What are the uses and implications of genre for producers and audiences?

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

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.

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.

Hayley Kiyoko - Gravel To Tempo

Echosmith - Cool Kids

What can we learn from 'The Pretender'?

'5 Years Time' Evaluation

Our class worked as a group to recreate a popular music video in order to practice our production skills. This involved planning our shoots, filming and editing. We decided to recreate the music video for the song '5 Years Time' by Noah and the Whale. Below is our video, which has the original in the bottom right corner so that the two versions can be compared.

Technical: 

Due to the precise storyboard which we worked from, our group’s technical ability was strong in regards to camerawork because we knew exactly what shot types we needed to recreate. We had printed copies of the storyboard with us whilst filming so that we could easily refer to them and check our accuracy by watching our footage before moving on to the next scene. We filmed multiple takes of each shot so that we would have more options when selecting the best shots later in post-production. Furthermore, handheld camerawork was used in the video which we were recreating which meant that a lack of steadiness in our camerawork was acceptable. 

We did encounter some technical issues in regards to our lighting – one of the two lights which we used on one of our locations broke during filming, so the lighting was not balanced throughout. However, the warmth and brightness of these lights was appropriate because in the original video the lighting is similar, creating bold shadows behind the actors. Additionally, I would argue that the natural lighting in our shots outside was effective (we were lucky to be able to film on a sunny day, like the weather in the original video). Unfortunately we had no control of the lighting in the pub scenes, but I think that the ambient lighting available was sufficient. 

Editing our version of the video was difficult because the original included a variety of unusual transitions. However, we have been able to approximate many of these. Although it was difficult to match the dancing and lip-syncing elements of the video to the song, we have been reasonably accurate and successfully achieved continuity in cuts during the dance sequences. Although we do not know the exact style of font which was used in the original music video, we have found and been able to include a similar font in a similar colour.

Aesthetic: 

We experienced some difficulties in recreating the aesthetic of the original music video because we had no budget so could not afford to buy many props or costumes. However, because we were working in a large group we were able to find most of the items which we needed among us; a member of our group brought the sunglasses which were required for some of the costumes and a couple of the members of our group brought in instruments (we borrowed the other instrumental props which we needed from the school's music department). The only props which we bought were the helium balloons – like in the music video, we got a balloon in the shape of the number five, but we could not get a balloon in the shape of a whale. To find the main parts of the costumes, the actors looked through the clothes which they already owned to find something similar to the costumes which they needed – a weakness of this is that the costumes which they did wear were not the same colours as the originals, so we could not maintain the colour scheme, plus we could not achieve the uniformity of the costumes which the men wore. 

It was also difficult for us to find locations which would look like the ones in the music video which we could also get to easily within the school day. We did most of our filming within school – for the shots set outside, we filmed on the school's field. This meant that we did not have a path in some of the shots like in the original music video, but the foliage of the hedge at the edge of the field was effective for the background which was originally composed of trees. For the scenes set on a stage with a backdrop of a yellow curtain, we had to use a white sheet which was a further error in following the colour scheme. Another problem is that the sheet was not wide enough to conceal the walls of our classroom which we filmed in. However, we were able to film a few shots in a local pub to more realistically recreate the ambience conveyed in the scenes originally shot in a pub.

Chosen Song

Lyrics

You are the shadow in the doorway
Gently bleeding on your pickguard
And I wanna be the band-aid
Wrapped around your finger

You said you wanted to steal me away
So I packed a bag but you never came
And I know that you don't owe me anything
I'm just sick of loving meaning waiting

And you are so hard to hold
He'll call you up but he never shows

Why do you act like you don't when you do?
Just because I used to like you back in high school?
You've got your checklist of shitty excuses
And I've got a habit of making boys like you my muses

And you are so hard to hold 

He'll call you up but he never shows

  The song which I have chosen to use in my music video is 'He Never Shows' by Pom-Pom Squad (from their EP 'Hate It Here'). Primarily, I think that the song would be a good choice because it fits our brief - it is by an unsigned artist and does not have a pre-existing music video. Additionally, the song has a high-quality recording which would enhance the quality of the music video overall. I also think that it would be an appropriate choice for my project because the song has a clear genre - indie rock, with some influence from riot grrrl - granting many opportunities to include generic conventions in the creation of a realistic music video with consideration of potential appeal to a target audience. Furthermore, the lyrics have great potential for inspiring narrative elements within a music video, with themes of romantic betrayal. Plus, the clear beat of the song means that synchronised editing could be used; cutting to the beat is conventional for rock music videos and can enhance the dynamics of the music video, conveying energy. I have downloaded the song and contacted the artist, receiving permission to use it in my project.

Analysing music videos using Andrew Goodwin's theory

Andrew Goodwin's music video theory

The Bay by Metronomy

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

   The music video for 'The Bay' by Metronomy fulfils several elements of Andrew Goodwin's theory. The second element of his theory, that there is a relationship between the lyrics of the song and the visuals of the music video, is evident; the lyrics praise Torbay and the visuals amplify this through glamorised shots of the location (such as an establishing long-shot of the coastline, see figure 1). The visuals also amplify the music (the theory's third point), as it is cut to the beat. The fourth factor is also applied in the music video as there are several close-up shots of the band members, especially the frontman (for example, figure 2). Furthermore, the video includes the fifth factor in Goodwin's theory, in the form of voyeuristic treatment of the female body; figure 3 is an overhead shot of a model who features in the video wearing an exposing costume of a white swimsuit and posing provocatively. However, much of this element is bizarrely exaggerated, perhaps mocking the convention (see figure 4). It could be argued that the video includes intertextual references to other music videos (the sixth point of Goodwin's theory) because many music videos include women dressed in swimsuits and involve pool scenes.

Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High by Arctic Monkeys

Figure 5

Figure 6

   The music video for 'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High' fulfills the first of Goodwin's points as it has a dark colour scheme which is conventional for indie rock music videos. It prominently includes the second feature of Goodwin's theory by being illustrative of the lyrics, aided by the narrative device of a mobile phone which also fulfills the fifth point because the screen is a reference to the notion of looking (such as in figure 5). There is evidence of the fourth factor in Goodwin's feature because the video follows the band's frontman, including some close-ups (for example, figure 6). Additionally, there is some voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

How and why do different genres use performance and lip sync in music videos?

Sweetheart, What Have You Done To Us by Keaton Henson



The main feature of this music video is the use of lip sync, initially presented in a close-up shot of Keaton Henson. Through the use of direct address, a sense of connection with the audience is created whilst he lip syncs, suggesting that he is sharing his feelings with the audience personally, hence creating a sense of intimacy. This amplifies the personal message of the lyrics. Furthermore, the close-up shot and direct address, paired with lip-sync, emphasises the sense of vulnerability conveyed in this indie folk/folk rock song.


Hard Times by Paramore

The element of lip sync in the music video for this pop rock song reinforces the connotations of fun created by the erratic dancing and brightly-coloured animation. Hayley Williams, the lead-singer, lip syncs throughout the majority of the video, sometimes accompanied by her fellow band members who are also presented playing instruments at times. The exaggeration of the lip sync, alongside the quirky graphics, amplifies the lively and carefree feel of the music (although this contrasts with the lyrics). The performance element of band members playing the guitar and drums promote the live aspect of the band, as is conventional for bands because selling gig tickets is more profitable than just selling their songs.


Shutdown by Skepta



Lip-sync is integral to the video for grime artist Skepta's song Shutdown. Lip sync is an important convention for music videos of the genre because it demonstrates and emphasises the speed and skill of the artists' rapping. A lot of the shots presenting Skepta lip syncing also use direct address, conveying him as bold and confident. Another possible effect of the use of lip sync in this video may be that it adds to the energy of the video, reinforcing the impact of the fast-paced cuts and handheld camera movement. Members of his 'crew' also lip sync some of the lyrics, which may create a sense of participation for the audience.

(Edited 07/07/17) Possible Songs

All of these songs are by unsigned artists.

Any Shape - Aby Wolf

A positive aspect of this song is its clear beat which would make synchronised editing much easier. Furthermore, there are defined sections (verse/chorus) with different paces which would create opportunities for a music video to be more varied and therefore more interesting. The song also has a clear hybrid genre of electronic-pop, so a music video could be made including generic conventions. The song is an optimum length, not too short or too long, which would allow a creative music video to be made evidencing my skills without the need for excessive filler.

Eat a Lemon Tart - Merk

This indie-pop song has the potential for a quirky music video, as is typical of the genre. One of the disadvantages is that the song is shorter than average which could inhibit my ability to display a range of skills in my music video. Another disadvantage is that, although there are defined sections of verse/chorus, the song does sound slightly repetitive (perhaps due to its short length).

Relax - Backyard Dreaming
There are many conventions of indie rock music videos which could be employed in a music video for this song, for example the instrumentation which can be heard (including drums, guitar, etc.) would provide an opportunity for elements of performance within the video. However, a disadvantage of this song is that it is quite slow. Furthermore, it is longer than a recommended length of 3.30. On the other hand, an advantage is that there are differentiated sections of the song.

Pretty Little Head by Eliza Rickman

An advantage of this song is that it is a high-quality recording. However, the slightly abstract lyrics would make it difficult to develop a narrative for the music video. Furthermore, the genre of this song is less clear than many of the other song choices that I have selected, so it would be more difficult to utilise genre conventions in a music video.

He Never Shows by Pom-Pom Squad
A positive aspect of this song is that it has a steady beat which would enable effective synchronised editing. The indie rock genre of the song means that there would be opportunities to use conventions of the genre, such as elements of performance. Plus, the song is short which may make it easier to make a music video for it. Furthermore, the lyrics have the potential to inspire narrative elements for a music video.