RESEARCH TASK: CHOSEN GENRE AND THE CONVENTIONS

RUTH HARRIS

TYPE OF MUSIC VIDEOS AND THE CHOSEN GENRE

THE MUSIC VIDEO THAT I HAVE DECIDED TO PRODUCE IS A MIXTURE OF ROMANCE GENRE AND REALITY GENRE. THE IDEA THAT I AM TRYING TO PORTRAY WITH THIS MUSIC VIDEO IS HOW TO USE BOTH TYPES OF GENRE TO CHALLENGE THE STEREOTYPICAL IDEAS OF EACH OF THESE GENRES. 

IN THIS POST I WILL EXPLAIN EACH GENRE AND ITS CODES AND CONVENTIONS.

WHAT ARE CODES AND CONVENTIONS?

• THE DIFFERENT WAYS TO CONSTRUCT MEANING IN THE MUSIC VIDEO

• THESE WAYS CAN BE DIVIDED IN TWO CATEGORIES - TECHNICAL AND SYMBOLIC

TECHNICAL TECHNIQUES - HOW MEANING IS CONVEYED USING TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT E.G THE WAY THE CAMERA ANGLES ARE USED IN THE VIDEO TO CONVEY DIFFERENT IMAGES, DIFFERENT TYPES OF SHOTS. SOUND (DIEGETIC OR NON-DIEGETIC), THE PACE AND STYLE OF THE EDITING, AND THE CHOSEN GENRE OF THE MUSIC VIDEO. 

SYMBOLIC TECHNIQUES - SYMBOLIC TECHNIQUES ARE WAYS OF SHOWING MEANINGS BEYOND WHAT THE EYE CAN SEE E.G. FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, GESTURES, POSES AND MIS-EN-SCENE. 

REASONS FOR CODES AND CONVENTIONS

THE AUDIENCE CAN BECOME FAMILIAR WITH A PARTICULAR GENRE AND WITH THIS THEY CAN START TO RECOGNIZING THE DIFFERENT CONVENTIONS WITHIN A GENRE. IT PROVIDES A STRUCTURE THAT THE AUDIENCE CAN UNDERSTAND. TO ENSURE THE LYRICS OF THE SONG FIT IN WITH THE VIDEO, OF HOW WE’D EXPECT IT TO BE.

EAMPLE: CAMERA ANGLES

EAMPLE: CAMERA ANGLES

IN THIS EXAMPLE THE CAMERA SHOWS THE FACE OF THE YOUNG GIRL WHICH COVERS THE MAJORITY OF THE SCREEN. THIS IS KNOWN AS A CLOSE UP SHOT WHICH KEEPS ONLY THE FACE FULL IN THE FRAME. THIS IS PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BUILDING BLOCK IN CINEMATIC STORYTELLING.

CLOSE UPS ARE VERY POPULAR IN MUSIC VIDEOS BECAUSE IT IS A WAY IN WHICH THE PRODUCERS CAN CONNECT ON AN EMOTIONAL LEVEL WITH THE VIEWERS. THE VIEWERS CAN ALSO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE VIDEO WHILST BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT THE EMOTIONS AND EXPRESSIONS OF THE PERFORMER/S.

EXAMPLE – CAMERA MOVEMENTSTHE CAMERA MOVES TO FOLLOW THE PERFORMER TO SHOW THE PERFORMANCE. THESE MOVEMENTS INCLUDE PANNING AND TRACKING. A DIRECTOR MAY ALSO CHOOSE TO MOVE ACTION ALONG BY TELLING THE STORY WITH A SERIES OF ABRUBT CUTS, GOING FROM ONE SHOT TO ANOTHER. HOWEVER IN THIS VIDEO THE DIRECTOR HAS KEPT A SMOOTH TRACKING AND PANNING EDIT WITH NO ABRUPT STOPS OR STARTS, SO THAT THE STORY FLOWS AS THE PERFORMER MOVES FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER. THE DEFINITIONS OF THESE TYPES OF CAMERA MOVEMENTS ARE:• PANS – THIS IS WERE THE CAMERA SCANS A SCENE HORIZONTALLY. THE

CAMERA ISPLACE ON A TRIPD, WHICH OPERATES AS A STATIONARY AXIS POINT AS THE CAMERA IS TURNED, OFTONR TO FOLLOW A PERSON/OBJECT WHICH IS KEPT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FRAME.

• DOLLY/TRACKING – THIS IS WHERE THE CAMERA IS MOUNTED ON A CART WHICH TRAVELS ALONG TRACKS FOR A VERY SMOOTH MOVEMENT. ALSO KNOWN AS ‘TRACKING’

EAMPLE: SOUNDSOUND CONSITS OF TWO MAIN FORMS: • DIEGETIC – WHICH IS ALREADY PRESENT IN THE VIDEO• NON-DIEGTIC – WHICH CAN BE EDITIED IN TO CREATE A STRONGER ATMOSPHERESOUND IS ABSOLUTLEY ESSENTIAL IN ANY MUSCI VIDEO AS THIS IS THE MAIN REASON WHY PEOPLE WATCH AND LISTEN TO THEM. WHAT SOUNDS ATTRACTIVE TO THE VIEWER IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING BECAUSE THEY CAN GAIN A SENSE OF ART FROM THE DIFFERENT ARTISTS. SOUND, LIKE FOOTAGE, CAN BE EDITED TO CREATE DIFFERENT INTERESTING EFFECTS AND VARIATIONS TO THE NORMAL VOCALS THAT WE WOULD NORMALLY HEAR. PARALLEL SOUND IS WHEN THE MUSIC MATCHES THE MOOD OF THE VIDEO. AN EXAMPLE WOULD BE IF THE SON WAS SLOW THE NTHE CIDEO WOULD ALSO BE SLOW TO GO WITH THE MOOD AND ATMOSPHERE OF THE SONG. SOME MUSIC VIDEOS HAVE DIEGETIC SOUND., WHICH INCLUDES SOUND FROM THE SURROUNDINGS (EVERYDAY NOISE) WHICH WOULD BE BIRDS, CARS, TALKING, THESE THINGS CREATE A MORE REALISTC FEEL THE THE VIDEOS ATMOSPHERE. THE MUSIC PLAYED IN MUSI VIDEOS IS NON-DIEGETIC SOUND. • EXAMPLE OF A PARELLEL MUSIC VIDEO: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=LP-EO5I60KA

MIS-EN-SCENE• THE MIS-EN-SCENE FOR MUSIC VIDEOS FOCUSES ON THE LIGHTING, PROPS, COSTUME, HAIR AND

MAKEUP, LOCATION, AND COLOR THESE ELEMENTS USUALLY DEPEND ON THE GENRE OF THE MUSIC VIDEO AND THE STYLE. THESE ELEMENTS ARE ALSO IMPORTANT IN CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS THE CHOSEN GENRE. THEY ARE USED TO CONVEY THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PEOPLE IN THE MUSIC VIDEOS. THEY ARE ALSO USED TO REPRESENT CERTAIN CHARACTERS IN DIFFERENT WAYS

• LIGHTING – HOW THE SCENE IS LIT / ARTIFICIAL LIGHTS/ SIDE LIGHTS • PROPS – PERFORMANCE EQUIPMENT, BAND MERCHANDISE • COSTUME - CERTAIN OUTFITS • HAIR AND MAKEUP – STYLE OF THE ARTIST • LOCATION – CONCERT HALLS VENUES, STREETS ETC • COLOUR - SPECIFIC COLOURS REPRESENTING A MOOD

EDITING TECHNIQUES• FINAL CUT PRO IS THE MUSIC VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE THAT WE USE TO EDIT OUR MUSIC

VIDEOS. EDITING IS THE PROCESS THAT CONCLUDES THE MAKING OF THE MUSIC VIDEO. WHEN YOU EDIT, YOU CUT SCENES DOWN, ADD SPECIAL EFFECTS AND ADD THE TRACK TO THE MUSIC VIDEO ETC. THE EDITING CONSISTS OF THE FOLLOWING THINGS:

• JUMP CUTTING • CGI EFFECTS (THE PROCESS USED FOR GENERATING ANIMATED IMAGES BY USING

COMPUTER GRAPHICS). AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IS IN THE MUSIC VIDEO, ‘SWEET DREAMS- BEYONCÉ .’ THE BACKGROUND HAS BEEN ADDED ON . ADDITIONALLY, THE EFFECTS IN THE SECOND PICTURE HAVE ALSO BEEN GENERATED USING COMPUTER GRAPHICS.

• PARALLEL EDITING (A METHOD OF CUTTING BETWEEN A COUPLE OF SCENES OR STORIES THAT ARE HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME.)

• NON- DIEGETIC SOUND IS ALSO PART OF THE EDITING.

LIGHTING• THE MIS-EN-SCENE CREATES SOME OF THE THOUGHTS AND VARIATIONS ASSOCIATED

WITH A SPECIFIC SOCIAL GROUP, FOR INSTANCE; THE LIGHTING IN A MUSIC VIDEO CAN CREATE DIFFERENT VIEWS BY THE WAY THE SCENE IS LIT , IT ALLOWS THE AUDIENCE TO RECOGNIZE THE GENRE AND STYLE OF THE MUSIC VIDEO. A BRIGHT LIGHT DRAWS THE VIEWERS ATTENTION, BUT A SCENE CAN BE LIT BY USING – NATURAL LIGHTING I.E. FROM THE SUN OR EXISTING LIGHT SOURCES, OR BY USING ARTIFICIAL LIGHTS, STROBE LIGHTS AND COLORED LIGHTS YOU WOULD MOST LIKELY SEE IN A DANCE POP/HIP HOP VIDEOS, BUT BE VERY RARE IN SAY COUNTRY TYPE MUSIC VIDEOS. THE LIGHTING SHOWS THE GENRE OF THE MUSIC VIDEO, ITS OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING TO DO WITH ROMANCE AND SO IT SHOWS THIS BY THE WAY THAT WHICH THE LIGHT CHANGES FROM LIGHT TO DARK BETWEEN SHOTS.

PROPS• IN MOST MUSIC VIDEOS SOMETIMES PROPS ARE USED TO ILLUSTRATE THE NARRATIVE,

AND WHEN LINKING THE LYRICS WITH VISUALS, PROPS ARE COMMONLY USED. THE PROPS IN A MUSIC VIDEO ADD TO THE ENTERTAINMENT SIDE, AND CAN BE USED IN A FUN IMAGINATIVE WAY. ONE MUSIC VIDEO THAT USES PROPS TO MAKE THE VIDEO MORE ENTERTAINING IS ‘TELEPHONE – LADY GAGA FT BEYONCÉ’

COSTUME• THE COSTUME IS USUALLY USED TO REPRESENT CERTAIN CHARACTERS

IN DIFFERENT WAYS. DIFFERENT ARTISTS WOULD ALSO WEAR DIFFERENT CLOTHES TO REPRESENT WHAT THERE ARE PORTRAYING IN THE MUSIC VIDEO. AN EXAMPLE OF THIS IS WITH LADY GAGA’S MUSIC VIDEOS. SHE OFTEN WEAR DRAMATIC CLOTHING TO GO WITH HER EXTRAVAGANT IMAGE. ONE VIDEO IN PARTICULAR IS ‘BAD ROMANCE’ ANOTHER MUSIC VIDEO THAT DISPLAYS COSTUME WELL IS IN THE VIDEO ‘WHEN I WAS A YOUNGSTER BY RIZZLE KICKS’. COSTUME CAN ALSO ILLUSTRATE THE NARRATIVE, AND CAN RELATE TO WHAT THE SONG IS ABOUT. THIS IS SHOWN IN THE VIDEO WERE THE COSTUMES ARE REFLECTING THE SONG, AND HAVE BEEN USED TO CREATE A IMAGINATIVE, FUN VIDEO ALSO ADDING TO THE ENTERTAINMENT SIDE.

MAKEUP & HAIR• THE WAY AN ARTISTS HAIR IS, IS DONE FOR A PURPOSE, IT CAN ALSO SHOW A

CHARACTER’S PERSONALITY, OR BE DONE AS A WAY OF ATTRACTING THE AUDIENCE. DEPENDING ON THE TARGET AUDIENCE. HAIR LIKE MAKEUP IS REALLY JUST ABOUT STYLE, AND FASHION AND WHAT’S IN. IT’S IMPORTANT THAT THE APPEARANCE OF THE ACTOR/ ARTIST IS OF GOOD QUALITY AS THEY WILL BE LOOKED AT BY THE AUDIENCE. HAIR AND MAKE-UP CAN BE DISPLAYED IN MANY WAYS FOR MANY DIFFERENT REASONS. HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF HOW MAKEUP AND HAIR CAN GIVE AN IMPRESSION. BOLD AND BRIGHT MAKEUP, AND BIG HAIR CAN BE USED TO SHOW A PERSON IS FUN AND THE ARTIST STAND OUT. ‘RIHANNA RED’ IS THE TALK OF THE PUBLIC, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT HAIR CAN INFLUENCE THE OTHER PEOPLE, AND ALSO ADVERTISE PRODUCTS.

LOCATION

• THE LOCATION, AND SCENE OF A MUSIC VIDEO CAN NOT ONLY SHOW THE AUDIENCE WERE THE ARTIST IS, BUT ALSO CAN DECIDE ON THE GENRE, FOR INSTANCE LOCATIONS FOR INSTANCE THE BEACH, OR IN A CAR, AT A PARTY, THESE SORT OF LOCATIONS YOU WOULD USUALLY FIND IN A DANCE POP MUSIC VIDEO, DUE TO THE HAPPY AND LIVELY FEEL THEY GIVE. IF THE MUSIC VIDEO WAS SAY FILMED IN A STREET, OR MODERN HOUSE, THESE ARE THE TYPICAL LOCATIONS YOU MIGHT FIND A GANG, AND YOU WOULD RELATE THIS TO GRIME/HIP-HOP TYPE VIDEO. THE LOCATION INFLUENCE THE GENRE, BUT ALSO BE CHOSEN PURPOSELY TO RELATE TO THE SONG. ONE EXAMPLE I PICKED OUT WAS A MUSIC VIDEO BY ‘ DRAKE – HEADLINES‘ THE LOCATIONS ARE VERY MUCH HIP HOP RELATED, AND YOU CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS VIDEO AND SAY A DANCE POP VIDEO FOR EXAMPLE - ‘ KATY PERRY TEENAGE DREAM ‘

COLOUR• COLORS ARE SHOWN THROUGH ALMOST EVERYTHING IN A MUSIC VIDEO,

LIGHTING, COSTUMES, HAIR, MAKEUP, LOCATIONS, THE WAY THE CAMERA IS ANGLED ALSO PLAYS A PART IN POSITIONING THE COLORS WE SEE IN MUSIC VIDEOS. COLORS ARE USED IN EVERYDAY THINGS AND WE GENERALLY SEE THE USE OF COLORS THROUGHOUT MUSIC VIDEOS DISPLAYING NORMAL DAY LIFE THINGS. COLOR CAN ALSO BE INTEROPERATED THOUGH TO REPRESENT A FEELING OR MOOD OR TO SIGNIFY A CERTAIN THING. FOR EXAMPLE SOME VIDEOS CAN BE IN BLACK AND WHITE SHOWING NO COLORS, THIS CAN BE A WAY OF SHOWING A TIME LAPSE FOR EXAMPLE FLASH BACKS, AND SUGGEST SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED IN THE PAST. IT CAN ALSO BE PURPOSELY DONE TO SHOW AN EMOTIONAL SCENARIO FOR EXAMPLE A GOOD EXAMPLE IS BEYONCÉ – IF I WAS A BOY, IT SHOWS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE, THE HOLE VIDEO IS IN BLACK AND WHITE THIS SUGGESTS THAT THE RELATIONSHIP IS ON AND OFF, AND THE AUDIENCE CAN RECOGNIZE THIS DUE TO THE COLORS. IF THIS VIDEO WAS SHOWN IN NORMAL COLORS THE ACTUAL NARRATIVE AND RELATIONSHIP WOULDN’T BE SO SIGNIFICANT, AND WOULDN’T APPEAR SO IMPORTANT. THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WERE THE COLOR CAN REALLY ADD TO THE ATMOSPHERE, AND WHAT THE VIDEO WANTS TO SHOW THE AUDIENCE.