Task 2

Genre Music Video Analysis

Introduction

• Thee genre that I have chosen for this task is Pop. I will be analyzing the typical conventions of a pop music video.

• The music video I have chosen is for the song “Grenade” by Bruno Mars.

2. What is the genre of the music video?

• The genre of the music video I have chosen is Pop. There are many visual elements of the video that tell us how it fits into the pop genre. One of the visual elements of the video which tell us it’s a pop video is his costume, the artist is wearing a fashionable suit, which fits the genre as other genre’s like Hip Hop/Rap will not have artists with a costume like this.

3: Analyse the setting and décor of the music video

• In this music video there are two different settings for the narrative. The first setting is in his house where Bruno Mars is singing to himself, and the other is in the streets where he is dragging a piano which tells us the story he is explaining from his house, so the two settings combine in the video. Firstly in his house we can see many elements of the setting which are significant to the song/lyrics, for example it is very dark and rainy, and the singer is by himself which shows pathetic fallacy and symbolizes loneliness and heartbreak. The setting in the streets where he is dragging a piano, the are many cars and people going past and looking at him and mocking him, this symbolizes that he looks crazy and which shows he is crazy in love for the girl he is going to. I think the director has chosen this because it shows the audience how much the artist means his lyrics and he would do anything for the person he loves, for example dragging a piano across the town.

4. Analyse the costumes of the music video

• The singer has two costumes in the video. One of the costumes, is a casual look with a simple red t-shirt with jeans and a hat, which shows more of his casual and normal side. The other costume is one where he is wearing a suit, to show more of his formal side. The director has chosen a suit, because it tells us a lot about the character, that he is very formal and likes to set a good impression. This reflects to the meaning of the songs as he is about to go to a girl and sing to her and make a good impression. However by the end of the song, his suit gets all scruffy, his tie is half undone and his shirt is loose, which shows that after trying so hard he failed to win the girl and she loves someone else.

5. Analyse the props in the music video

• There are many props in this music video, such as a picture frame and cars, however, them most important prop is a piano. The piano in the song is very important for the narrative of the music video, as the character is dragging it across the city/town and is being mocked by others. The significance this has is it shows how much he loves a girl and is willing to drag a piano and sing to her. This prop does fit in the pop genre, because it is a musical instrument and there are many songs which use a piano.

6. Analyse the body language and movement in the music video

• In the music video, the singer/character is looking down on the floor by himself in a dark a room while it is raining outside. His body language and movement show that he is feeling lonely and upset about a girl. You can see this by the way he is sitting and his facial expressions show he is stressed or is feeling tensed and upset. I think the actor has chosen to show these types of body language and movement as it is a stereotypical song about love, and you would expect a person to feel lonely when their loved ones have left them. It also gives meaning to the song as his body language and movements reflect to what he is singing from the lyrics.

7. Performance• The artist is very important in this song, because the song itself is by the artist

performing and he is the main focus point for this song. The performance will add a lot for the video, because it gives the song more meaning and emphasis. The artist does very good acting and also shows a lot of emotion, which links to the lyrics of the song.

8. Narrative• In this music video there is a narrative. The narrative shows a heartbroken man,

dragging a piano across town, to sing to his girl and win her back, however, in the end he fails. The artist of the song is part of the narrative and is the man who tries to win the girl back. The narrative of the music also links a lot with the lyrics, because the song is about how the man would do anything for a girl and she wouldn't do the same. We can see this in the music video through the narrative, as he drags a piano to show his love but she doesn’t want him back. The narrative adds a lot for the music video because it links a lot to the song.

Reflection of this task• After completing this task and analysing the different concepts of

a music video, I have learned many things about how to make a music video and what I would need to consider. I have learnt the importance of my costumes, props, performance and narrative. These are all important things for a music video, because it all gives a meaning for the song and why you chose it. They need to link to the lyrics of the song and show the audience the different meanings and symbols of the song, and how all these different concepts from the music video link to it. It also reflects the feel and mood of the song, for example a happy song would have a character with bright colour costumes to show their happy personality, a good location with good atmosphere and a narrative with a happy ending. It all links together.