MV Genre Conventions

 
    This is a video that includes interviews with bands from the genres of Rock, Pop and Urban. It also includes three music videos that include the conventions of all of these genres. Enjoy. 

Genre Coventions

Pop

• Star Image - Many close-ups of Singer.
• A lot of Lip-Syncing.
• A lot of Dancing.
• Voyeurism is used in many videos.
• A lot of bright colours.
• Varied 'Different'/'Unusual' costumes with many accessories.
• Appeals to a younger target audience.
• A lot of lighting is used, mainly artificial lighting.
• Slow motion is used a lot.
• Signature dance moves.

    Pop music videos are usually set in studios with bright colours situated all around and dance sequences too. However, Music videos are very versatile pieces of Art, meaning that the conventions of any genre will constantly evolve into something new and different, yet not diverging too far away from its origins. Therefore it would be more accurate to say that most Pop videos are filmed in a way that doesn't appear to look like day-to-day life, whether that would be a studio set-up or one of 

Katy Perry's made-up fantasy worlds. 
    
      Camerawork is heavily thought out a lot in Pop music videos too. There are often a lot of close up shots and a lot of wide-angle shots features. Close up shots are vital for a Pop music video, because (especially with Pop) the 'Star Image' is very significant. There aren't many bands in Pop because the genre is mostly compiled of individual artists or duets (with other famous artists feat.).

    
        There is often a lack of instruments shown in Pop videos as this is left for Rock music videos. Therefore the shots have to be comprised of differently in order to captivate the audience. Pop music videos focus a lot on dance moves, and synchronised group dancing as well as a continuos amount of lip-syncing  This isn't necessary for the other type of videos, especially Rock, and is probably what makes Pop videos recognisable. 

Rock

• A lot of instruments.
• Mise en scène is a lot darker toned. 
• Less close ups of the artists, and more of the instruments.
• A lot of wide-angle group shots, including all the band members.
• Often has a narrative a long side the filming of the band playing itself.
• Focuses a lot on the 'Rock' look: This includes Skinny Jeans, long dark hair and a lot of makeup.
• Often very fast paced, similar to that of the Rock song. 
• Locations are filmed in more 'realistic' places, such as city streets.

   Rock music videos are in ways very different to Pop music videos, and yet in a similar quantity of ways they're extremely similar. There are also a lot of close up shots filmed in Rock music videos, and although they may be mostly on the instruments there are some close ups of the actual band members too. Close ups on individuals all depends on their
 'Star Image'. If the band is known more for individual members, then more focus will be on them as this'll be a better way to advertise the song.



     The tones used in Rock videos are a lot darker and a lot more, arguably, dull than that of Pop vides. This may be because of the target audience (that for an older audience bright colours aren't as necessary), or it may just be the general style that the band or director is going for. You will tend to see a lot of blacks, greys, browns and dark greens in Rock music videos.

    Like in any genre of music video, there are always the type of videos that verge away from the normal. Therefore videos such as 'Sabotage' by The Beastie Boys won't usually contain the typical conventions of a Rock video because the director and the band are trying to go for a whole different look, make it unique, and make it stand out. This probably happens the most in the genre Rock though. Of course you have videos such as Gangnam Style in Pop that may be quirky and weird, but they still contain Lip-syncing, dancing etc. However with Rock you may have videos that show a lot more about the meaning of the song that does not contain any clips of the musicians, or you may have videos that make no sense at all.

Lonely Boy - The Black Keys 

(One of the strangest videos I have ever seen)

Urban/Hip-Hop/Rap

• Focus a lot on 'Star Image', with many close ups.
• A lot of low-angle, Fisheye shots to make the artist look superior.
• Focuses a lot on Mise-en-scène and costume (mainly accessories).
• Often includes women shown in a voyeuristic manor.
• A lot of lip-syncing. 
• Often includes expensive things, such as flashy cars, mansions etc.

    A Hip-Hop/Rap/Urban music video is a lot like a Pop music video, just without the dancing. There are a lot of similarities with focus on close ups, costumes, accessories and 'Star Image' and the main differences  are the lack of dance routines and the lack of studio recording. 

    Shots like this one on the side are used in a massive amount of music videos. These Fisheye low-angle shots are used to make the artist look superior to others. It also makes the message a lot more personal as the song is being sung directly at the audience. This type of shot seems to be quite intimidating, as if the artist wants to come across as fearful and interrogative. This links to the typical associations with this type of genre. Rappers are linked with gangs, and they speak a lot about the hardships of their lives.

    The type of locations that rappers are typically set in is in streets at night, in expensive cars, mansions the list goes on. The genre goes from one extreme to the other. A lot of videos show the amount of money and women that rappers have in their life, and yet a lot of others show the hardships of their lives growing up on the streets . 

Postmodernism

“A late 20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism, which represents a departure from modernism and is characterised by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories.” - So this is the definition, but what does it actually mean?

  Postmodernism is a concept that is hard to lay down principles too. It's so broad - which means that many pieces of art (whether it is a painting, a piece of architecture, design etc.) can be defined as being 'Postmodern'. The idea dwells a lot around the creative side, and links consistently to the method of thinking 'outside-the-box'. From looking at many Postmodern media texts over my lifetime, I have come to the conclusion that compared to the arts beforehand, implicit meanings and in-depth connotations is the key to a good piece of artwork. Of course it has to look visually-appealing but it's what is behind the picture that has the most impact.

Terms to describe 

Postmodernism

Pastiche "Is a work of visual art, literature, or music that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche celebrates, rather than mocks, the work it imitates."

   Pastiche and Parody are two terms that mean very similar things, but have one very un-subtle difference. If a media text is seen as a Pastiche then it means that it's trying to imitate another media text that is already in existence; but in a way that is honouring and appreciating it. There are many media texts that do this, but a TV series that has been running for decades shows a vast amount of examples throughout, and it's called 'The Simpsons'.

The Shining

   The picture above clearly shows the direct imitation/relationship with the 'Treehouse of Horror V ' episode from 'The Simpsons' and the movie 'The Shining' based on the novel by Stephen King. Matt Groening's The Simpson often uses intertextual references in order to try and create something kind-of new and interesting. That is what Postmodernism in the form of Pastiche is about. Being creative becomes even harder as every new day comes - because of the amount of media texts already out there. Trying to be innovative, creative and of course unique has always been the key, but this concept takes another route that works as well. 

   This particular media text from The Simpsons has given a new lease of life from the story by Stephen King. It has developed it into a more child-friendly version, with the use of animation and of course it's a little more toned-down on the Creepy side. Thus showing us exactly what Pastiche is, and to a certain extent you could argue that 're-makes' are forms of Pastiches. This comparison though isn't as direct as some re-makes which is probably why it is seen as a strong Pastiche.

Parody "In current use, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on or trivialize an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of satiric or ironic imitation. As the literary theorist Linda Hutcheon puts it, "parody … is imitation, not always at the expense of the parodied text."

Wrecking Ball

  The picture above is full of imitative screenshots from both (the original) Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball (Left) and the Radio 1's Parodic version with DJ/Radio Presenter Greg James (Right). I think the screenshots speak for themselves but I'll state it more clearly: the main difference between a Pastiche media text and a Parody is the amount of mocking involved in the Parodic text. Linda Hutcheon puts it that a parody is not 'always at the expense of the parodied text', however in this case it is, and that is probably the general consensus view and possibly the way in which a Parody is most easily seen. The reason for Parodies (mostly) is because of the original text's first affect on the audience and how it has somehow triggered (to an extent) a taboo.
    This video from Miley Cyrus has stirred up a lot of media attention because of the general shock for it. For many, the song is actual quite good, but because it's known for the video it has a bad reputation - which has caused these types of parodies. As you can tell from the screenshots a Parody is just like a Pastiche - there is a direct imitation between the two texts. However the Parody is purposely made to look ridiculous in order to make it humorous and mock the original. In this case Greg James has dressed up as Miley Cyrus and has even gone to the extent of plastering makeup all over. This is ridiculous enough but when he starts to imitate Miley naked on the wrecking ball, the sever hilarity of the video really hits the mark. One of Wrecking Ball's intentions, apart from gaining mass publicity, was to show Miley Cyrus in a voyeuristic way in order to gin an audience. Therefore when Greg James tries to imitate what is supposed to be sexy & promiscuous the whole video instantly becomes cringeworthy, and yet immensely funny. The video is also an attempt to put Wrecking Ball in its place and to bring it back to earth. The video seems a bit too much of a 'Fantasy', but if the licking of the sledgehammer from Miley didn't seem odd than Greg James certainly does make the audience see that. 

Steve Neale (Genre)

   Steve Neale says that, "Genre is instances of repetition and difference"; he focuses a lot on this concept.  However these two factors have to stay at certain quantities in order for a music video to work, therefore they must be balanced with one another. Neale says that if you have to much repetition of genre than a video can be very boring and the audience won't be interested at all. On the other hand too much difference can verge away from the genre entirely also, and create confusion for the audience, but without difference it would become boring for an audience to watch. 
  Therefore this is why there needs to be a perfect balance between the two concepts. Recognition is also the key to genre too, and all these concepts together is what I will be looking at in these next three music videos. 

Typical conventions of a Pop music video:

• Star Image - Many close-ups of Singer.
• A lot of Lip-Syncing.
• A lot of Dancing.
• Voyeurism is used in many videos.
• A lot of bright colours.
• Varied 'Different'/'Unusual' costumes with many accessories.
• Appeals to a younger target audience.
• A lot of lighting is used, mainly artificial lighting.
• Slow motion is used a lot.
• Signature dance moves.

PSY - Gangnam Style 

     Gangnam Style is still the most watched video on YouTube with close to two billion views and with seven million likes. Therefore there is no doubt in my mind that there is quite a lot of things to learn from this video, about the relation to the genre Pop (K-Pop) and the difference, repetition and recognition used in the biggest music video in history.

    

       Repetition is used a lot in this music video, but not to a degree that Neale says will make it 'Boring' or 'uninteresting'. The repetition is used on many things such as the dancing (signature dance move), the costume, the shots (Close-up and Long shot) and many other things. But the repetition isn't a direct, because things are done similarly but they're done in different contexts in this video. For instance, the dancing that PSY (the artist) performs is constantly throughout this music video, but the scenes and settings are different every single time so it makes it more exciting to watch and not only that, but the extremity of the various scenes gets to a point where it becomes humorous for the audience to watch. 

     The whole point of the video is to be laughable, the seriousness of the video adds to the humour, the fact that it is sung in Korean adds to it as well because it is 'Different' and it enforces the fact that it's video's eccentricity that made its success. The video is unlike no other, and I believe it is fair to say that this video is extremely 'Different'. Neale says that too much difference can verge away from the genre too much, but in this instance I don't think this is the case. 

Here we see PSY's signature dance move to Gangnam Style. The amount of 'Difference' in this screenshot is astonishing; of course there is dancing, but they're all dancing in a tennis court (while people are playing tennis) and there is also a shopping trolley (for some reason). Over the past few years YouTube.com has become massive for these sort of Music Videos. There's been four to five decades of music videos for masses of audiences to behold, so it's no surprise that when an 'out-of-this-world' music video in terms of 'crazy' gets billions of hits within months of its release. 

This screenshot is another enforcement of quirkiness. The location looks as if PSY is in a remote area next to a motorway. The weather looks dull and so does the environment, and yet the explosion looks amazing. The explosion represents a few things: it shows that this is a big-budget music video, it metaphorically describes the video in a sense of its popularity and absurdity and finally it enforces the superiority of PSY. I think the last point is the most significant. After this explosion PSY walks to the camera and then out of the shot, but not before a finger-pointing close up. The fact that there was no flinch at all, and that PSY played it 'cool' presents him as a 'superhero-like' figure.

    This screenshot yet again adds to the wacky attributes of this video. I think the main reason why this was so successful and yet included so many shots that are, say, 'un-normal', is because there is only repetition of the general idea and not the physical shots. The amount of various shots, locations, props and costumes makes this video what it is. 
    This shot above tells us a lot about this video and the director's intentions for the audience. Many videos can be polysemic, and this is definitely not out of that category, but if you look deeply into the context of this scene and many other scenes, it is easier to see what is going on. Voyeurism is used in this shot with these two women either side of PSY. They are dressed in mini dresses and they're made to look glamorous for the shoot. This shows the continuing theme of PSY being a 'Ladies Man' and links directly to the lyric, "Sexy Lady". The absurdity comes in with the excessive amount of fake snow and wind being blown at them. The women diverge away trying to keep out of it all but it's PSY's seriousness to the situation with his famous 'Poker-Face' that makes the whole scene a lot more humorous. 

     The amount of colours, artificial lighting, girls, dancers, confetti and quirky costumes used just about balances out the 'difference' of the video, and ultimately makes it a classic pop music video. All of this adds to the 'Recognition' side of Neale's theory, but Gangnam style definitely does have its own

'Original Style' to it. Take for example one of the first shots with PSY entering a stables, he is continually lip-syncing as well as dancing too. To think of a shot included in a music video of an artist dancing in a stables full of horses would normally be unheard of, but it's, once again, the extremity of this video and the 'Parody-style' to it that makes it work. 
      If I dwell a lot more into the actual form of the genre, it isn't just Pop it's more the sub-genre of that known as K-Pop. This is a genre that was formed in South Korea and is know for it's bright colours, quirkiness etc. This video falls directly into that genre, and the reason why people love K-Pop so much is exactly for all the reasons that they love Gangnam Style. 




Katy Perry - California Gurls ft. Snoop Dogg

    Katy Perry is known worldwide for her music and her looks, but this video takes a turn on the generic 'Pop' music video. This video is based on a metaphorical dreamworld that resembles Wonka's factory in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and the idea that the whole music video is about 'freeing the queens of California' in this made-up board game. All the generic conventions of a pop music video are here: there's the fact that it's filmed in a studio, the artificial light, the 'Star Image' and voyeuristic characteristics of the singer Katy Perry and even some quirky costumes to go with it all.

    'Difference' is here though, and in large quantities. Genre is ever-changing; this is exactly what Neale says. It's due to the 'repetition' of a genre that audiences are able to 'recognise' certain videos and their linked characteristics to a genre. But then it is due to the 'difference' of a new video to, say, re-create or re-imagine the way that genre is shown, but of course without losing touch with the original qualities. In California Gurls (as stated above) the recurring themes or conventions of Pop are present, but the differences of the video are certainly there too, such as the whole theme of the 'Sweet-World'. There are also a lot of animated sweets in the video too, which seems odd and quirky and yet fun at the same time. It is this kind of difference though that makes a video unique, and Katy Perry's videos all have this significant element within. 

     This style (board-game) shown in the screenshot above is a very unique style to a music video. Games are massive now in the 21st century and the Red Hot Chili Peppers exploited this fact with their music video to Californication. You can clearly see the two links between these two videos and there is an obvious metaphor with California being constantly described as a 'game'. In this video though I think the 'Sweet World' is supposed to represent how amazing it is in California, but the women that are entrapped within the bubbles show how hard it is to 'make it' in California.
    This type of Implicit Narrative is used quite a lot in Katy Perry's videos, which is probably a reason for their popularity; the videos may be voyeuristic, and a bit crazy, but in the end they do have meaning to them. 

   The scene shown in the screenshot above was created to produce humour. Most of Katy Perry's videos are supposed a bit over the top, and very glamorous but it is shots like this one above that keep the video a bit more serious and down-to-earth because I think they make people realise that "a bit of OTT" was the intention. It isn't just laughable because it's ironic (seeing as gummy bears are linked to teddy bears which are perceived as cute) but it's more due to the contradiction of the other shots before and after it. It adds to difference within the video itself, and this unique style makes it recognisable that it is a Katy Perry video and different to other Pop videos, which is a undeniable reason for its popularity.

     
   The video starts off at the start of the board game with Snoop Dogg rolling the dice. Katy Perry then sets off on an adventure to free the other 'California Queens'. This type of narrative is very common in Pop music videos, as it allows the audience to keep watching with interested eyes. A narrative is arguably a convention for all types of music videos, but what makes this specifically pop is the fact that it is more fun, it is more bright, more energetic and a lot more generally positive. This is the start to the repetition we see in this video.

   
    Voyeurism of Katy Perry is a very significant factor to this video, and the fact that she is half naked laying on a cloud of candy floss has captured a lot of media attention. This is seen in a lot of Pop music videos; that artists or dancers are made to look sexually attractive in order to lure people into watching the video and consequently to buy the song. It clearly works very well as this particular video has over 80 million views.

     Repetition in this video specifically is used a lot too. Repeating certain shots generally means that the artist or the Director want you to see them and remember them the most. Therefore the shot of Katy Perry on the cloud is used a lot and the shots of all of the girls dancing too as that is too an act of voyeurism. Furthermore, having these shots repeated makes it easier for the narrative not be taken as seriously (as this could take the idea away from the fact that this is a marketing campaign in order for people to buy the song) and it means that the video can be a lot more fast-paced, a lot more exciting and a lot less confusing. 

Lady Gaga - Bad Romance

    Lady Gaga, I would say, is a mix of PSY and  Katy Perry all wrapped up into a Rock-Star persona. This video has achieved second place in this listing based on the 'YouTube charts', with over 500 million views. The video has everything you could ever desire in a Pop music video, and just like the other two it's got a bucket-load of crazy with just for you to enjoy.

     Repetition of the typical Pop music video conventions are used massively again, and it's genre is 100% recognisable. The quirkiness of the costumes and the settings just adds to the video, there may be a lot of factors similar to other Pop music videos but the difference of the context makes it interesting to watch and not boring at all. 

     

Synchronised dance routines, close ups of Lady Gaga and a lot of lip syncing are all aspects of this video that makes it what it is. I would claim that the song doesn't really explain why there is so much weird 'stuff' going on in the video but I think it is explained by Lady Gaga's personality. She is know worldwide for her eccentricity of fashion, hair-styles, you name it, anything to do with Star Image, then Lady Gaga has the alternate version to the 'Norm'. 

    

This screenshot above is a prime example of the amazing-looking close ups included within this video. The 'Mirror Shot' is a shot used a lot in Pop videos because it gives a sense that the Artist is trying to 'See who they are'; a general idea of Self-Reflection, and not just just in the literal meaning. 

  This means that the video is recognisable to its genre and therefore doesn't become as confusing for its audience.

These two shots (above and below) re-enforce the difference of wackiness within this video and it also shows the Target Audience of the video too. This is clearly similar to PSY's and Katy Perry's music video because there are explicitly in-explainable shots, that somehow work. However this is where the 'Rock-Star' persona works for Lady Gaga, and is where it shows her unique style of music and style of video. Both of these shots are of very dark things: the hairless cat above is normally perceived socially as 'Ugly' & 'Evil-looking' and the shot below with the fire and the animal rug speaks for itself really. This means that the Target Audience wouldn't be of a similar age to the Target Audience of Katy Perry as such and may therefore be a bit older to understand the intentions and the connotations of the type of props, costumes etc. used in Lady Gaga's videos. 
    These shots then consequently repeat similar shots in the genre Pop with similar ideas, but tweak them a little bit to make it unique and different, yet still recognisable. 

     Artificial light and the studio set-up is used once again in this video, which adds to the amount of recognition for the Pop genre. 

      There are a variety of different shots in this video that make it interesting to watch. Of course you have the dancers, but there are a multitude of close up shots of Lady Gaga lip syncing. It's this kind of approach to a music video that makes it so much better, because although you could just have the same shot appear over and over again and it would work, it wouldn't be able to gain the interest of millions of fans as well as it does. To add to this interest, the Director has decided that all these different shots won't just be a change in hair-dos and costumes but the props will be different too. There is a plain close-up shot, a bathtub shot and even a mirror shot. This amount of variety keeps an audience watching the video, and it is this way of making a music video that makes it so different and yet so much better than most other pop music videos.