Analysis of music video genres- Mrs Georgiou

Analysis of music video genres

All music videos belong to a particular genre of music that has different ways of illustrating aspects of the video such as mis en scene, camerawork, editing and what is conventional to that genre of music. Music videos also tend to be conventional to the artist and tell a narrative or concept about that particular artist and the genre they represent. R&B rapper/singer Drake uses many aspects of mis en scene, camerawork and editing for the music video of his song 'Over' that are conventional to both Drake himself and his R&B, rap/hip hop genre. Drake is able to build a relationship with his audience through his camera shots, editing etc as being one of the most successful R&B artists in the industry he is able to follow and set many genre conventions and concepts that are seen in music videos. Many of these aspects and conventions are seen in his video with R&B singer Rita Ora for 'Over'. 'Over' is seen as one of Drakes most conventional and successful videos which features many camera, editing and mis en scene techniques that relate back to the genre. 

In this shot, we see a conventional low angle shot of Drake sitting on the end of the bed with imagery energetically moving around the walls whilst Drake raps the lyrics. The pictures on the wall show long shots of the city Drake was born in Toronto which has been fast forwarded to show the live action and chaos of the city buildings and cars in order to show the relevance of Drakes crazy and action packed lifestyle. It also matches with the lyrics and purpose of the song and how Drake hasn't changed and is enjoying his life as a superstar artist and always will do. This is also relevant and conventional with the low angle shot of Drake as we see the camera looking up at him to show how he is the centre of attention and how he is independent by the fact he hasn't changed and doesn't need anyone new around him, also explaining why he is sat alone. This shot is conventional to the rap/r&b genre as artists in this genre like to show how they are still down to earth, normal people who remember where they come from and like to focus them sleeves as the centre of attention. 

This editing technique shows Drake standing alone in a grey, empty room with a hologram of himself positioned behind him enlarging a different photo of him a number of times. In these pictures, Drake is preforming to the camera and showing different actions and movements to portray his attitude in relation to the song and genre conventions. The purpose of this editing technique is to show off Drake and how he is an successful and independent artist at the top of the genre. This is evident where we see him pointing to suggest how he is number 1 and the editing helps to demonstrate this by enlarging it a number of times to make it clear to the audience. The editing technique also shows Drake moving side to side, shrugging to the camera and showing a modest attitude to portray his personality and help get his lyrics and points across to his audiences. This is conventional to the music genre as we expect rap artists to be modest and think they are the best rapper in the game and show signs of attitude

Another editing technique Drake uses in his video for 'over' is special effects where text is displayed over the moving imagery of fire in the background and Drake preforming. We see the lyrics of the song flashing up on the screen with Drake rapping along to them whilst the fire blazes in the background to give it that extra conventional and dangerous effect. The purpose of these special effects is to try and get the lyrics stuck in the audiences head and to make Drake look powerful and talented in the way he is delivering them. The fire is all there to add emphasis on the lyrics and show how it is an upbeat and important moment of the song and what drake is rapping is important and 'fire' (relatable and good in the rap industry). This editing technique is conventional to the rap/r&b genre as 'fire' lyrics are known to audiences as good ones and it is something they look for and expect in a rap song. It is also conventional as we see Drake preforming the lyrics, another important aspect in rap videos to show the artist is independent and can deliver the song himself. 
Drake also demonstrates over camera shot techniques in his video by showing a conventional 'two-shot' and 'close up' of Drake. This is evident as we see Drake in his element rapping close up and showing different facial expressions whilst Rita Ora is dancing in the background, showing two separate people preforming different actions to back up the two different shots. The shot of Drake is conventional to the rap genre as we see him preforming his rap in a cool, intimidating manner and not focusing on the girl behind him, whereas the shot of Rita Ora in the background grabs the attention of the viewer and gives it an extra sexual magnetism element that we often associate with rap videos. This is conventional to the rap genre as we often expect controversial and sexual imagery of girls attempting to impress the artist. It is also conventional as it shows Drake as acting calm, preforming the song rather then getting caught up in the heat of the moment and expressing his emotions, something most rappers tend to do in their videos to keep their hard man image. 



Another music video genre I have chosen to analyse is the indie genre and the artist Ed Sheeran. An example of an conventional indie music video is  Ed Sheerans song 'Give me love'. Ed Sheerans video contains many elements of theories such as goodwins theory, codes and conventions off the indie genre and conventional camera and editing techniques throughout. 

The first conventional element of the indie genre identified in this video is the concept of love and the idea of the girl being a real life cupid. This is seen throughout the video as we see a blonde haired girl dressed in aoll white to represent an 'angel' sitting looking depressed in an unconventional dirty warehouse however we see her obsessions with love. This shows how the video is both unconventional and conventional as although we expect to see a concept and narrative surrounded by the theme of love, we would also expect the angel to be glamorous and happy about the idea of spreading love and happiness. Despite this, it adds to the mysterious and unique behaviour and character of indie artists and the actors in this video. The angel then grows wings from her bag and fly around the city spreading love and happiness to those in need to support the title 'give me love'. It is perceived as a rare concept for a music video and although it is unique, it is identically conventional the indie genre and the substance of Ed Sheeran as an artist. This is because it takes the same concept of an indie music video and adapts many real life, personal situations that people can relate to and those that are expected in indie music videos. This is seen where the angel adapts the concept that all sexual preferences and believes are ok and he makes everyone feel equal allowing him to relate the his audience and spread a positive message through his videos. 

Other codes and conventions that are seen throughout the video and also are included as miss en scene elements are that indie music videos are known the be quite low budget and the main settings of the video are in the studios, cities, parks and tunnels. These and places that can accessed easily can they can create lots of mysteries. These settings are kept simple because it is typical of the indie rock genre and their music videos in order to focus more on the concept or narrative of the video or the artist performing, in this case the concept of love. All of there video is also shot during the night time in order to bring out the best of the setting by having the city lights of london pictured in the background and in order to add a mysterious feeling for the audience on the angel and to help capture her role in the narrative. This is also supported by the angels clothing and iconography in the video where we see her wearing an ordinary outfit to show her as an ordinary, conventional girl that the audience can relate to whereas her wings growing out of her and her bow and arrow makes the audience identify her as 'cupid' and shows the mysterious side to hurt and portrays her obsession with love. 

Music videos and the indie genre in particular tend to use many different camera shots and techniques to not only keep it interesting and productive, but to reflect different emotions and put emphasis on specific things within the frame. These shots include close ups, mid shots and other conventional camera techniques and movements such as pan, track, hand-held and crane. The director for Ed sheerans 'give me love' conventionally makes use of the hand held camera technique where we see the girl waiting for a train, with the night lights of London beaming down on her in the background. We can identify this camera technique as 'handheld' as the shot is slightly shaky and the artist wants the shot to be a point of view perspective as if the audience is there filming the girl themselves and interacting with her in a way by being able to see her emotions what she is getting up to. This shot also helps to deliver the concept of love and supports the narrative of the girl as cupid, travelling around the city spreading love and happiness as the shot makes out she in your ordinary retro looking, girl from next door when in reality she is depressed and makes others happy despite her own struggles and in her own misery. This shot is conventional to the indie genre as it is used to portray the realism and relatable side to indie genre as it makes the audience feel like they are part of the video and it is not shot that is often used in high budget videos and shows signs of low production and simplicity. Another camera technique used in this video is the crane view.

This is used when we see two of the angels (cupid) 'love' victims walking through the streets of London before being shot with the love arrow. This is conventional to the narrative of the video and the indie genre as it shows that lesbians are accepted in todays society and they don't have anything to hide by showing their openness and happiness and how the crane shot is used as the angels perspective before spreading love. We expect to see this technique in indie music videos as they are often used to add substance to videos and hidden messages that indie genres use such as an equal society. It is also a good and easy way of showing someones perspective. 

There is a split tone editing technique and effect throughout the whole video. This is where the colour scheme of the video and a tone is used throughout in oder to express different emotions or shots. The whole video is made in a dark tone in order to support the night time setting and to create cohesion throughout the video and give it a distinct look. These colours also have a symbolic meaning, with the pale blue and indigo type colour and tone giving it a cold, sad feeling signifying the theme of loneliness and sadness from the girl. The purple and red tones also give a feeling and meaning of love and romance, also helping to support the concept of the video. The use of slow motion also matches the pace of the song and in the crescendo parts of the footage speed up. for example, the footage speeds up when the arrow is being shot into the love victims adding to the emphasis and drama of the action. This is supported by the shot lengths of the video with them being quite long and dramatical and the cuts between clips are sped up depending on the part of the narrative of the video playing at the time. This is used in order to add emphasis and effect on the audiences emotions by spreading mixed emotions and relatable shots. It is also conventional to the indie genre as they tend to spread may different emotions have many different hidden messages. 

The audience that Ed Sheeran intends to buy and listen to this song is both girls and boys, aged 16-25 with an interest in the indie genre. The financial statistics for this song shows that most of its profits and views on YouTube, ITunes and other multimedia platforms came from both genders within this age gap however with more girls then boys. This is because most of Ed Sheerans audience is girls within this age gap as they are able to relate to the narratives and concepts he includes in his videos and writes about in his lyrics, particularly the video give 'Give me Love'. Ed Sheeran also has a wide range of fans and mainstream audiences as he is one not only the biggest names in the indie genre but the music industry and his sheer creativity and talent attracts people of all ages to listen to his music, but its the concepts of love and emotion that draw girls aged 16-25 to this particular video.

Goodiwns theory is identified throughout the video in a numb of different elements. This is seen where the lyrics and directly and illustratively conventional to the actions on shot. This is seen where the girl is walking through the streets spreading love and happiness, despite her own misery, the lyrics state 'give me love'. This is directly coherent to the actions on screen as the angels facial expressions as she is stood loping depressed and lonely and wanting to find love and happiness herself as well as spreading love for others. She is almost tired with her own work and wants to find something or someone to love and give motivation to make other happy as seeing others in love and not her adds to there depression element on the narrative and her character. The audience are able to relate to these lyrics and the angel as it brings up a deep and meaningful topic that those who can relate to it and Ed Sheerans music might find happiness or motivation from it and it sends a message out to be happy and find love, adding substance and purpose to the video and Ed Sheerans lyrics. It is also conventional to the indie genre as we often expect indie music videos to have strong topics that are personal to the artist and that can relate to the audience. Goodwins theory is also identified as the artist uses as concept and narrative element throughout the video, as mentioned earlier on in the blog. The concept of love is used throughout the video in order to support the 'cupid', 'love angel' narrative that audiences are hooked on and want to find from Ed Sheerans videos. 

The third video I have chosen to analyse is from the pop genre and is major pop artist Taylor Swifts, 'blank space'. Blank space is seen as one of Taylor Swifts most popular, successful and conventional music videos and songs in her transition into a pop artist and it includes many conventional micro elements of the pop genre that also help to portray her as an artist.

Firstly, cinematography is used in this video in the form of a variety of close ups and mid shots of both Taylor Swift and the male included in the narrative. In particular, we see a conventional mid shot of Taylor Swift sitting on her bed holding a white kitten and wearing a form of old-fashioned, black lingerie. This is conventional as it is visualised right at the beginning of the video, immediately setting the audiences attention on Taylor Swift and allowing them to get drawn into her appearance and the lyrics that illustrate the song. The shot is useful and conventional as it allows the artist to get everything that is necessary to the meaning of the video and shot, in the shot. The white kitten she is holding is also positioned in the middle of the shot and gets its own close up as a symbol of her pure, and innocent character and to match the theme and nature of the song. This is also supported by the old fashioned, luxury style of the room, bed and her clothing which makes her come across as having a split personality as she is innocent and talented yet revealing and quite mysterious at the same time as we as the audience don't yet know much about her character.This is all pictured and drawn from the medium shot which proves a conventional and popular shot for the remainder of the video. This shot is conventional to the pop genre as it is quite simple and pop videos tend to have less concept and meaning in comparison to indie/rock music videos which use a lot more in depth style of shots. However it is still conventional as it allows the audience to get a understanding on the artists character as well as there own perspective of the video.

 Another camera technique used in the video for blank space is the use of a low angle shot. The low angle shot Is used to show Taylor Swift walking down a black, pretigous staircase in the same black lingerie she has on in the start of the video, slowly capturing her sways and movements in a conventional manner. This shot is used in order to make the audience look up at Taylor Swift in all of her glory making them admire her and envy her. It is also used to bring out her star quality and her prestige and admirable character that she portrays throughout the video. Low angle shots are conventional to the pop genre as they are a good way of representing the artist character and attitude which is often a representation of their music genre, ecspesially major pop artists such as Taylor Swift who have such an influence on audiences and the change in demands in the music industry. Low angle shots are also able to tie into different editing techniques easily such as fade or cut away therefore giving the producers and artist more range and variety to work from to create a conventional music video.

One of the editing techniques used in this video is the substantial use of elliptical editing and slow motion transition. This is where shot transitions that omit parts of an event, causing ellipsis in plot and story duration. Slow motion shots and techniques are also when the shot is slowed down to create dramatical emphasis or effect on the shot. This is seen during the middle passage of the video where we see a number of different shots that effect the narrative slowed down in order to focus on the couples actions and reactions as to what the other is doing. We see Taylor Swift and the male riding horses through a garden mansion and driving around in a classic rolls Royce showing off their relationship. This editing technique makes it conventional as it  supports the narrative of Taylor Swifts luxury and high end lifestyle whilst showing how she has many lovers and is more committed to her work and the luxury shown in the video then her boyfriends. This is then later shown in slow motion at the end of the video where she is lying on the boy who appears to be passed out on the floor and she is smashing up his car with a golf club, showing the transition of the narrative of the video and the use of elliptical editing. These editing techniques also give a representation of Swifts character in this video as it shows her as being irresistible yet crazy and mysterious at the same time, who's not the same as these 'other girls' she refers to in her lyrics showing a performance element and visual representation of lyrics and the video within her editing technique. This editing technique is conventional to the pop genre as many pop aritists use lots of narratives in their videos as a way of expressing their conventions and characters and this editing technique allows them to do this and the audience to really focus on it with the slow moving shots.