Theory
Genre can be used by media producers to provide them with a set of codes and conventions to follow in order to try to replicate previous successes. According to Denis McQuail, this helps "any mass medium to produce consistently and efficiently". This suggests that levels of production can be increased due to the ease of following conventions, which "makes economic sense" according to Nicholas Abercrombie because it gives "economies of scale". Furthermore, Christine Gledhill has said that "differences between genres meant different audiences could be identified and catered to"; this suggests that, as well as making production easier, the ability to follow a formula of conventions helps media producers to target the specific audiences who favour these different genres by including the conventions which most appeal to them. However, by describing genres as "ideological closure", John Hartley suggests that a negative consequence of following the codes of a genre is that creativity can be stifled.
Christine Gledhill said that "Genres permit the creation and maintenance of a loyal audience". Genre can be used by audiences to develop a sense of identity and community, as they align themselves with or against specific genres. Genre can also help audiences to access related products.
Despite the conformity which genre can encourage, Nicholas Abercrombie suggests that "the boundaries between genres are shifting and becoming more permeable". This is demonstrated by the proliferation of hybrid genres, which can be more marketable because they can appeal to several different audiences.
The increasing permeability of genres is demonstrated in music videos, which often develop and challenge genre conventions. As many songs are a hybrid genre, their videos are able to utilise conventions from a combination of genres. This means that the artist can market to wider audiences. Furthermore, by developing genre conventions, artists can create unique branding.
Application to my production
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| Cherry Glazerr - Told You I'd be With The Guys |
The song which we have chosen to make a music video for is an indie pop-rock song. The song is a hybrid-genre, which can aid marketing by allowing several different audiences to be targeted.
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| Mitski - Your Best American Girl |
Placing our song in genre context enables us to use and build conventions of the genre in order to appeal to its audience. For example, we will use elements of performance, which is an important convention of rock and indie rock music videos because it promotes the live aspect of the bands (to boost ticket sales of their live gigs). As well as shots of the band's instrumental performance, we would also include close up shots of the lead singer lip-syncing (like in many indie pop music videos) which can create a sense of connection with the audience and suggest authenticity. The use of close-ups of the artist is an element of Andrew Goodwin's music video theory, which suggests that this is also common due to the demands of the record label who want to establish the artist's brand.
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| Hayley Kiyoko - Gravel To Tempo |
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| Echosmith - Cool Kids |
