Research into chosen music genre

Research into chosen music genre

      The song that we decided to create our music video for is 'impossible' by James Arthur. This falls under the pop genre in which I am going to research. As a group we all come to the conclusion that this is the best music genre to create a video for as we all have an interest in this genre of music and felt we could all come up with creative ideas to create the music video. Pop is one of the most listen to music genre as it consists of the most recent, popular artist such as Rihanna, Katy Perry, Pink etc. This genre therefore attracts a mainstream target audience.

      One convention of a pop music video is that there is some form of narrative, in which the artist is perceived to be 'normal'. Therefore everyday people are able to relate to the video attracting a wider ranged audience. This is a technique we are considering using when filming our music video. Other artists of this genre consist of Demi Lovato and James Morrison.

One of the pop music videos I am going to analyse is Demi Lovato's song 'Give your heart a break'. I have decided to choose this song as it is a perfect example of a conventional pop music video. It conforms to the generic pop codes and conventions which is effective in allowing the audience to build a relationship with the artist.
   

Demi Lovato - Give your heart a break

     At the beginning of the music video an establishing shot is used to introduce the artist to the target audience. Demi Lovato is seen to be sitting down on the phone wearing a black dress, with a jacket and boots. This represents the artist as an ordinary person, enabling the audience to relate to her. This is conventional of the pop genre to portray the artist as an 'ordinary' person as it allows the audience to have a build a relationship with the artist. Her representation is shown through her clothing as she is seen to be stylish, therefore her fans are likely to view her as a fashion icon and dress in a similar way. Demi is also seen to be performing on her own rather than having other dancers around her performing some form of dance routine. This represents the artist's independence in which she promotes to her audience.

      Mise-en-scene is used in the music video as one of the locations used  is of Demi's house. Difference camera shots are used to show her removing photos of her ex boyfriend from different rooms on the house. One scene in particular is a close up to show her taking the photo off the fridge in the kitchen. This iconography helps creates realism with in the music video and allows the audience to relate to the narrative. This location effective as it highlights that the style of the video is both narrative and performance based. The pictures allow the audience to see the relationship at the beginning and highlight that they were happy and by her taking it down, reflects the end of the relationship. The is also conventional to the pop genre and most songs are of a broken relationship which is shown through a build up throughout the video.

      Close up camera shots are continually used throughout the music video. This is so that it allows the audience to focus on only the artist. It creates a focal point on the artists talent and allows the performance to show of the artists emotions relating to the song. The close up camera shots shows the artists facial expressions allowing the audience to see the artists passion enabling them to build up a relationship with them. This also relates to Goodwin's theory as he suggests that the record label demands close ups in order to promote the artist and focus the attention on them. The main editing style in the music video is slow paced. Camera shots alternate usually on the most predominant beats of the song. The editing pace is parallel to the beat of the music in order to create a continual flow throughout the video.

      The target audience is aimed at teenagers and young adults who are currently in a bad relationship or are going through a break up. Characters in the music video including the artist are of this age group and so people of the same age would be able to relate to the message of the song. However it could also be said that her target audience also includes younger aged children and he previous work featured her in Disney movies. She was seen as a role model to younger children and so she has fans of a range of ages.

     There is further evidence of Goodwin's theory as the music video shows some genre characteristics. Music videos that belong to the pop music genre usually show some form of performance and narrative based. This is evident in Demi's music video as the style of the music video was mainly perfomance and narrative based. This is shown when she performs in various scenes throughout the video, whilst telling a narrative how she has broken up with her boyfriend. It is also conventional for pop artist to be seen in mainstream trendy clothing; this is also evident in the music video. It is also conventional for music videos to seen to be quite bright and light hearted as it attracts a younger fun target audience. This is shown in the flashbacks of her and her boyfriend when they were happy, however a contrast is shown in the performance as low key lighting is used. This represents the sadness and anger of the artist towards the relationship. Therefore the music video conforms to the generic codes and conventions of a pop music video.

Another pop music video that I am going to analyse is James Morrison's song 'Broken strings'.

James Morrison 'Broken Strings'

      In the music video, the artist is represented as an 'ordinary' person. This is shown through mise-en-scene i.e. how the artists is dressed. A long shot camera angle was used to show James Morrison to be wearing casual clothing that consisted of a shirt and jeans. Therefore the audience view him as a 'normal' person.  This relates back to Dyer's Star Theory as he suggested that artists are made to be 'ordinary'. This appeals to the target audience as they are able to relate to the artist and the song and are more likely to watch the video. He is also represented as 'Extraordinary' as he is shown to be playing the guitar whilst singing. This portrays the artists talent showing a contrast, as it makes him stand out from everyone else. This in turn conforms to the stereotypical conventions of a pop music videos.

      Mise-en-scene is a significant feature in this particular music video. Through out the music video, various elements of iconography is seen to smash in slow motion. This refers back to Goodwin's theory as it shows intertextual references.One scene in particular is the when the artist's guitar smashes to pieces. This is effective as the smashed guitar connotes the breakdown of the relationship. Another element seen to smash in the glass vase holding the flowers. The glass could represent the artist's relationships symbolizing the vulnerability, and he is left broken now that the couple are no longer together. A further mise-en-scene element is significant in the music video is the positioning of the artist. James Morrison is regularly shown to be positioned in the center of the room. An example of this is when he is sitting on the bed playing the guitar. A mid shot shows him positioned in the center making him to be the focal point to the audience in turn connoting the artists importance.

Shallow focus was used in the music video when the second artist is introduced. This is effective as it enlightens the audience as to whats going on in the narrative. Nelly is shown to be the James' girlfriend in which they just broke up.This editing style is effective as it connotes to the target audience that she in no longer there. Green screen has also been used in the music video when the room appears to be on fire. This further connotes the emotions of the artist, such as the anger and pain that was caused from the relationship. This also showed a link between the lyrics and visuals just like Goodwin suggested as it was shown when the artist sings 'But were running through the fire...' This is effective as it allows the audience to get a better understanding on the messages of the song highlighting that they are trying to save their relationship even though it cannot be saved.

The target audience for the music video is aimed at young teenagers to adults who are fans of the music genre pop. This is because it follows codes and conventions i.e. the style of the music video. Most pop music videos show a performance and narrative  to portray the message of the message of the lyrics. This is conventional to the pop genre as a narrative is usually shown on a heart break.

     The style of the music video mainly consists of a performance based. This is because the artist is shown to be singing throughout the video even when acting out the narrative. Features such as location all contribute to the performance as the video consisted of one simplistic room. This was used through out the video making the audience focus more on the artist. Genre characteristics were shown in the music video as the artist was shown playing the guitar. This highlights to the audience his talent which is conventional within a pop music video.

Summary

     This research is going to assist me when planning my own music video as I have developed a better understanding of the codes and conventions of the pop music genre. Genre characteristics used in both videos such as performances, narratives, fashionable clothes are all elements that I would like to use in my music video. This is because not only because it would make my music video conventional, but I think it would be effective in attracting a target audience who are particularly interested in this music genre. I am also going to use plenty of close up camera shots in order to promote the artist and enable our target audience to build up a relationship with him. Close ups of the artists guitar will be shown when he is seen to be performing reflecting on his talent.