Conventionally a music video
either follows the form of a narrative, a performance or an abstract piece to
make a statement about the video and genre. The genre I have chosen to focus on
for my advanced portfolio is pop, its popularity and reputation have resulted
in a wide creation and distribution of music videos giving me many different
texts to compare and analyse. All 3 of these forms for the pop genre are
conventional however more are more recognized and popular than others. Usually a
music video following the pop field is performance based for example Beyonce – Love on Top and Kesha – TikTok. However certain artists
use an abstract and unusual tone during music videos which can promote messages
about the performers themselves. A very good example of this is Lady Gaga –
Born this way, this specific artist has created a unique ideology about herself
which has resulted in many fans referring to her as “the female version of
Michael Jackson”. Finally narratives are very useful to use in a music video as
it gives the audience a visual image of the song and gives an emotional meaning
following the lyrics. This form of style can be difficult to create as the main
focus would be making the audience engage with the video constantly by using an
interesting storyboard. Usually artists mix around these different elements to
create a more superior music video, for example Beyonce Knowles is very famous
for making both simple and complex videos successful.
The pop genre has been dominated
by a mass audience therefore I argue no specific segment of the market is more
conventional and expected than others. However importantly the market does rely
on the popularity factor meaning the conventional audience is likely to be
ordinary citizens in the working class (as this is the largest segment of
community). In general terms the conventional audience for different genres
differs slightly for example music videos with an Indie/Rock genre have the
following conventions: the band/artist is shown during the video, tends to be
in black and white, dark lighting is used, use of long shots and close ups are
popular and finally special effects tend to be used during the editing process
making the video more unique and different. Obviously the audience of this
genre differs to that of pop as different conventions appeal to different
audiences. Specific conventions for the pop genre follow: high and bright
lighting, low/high shots, colour effect (monochrome), shadows (the
mise-en-scene reflect the atmosphere accurately) and face paced editing. Animation
during a music video is a unique feature which is also conventional for the pop
genre however very unusual.
A music video is very dynamic as
the style of the audience can quickly change and producers need to fit the
trend of the current fashion to make it suitable for its target audience. In
terms of the pop genre social activities of teenagers (fashion, dance, and
subcultures) are included during music videos as this is the most suitable and
popular segment of the pop genre’s market to promote. It is also conventional
for music videos to target its audiences by using famous stars allowing them to
identify celebrities giving individual audience members an enjoyable
experience.
In terms of media language music
videos featuring the pop genre offer many different representations as it is so
widely recognized Every music video is individual to the artist and creates
connotations about the performer themselves; the video could feature
representations of age, gender, social class ect. Artist use this to their
advantage to represent themselves and their lifestyle targeting an individual
niche of the pop market. Images can be taken from these music videos as a form
of marketing for the artist, for example press coverage. Therefore music videos
are conventionally very important for making a statement about the artist
themselves and can raise their status in the music industry. Representations
are commonly used today during music videos as the current audience in today’s
society is celebrity-obsessed. It is conventional for female artists to perform
seductive poses and act in this mannerism by showing cleavage and tight dresses
as it gains the interest of males therefore increases their fame and popularity
in the market. Also some artists create intertextual references during their
videos for example during Madonna – Vogue
relates herself with Marilyn Monroe to promote the message she is as beautiful and
attractive as the famous icon. Chosen locations for music videos can also
represent the artist in certain ways for example very urban locations are
associated with gang violence and crime which can affect the audience’s perception
of the performer.
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