Music Videos - do they vary depending on the genre?

To start my research I am going to be investigating the conventions of music videos. The codes and conventions of music videos are the different techniques used to construct meaning in them. These techniques can be divided into two types; technical and symbolic.

Technical techniques - how meaning is conveyed using technical equipment

• Camera Shots: Music videos tend to include many long shots, close ups and mid shots that will display the artist, location and emotions. Also, close ups can be used to show the artists lipsyncing the lyrics of the song. 
• Camera Movement: The movement of the camera is used to follow and trace the artist or the actions of the video. The camera movement often involves tilts, pans, tracking and crane shots. High/low angle shots will be employed to show a certain image of the artist/object.
• Editing: Jump cuts are the main editing technique used in music videos. This is because it allows a sudden change from one scene to another. The pace of the editing matches the tempo of the song and can help create emotion.

Symbolic techniques - ways of showing meanings beyond what you can see

1. Props: These are a vital in aiding to add to the scene and create significance on particular objects or people.
2. Costume: This goes with the scenes in the song and reflects the genre. Costume is an important factor because it has a slight influence on how the viewers will dress because they use some of the celebrities as role models
3. Colour: Colours tend to set the mood of the song through creating an atmosphere. For example, dark colours are used more in rock songs such as Kings of Leon and bright colours are seen to be used more in hip hop and pop videos.
4. Lighting: Some music videos are black and white which help emphasise a particular mood and some videos have artificial lighting which put the artist/s in an enhanced look.
5. Mise-en-scene: This refers to the arrangement of performers and props on stage or in a scene for a production of a music video or any other media text. Mise-en-scene puts importance on the representation of something.

We must also consider the different types of music videos, such as performance, narrative and abstract videos. Performance consists mainly of the artists performing in the video, whilst narrative videos follow a storyline, often related to the lyrics of the song. In contrast, abstract music videos have no storyline and can be confusing to watch, with various motion images unrelated to the lyrics of the song. Styles of music videos can be combined; for example mixtures of performance and narrative are often seen as it can be difficult to create a pure performance or narrative video.

The conventions and styles of a music video vary depending predominantly on the genre of music.

POP MUSIC VIDEOS

In terms of symbolic techniques, one of the main conventions in pop music videos is their use of colour: they contain lots of different bright colours to create a fun and lively atmosphere which is evident in Beyoncé's Countdown video. This is because the target audience of pop music videos is young people (teenagers and young adults), so bright colours are more likely to appeal to this demographic group. Lighting is also bright to determine a happy atmosphere. The costumes in pop music videos are also influenced by colour - they are very extravagant which enables the audience to view a style which contrasts everyday clothing.

Beyoncé's 'Countdown'

Pop music videos always include an appearance of the artists and there is usually some element of performance - dance routines are very common. If there is a narrative within the lyrics, it is likely that the artist will play the role of the main character. They usually have an element of fantasy in them, where they aren't doing everyday things - for example in Katy Perry's California Girls video. This has an impact on the location of the video. Many pop artists such as Beyoncé have become similar to a brand, so she stays relevant to her audience by allowing them access to her through her interesting music videos.

Katy Perry's 'California Girls'

Costumes for female pop artists as well as female background dancers are often very revealing, which can also be seen in the California Girls video. Artists are shown in a sexual way to attract the audience and this relates to the male gaze. As many pop artists are seen as role models to their fans, the way they dress may have an influence on how their audience dresses. The facial expressions of the artists are always happy.


We get to view facial expressions of the artist because pop music videos include many close ups, as well as many extreme close ups. Perhaps this is to give the fans a chance to feel like they are close to the artist, who may be their role model. Long shots are used to capture the artist in their environment, however mid shots are the most common as it allows the audience to see the artists face in enough detail, whilst still being able to view their outfit/body. This further sexualizes the women in the videos. In terms of frames, the artists will always be captured in the centre frame, to keep the focus on them. The camera will usually track the artist if they're moving to maintain this focus. Editing in music videos is usually quite fast paced to maintain an upbeat vibe. Jump cuts are most commonly used to achieve this. These videos are very high budget.


RAP MUSIC VIDEOS

Unlike pop music videos, the colours and lighting used in rap music videos is often dark and dull, which can be seen in Jay Z's Holy Grail video. Perhaps it is to establish the difference in genres instead of creating a similar atmosphere. Maybe this is because the audience of rap music videos is likely to be older than the audience of the pop genre, so they are trying to create a more mature atmosphere. These videos are usually very high budget, like pop music videos.

Similarly to pop music videos, rap artists will almost always appear in their videos. Most rap artists today are male, which has an impact on the audience that may be viewing their music videos. We can assume that most of the audience are also young males, because this is the demographic group most interested in this genre. This may influence the conventions of rap music videos in terms of their costumes etc. Costumes in rap videos are quite basic - consisting usually of jeans and some kind of shirt. The men are much more covered up than women are, as women often appear accompanying the artists in these videos as dancers etc. Props are an important aspect of rap videos, perhaps because the artists are idolised less without these. Common props include chains and other jewellery such as watches and rings to show wealth. Alcohol and cigars are often present too. The style of these videos are often performance based and never narrative. Camera angles range however many are low angled to portray the artist as dominant. Many camera shots capture close ups of props. Close ups of the artist aren't seen frequently - mid-shots and long shots are more common to show the mise-en-scene and location. The editing is paced to match the beat of the song, it usually isn't as fast as pop videos.


ALTERNATIVE MUSIC VIDEOS

These music videos have a similarity with rap videos where many of them have very dark lighting and dull colours, and this is evident in Hozier's Work Song video. It is also very common to see live performance in their videos, to show the passion the artist has for performing their music. This means that the artists will almost always appear in their music video. Also, there is often a link between the visuals and lyrics, so an element of narrative will be present.


The costumes in alternative music videos are very casual to fit the mood of the genre. Also it helps to relate with their audience and keep an 'ordinary' vibe in comparison to those seen in pop music videos. This is part of the reason that these videos are low budget. The backgrounds are usually quite plain so longshots are seen to show the band together or the costumes. Instruments are always part of the mise-en-scene to add to the live performance effect - they are often the only prop in the video. Close ups are seen to show the artists miming the lyrics. Mid-shots are used so that we can see the artist playing their instrument with enough detail of their face. Titles or pans are used most commonly in narrative videos. Alternative music videos are edited to the beat, using lots of jump cuts. However, slow cuts and fades are used also to highlight the genre.