Genre : Hip-hop
Song - Pia Mia "Do It Again" ft Chris Brown & Tyga
The genre of this music video is Hip Hop as it holds many typical conventions within this genre.Hip hop music videos are famous for objectifying women. At 1:57 and 2:13 , we can denote Pia Mia wearing very limited clothing whilst dancing. The camera lingers on her body to highlight her as 'Sexy'. Hip hop music videos use women to sell their song because of their looks, thus highlighting Laura Mulvey's theory of the male gaze. Women being used a voyeurs in a music video is a key convention within this genre, as they are used to sell the song.
Another convention is choreography such as street dance. At 1:37 and 2:46 we denote Chris Brown dancing to the song. This sells him as an artist, and also impacts the audience to do the same so they enjoy the song. The artificial lighting along with the choreography connotes a much more flashy lifestyle which appeals to their target audience of impressionable teenagers.
Sub genre : Grunge rock
Song - Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
The first thing I noticed about this music video - was the colour palette (shown through out). The music video is coloured quite murky to highlight the grunge genre. Grunge rock is a sub-genre because it is Grunge is often characterized by a sludge guitar sound, high level of distortion and feedback effects.
Nirvana is possibly the most popular grunge rock band as their music fuses these elements and appealed to so many indie fans.Grunge Lyrics are typically angst-filled, often addressing themes such as social alienation, apathy, confinement, and a
desire for freedom. The artist Kurt Cobain, seen at 2:00 , suffered with a drug addiction. The hazy effect or drug abuse
is often shown in his grunge songs because they are so laid back as if they were made for these moments.
Another convention is the performance element associated with the parent genre - rock. You can see this clearly from 3:38 to 3:48. The band are using their instruments to sell them as a rock band and their ability to perform live.Rock is also known for getting their audience to feel adrenaline (3;55-3:58) which makes people want to go see them in concert more so they can feel the same way.
Hybrid : Metal / RnB
Song - Issues "Stingray Affliction"
This song is a combination of both metal and rnb.The metal vibe is evident when the band start performing and they are using guitars whilst thrashing - you can see this at 0:30- 0.34. One of the band members is also using his throat to sing at 0.50 to 0.57 (can be referred to as 'screaming') which is only used in metal songs.
However, the rnb elements are shown from 2:50, as the lights dim to show the transition of genres in the song. From 2.53, a smoke machine is used to soften the mood from the previous metal vibe. The lead singer also begins to sing much more softly with a long close up instead of the fast paced jump cuts seen previously. At 3.36 to 3.38, the band members are moving much more slowly instead of jumping around. However, at 3.30, the band begins to head bang, to highlight their song going back to metal.
2 & 3) Generic conventions and themes
Pop Ballad song
Conventions
Typical
Mise-en-scene
The lighting was very highkey to establish the upbeat music in this genre. There were also plenty
of close ups of Katy’s face to sell her as the singer as well as the actor. The
costumes were quite unique however, as most pops songs would have the latest
trends featured,but the narrative involved Katy cutting her hair and
wearing a military outfit which was unconventional, yet effective.
Typical types of narrative
Pop music videos are always influenced with the theme of love as it is a relatable theme for everyone. This is important as the audience are often passive and a mainstream narrative is more likely to sell than something niche. This music video used the idea of a breakup to show how a girl can gain something out of it, other than heartbreak. This is conventional because of the fact it is a mainstream theme and it is also a common theme in most pop music video.
Typical representations
The male character is often always portrayed as the sleeze, or as the cheater. This highlights the theme of breaking up and will often portray the female character to be much more emotional in comparison. This is very typical is societal views,therefore there is no surprise that Katy is seen crying and cutting her hair whilst her boyfriend was cheating!
Typical sound design
In the beginning of the music video, there is a cold opening with minimal dialogue to introduce the narrative. Plenty of pop music videos often use a cold opening before the music to introduce the storyline or the location. The song itself is very dance like as the beat is upbeat, this is typical for this genre as pop music is meant to be very generic and likable.
- think trashy karaoke on a hen night.
Typical editing style
Like most music videos, there are plenty of cuts to fit the pace of the song. As Katy was going through a transition, the cutting pace was fast to highlight her going through a personal journey. This is conventional as most pop music videos use cuts to keep the music upbeat and happy.
Recurring camera techniques
One thing I noticed through out the music video,was that the camera was never still and was always moving,even if it was shaking. This was conventional for this genre because it kept the audience on edge as pop songs are meant to make you feel more energized.
Main themes -
Break ups (0.00 - 0.38) - This theme is typical for this genre because most pop songs are associated with love in general.Pop is mostly targeted towards a female audiences, therefore love is a popular topic for this genre. A similar song is Taylor Swift's We are never getting back together, which you can watch here.
Transformation (1:15-1.36) As most pop songs have a narrative side to their music videos, they often have a transformation as a common theme to show a happier and brighter side to this up beat genre. An example of this is Kelly Clarkson's Invincible, which you can watch here.
Female independence (3:07-3:10) Most female pop singers are designed to be role models, an example of a similar song on this theme is Kelly Clarkson's stronger, which you can watch here.
No comments:
Post a Comment