Advance Portfolio
A2 Media
Emilie Bowes-Read Media Studies
Music genres:
Generic Conventions of Music Videos:
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Camerawork - In music videos the camera shots tend to jump a lot from Long shots to Close Ups and Extreme Close Ups. The Long Shots are usually establishing shots whilst the Close Ups are usually of the artist or band and the Extreme Close Ups are of the singer lip syncing. Whip pans and dolly tracking shots are also used to follow the running, dancing or walking of the performers.
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Editing - Jump Cuts are used to change the location of the music video from one place to another. Transitions such as fade and dissolve are also generic conventions of music videos as they create a different effect to cuts.
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Lighting - Some music videos use Black and White lighting to emphasise a particular mood, whilst other videos use artificial light to give the artist or band an enhanced look
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Sound - Sound parallel sound - This is where the mood of the music matches the video. For example, if the music video is a sad one then a slow and sad soundtrack is used. If it is a happy video then a fast paced and upbeat soundtrack is used. Non-diegetic sound is also used in some videos to add a sense of realism to them.
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Mise-En-Scene - The Mise-En-Scene should provide a setting that links in with the video. For example if the video is set in the sixties such as Madonna's 'Beautiful Stranger' the mise-en-scene should follow the need for authenticity by using a recording studio or concert hall as the setting. In many recent music videos exotic locations such as beaches and cocktail bars are used to exaggerate star image.
We have decided we are going to do the 'alternative/indie' genre with the Twenty One Pilots Song Heathens as this gives us the freedom to be creative with our piece and to take it in whichever direction we want. Conventions of an 'alternative/indie' genre also fit in quite well with our age and accessibility to products as they tend to be low budget music videos which ours will be. They also include a narrative in between performance which ours will have.
Hip Hop:
In hip hop videos there tend to be many low angle close up shots to portray the singers power over the audience. The low angle gives them power as they are looking down on the audience and the close up shots give them status as it implies they are powerful enough to have a whole frame to themselves. in 50 cents 'In da club' there are 4 shots of him with a girl standing next to him seeming to do nothing, in the space of under a minute. This implies that he is desired by all and has a well known status. He then goes on to dismiss all the woman that approach him which show that he is in control of them and has the power to send them away, whilst also mkaing woman appear irrelevant at the same time. In Jay and Bobs 'Because I got high' there are lots of shots of them bobbing along to the music. In hip hop music videos there are usually shots of poeple dancing to the song in time with the beat. This implies that they like the song which gives the artist credibility and makes it easier for the audience to like the song. The clothing is usually basketball attire tosignify sporting prowess and power of the performers and there are usually many references to wealth and power through the use of mise-en-scene using cars, jewellery and money. It is usally a male dominated genre as it is very easy for them to portray their 'power and status'but Nicki Minaj did challenge this with her video 'Superbass'. She portrays herself as fierce and empowering by having the men sitting down on the chairs seeming to only be there for her entertainment.
In Hip Hop music videos general conventions are:
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The lyrics tend to link in with the visuals which creates a good narrative
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Tend to be lots of references to looks and voyeurism
Drum N Bass:
Drum and Bass music is usually created using computers and electronic synthesizers and has a fast tempo between 140bpm and 200bpm. Common instruments are drums, synthesizers. effect boards and electric guitars.
This style of music first appeared in the nightclub scene and quickly spread through London and Manchester. It first started out as soundtracks that were merely sped up and soon after developed into music with drum machines. The picture on the right shows a typical drum stero kit to mix the music.
It was created around the same time as jungle music and so they share many elements. The drum and bass genre has influenced many other genres such as Hip Hop, House music and Techno and Pop.
In Drum and Bass music videos there are lots of quick cuts and fast paced editing shots which tend to be abstract, full of colour and not lyrically connected. They usually feature extreme behaviour and partying and rarely show the artist in the video. The lighting within the videos varies; sometimes it is outside in the daylight and sometimes it is set in a darkened room.
I wouldn't want to use this genre of music as I think it wouldn't really work in a music video and it would be very hard to create a strong and effective piece without any strong lyrics to work from.
Rock:
The Rock music genre has always been quite a controversial one; some people love it and others hate it. The videos are quite unique usually set in very dark rooms or warehouses with more focus on the bands instruments than anything else. Panning shots are used on the drums, focusing particularly on the logo whilst also with heavy focus on the amps as well. There are long shots of the whole band with medium close ups and extreme close ups on the individuals during the performances. This gives each member a sense of importance and status within the band as they are centre frame. However the most camera focus is on the guitar especially during the guitar solo which shows how in the rock genre, the instruments are deemed higher than the performers. Rock music videos generally are just of the band but in some cases there is an audience featured dancing along. The dress code in these is extremeley casual and at the end there is sometimes a shot of the band smashing up their instruments as a sign of a good performance.
This would be a very easy genre to create a music video to as we would only really have to film a band performing without worrying about a storyline and visuals matching the lyrics, however we would need a catchy rock song that would appeal to lots of teenagers as this is our target audience.
Pop:
The pop genre is by far one of the most popular and so because of this it is used by many businesses as a means to promote their products.
Conventions of a music video are:
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Artists clothed in fashionable, stylish and mainstream outfits
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Portrayed as happy, enjoying life
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Lyrics usually based around love or relationships
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Bright and bold colours used in the videos
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Tends to follow current trends rather than being independent and making something new and unique
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Uusally follows a verse-chorus-verse structure
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Played on UK radio everyday
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The songs are usually very dance orientated
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Stereotypically scenes of young people partying and dancing with drink
In pop music videos the artists are expressed in very provocative clothing as if trying to seduce and draw in the audience. 10 years ago the artists in music videos were dressed much more conservatively with a bit of bare skin whereas now pop artists such as Nicki Minaj and Beyonce are in very revealing clothing. Makeup was also very minimal 10 years ago and took a more 'natural' look whereas now hair and makeup plays a massive role in expressing the artists mood and feelings in a video.
Animations in music videos has also greatly changed. A couple of years ago they were hardly seen and instead the artist was the main focus of the video and dance choreography the main element. Now technology is used as a major part of a music video to create an exciting and loud atmosphere.
R&B:
R&B or 'rhythm and blues' is a style of pop music of Black origin with a soulful vocal style. The target audience is roughly between the ages of 13-25 and the majority of these are females. It is seen that women are usually attracted to R&B as many of the songs are about love and heartbreak which is something that greatly appeals to females supposedly.
The fashion in these music videos also differs depending on gender. For the men it is typical for them to be topless wearing jeans and jewellery with lots of tattoos to signify their masculinity and power. The women are also dressed in quite revealing clothing which signifies to the male audience that they are objects of desire. They wear lots of jewellery and their makeup is very bold and defined usually coupled with big earrings and necklaces to glam themselves up. They also wear very high heels to elongate their legs in order to show off more flesh to the audience.
R&B have two different styles of music videos that are produced, slow and fast temp. The slow R&B music videos are usually grey scale or sepia as they are dark colours which evoke emotion. Slow R&B songs usually follow a narrative which tend to be about love and so the artists usually are in very revealing clothing. Fast R&B songs on the other hand are much brighter in colour with flashy cars and jewellery and involve lots of choroegraphy. These types of videos depict men as very wealthy and women as powerful and are usually set in clubs or partys urroundings to depict the stars as fun loving people. There will always be a few close ups of bottles of alcohol in these types of videos for advertising purposes. This would be a hard genre to use for the music video as we would have to get actors who didn't mind being filmed in very little clothing and also this genre is not popular with all teens so wouldn't be attractive to all our target audience.
