This blogpost includes all my research about the genre conventions for the music video that my group and I are planning to produce. This will also help me identify elements to use in order to attract audiences and gain inspiration.
Here are some media terminology that my Media Studies teacher, Mr Nick, taught my class about:
Before doing some music video analysis, I will briefly outline some conventions of indie pop music videos so I’ll have a criteria to base my analysis off of when making comparisons to elements of each music video.
Indie pop conventions:
However, for the music video analysis, I might deviate a bit from this criteria and look specifically at the pop and indie conventions separately as it’ll help in being more specific and because it may apply more to the music video (I’m unsure if Birds of a Feather can be classified as Indie pop).
Mise-en-scene: This means "placing on stage" which refers to the arrangement of elements and visuals on the screen such as colorgrading, acting, costume, props, etc.
Vintage and dreamy color grading which helps to give a more nostalgic feel to the music video. The colors used are usually more muted and less saturated.
Often do not follow a detailed storyline and sometimes the music video doesn’t relate much to the lyrics of the song specifically. Instead, the artist may choose to try and capture the vibe and mood of the song through simple things such as video montages. This may also be because the artist doesn’t have the resources to create highly detailed music videos. In addition to this, the artist may instead choose to use symbolism instead (such as using flower language to connote a deeper meaning) as it is less costly and could allow the audience to have more creative freedom in exploring the meaning and connotations of the song.
Relatable or lower budget settings which seems to be more accessible in comparison to high quality sets. They seem to use the environment which is available to them such as the beach, fields, streets, etc.
The character, actors or artists shown in the music video may be noticeably unique in a way in order to emphasise their personality which will help in conveying the vibe that the artists wants to show.
Sound:
Soft vocals which are often used to express a certain emotion or mood that the artist wants to convey in the song. This soft vocal can sometimes be more expressive and can be used to convey emotions such as melancholy, sadness and hopefulness.
Repetitive beats consisting of instruments such as guitars and synths. This combination of instruments helps to build an even more dreamy and vintage vibe to the song. The instrumentals are also usually quite soft especially since the vocals are in order to not overpower each other and clash.
Simple arrangements of music instruments as an indie artist’s budget usually are lower, resulting in a cut from too many instruments which would be costly to use. This may in turn create a more intimate and authentic feel as the instrumentals seem more “man made” instead of being produced in a very high production studio with more than one person arranging the instrumentals.
Edit:
There are often longer shots in indie pop music videos to allow the audience to grasp the scenes slowly. This also allows the overall mood to be more slower paced and relaxed.
Softer transitions which are gradual are also used. Instead of being immediate and rushed which is often used in higher budget music videos, a softer transition and fade helps to bring together a dreamier vibe. It is also more fluid as it isn’t sudden and can make scenes feel more connected to one another.
Grainy filters and overlays which again makes scenes feel more vintage, dreamy and retro, similar to the vibes that most indie pop music videos usually have. These filters make the scenes feel like distant memories or feel more personal as they connote a sense of nostalgia.
Camera:
Usually is using a handheld camera movement in order to capture a more natural and raw vibe which is realistic, similar to a memory. The imperfections of handheld movements could also connote a sense of intimacy.
Close-up shots are often used to show the artist or actor lip synching, creating again a more intimate feeling as the audience feels as if they are close to the artist in proximity. It can also be used to show their facial expressions which also helps to build the vibe that the music video is going for.
Long shots of the setting and environment. Indie pop music videos often focus on their natural surroundings and therefore capture multiple different places in the same location, sometimes even resulting in a montage.
Detailed Research:
Name:
Birds of a feather
Year:
2024
Production Company:
Interscope Records
Distribution Company:
Universal Music Publishing Group
Genre / Sub genre:
Pop / Alternative / Indie
What conventions does it conform to?
This music video conforms to the usual indie genre conventions, typically featuring the artist lip syncing the song as the main performance, deviating from acting out the narrative of the song in detail. Instead of acting out the narrative specifically, the typical convention for this genre would be to visualise the narrative in a more symbolic way, being vague which allows the audience to connect the dots between the connotations behind the visualisations. In this case, Billie Eilish allows her audience to decode the message of losing someone she loved, being pulled all around and still being influenced by something that isn’t there anymore. Aside from that, music videos from this genre are usually lower in budget, making them “smaller scale productions” with all the scenes even potentially using only one setting, in this video’s case, the office.
The colour grading for alternative indie song music videos are typically also cooler toned, mostly associated with melancholy, this music video also conforms to this. The sound of the music itself consists of a repetitive beat consisting of drums, keyboard, guitar, etc. throughout the song. This combination of instrumentals combined with the typical soft vocals conforms to the usual softness of alternative indie music, being more natural instead of synthetic (eg. electronic synths, voice changing effects, etc.). In addition, Billie's voice is airy and soft for most of the song which is something that is common in indie songs.
What conventions does it subvert?
Typical music videos in the pop genre usually are more saturated and colourful, this music video subverts that and is rather dull and almost more monochrome in colour.
It seems like this music video’s performance primarily consists of lip syncing which isn’t typical for the pop genre as usually there are more varieties of performances such as dancing, acting (although there is a bit of acting in this music video), and etc.
The music video seems to only use one location although the scenes move from one part of the location to another (inside the office). Though this is typical for a small-scale indie production, this song is still classified as pop and so is the artist. With this, the usual convention would be a higher budget and professional looking production consisting of scenes with multiple related settings. This convention is subverted, only using one location, however the different parts of the office are interesting enough to be used for different scenes (different varieties such as cracked walls, couches, etc.).
The camera movement is only used when needed, being static in most of the scenes. Trucking is used only to follow when the artist is being pulled, allowing the audience to move with the artist. This subverts the usual conventions of pop music videos which typically utilise camera movement such as zoom, pan, dolly in order to accentuate movement and attract the audience’s attention.
What representations are there? (people/places/events)
As mentioned before, this music video and song seems to represent those who have experienced losing someone they loved. They are seen as hopeless, wandering without direction and letting those who have left their lives influence their every decision. This toxic relationship is described with love and hate, showing that there is more than one side to the coin and it is complicated.
What technical elements are used to give meaning?
The representation of this seemingly makes this group of people feel isolated, connoted by the emptiness of the office rooms which the artist walks through, accentuating the vastness of the building even more. Some scenes show the setting though using long shots, also to establish how empty the space is, connoting the feeling of feeling so small in the situation, being free to go anywhere physically but mentally unable to move on. This almost visualizes the opposition of being free physically but trapped mentally (binary opposites by Levi Strauss). The acting/ mise-en-scene of the artist being pulled around by an “invisible force” connotes the lack of direction when being influenced by someone important and loved so dearly who has left. The expression of hopelessness in the artist’s face as she succumbs and allows herself to be dragged could also connotes a sense of false or temporary security given by the lingering presence of someone in the past. This is intentionally done by using close-up or medium shots to allow the audience to see the artist’s small gestures. The cool colograding also connotes a feeling of sadness, along with the lack of saturation.
2.
Name:
Bewitched
Year:
2023
Production Company:
Pulse FilmsRecord label
Distribution Company:
Awal Music Distribution
Genre / Sub genre:
Jazz / Indie / pop
What conventions does it conform to?
The usual convention of this genre includes having the artist perform and lipsync throughout the entire video. This video in particular conforms to this convention as the artist seems to illustrate the emotions of the narrative through movements and gestures as well as facial expressions while lip syncing. The artist also conforms to the conventions of acting out the narrative too, interchanging through the lipsync scenes and visualising the meaning of the song lyrics. Typical to the pop music genre, this music video also conforms to the conventions of being high quality in production, all the details are clear and the lighting itself is also very dramatic in the lipsync scenes, making it clear that it was shot in a professional studio.
What conventions does it subvert?
One convention that this music video subverts is the fact that it doesn’t really use a lot of scenes. This music video seems to switch between 2 to 3 recorded scenes, one of them being the lipsync and the other being the acting. In usual pop music videos, there would be more scenes in different settings, however this music video seems to subvert that and instead decides to focus on the narrative of the song lyrics specifically, acting out the scenarios. Other than that, this music video is also colour graded with almost a cool but vibrant colour. Usually, love songs in this genre are colour graded with warm tones instead and this music video subverts this. Although it is cool in tone, it also makes the colours pop even more, making the music video more attention grabbing.
What representations are there? (people/places/events)
People or girls who are in love. They are represented as almost being in some sort of fairytale fantasy and love brings out all the warmth.
What technical elements are used to give meaning?
The acting itself is one of the biggest indicators for this, directly showing the feeling of being in love without any more connotations, showing how love can make simple things almost seem magical. The lip syncing is quite dramatic and the slow and exaggerated movements of the artist connotes a sense of reminiscing through the beautiful memories of being in love, trying to stretch it as long as possible in order to savour the feelings. Many close up shots are used in order to show the expression of the artist, showing glimmers in her eyes, further connoting that love can make people be entranced and almost mesmerised.
Less detailed research:
Title: we can’t be friends (wait for your love)
Artist: Ariana Grande
Year: 2024
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
Women from around the ages of 16-30 years old. The idea of being in love and it being unrequited is a popular discussion for those in this demographic, therefore since they are able to relate and find some sort of connection to the experience that this music video acts out, they may enjoy watching this music video as it also represents their feelings. This may especially be due to the fact that the artist is also around this age herself and those who watch her videos may seek to find personal identity as they look up to her (Uses and Gratification by Bulmer and Katz).What would you like to use in your opening from this?
I would like to use the idea of having flashbacks played throughout moments of my music video too and I love how the reaction of the artist is shown through every flashback. I also really like the storytelling they had in the video, spending the time to give context towards the narrative of the music video before it started, it really helped me so I think that I might want to incorporate that too.What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
Title: Glue Song
Artist: Beabadoobee
Year: 2023
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
The Glue Song may most likely also appeal to a younger female audience from ages 16-25. This song and the music video plays on the feeling of warmth and nostalgia to indicate how it feels like to love someone in such a special way. They do this by using warm and more saturated colouring, minimal edits to connote authenticity, and clips recorded handheld and shaky to depict how a memory would be recorded in someone’s POV. Younger, female audiences are more likely to experience this feeling as younger people are more likely to have experience with raw and pure, young, love.What would you like to use in your opening from this?
I really like the aspect of using the static tv overlay that helps to make the clips seem more like memories instead of recorded videos as it is not perfectly clean, just like how memories are. I love the variation in the techniques, camera lens and angles that the clips use and would like to use this same technique in order to depict that life is not streamlined and all memories are different to each other.What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
I would like to avoid making the camera movement static for most of the scenes because I believe for the type of music video I want to make, it will not be engaging enough to keep the audience interested.Title: My Love Mine All Mine
Artist: Mitski
Year: 2023
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
The audience is likely to be more mature, perhaps women or men from the ages of 30 above. The theme of the song itself depicts the idea of how nothing in life is truly owned by us, aside from the love we have and give towards others. The music video doesn’t really follow the narrative of the song directly, however it still symbolises the narrative in a way. In the beginning of the music video, a broken egg is shown, connoting someone who feels like they have reached their breaking point. However, even if the egg was broken, the flower revealed inside connotes that a beautiful thing can happen even if all hope feels like it is lost. That beautiful thing can also symbolise hope and love which was emphasised throughout the song. This type of symbolic code (Barthes’ narrative codes) may seem easy to understand, however those who have more experience in life may feel it is easier to grasp the message compared to the younger audience.What would you like to use in your opening from this?
I really, really like the use of lighting throughout the music video. The overarching colour theme is definitely blue, however the blue used in the video really had a depth to it. The lighting itself was also very mesmerising, almost being dream-like. The contrast between very dark shadows and bright lighting created harsh edges and shapes on the artist and her props, making them pop out, attracting the audience’s attention. This scene in particular really caught my eye.
What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
I would like to avoid using too many symbolic performances to describe the narrative like this music video. Although it is good, I think that it would be more interesting for my music video if the performance follows a plot that is related to the narrative of my music video’s song.Title: Tip Toe
Artist: HYBS
Year: 2023
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
The target audience should primarily be women and men that are young (ages 16-30). This is because the music video itself is based and inspired by a reality TV show from the 90s due to the graphic quality at the start (static, saturated and almost burned colours) which connotes that it was intended to look that way. However, the humour used may relate more to the younger generation as the challenges in the video consist of ones that have been used in childhood Youtube videos such as the mystery box, face basketball, etc. This type of humour represents the nostalgic feelings that some of the audience may have felt in their childhood, watching those kinds of videos.What would you like to use in your opening from this?
I really like the idea of this playful theme, seemingly allowing the artists to have fun while performing for the music video. I think it really helps the audience to get into a similar, exciting mood and it definitely feels engaging to watch as it seems quite natural.What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
Although the idea of the music video being based on a reality TV show is pretty neat, I would avoid it since this type of theme will most likely not fit with most song narratives and especially the song that I have in mind for the music video. Besides that, I think it would take a long time to set out the stage for the reality TV show and the game props too. Frankly, it's a hassle.Title: No One Noticed (Visualizer)
Research notes:
Visualizers are defined as animated videos and visuals which match a song. They can be classified as a more abstract way to represent music usually through repeated movements, cuts, or scenes.Artist: The Marias
Year: 2024
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
The target audience for this song are those who, just like the artists, express feelings of loneliness from being forgotten by others. This is important to note as the visuals in this visualizer corresponds to the lyrics describing that feeling. The visuals include the artist (Maria Zardoya) being submerged in the pitch black darkness of the water, perhaps connoting that the darkness can consume her, making her disappear. In other clips, the artist is surrounded by the rest of the band members. In those clips, the use of depth creates almost a foggy effect, the other band members are notably deeper in the water, fading more into the darkness. This could connote that as characters, they are unable to communicate with one another, being in no contact as they swim in different depths and directions in the water, connoting the usual struggles of life where everyone has their own differences, creating senses of being disconnected and misunderstood.
What would you like to use in your opening from this?
I really like the use of water and depth in this visualizer and that is why even though this wasn’t a music video, I was inspired by the use of those elements. I think that using the darkness of the water to connote the feeling of being forgotten is very very clever and if the song I pick somehow relates to that, I would like to (if possible) use a similar technique or effect to show those deep and complicated feelings.What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
I’m not sure if we would have the right equipment to film in water but we might want to avoid that since it is hard to set up without a controlled environment which is pricy to rent and find. I think that instead of water, we could possibly just use a dark room with dim lighting which could create a similar effect of depth that I was inspired by.Title: Something About You
Artist: Eyedress (Feat. Dent May)
Year: 2021
Target audience, and how are they appealed to?
The target audience is likely to be those who are in relationships that are healthy. The age range is more mature (30-50) as it does mention a few more mature topics. The music video itself is basically centred around the artist and his significant other. They are represented as being infatuated with each other, this shown through conveying the warmth of the song’s lyrics though different scenes with different settings, connoting that they have been through many different things in their relationship together. It is notable that this is also shown through the use of warm colour grading, not only making the scenes look more cinematic, but also makes them almost look like warm memories to look back to in the future. The acting from the performance the artists displayed was also full of smiles, connoting enjoyment and the indescribable sensation of being in love.What would you like to use in your opening from this?
I really enjoyed the cinematic aspect of this music video and the use of many different settings and outfits to convey the passing days. I think that this is one thing I’ll be able to use for the future production of the music video I have in mind. I also like the subtle use of lip sync which almost seems natural, not being the centre of attention.What would you like to avoid in your opening from this?
I think that even though the concept is nice, the budget that we have for this project won’t allow us to use high production sets like the artists have done for this music video. Instead of having certain rented sets, it would be better to just find public spaces which aren’t too crowded for this project.Self-reflection:
Doing this research really helped out a lot because gaining experience while watching all the music videos first hand was the best method to learn all the genre conventions. By doing research on all the music videos I watched, it made sure that I was attentive to details while watching the music videos, analysing similarities in conventions which I will later be able to either conform to or subvert while producing the music video for this project. Before doing this research, I was actually lacking a lot of knowledge on the genre conventions of indie pop. Previously, I thought indie pop was all about sad themes and was only simple, all having low budget but clearly through doing this research, I was proven wrong in some of the music videos. I had also learned media techniques and skills used in order to convey certain messages in the music videos, some I noted down to use in my group’s own music video. This research helped me establish the overall base-image of my group’s music video and gave us a lot of inspiration and ideas. Although it was quite boring and tedious to do after a while, (especially the more detailed research) I feel that it was necessary because without doing this research, I would be oblivious to the conventions of the genre. This research definitely helped to make our group’s vision for the music video more narrowed down and detailed since before doing this research, we didn’t have a solid vision, only a floating concept. In the future, I would probably manage my time better and try to not cram all the research by procrastinating since I think the quality of research could be a bit better.
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