Research into chosen music genre - Miss Georgiou

Soul 

 My group and I chose to create a music video of the soul genre because we believe there will be alot more to work with, it will be interesting and we can get a good piece out of it. Soul music often have chatty rhythms and powerful vocals so we think it would be a good genre to work with and recreate. 

Duffy, Mercy.
Duffy's mercy video has a range of conventions of soul.

 

Conventions of soul

Duffy's mercy video shows a lot of conventions for the soul genre for example through the mise en scene lighting. In this video the lighting is low key, with lots of dark colours like blacks and browns. There is also lots of back lighting for this video, coming from behind Duffy as she is performing on the platform. This lighting is conventional to the pace of the song, soul music isn't meant for club dancing it is meant for slow/mid pace dancing and therefore the lighting adds to the mood the song is meant to create. The audience relate to the low key lighting because it makes them feel relaxed and therefore they finding the song more enjoyable.

The lyrics for Mercy are also genre conventions for soul. Part of the lyrics in chorus say "you got me begging you for mercy, why won't you release me?" these lyrics show that the song is about not wanting to have feelings for someone and that she wants to be relieved of it. This is a conventional message for soul music because more often that not the genre focuses on love stories or relationships wether it is for good or for bad. Meaning Mercy follows the codes and conventions of soul as the lyrics meaning and what emotions the artist aims to create for the audience are a common factor used. The target audience can also relate to this because they are age around 16+, this wide audience are very likely to have experience this kind of feeling in their lives, that they want to escape from a relationship wether is is romantic or just some kind of chemistry.

Duffy outfit for the music video is also conventional for the soul genre. She is wearing a grey, sleeveless, knee length dress with red stilettos. This outfit is conventional because of its class, it represents Duffy and a classy woman who has respect for herself and doesn't expose her body in a voyeuristic way. It fits with the soul genre because women soul artists especially like to present themselves as elegant, they are rarely seen wearing overly provocative outfits like in the pop genre. The audience can relate to this because they can relate the outfit back to real life and what they would image someone wearing git in everyday life to be like, they would expect them to be well spoken, high class and well educated.

Mise en scene

The mise en scene is used a lot in Mercy to show soul conventions specifically facial expressions and body language. Duffy's expressions are quite blank throughout the video but she does give some sassy smirks and focused looks. This is conventional for the soul genre because the artists are normally very determined individuals who have goals and like to follow their own messages of the music, linking back to the focused looks. Duffy's facial expressions show her passion for the song but it also shows that it is not intended to be taken to harshly, she wants the audience to be light hearted and enjoy the music. This appeals to the target audience of 16+ and soul lovers because the music is originally meant for dance purposes and therefore they can see from Duffy's face that it is meant to be for fun.

Positioning of character is also used to attract the audience. Duffy is mostly in the centre of the screen if not, then in main focus in the shots she features. Due to her being in the centre it shows her importance and that she should be concentrated on. This is conventional to most music genres, not just soul because if the music is from a soloist they are going to be most appealing in centre view of the audience. If the audience can see the artist clearly they can then see some other elements of mise en scene, for example costume, hair and make up which means they can understand better and understand the themes or meaning intended by the artist.

As I explained in the conventions of soul section above lighting also fits in the codes and conventions for soul. The lighting in the Mercy video is low key, with dark colours for example blacks and browns and most the higher key lights used are back lighting. This type of lighting is conventional to the soul genre as it is calming and helps set the mood for the song, soul music isn't meant to be to fast pace or have harsh beat drops like club music, it is meant to be slightly slower with catchy rhythms so therefore the lighting helps with the soul atmosphere. The lighting appeals to the audience as it sets the feeling for them and make the song more intimate.

This low key lighting also link in with the setting of the music video. For all of the video the location is in some kind of bar with a dance floor/empty floor space, the lighting links on with this because it is the same as the setting would be in real life. The setting is conventional to the soul genre because is the most common place the music is likely to be heard, and as soul is meant for dancing the dance floor area is conventional as well. The bar setting appeals to the audience because they can relate to it, they have probably been to bar locations before and can understand the feeling the artist is trying to create. 

Costumes also links to the bar setting in this video. The men dancing behind Duffy are wearing smart black trousers with t-shirts and smart leather shoes. This costuming is conventional to the genre and matches the setting because the dancing aspect, soul music is meant for dancing and the outfits the men are wearing show that they follow this theme. The black leather shoes are often seen on men in these bars whilst they enjoying themselves, so therefore it matches with what vibes the artist wants to create. The audience can relate the costumes back to who the se wearing this in the real world and how these people represent themselves. 

Cinematography

Cinematography is another micro element used to make Duffy's Mercy video conventional, the camera uses different angles movements and positions to appeal to the audience and make the video relatable.
One shot used was a mid shot. Half of Duffy is shown in shot from the waist up, this shot show her facial expressions and part of her body language in a stronger way. The audience are able to see Duffy's passionate facial expressions in this shot which is conventional because they can see that she is using facial expressions to show the audience her confidence. This mid shots allows the audience to see the artist better, meaning they can therefore gain an understanding of her feelings towards the song, they can see what she wants them to feel and what emotions she wants to create.

Anther camera elements used is and low angle. This is when the camera is placed beneath Duffy looking up at her as she performs. This angle is used to show Duffy's importance and stability, it represents her as strong. This is also conventional to the soul genre because female soul artist are often seen as strong women who are focused and have good morals which they follow, they are represented as respectable artists and keep everything in their music subtle with little bad language or potentially offensive lyrics. This appeals to the audience because they can then respect the artist and can see that she is not daring or to modern, they gain a relationship with he fact that she is mediocre.

Editing

Editing is another micro element used to make Duffy's mercy video conventional and to make it appeal to the audience. 

Firstly the main editing technique used is jump cut/straight cuts. This is seen in most shot changes in the music video, and it is a simple change from one shot to another with no fades or slides. This is conventional to soul music videos because they are rarely bold or distinctive, they are often slow videos which focus on the artist and sometimes show a narrative but with little excitement. So theses jump cut/straight cuts keep the audience feeling how the artist wants them to, it adds the emotions the artist is creating throughout video through other micro elements. 

Also in the Mercy video some special effects are used. Towards the end of the video the men dancing become a lot more daring with the moves they are doing introducing flips and fast for work, leading to their feet starting to spark which then leads to them setting alight, the fire continues spread until they are completely engulfed. This isn't actually conventional to the soul genre because, as explained above, the videos are normally kept simple with basic narrative styles and slow changing shots, so the special effect used is controversial. Although this isn't conventional it still appeals to the audience because is it not done in a over the top manor the men still continue to dance nothing particularly crazy happens. This editing technique attracts the audiences attention, it brings an element of excitement to the music video and gives them something to remember when they hear the song.

The target audience for Duffy's music videos specifically Mercy is 16+, this is because of the soul genre, most ages enjoy the music and listen to some kind of soul on a regular basis. Males and females are both target for the music video as they can both relate to the artist or other characters in the video. 

Duffy is represent as a respectable, focused and meaningful young woman, she comes across as a ver relatable person with high morals. The video shows her messages of being stuck in a relationship which is not wanted and the audience can easy relate to how she acts and what her song is about. 

The style for the Mercy video is performance based, there are no aspects of narrative or concept. For the whole video Duffy is performing her song, not directly to the camera but to a possible audience which the viewers cannot see, there are also dancers in the background behind Duffy who are performing to her music. This style video is conventional to soul music video because they are normally basic so that the audience can focus on the artist, the rhythm and the messages of the songs. 

Adele, One and only.

Adeles music video for One and only contains main soul conventions.

Conventions

An immediate convention of Adele music video for One and only is some of the lighting. The video has a range of lightings and colours but one which stands out the most is the black and white shades. These colours make the video seem vintage, which is a classical convention of soul. A lot of soul video have old fashioned looks, they don't follow modern day fashion. This is appealing to the audience because it makes the video interesting to as not many other music videos use these colours, the more popular music genre embrace more vibrant colours. 

Iconography is also used a lot in One and only to show conventions. Some iconography used was instruments such as a piano and a guitar. This is conventional because in soul music the rhythm is the most catchy part and are usually created by these kind of instruments. Soul follows classic instruments it does use any modern pieces or sound effects, so that fact that the audience can se what the music has been made with shows them it is a conventional soul song. Seeing this appeals to them because they feel closer with music being able to understand how it was made and what the artist used to create the product. 

The cinematography used was also conventional, specifically the hand held camera. This used a few time in the music video for example when the go is in shot walking, or when there is a close up of a ball made of elastic bands. This hand held camera is conventional because of the feel it gives the video, it creates a more relaxed and edgy look. Soul music video are often very calm there are no harsh editing or special effect, which means One and only follows what the audience expect to see from the genre.This appeals to the audience because they are getting what they want and they can enjoy the music in the way they want to which is carefree. 

Mise en scene

A lot of mine en scene is used in adele's One and only video so create a stereotypical soul video 

Setting and iconography are conventional throughout this video. The video is based over many different setting for example the park, in a car, in an apartment, but the most effective one is the music studio.  In this scene of the video Adele is seen sitting in a studio playing instrument, singing and having general fun with the people she is working with, but at some point she does show the emotions that she want the song to create. The setting is conventional because it show the originality of the artist and that she wants the audience too see how she work and what she does with her time, it creates a more down to earth feeling which is often used in soul music video to help the audience connect with the artist. This appeals to the audience because they gain an insight to the artist everyday life they can relate to them as a real person not a character or a product. 

The costumes in the video are also conventional. With Adele's different outfit including black and grey colours of jeans, jumpers and t-shirts. These outfits are conventional because of their casualness, these items of clothing are seen everyday, they common things worn by the audience. Soul music video are good at relating to the audience and the artist wearing these clothes makes her relatable to them, making this video conventional. The audience can relate to the artist better by what she is wearing she is represented as an everyday person now a celebrity or high end talent, she comes across as 'normal' making the audience feel comfortable with her. 

I have already spoken about the low key lighting and the black and white colours above but the different types of light in the video are also conventional. As well as the black and white there is a range of other bright and dark lightings and colours. Throughout the video the colours change a lot this creates realistic image for the audience, they can see how each part of normal day life is for the artist, she uses the colour to show the audience what she enjoys or likes and what she doesn't. In the darker scenes it shows parts of her life that she doesn't enjoy as much for example when she is alone or in the music studio and the brighter scenes show what she enjoys or what parts of her life have hope for example her performing. This is conventional to the soul genre because of the unique look it gives the video, the range of colours makes the video look creative and inspiring. The audience enjoy and relate to this because the video is one of a kind and they are able to relate to the artist more.

The artists position is another convention the soul genre. The artists positioning changes throughout the video she ranges from left to right, centre to the high and low, she is never in the same positioning in two running shots. This is conventional for soul because it is unique, the video is not overly exciting but is also not boring, the different positions keep the audience interested but don't go over the boundaries of what fits the soul codes and conventions.

Finally facial expressions are used to show the soul genre. For most of one and only Adele facial expressions are very serious she look bored, blank and possibly un happy. This show the audience what she feel like in the scenes she is doing, for example when she is in the studio she looks bored which infers that she might not enjoy when she working in the studio in her real life. These facial expressions help the audience relate to her as they can see what she is feeling and by this they can relate that back to their own emotions or previous feelings.

Camera

In the video there are lot camera shots used to make the video conventional. There a lot of close ups used on Adeles face throughout the video. This is done so that the audience can see her facial expressions, they can then relate to how she is feeling and what she is doing. This is conventional to the soul genre because soul artists like to give their target audience thing to relate to, they try to make their videos easy for the audience to understand and give them a lot meanings. This appeals to the target audience because they can get a better connection with the artist and therefore can understand all aspect of the video, like the emotions, the messages and the artists feelings.

The movement of panning is also used a lot in the video. It is used a lot to show the different surroundings of the artist and how she lives. In these panning movements a lot more of the setting is seen showing the artists style when is come to home furnishing etc. This is conventional because of the unique asset it reveals, as soul music videos often contain an element a creativity and uniqueness. The audience can relate this because they get a more in depth view of what the artist likes and their styles. 

Editing

Editing was used to show the convention of soul in One and only by creating different effect to the audience. For example fades were used a couple of time in the video, the shots would fade form one scene to another. This creates as calm setting and portrays the artists played back approach. Fading is conventional as it show the relaxed moods of the video which is often seen in soul music videos. This appeals to the audience because they can understand the artist and how they want to create a relaxing video but also show their possible unhappy emotions, which they can then relate back to similar emotions they have been through. 

Another editing technique used is jump cuts for the same reason as the fade and to show the same conventions. The jump cuts in One and only are used to change from one scene to another, it shows the different areas of the artists life and how they live. These jump cuts are conventional to soul because the music videos are normally meant to be slow and therefore these medium pace changes keep the relaxed feel for the video. This appeals to the audience because they continue to feel how the artist wants them to and they can gain a better understanding of the artists life relating it back to their own and the struggle they face.

The target audience for Adele's, One and only music video is 16 to 50, this age category enjoy soul music, but Adele's music is more of modern soul compared to Duffy so the target audience isn't as wide. This genre is meant for men and women, so the target audience is also for bother genders although women to tend to enjoy her music more. I think this is because of her strong voice which is sometimes to much for people who what to listen to music in order to relax not dance. 

In this music video Adele is represented as an everyday person, she is shown as down to earth. This is a good way to be presented because they audience can relate to the artist better, they can understand where they are coming from and how they feel. The audience can feel a better connection of the soloist from this 'normal' image and therefore can enjoy the music more. 

I think the style of this video is more concept based, it focuses of the concept of Adele's life and how not everyone is happy even though the seem it. The music video is intended for the audience to see the real artist and not see them as a product. 

The research into my chosen genre will help when is comes to planning my own music video. In this research I have been able to identify different genre conventions which appeal to the audience and I could see which had a greater affect on their emotions. I gained some opinions on what I think works best for soul music videos, for example black and white colours, instruments as iconography and serious facial expression. All these micro elements create emotions for the audience so that they can relate to the artist and understand how they feel towards the song or in general life. This research is going to help with my planning as it has given me inspirations for the different elements in which my group and I are going to incorporate into our music video. It has shown me what styles work best which is performance and concept, which camera shots, angles and positions have a deeper effect which is mid shots and close ups and also the mise en scene and how it represents the artists throughout their videos.