious convention the video conforms to was the costumes/clothing as it was real footage from the artist's childhood. Meaning the weather, clothes, setting and age range) were all accurate to each other. The majority of the footages were hand-held which did conform to the indie stereotype of an 'amateur' feel, despite the music not being considered to be in that genre. The editing of this were simple cuts, cutting to the rhythm, matching the footage to the lyrics for added context, which are generic traits to a pop music video. The video does conform to a narrative told in an autobiography form of the singer's childhood and her passion for music throughout different stages of her life.
What conventions does it subvert?
The video did subvert from that fast-paced, vibrant and energetic atmosphere to fit the slow and mellow pacing of the song. Instead of turning up the saturation, they kept the original muted colours of the footages. Excluding the footages of the singer on stage/playing guitar, the producer had not included a performance (lipsyncing the song) in the video which is intended so viewers can focus on watching the artist's life/growing up.
What representations are there? (people/places/events) and what technical elements are used to give meaning to the representations?
Because the entire music video used actual footage from the singer's childhood, certain technical elements (like camera angle, movement, mise-en-scene) cannot be altered in order to represent the artist in a planned-out manner. However, the producer may have picked these specific clips to convey how 'human' the artist is by showing her daily life before her fame. Picking only happy videos shows the artist as cheerful, enthusiastic and loving. Home videos of the artist playing outside can also convey that the artist is down-to-earth and a small-town girl. The video depicted the artists to be extremely family-oriented and cerishes her family deeply with multiple footages showing her close bond with her mom, dad and brother- even pictures with her mom when the artist is older.
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1. ETA - NewJeans (2023)
Genre/Sub-Genre?
Pop, K-pop
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
Mostly teenagers and young adults (11-23 years old) using visually engaging content such as bright colours, high/upbeat energy, summer party aesthetic (contributed by bold costumes, props and pool setting) with the potrayal of dramatic relationships in their narrative that makes their music video intriguing to younger audiences.
What would you like to use in your music video from this?
A lot of the elements that I liked from the (such as changing film sets, chaotic visual elements like confetti detail and fashion) will not be replicable as it requires a high budget however I find the use of a dramatic narrative interesting to explore in a music video as it invites the audience to follow along the story by listening to the full song.
What would you like to avoid in your music video from this?
I mostly enjoyed a lot of the elements of this music video, however would need to adjust them to my capabilities since my team and I would not have the budget nor time to create an elaborate and detailed video for our project thats in a similar style to this music video.
2. Juna - Clairo (2024)
Genre/Sub-Genre?
Indie Pop, Bedroom pop
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
Older teenagers to adult audience (15-28) as the video has an interesting constrast and juxtaposition theme of the calm, stillness and delicacy and chaos, movement and strength of the artist staying still while performing and the chaos happening infront shown through multiple camera angles and movements such as closeups, pans, long shots, tilts and much more. The violence shown may be more suitable for more mature audiences.
What would you like to use in your music video from this?
I like the video's usage of a slowed down footages by filming at a higher frame per second. It gives the music video a much more smoother finish as well as contrasting well with the quick, powerful movements of boxing.
What would you like to avoid in your music video from this?
I may avoid the violent theme as it would not be suitable for the audience I intend to target despite that how I enjoyed the humourous aspect of it, especially with the contrast to the singer being depicted as sweet, still yet silly.
3. Mama's Boy - Dominic Fike (2023)
Genre/Sub-Genre?
Indie Pop, Alternative Pop Rock
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
Male teenager to adults (15-28 years old) due to the slight horror aspect to the video and how majority of the video was focused on the male artist, thus the lack of female representatives would make it harder for female audiences to relate to the video. The blue colourgrading that turned most values in the video to blue could also have been used to target a male audience since blue is stereotypically a universal colour for boys in addition to setting the mood of the music video.
What would you like to use in your music video from this?
I enjoyed the use of mise-en-scene and colurs to depict a feeling of being absent, lost and glum which intensified the mood and atmosphere of the whole video. I also found the use of long scenes done in a single shot really interesting as it would draw out the scene and made it suspensful therefore, engaging for audiences.
What would you like to avoid in your music video from this?
There was a huge focus on the narrative of the story incomparison to the perfomance of the artist which, although made for an interesting story, I would like to avoid since there is a requirement to have a performance in my project.
4. Room For You - Grentperez (2023)
Genre/Sub-Genre?
Indie Pop, Bedroom pop
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
This music video most likely targets teenagers (both male and female) of ages 15 and up with psychographics that align with the romantic and caring characteristics.
What would you like to use in your music video from this?
I enjoyed the low budget feel of this video with the amateur camera techniques and movements like quick zooms, harsh tracking, and unpolished filming. The mundane activities of the two artists, in casual outfits, done in suburb locations used as b-roll also added to the authenticity.
What would you like to avoid in your music video from this?
I quite enjoyed most of the elements featured in this music video and don't have much criticism other than the lack of performance by the artist.
5. Tek It - Cafuné (2022)
Genre/Sub-Genre?
Indie Pop, Indie rock, electropop
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
Children to young adults (11-26 years old) as the animation is drawn in bright, neon, colours with a style of animation that is reminiscent of anime which all may appeal to younger audiences than older audiences.
What would you like to use in your music video from this?
I did enjoy the use of animation in the video as it stood out from music videos featuring the artist in real life, however I am not able to replicate it for my own project due to the lack of budget. Other than that, I did not like most elements and themes of the music video
What would you like to avoid in your music video from this?
I would definitely avoid the neon colours simply because I cannot envision it to fit my ideal target audience of older teenage to young adult audience as well as my personal opinion that I am not a huge fan of the style and feel as though it would be straining to the eye if not done carefully and intentionally.
6. Then It All Goes Away - Dayglow (2022)
Genre/Sub-Genre?
Indie Pop
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
Teenagers to young adults (12-28 years old) with the use of appealingly, loud visuals using the bright blue sky and bold costume colours such as the yellow and innovative angles like fisheye angle and low angle, almost the opposite to an aerial shot, that is an uncommon and fun angle which would peak the interest of younger, more tech-savy audience. The cheery atmosphere with multiple actors doing random things in the same angle also makes for an engaging watch as there are many things happening, without the feeling of it being overcrowded and chaotic.
What would you like to use in your music video from this?
The use of colours and angle was definitely the most interesting part of the music video. It allowed the artist to look directly and perform to the camera without feeling awkward by pairing the shot with dancing and moving. This does improve the engagement of the video ontop of the intense colours displayed. It also matched well with the lively and optimistic atmosphere of the song.
What would you like to avoid in your music video from this?
There is not much features of the music video where I'd avoid it since I like all visual elements. They were extremely fitting with one another making the video seem more harmonious and in unison.
7. Photograph - Ed Sheeran (2015*)
* I acknowledge that this is past the 5 year range that Cambridge requires, however I wanted to find another example of 'The Best Day' music video by Taylor Swift to show that this use of childhood videos has be done in multiple music videos throughout the decades.
Genre/Sub-Genre?
Pop, soft rock, folk-pop
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
Adult audiences (24-50) with no clear targeted sex group. The video intends to strike the nostalgic chord in viewers by using childhood footage that shows the artist as a kid being a kid (activities like drawing, playing in the playground, etc). The addition of the footage looking vintage because of the quality of the camera could remind many older audicence of the technology during their era. Possible that men are the target as they're likely to relate better to the male singer.
What would you like to use in your music video from this?
I love the idea of using childhood videos in my music video to give a deeper and genuine authenticity of my artist. I could implement this idea by keeping that quality of camera (grainy, 4:3 aspect ratio, blurry, muted colours, shaky/handheld movements) into my project.
What would you like to avoid in your music video from this?
I would avoid only using these childhood footages throughout the video as it would lack the performance that is required in my project. So the childhood footages scene should not only take part in a verse or less.
Reflection: As much as I dislike doing repetitive tasks, I quite enjoyed this particular one. I found it entertaining to watch music videos from different artist as I got to experience a wide range of artistic vision that (most of the time) were created by the artists themselves rather than big companies. Alongside the bonus of listening to some of my favourite songs, this entire task was insightful from learning how certain themes, representations and messages are built through technical elements. This would definitely be helpful to act as advice on what my team should consider during our production to ensure our message can be deconstructed as intended
Problems: The biggest issue with this task was how time-consuming it was to analyse a music video. It required long pauses to really take in the scene and to slowly dissect the representations shown and how they subvert or conform to audiences expectations.
Solution: There was no solution to this, only a preventative measure to ensure this would task would not be due late when needed. By keeping a reminder on my phone to remind me every few days to add more research, it made sure that the task was completed whenever my teacher required it to be graded.
Here is a video that was suggested by my teacher on the fundamentals to making a music video
Reflection : This video was the first step as a class from planning to starting the pre-production phase. The tips and tricks given were helpful and I believe will be considered as we move along with the process, especially with the trick to record atleast one performance video to fill up any empty spaces during the post-production phase.