Here is my research into the intended genre (pop) for my music video. This post is written by me (Chelsea).
I need to understand the term “music video” in the media and the conventions of my preferred genre (pop) that are typically used before I can do more in-depth research on this specific music video genre. I have used several resources to collect this information.
In general, a music video one of the form of communication that contains audio and visual. It is a way to take a song and help people visualise a way they have never done it before. Music videos are the most effective medium in delivering messages because they are supported with images, sound or sung music, as well as themes that are taken from song lyrics or social reality. Different genres of music videos indicates the stylish categories to which the music and music video belong, such as, pop, rock, indie, r&b, etc.
Since pop is the main genre I’m focusing on, I believe that this genre alone has their own distinctive, different conventions and approaches to present a song compared to other music genres. Here is my focused research result on pop genre music videos:
Conventions of a pop music video:
➤ In terms of narratives, most pop music videos tend to include an element or theme of “love” as it may appeal mostly towards young people
➤ A link between lyrics and visuals are usually implemented along with featuring the artist performing for the camera
➤ Artists are often portrayed as the protagonist character and are always the center of attention compared to their surroundings
➤ Performance-based music videos which features a dance routine
➤ Direct mode of address where the artist is usually seen lipsync towards the camera
➤ Sound
↪ Dialogue are sometimes used to introduce the story and concept of the music video to show what the artist is trying to convey towards the audience
➤ Camera angles & movements
↪ Close up shots of the artist or characters to show their facial expression to display the feelings and emotions the artist is feeling
↪ Long shots are used to establish the setting and portray the artist’s position in a scene
➤ Editing
↪ The pacing of pop music videos depends on the tempo of the music being either slow (montage) or fast paced (quick / jump cuts)
↪ Cut to the beat / rhythmitic editing by synchronising the shot and sound or beat of the music
↪ Lipsync editing are made to look real by matching the movement of lips to the music with the right tempo
➤ Mise-en-scene
↪ The costumes worn by the artists tend to be fashionable and stylish, there are often changed throughout the music video to keep the interest of viewers
↪ In terms of costumes for women, they are often seen as sexual objects and wear extravagant clothing
↪ The styling of hair and makeup are carefully chosen and used to express the artists feelings and emotions
↪ The setting of pop music videos usually takes place in locations which generally have a party aspect in them. In some cases, places like school, gym or parks are often used so that audiences can feel closer to the artist
↪ The lighting used tends to be consistent with bright lights to emphasise the artist and usually to present a positive vibe and feel about the artist
↪ The mood and atmosphere of pop music videos are generally bright and colourful
Resources used:
Nathan Zed on yt
Rey film
IN DEPTH RESEARCH
─────────────────── ⋆⋅High School in Jakarta - NIKI⋅⋆ ───────────────────
Music video link: https://youtu.be/d4CF4km1rUQ?si=UaiLRpAfTWiDz0y8
Name: NIKI - High School in Jakarta
Year: 2022
Production company: 88 Rising
Distribution company: 88 Rising
Genre / sub genre: Indie / Alternative Indie
Conform conventions:
↳ The whole music video is narrative based in which tells a story that complements with the song’s theme and lyrics. The artist often features characters that evoke emotional connections with the audience by the use of relatable themes like love. In this music video, it tells a story about the main character (played by the artist herself, NIKI) fell in love with a guy in her high school, the story continues the journey of their relationship from not knowing each other to being close both emotionally and physically.
↳ The music video takes place in different locations which what normal pop music videos use. The main setting used is the school, since school is generally the type of setting that is large and many possible locations and angles could be used. In this music video, it includes shots inside the classroom, hallways, school stage. This makes it relatable and familiar for many people, making it accessible for wide range of audience especially towards teens.
Subvert conventions:
↳ Narrative based music videos usually include an opening scene, however this music video goes straight to the song itself without any context or establishment of mood or theme. However, the first shot setting of this music video was the school classroom hence viewers could easily identity the possible main themes (youth, friendships, love).
↳ blending natural background sound with the song itself, which causes the sounds to be overlapping
↳ At the end of the music video, it can be seen the two main characters walked outside the classroom and through the hallway where they slowly walked towards the exit door, however the surrounding environment around them are not in motion / freezing, as if they are in their own world. This is not typical for general pop music videos as characters are constantly moving around.
Representation (people/places/events):
↳ Setting takes place at school in Jakarta, Indonesia tend to wear uniforms from school compared to Western schools (no uniform nor dresscode)
↳ Young love - how exciting and innocent it is - especially during teenage years - only tells the beginning of the relationship so it is obvious that it all seems positive
Technical elements:
Camera
↳ Push in to show a closer look of the emotions of the artist
↳ Match cut of the main male actor falling and another guy falling during drama club -> connect scenes
Mise-en-scene
↳ Location takes place in school which are relatable for most audience
↳ Makeup and styling were not heavy due to the characters represented as young students (Although played by adults) -> make them look more youthful and innocent
Edit
↳ Quick cuts during photoshoot accompanied with the sound of camera shutter to quikly show the students and their personalities
Sound
↳ Lots of trans diegetic elements to enhance the overall storytelling and makes the music video feel cohesive
─────────────────── ⋆⋅Never Ending Song - Conan Gray⋅⋆ ───────────────────
Name: Conan Gray - Never Ending Song
Year: 2023
Production company: Republic Records
Distribution company: Republic Records
Genre / sub genre: Pop / Synth Pop
Conform conventions:
↳ The main focus of this music video is performance-based, which features the artist dancing or choreographing a performance to the camera. Conan Gray is shown dancing through the aisles of the supermarket, later joined by other employees and shoppers around him who takes the dance to the checkout register. It has the balance between scripted or planned and freestyle dance moves that express the artist’s passion and enthusiasm from the movements. A performance-based music video aims to focus on the artist himself as the main character in the music video and convey them in a particular way to the viewing audience, in which is to reinforce the song’s upbeat rhythm and emotion.
↳ Another convention pop music videos usually implement is lip sync, this is when the artists’ lip movements are matched to the music at the right tempo. In order to convey his passion for the song through his facial expressions, Conan Gray is seen lip-syncing to the majority of the scenes in this music video. Because everyone is having a good time, the audience will also enjoy watching.
↳ An introduction / opening scene before the song starts is another common convention that is used in pop music videos. This is done in order to establish the style and set viewers expectations or give hints for the song’s theme. The artist turns off the car to head to a grocery during nighttime in the opening scene of this music video. The subtly melodic instrumental of the song is played on the radio in a car, giving the audience a preview of how the music will go or sound like before the actual song starts.
↳ Stylish and fashionable outfits are worn by the artist (Conan Gray). He is seen wearing a black and yellow leather jacket, yellow shoes, fashionable glasses, headphones, gloves, and a belt. His style wants to incorporate an 80s vibe, which also aligns with the style of his synth pop song (will be explained further in the representation part). According to theorist Levi Strauss, this kind of style draws the attention for the main artist by using binary opposites between his distinctive style and the dull and boring outfits worn by the shoppers and employees, as well as his dancing, not caring about his surrounding makes him stand out from the crowd and seem to be in his own world.
↳ Props are often use in pop music videos as a symbol to present something important. In this case, the headphones the artist (Conan Gray) is wearing plays a crucial role in this music video. It transitions or bridges the song from one that only he can hear to one that is audible to the entire audience (trans-diegetic sound is used, which will be explained in more detail in the technical elements section). The fact that he kept playing the song over and over again while wearing headphones further highlights his connection to song itself. Moreover, it establishes an emotional contrast between the music video's depiction of the chaos or interactions in the supermarket atmosphere and the his own emotional world.
↳ Another convention that I’ve found that conforms to typical pop music videos is the link between lyrics and visuals in order to focus on the lyrics in a minor way. At some scenes, I noticed that the lyrics matched to what the scene is being presented. For instance, there is a line saying, “I saw your face in a magazine” where Conan Gray’s face himself appeared on a magazine cover of himself. Nevertheless, he introduced an intriguing twist to the conventional first-person narrative of songwriting, which in some ways subverts this convention. The narrator of this section is probably talking about Conan Gray because it seems to be sung from the viewpoint of the other person in this scenario. Additionally, he also sings the lyric, "I can hear your voice in the music on the radio."
Subvert conventions:
↳ It appears that the title card of this music video is very different compared to usual pop music videos because these videos normally don't have an outro or title card at the end and usually end as soon as the song does. Also, for majority of the videos I watched the title card is typically displayed at the start of the music video rather than the end. Furthermore, the title card appears to repeat the instrumental verse of the song like the introduction/opening scene, which is not typically done in pop music videos. The repeated exposure to the song’s melody in this music video will result in audience to actively recall or remember this specific tune to be repeated in their head so it is easily recognisable.
↳ The car and supermarket are the only two setting in which this song video is set, which is considered a limited number. In order to keep the audience interested and involved, pop music videos usually feature multiple locations. Nevertheless, Conan Gray's performance and his authencity, which capture audiences' attention, managed to keep the audience interested in this music video.
↳ The main theme of this music video is love as most pop songs do. But after analysing the lyrics, the song tells about a painful relationship that continues despite attempts to end it. This subverts the convention pop music videos because, despite the theme being more leaning towards the negative side or aspects of love or relationships, the artist wants to disguise sadness in an upbeat music while people dance joyfully as if they have no burden or worries in life. Pop songs that are primarily melancholic, sentimental or mellow typically feature slower paced, less happy music videos that fit with the mood. Hence, from this song and music video, the artist wants himself and the audience to have a celebration of emotions rather than mourning them.
Representation (people/places/events):
↳ Overall, the representation that are included in this music video are rather positive than negative. A pregnant woman, shoppers, people of many races, ethnicities, and genders are all well-represented in this music video. Because it represents the diversity of cultures, identities, and experiences, this diverse representation is significant because it enables marginalised people to see themselves being represented on screen.
↳ 80s fashion is being represented by the use of leather jackets that are popular back in the 80s, this connotes rebellion and freedom in the modern culture. Leather jackets are usually black in colour but he added a touch of yellow as part of the artist’s identity or persona. This also represent the true character of the artist himself, he added a significant touch to his outfit in which there is a symbol of a star inside a teardrop, as a reminder for the artist to take risks and put himself out there, representing the magic of experiencing both the happiest and saddest moments in life.
↳ The artist, Conan Gray, does not fear of challenging the stereotypes of males dancing and performing on screen. Male artists in pop music videos typically only stand in the center of the frame, making few movements, while dancers in the background perform the entire choreography, explaining why they avoid dancing to maintain a certain image since it may be viewed as less masculine. Conan Grays, on the other hand, normalises males accepting their emotions and their masculine and feminine parts, thereby embracing positive masculinity.
↳ Perhaps the supermarket setting is used to symbolise mundane aspects of life and a natural setting in real life. The music video also depicts what we all want we could do when our favourite song plays in public, particularly when we're grocery shopping in supermarkets. We get transported to our own little world and feel the urge to dance and sing along. As a result, this music video does an excellent job of of capturing these scenarios that we hope we could experience in real life.
Technical elements:
Camera
Most of the camera movements & angles (especially close up and long shots) are regularly used in pop music videos, hence also conforming to their conventions. Here are the camera movements & angles that are used in this music video:
↳ Tons of close up shots are used especially towards the artists’ (Conan Gray’s) face, this shows emotions & passion of the artist himself when singing the song. Instead of the background characters, his face is frequently shown to the viewers. as the artist want to keep his face relevant as the world of pop music is ever changing
↳ A pan camera movement is used in the opening sequence, in which the camera pans from the radio (while music playing) to the steering wheel. This is done to maintain the surronding environment while focusing on a subject in order to follow an action of scene sequence
↳ The opening scene of the music video solely featured medium or close up shots of various parts of the character's clothes, like the shoes, without revealing the identity of the main character. Therefore, a boom camera movement is used to reveal the character, which is the artist (Conan Gray) himself. This is done to generate audience's interest in speculating and guessing the identity of this person based on the distinct style
↳ Tilt and random camera movements are used in some shots where the artist is shown dancing alone, emphasising the energy of his movements that is captures. This makes the scene more personal and creates a laid back atmosphere for the audience that is enjoyable to watch
Mise-en-scene
↳ As the music video is taking place during night time, the lighting of the exterior environment is dark. Bright artificial lighting is used throughout the supermarket so that both customers and employees can go through their daily normal activities. The artist and the background characters began dancing in time when it was announced that the supermarket would be closing and the main lights would be turned off, leaving only the fruits section as the source of light. When the lights are switched back on, it gives us the impression that the entire scene and the dancing were all in his head, and that the dim lighting may suggest that nobody can see you dancing in the dark, so you can do it freely and without fear of judgement
↳ The choice of outfit and accessory of the artist (black & yellow leather jacket, glasses, headphones, yellow shoes, belt, gloves) is seen as a symbol of rebellion and freedom, as well resembling 80s vibe that the artist wants to portray
↳ Supermarket employees are identified by their use of blue coloured clothing, which may also be related to the business term "blue-collar workers," which refers to those who perform physical work, in this case, the supermarket cashiers
Edit
↳ Several cuts and jump cuts that matches the music or beat are used to create an upbeat and enegertic view on the scenes, drawing viewers into the rhythm of the song
Sound
↳ Trans diegetic sound is extremely crucial as a part of this music video for bridging between scenes. When he enters the supermarket and removes his headphones, the diegetic sound that was coming from his headphones converts to non-diegetic background music, which is when the song actually begins.
↳ Exaggerated diegetic sound of knife & high pitched noise possibly from the speaker to heighten the emotional impact of the audience. As I watched the video for the first time, I was a little taken aback by that sound effect which focuses my attention on what the employee is about to say
GENERAL RESEARCH
─────────────────── ⋆⋅Room For you - grentperez & Lyn Lapid⋅⋆ ───────────────────
Music video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PG32Jo99QE
Title: Room For You
Artist: grentperez & Lyn Lapid
Year: 2024
Genre / subgenre: Indie / Indie Pop
Target audience & how they appealed to:
Overall, the music video appears to be playful because the most of the scenes only feature two artists having fun together, exploring different locations and enjoying each other’s presence. Other than that, the outfit is comfortable yet casual, without of excessive hair, makeup, or clothing, in which are frequently used in real life situations. Furthermore, there was no explicit content displayed (such as bad language or substances), thus the overall vibe just fosters a positive energy around the room and for the audience as well. Therefore, teenagers and young adults between the ages of 12 and 20 can enjoy this music video, and they are particularly drawn to it due of its simplicity yet sweet scenes that are personal to the audience.
What would I like to use:
↳ I would like to use L-cut for the opening scene of my music video before the song starts to keep the audience engaged by using the few melodies of the song to draw them to the next scene before the visuals change
↳ A close-up of the scene's details is shown after the artists are appear in the scene frame (typically a medium or long shot). For instance, a medium shot the aquarium where it is followed by a close-up of jellyfishes is being shot. I want to implement this idea, particularly if the location later on I choose is visually appealing so I can add more details regarding the location scene
↳ Jump cuts of the artists playing around is seen so that the whole scene is not being shown fully in order to decrease boredom of viewers
What would I like to avoid:
↳ The entire music video (from beginning to end) appears to be very freestyle and the artists were having such a great time without having to act much (the rest is just them playfully lip-syncing to the song lyrics). Since I want to incoporporate more performances (especially dance) into my music video to increase engagement and visual aspects of the music video, I would like to avoid the majority of these freestyle scenes.
─────────────────── ⋆⋅good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo⋅⋆ ───────────────────
Music video link: https://youtu.be/gNi_6U5Pm_o?si=MXoExD6DKpyykhOj
Title: good 4 u
Artist: Olivia Rodrigo
Year: 2021
Genre / Sub genre: Pop Rock
Target audience & how they appealed to:
This music video lean towards female audience as the artist or star appeal herself (Olivia Rodrigo) is a female who portrays her rage and emotions in response to heartbreak and betrayal. To further support this, the artist is seen in a cheerleader outfit as a reference to the movie “The Princess Diaries”. She is also seen applying makeup which would appeal towards girls too. As I stated, the main theme of this song means that this music video would appeal the most to teenagers as they can resonate similar experiences to this and therefore are more likely to be drawn to this song.
What would I like to use:
↳ I enjoyed the song video's chorus, which included a dance performance by the lead singer and supporting dancers. I might incorporate this type of performance as an inspiration in my inspiration, but perhaps the dance moves are simpler than that
↳ I also liked the use of vintage cameras especially during the supermarket scene when she lipsyncs thes song lyrics to the camera, as if she’s talking directly to the CCTV surveillence camera
↳ The artist has incorporated a number of movie references into her scenes, such as the Carrie fire scene, Jennifer's Body at the music video's ending, or the Princess Diaries part where she is wearing a cheerleader dress and wants revenge. I might use scenes that are inspired by movies in my music video to help viewers relate to the song more deeply by bringing back memories of scenes they may have seen or enjoyed
What would I like to avoid:
↳ Since the setting and props used in the scenes appear to have taken a significant amount of time and money to develop (particularly in the last scene where a room is filled with fire and possibly gasoline flooding the room), this will not be possible in my music video due to the high budget needed. Additionally, I wish to refrain from using any potentially dangerous props or objects that could harm other people.
─────────────────── ⋆⋅ Please Please Please - Sabrina Carpenter ⋅⋆ ───────────────────
Music video link: https://youtu.be/cF1Na4AIecM?si=UKFXlMmTMmV3Q_fY
Title: Please Please Please
Artist: Sabrina Carpenter
Year: 2024
Genre / Sub genre: Pop / Country Pop
Target audience & how they appealed to:
As the music video contains violence, use of weapons and some intimacy between actors, younger audience won’t suit that much. There is also engagemnet in criminal related activities which does not set good examples for children and pre-teens as they might copy them. Hence, older audiences would be interested to watch such as young adults to adults from the ages of 15-20s. Moreover, the style of clothing of the artist (Sabrina Carpenter) as the main character in the music video wore extravagant, vibrant and revealing clothing as well as heavy makeup which would appeal more towards females as their role model, as mentioned by Bulmer & Katz from their theory of Uses & Gratification of personal identity
What would I like to use:
↳ The artist looking towards the camera direct mode of address while an action is occuring in the background
What would I like to avoid:
↳ Relatively long intro which is up to 1 minute
─────────────────── ⋆⋅ Mantra - JENNIE ⋅⋆ ───────────────────
Music video link: https://youtu.be/bB3-CUMERIU?si=eI2F4-Rm6B9WN-E0
Title: Mantra
Artist: JENNIE
Year: 2024
Genre / Sub genre: Pop / Pop Electronic
Target audience & how they appealed to:
Females audiences would appeal a lot to this music video from the use of JENNIE’s fashion, predominantly in Asian countries like South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and the Phillippines as she likes to incorporate some cultural aspects to her music video. Moreover, most of the representation used in this music video is primarily females which further support that this would appeal towards female audience.
What would I like to use:
↳ Pop culture reference in the opening scene
↳ The little girl singing to the song from the car radio in the opneing scene before the actual song starts emphasises how addictive and popular the song is
What would I like to avoid:
↳ Very high budget, different cars (with different designs & colours) are used as props
─────────────────── ⋆⋅ Gala bunga matahari ⋅⋆ ───────────────────
Music video link: https://youtu.be/AQpEIZ8dNcU?si=-oeAEgZV2gzCQAhe
Title: Gala bunga matahari
Artist: Sal Priadi
Year: 2024
Genre / Sub genre: Pop / Indonesian Pop
Target audience & how they appealed to:
The entire music video, which largely emphasises the emotional aspect according to the song's mellow beat that is sweet and heartfelt. They rely heavily on metaphors. This music video can be viewed by people of all ages, although it might be difficult for children to understand its true meaning. For this reason, it would be better suited for an older, more mature audience, such as young adults or adults. In addition, those who identify with the story's main theme (missing a deceased loved one) may find this music video appealing as well.
What would I like to use:
↳ Using an item or object as a symbol - the use of sunflower to connote the feeling of hope and loss
What would I like to avoid:
↳ Not using settings that are high in budget (such as the moon location)
─────────────────── ⋆⋅ we can’t be friends - Ariana Grande ⋅⋆ ───────────────────
Music video link: https://youtu.be/KNtJGQkC-WI?si=Ut03acnNNsyzxnbJ
Title: we can’t be friends
Artist: Ariana Grande
Year: 2024
Genre / Sub genre: Pop
Target audience & how they appealed to:
Teenagers to young adults from the ages of 13-21 years old, there is a hint of romance in this music video where it shows the life the artist had during and after her relationship
What would I like to use:
↳ I really liked the constant switch between analepsis (flashback) and prolepsis (flashforward) where the 2 of the couple is seen together and it switches to the artist (Ariana Grande) alone in the same setting. I would like to incorporate this style if the music chosen later is similar to this music video’s theme
↳ A smooth sound transition between the opening scene and the start of the song, the artist tried to match the beat of the song with real life situations, in this case, the heartbeat
What would I like to avoid:
↳ The use of props similar to the ones used in the music videos as it appears to have a high budget (from physical props to CGI)
↳ Intro was quite long (1 minute)
┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━•❃°•° Self reflection°•°❃ •━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓
Researching and analysing tons of music videos before creating my own music video project may appear mundane out of others, but I was able to immediately shift my mindset and perceive this process as enjoyable. I've always enjoyed watching and analysing the visuals in music videos, as well as decoding the message behind them, so I chose music videos that interest me while still being relevant to the genre I'm working on. I believe that it is also good to explore different sub-genres of pop to see what makes them similar and different to one and another. I realised how much important this step is before creating my own music video project. It definitely took me quite awhile to conduct this research as I had to analyse numerous music videos in depth, I even had to restart the clips from the beginning or replaying the scenes for a few times so that I can analyse every camera angles & movements, mise-en-scene, sound and edit that is being used. Nevertheless, this research is a crucial step for my music video project so that I can create a professional, high quality and in line with the conventions used for a music video itself. Next time, I really want to make better use of my time so that I don't get behind on the other blog posts I need to finish and ensuring that every research have balanced amount of analysis.
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