Analysis of music genres - Miss Georgiou

Music Genres 

Music videos use their genres to appeal to their audience by including micro elements that will attract them. To do this music videos include editing effects, camera elements and mise en scene which may relate to them or intrigue them. Music videos also attract their audience through the artist, who needs to link with the genre by possibly being stylish or controversial, this is done mostly through mise en scene. Different genres need different styles and layouts in order to become successful, these elements will need be what their audience wants to see.

Rap

The first genre I analysed was Rap for which I watched Drake video for Over. 

The video is a typical rap video starring the top chart artist Drake in which he sang his lyrics in a performance style, always singing to the audience through the camera. In this video there were many conventions of the genre and many attractions for the target audience.

The video was a typical rap video starring the top chart artist Drake in which he sang his lyrics in a performance style, always singing to the audience through the camera. In this video there were many conventions of the genre and many attractions for the target audience. Mise en scene is used a lot to show Drakes persona. For example his costume, he wore a different outfit for each scene in his video which was a bout 4 or 5. In one of the scenes he is wearing white tracksuit with a gold chain around his neck, the white infers his innocence to what he is rapping about the costume also shows his up to date style within the genre he works in. Most rap artists wear this laid back tracksuit or bagging clothing look which gold chains and big jewellery, it is common with the genre because it is seen as stylish to their target audience which is normally males aged 15 to 25. The costume Drake is wearing is conventional to the rap genre because the target audiences are normally from a working class background so find if the artist wears this casual clothing that they can relate to them better as they themselves normally wear similar outfits.

Another mise en scene element which attracts the audience the is positioning of character. For most of the video Drake is positioned in the centre of the screen, and occasionally on the side. Having the artist in the middle of the shot makes them superior and exciting is shows them as the main focus of the video and makes it clear to their target audience. Drake being the major focus for the Over video makes the audience analyse him and how he acts, what he wears etc. The target audience can the relate to the artist easily because they are always in sight, they can constantly see their reaction to the lyrics and how they feel about what they are singing or in this case rapping. This is relatable because the audience grasp a better understanding of why Drake wrote the lyrics and what they mean to him, and they may have a similar feel to him about the songs meaning.

A third mise en scene element used was the lighting, which was mostly low key.  The low key lighting, shown in the pictures above, consists of dark colours mainly navy, back and grey although there are some light colours used like white or orange they are minimal. In all scenes the tones are dark with a lot of shadows the only brighter elements are drakes outfits and the special effects used in the editing which project lights onto the wall, also shown in the pictures above. The dark colours throughout the video portray deep meaning, depression and maybe a rough patch in the Drakes life. These colours are always for more serious songs which have a powerful meaning normally close to the artists own experiences. This is relatable for the audience because they feel throughout the low key lighting the meaning of the song and how it has a strong effect on the artist. This means they will understand in better depth how Drake feels about the lyrics and they can relate it back to possible similar experiences or feelings.

Facial expressions and body language is also a strong element used in the Over video. A lot of the time Drake had a serious and moody expression, his body language is quiet aggressive he throws his hands around and is constantly in a guarded position. This shows his passion bout the song he gets into it, emphasising with his hands how much the lyrics mean to him and what parts have deep effect. These elements allow the audience to connect with Drake because they can try to understand what he is feeling and relate it back to their own life experience or things they have felt themselves, therefore they not only connect with Drake but the song itself because they will link it to that feeling. Drakes facial expressions and body language doesn't just help the audience relate to him but also follows the convention of the genre, Rappers are know for being over passionate about their lyrics, they use them to express themselves and are therefore normally seen as aggressive or heavily effected by the songs. 

Iconography is also used in the Over video, a chandelier is hung in the scene with the dancing girl. The chandelier is big and looks like it is made of gold and glass, this mise en scene shows the wealth of the artist. As the video contains such an expensive asset the audience automatically assume that the artist is well off and can afford such things for themselves. This relates to the rap genre because often in their music videos the artists are seen to be wearing gold jewellery and have expensive belongings, so the chandelier shows the audience Drake has these things and can afford them. This also inspires the audience and allows them to relate to Drake because they can see his wealth and will want to strive for a similar life where they can earn money and buy these expensive things, especially with the target audience of 15 to 25, this age group are in the stage of life which your career is picked and they will be inspired to find a good job.

Not only does Over's video use mise en scene to show genre conventions or appeal to  

the audience, it also uses editing techniques. One editing technique in Drakes video is the colour effects, there are flickers in which Drake is lit up with a flame print and sometimes his body shape is taken and a different image is shown through it. This editing shows the creativity of the artist, the editing of flames and explosion also gives the video and intense feel. This is conventional to the rap genre because often their songs are known for being powerful with stringing meaning so these unique edit add to this element of the rap video. The audience relate to this because the more intensified the video the more they can understand how the artist wants them to feel or how the artist feels themselves.

Apart these special effects the editing is pretty basic with jump cuts and straight cuts their isn't any fade, swipes or other more interesting changes it is kept to a minimum. This has been down so the audience focus more on the special effects and the artist.


Camera techniques are used to show codes and conventions of the rap genre by portraying the artist in certain ways and comparing him to other characters in the video. Drakes, Over video has a wide variety of cinematography assets, one position used a lot is the  shallow focus, this position is very common throughout the video with Drake always in focus whilst other characters behind him are blurred. This camera element is used a lot to show Drakes importance compared to others, it shows him as the main attraction. This is conventional to the rap genre because a lot of the time their videos contain a group of people along with the main artist but they are always behind and don't play any major roles within the video. Having the artist in front of other characters in rap videos shows them as superior with their peers and powerful. This layout helps the audience acknowledge Drake as significant, dominant and impressive meaning they will look up to him.

More common cinematography elements in over are close ups and mid shots. These two positions are used on Drake a lot throughout the video, showing his face and from the waist up, allowing the audience to see his body language and facial expressions. These shots allow the audience watch the artists reaction to the song and how he feel about it, they can see how his body language changes throughout which lyrics may be most effective and may be most important. This is used a lot in rap videos as the lyrics are often about an experience or belief of the artist meaning they will ave strong feeling about it and these shots allows them to show the audience the effect is has on them. The audience can relate to the artist and the lyrics through these element as they are shown in a clearer way how the artists wants them to react to the song rather than just listening to the lyrics.

As explained above Drakes over video uses many different micro elements to help the audience relate to him and the rap genre by following codes and conventions. His video follows the guidelines of a mainstream rap video by showing strong feeling towards the lyrics. He is represented as a stereotypical rapper especially through the mise en scene elements.

Indie

For this genre I have analysed Birdy's, wings.

This video is an indie video which consists of the performance and narrative styles, the narrative part is a flamboyant fancy dress party in a mansion. This video also includes many codes and conventions of its genre.

Throughout the video editing techniques are used to show the indie conventions. Fast editing is used for the narrative scenes, meaning the shots changed at a fast tempo and then for the performance scenes slow editing was used meaning the shots didn't change as frequently. These different tempo shot changes show the different sides to the video, the fast editing shows the fun narrative sections which show more of the artists personality and creativity. Whereas the slow editing shows the meaning of the lyrics, which are about distance in a relationship, it shows the less cheerful side to the artist.This relates back to the indie genre because often the artists like to show different sides to the songs, they like to perform in way which shows the song and what it means but they also like to tell a story in their work whether it relates to the song or not. These editing techniques appeal to the target audience of 15 to 35 because they emphasis the two different styles in the music video making it easier for them to understand, they can tell that the slow editing is more about how the artist feels about the song and that the fast editing is to add to the party narrative.

There is also another editing technique used a lot throughout the video which is a jump cut. This I used when the shot changes from the performance section of Birdy singing to the camera and then jumping into the other scene of the mansion fancy dress party. The jump cut is used to show the two different styles in the video. It defines the both the narrative and the performance scenes by showing them separately, allowing the audience to see them in contrast. This again is a convention of the indie genre as often in indie music videos there are two different style which don't necessarily match or relate, it shows Birdy's feeling toward the song which is more serious and sad and the contrast with her happiness and the party.     

Mise en scene was also used in birdy's music video to show the conventions of the indie genre. An important element which shows a strong convention of and indie music video was the costumes used. All characters were in flamboyant fancy dress the outfits how unique and individual, for example Birdy's dress was red and had brass amour over her chest and shoulders another example is a man was wearing black trouser and a with and black stripy top along with a stop hat, he was in the style of a mime, wearing white gloves and black shoes. All the characters had old fashioned fancy dress with masks and big dress but no two are the same. These costumes show a convention of the indie genre as frequently indie music videos are seen to have a lot of elaborate, unique clothing which would rarely been seen to be an everyday outfit. Indie artists normally have a "one and only" where they think of outfits which maybe not appeal to mainstream music videos of the pop or dance genre. But these unique costumes appeal to the audience because they will be interested in the new, fresh clothing which they wouldn't have seen before and therefore it will stick in their mind, meaning when they hear the song or tall about it they will remember the costume in relation.

The setting of the music Wings music video is also conventional to the indie genre. The video has one setting but the scenes move around to show different parts, the video is based at a mansion party. With in the video the audience  view inside the mansion the steps at the back of the mansion and the mansion grounds. The setting of Wings shows the audience the same uniqueness as the costumes did. The exclusive setting is conventional for the indie genre because the audience expect to see something different they don't want a mainstream setting I a club or in and normal house they are used the seeing more extravagant scenes which is why having a mansion for the setting of the video follow the conventions as if continues the uniqueness of indie videos. It appeals to the target audience because it is exciting and interesting to it and even more exciting to see how the artists adds it into her music and the styles she has used.


For indie music videos their isn't a specific lighting which is conventional but there is a pattern that dull lighting with background is common. So birdy's video is following that convention of the dull light. Throughout the whole video it is either sun down, sun rise or dark, which means the lighting is constantly dull with grey and black tones. This is gives the video a mysterious feel which is used a lot I indie videos. It appeals to the audience because they dull lighting along with the narrative intrigues them to want to watch on and see if anything exciting happens.

Birdy's facial expressions are also some what conventional for the indie genre. In her performance scenes where she is singing in to the camera she has very blank, serious facial expressions along with her body language which also isn't very exciting. This shows her emotions about the song she isn't very happy, the song is about the distance in a relationship which Birdy clear is effected by, she seems as though she has given up. This is conventional as the artist is effected by the lyrics in most indie music the songs are about the artists own experiences and they show their emotions through performing. This also allows the audience of 15-30 the relate to Birdy as they can understand what she feel like and possibly relate that to something they are feeling or have felt before in the past.

Mise en scene uses positioning to show where a character stand along with other people and so show their important. For most music video which contain the artist they are normal seen and the main attraction and therefore are often placed in the centre of tee scene. The Wings video follows the convention of having Birdy in the centre of the shots, although this isn't not specifically a convention of indie music but most music videos. For most shots Birdy is place in the centre to show she is main focus, she is made the main focus for the whole video. This is conventional because they audience need to see her reaction to the song and how she wants it to be portrayed.

Cinematography also follows the codes and conventions of the indie genre, close ups are used in Birdy's wings video the empathise on other conventions. At one point in the video the is a close up of a female character at the mansion party and showing her dress, the close up emphasises the extraordinary outfit. Having attention drawn to the unique dress is conventional of the indie genre because is shows how the costumes are (as explained before) flamboyant, and that these kinds of costumes are often used in indie music videos to attract the audience attention by using never seen assets. This close up of the dress with therefore stay in the audience minds and they will remember it when is comes to hear the song or if it is brought up in a conversation.

There are also movements used the show codes and conventions of an indie music video. Panning is used a lot in the party scenes of the Wings video, an example of its use as the characters are on the swing and dancing round the fire the camera pans over them all to show the variety of costumes, dancing and other things going on. So it is not particularly the panning which is convention but what is shows because of it. This example is conventional because is portrays and emphasises on the uniqueness of the video it characters and the narrative. Indie music videos are often very different and creative, not many are similar and they are all quirky. This appeal to the target audience because they will expect to see something which they don't expect, meaning they will want to see something new and interesting which they haven seen before.


Over all Birdy's music video for Wings shows many conventions of the indie genre, by emphasising on the unique, quirky assets and showing the two different styles. The contrast in the video make it conventional to the indie genre and show the audience the creativity of the artist, Birdy.

Pop

For the pop genre analysis I have researched into Selena Gomez's music video for Come & get it.

This video follows many conventions of the pop genre all shown through the micro elements. The video contains many stereotypical assets of a pop music video. Come & get it is mainly based on different performance scenes.

There are many cinematography positions, movements and angle in this video which all fit into different codes and conventions. One position which was conventional to the pop genre, is the long shot. Through the video there are many different performance scenes but the dance section is where long shot is used the most. In this part Selena is seen dancing with a group of girls and the long shot is used to fit them all in the shot and to show them dancing as a group. This is conventional of the pop genre as in many pop video there is some kind of performance element, dance routines are very popular in this genre of music and therefore being able to see in full view the artist dancing with a crew shows her style is up date with her music. This appeals to the target audience of 12-30 because they want to see a dance routine in the video it was what they enjoy in their chosen genre, the long shot allows the audience to see a big attraction in the video. 


Another cinematography element used a lot in the Come & get it video is the eye level position. This means the camera is positions at the same level as the artist eyes, the audience feel as though they are looking straight into their eyes. This is used when Selena is singing into the camera. (picture) A lot of the video Selena is singing in to camera to show her audience that she can perform. This eye level position is conventional to the pop genre as it emphasise the performance style which most pop music video contain, making Selena performance more powerful and effect. This is relatable for the audience because they can gain a better understanding of what Selena feels about the song and how she want them to feel about it.

Mise en scene is also used to show the conventions of the pop genre. The settings in the music video show a convention of the genre. In Come & get it there are three different settings, one is in a desert (dancing scene), next is in water or a lake, and last is in a meadow. These different settings show a convention of pop because often in pop music video the settings are more exotic and bizarre, shown in this video wit the desert, lake and meadow. The team for this music video along with the artist herself have had to use their imagination in order to think of how to incorporate these more difficult designations into the song. These exotic locations attract the pop genre audience because they want to see more daring assets in the video, they want to see sometin gwhich will beat and be more exciting than the last pop video they watched. The audience shouldn't be able to forget the video which is why the genre use creativity to intrigue and mesmerise their audience.


The positioning of the characters used in Selena's video is conventional to the pop genre. For most of the video Selena is seen in the centre of the screen or filling it up. This is conventional for most genres because the artist is generally the main focus for the video, so having Selena in the centre of view is expected. It appeals to the audience as they want to her performing the song and see how se connects with it.

The lighting in Come & get it is also conventional for the pop genre. The lighting and colours in the video range form light to dark, dull to bright, depending on what scene. The dance scene for example had low key lighting, the colouring browns and black, there is a fire creating under lighting onto Selena and the dance crew. The his also high key natural lighting in the meadow. This high key lighting is also conventional to the pop genre because pop songs are normally intended to be fun and up lifting so the lighting colours help give the audience that fresh feeling and shows them the vibes of the artist as she performs the song.


Costume and make-up  is a very strong conventional of the pop genre in this video. All Selena costumes are daring, unique and creative, a good example is the first dress she is seen which is long but slit down the legs, it is low cut and looks as though it is caged around her waist, her stomach is visible through lace connecting the stop half and long bottom section. This outfit is conventional as it has a slighting daring look to it having her stomach visible and being low cut represents Selena as provocative, this is a common look for women in the pop genre they like so go one step further with their outfits to beat the previous risky outfit. Selena make up if also conventional throughout the music video, she follows a messy look, with scruffy, volumeised hair, dark eye make up and bright red lip. This is a convention of women in the pop genre because they often like to look their best to attract a wider audience the moor attractive they are the more publicity they get. Selena costume, hair and make-up appeal to the audience because she is attractive, boys find her good looking and girls find her inspiring and want to look like her .

The last element of mise en scene which is conventional in Come & get it is Facial expressions and body language. Again Selena is portrayed as provocative through her body language. In the meadow scene she is jumping around in the flower and grass whilst performing to the camera, she is very open with her arms over her head and leaning into the camera. Her facial expressions are also proactive she almost looks as though she it trying to be seductive, she holds her lips open and constantly looks dead into the camera. This is all conventional as women in the pop genre use their look so attract their audience, they do this by looking good and acting in a seductive way, Selena has followed this typical pop artist look. It appeals the audience the same way her costume, hair and make does in the video, they male audience will find her attractive and the female audience will be inspired by her look and want to follow her style.


Finally editing is also used to show conventions of the pop. One editing technique use didn't Come & get it is cross out. This used a lot throughout the music video jumping from one location to another, the shots change from the meadow scene to the desert to the lake for most of the video. This emphasises what was said earlier about the setting, the cross out draws attention to the exotic location used for the video. This is conventional because setting is a big element in this particular video and the cross out focus on it even more which appeals to the audience as they enjoy seeing how it is worked in with the song.

Selena's video for Come & get it uses many conventions of the pop genre and she incorporates them with her own styles to make her music even more interesting and to make it appeal more to the audience. She follows the key codes and conventions for her genre of music and has managed to keep up with the other female pop artists. She has successfully made her music video appeal to her target audience of 12-30 year olds. 

Conclusion

In most music videos, codes and conventions of the genre are followed to attract the audience and make the product more successful. The three videos I have analysed show how conventions are important in music videos. This is because they show how the audience relate to the video and how it appeals to them. Some attract their audience by mise en scene and making the audience look up to what the artist has, their style, personality and how the artist themselves wants the song to come across and how they want to be represented. Editing and cinematography are used to help the audience understand the styles of the video in more depth and they also help with allowing the audience to connect and relate to the ways the artist wants to portray their songs. These micro elements do this by emphasising on mise en scene and appealing assets. Also lighting can be used to create an effect on the audience,  for example the lighting used in the drake music videos is low key which is conventional for the rap genre because of the seriousness of the song. but this lighting wouldn't match the pop genre because the dark colours to no emphasise the emotions intended to be created in this genre. 

Conventions are used to target the specific demands of the audience. Different genre music videos have different target audiences and therefore need to make sure the video matches the requirements and interests that will make the product enjoyable and give them satisfaction. This satisfaction is achieved by using micro elements which will intrigue the specific audience. A lot of the time it is done by making sure the appearance of the artist, style of the video and the messages and values will enable the audience to relate with the music videos. 

This research has given me inspiration for my own music video and ideas for what I would like to include. For example I think that lighting is a key asset which effect what emotions the audience gain form watching a music video. The low key lighting is something I would like to use in my music video because it creates deep emotions for audience which makes the product extremely relatable. I would also like to include iconography within my music video because i because depending on the item is can show the art it as relatable, for example the chain Drake is wearing in his over video represents him as a stereotypical rapper. The iconography adds to effect of video and makes the audience able to relate more to the artist.  Another inspiration from the videos I analysed is the costume, hair and make-up, in Selena's music video she is wearing a conventional pop outfit and her image is over are stereotypical. This image make me what to create a conventional artist to the genre I will use. For example if I use soul genre I want the artist look to be classic but unique and if I were to use a pop genre I would want to create a bold image for the artist.