Research: Genre

My group and I chose the pop genre for our video project. Here is my research into the codes and conventions that are used used in the openings of texts from this genre. I've done some in depth research and some general research. Our general genre is R&B. General conventions of this genre are that they are slower paced songs about romance and love, soft on the visuals with a darker colour palette, in an urban setting. 

In Depth Research

Thick of It - KSI (2024)

Name: Thick of It 

Year: 2024

Production Company: Atlantic Records

Distribution Company: Atlantic Records UK, BMG Rights Management

Genre / Sub-genre: Hip-hop / Rap

Conventions Being Conformed

• A fast paced beat coupled with a fast moving performance with many different camera movements and cuts
• Use of a lot of jumping and destroying of property to convey a message of rebellion
• Usage of language which suggests self-reflection

Conventions Bring Subverted

• KSI includes lower pitched, melodic elements, which contrasts with the more rough edge typically found in rap music.
• Use of a lot of computer generated imagery rather than make up 

Representations

• Themes of struggle and resilience with usage of language that percieves himself to be in the middle of everything and managing to stay afloat, just like ice which is depicted in the video as a mise-en-scene.
• Highlights personal growth and learning from past mistakes that builds his character with scenes like "from the screen to the ring to the pen to the king" and the different rapid pans to each scene.

Technical Elements

• The video uses dramatic lighting and shadowy color palettes to create emotional intensity and depth.
• Slow-motion medium and close up shots, paired with fast-paced editing, highlight the tension between vulnerability and strength.
• Close-up shots of KSI focus on his internal reflections, adding a personal and introspective element to his journey.

Good Days - SZA (2020)

Name: Good Days

Year: 2020

Production Company: Top Dawg Entertainment

Distribution Company: RCA Records

Genre / Sub-genre: R&B/Neo-Soul

Conventions Being Conformed

• Lower pitched vocal (typical of R&B)
• Slower paced camera movements with the tracking and trucking of the singer
• Darker colour palette mise-en-scene when in the library part of the music video

Conventions Bring Subverted

• Music video takes place with a garden mise-en-scene enlarged to match human scale
• Video editing with a retro feel (includes lower quality-like editing to make the video look like an old digitised VHS tape)
• Rather than being a song about romance and love, the artist focuses on her own inner peace and self-healing 

Representations

• The mise-en-scene of the garden, the very opposite of modest clothing, and the performance of the actor represents a fantasy-land which is supposed to be representative of the artist's personal growth
• The song choice and sounds depict a theme of wanting to be known to herself, trying to figure out her own self overcoming mental constraints. 

Technical Elements

• The use of overly saturated vibrant colours in the editing is an interesting choice as it emphasises the inner peace and that things can only get better. It brings an element of self and freedom.
• The slower pace of the camera's movements highlight a calm atmosphere which one should seek. It brings a mood of relection upon oneself which matches the overall vibe and mood of the song.

General Research

Rich Spirit - Kendrick Lamar (2022)

Title: Rich Spirit

Artist: Kendrick Lamar

Year: 2022

Target Audience:

• Adults (20-35)
• Both male and female (predominantly male)
• English speaking audience on a global scale

Features I like and might use:

• The darker lighting scale in the edit
• The slower pace of the video through the use of camera movements
• Camera moving into his face all the time  
• Mise-en-scene of the different colours fits very well with the song

Features I dislike and might not use:

• The large house mise-en-scene
• Old outdated telephone

Blinding Lights - The Weeknd (2019)

Title: Blinding Lights

Artist: The Weeknd

Year: 2019

Target Audience:

• Adults (20-35)
• Both male and female (predominantly male)
• English speaking audience on a global scale
• People who may find an interest in fast paced videos
• Fans of synth-pop

Features I like and might use:

• The usage of the night sky in the filming of the video
• Bright colours and fast paced lights used to light up the streets and the car in the mise-en-scene  
• Mise-en-scene of the different colours fits very well with the song

Features I dislike and might not use:

• The quick paced camera movements using cars
• The very vibrantly coloured clothing used by the artist

 

Leave the Door Open - Bruno Mars (2021)

Title: Leave the Door Open

Artist: Bruno Mars

Year: 2021

Target Audience:

• Adults (20-35)
• Both male and female (predominantly male)
• English speaking audience on a global scale
• Old souls looking for a blast from the past

Features I like and might use:

• Warm lighting creating a relaxed atmosphere indoors
• Soft and slow dancing performance from bystanders creates a great mise-en-scene to set the mood
• Mise-en-scene of the different colours fits very well with the song

Features I dislike and might not use:

• The band is a bit over the top as it'd take a lot of effort to edit that all together
• The use of a lot of people in one room as we don't have access to that many people who would all be free at the same time.

Love Galore - SZA (2017)

Title: Love Galore

Artist: SZA

Year: 2017

Target Audience:

• Adults (20-35)
• Mainly female
• English speaking audience on a global scale
• People going through heartache

Features I like and might use:

• Slow motion editing effects spark a warm and emotional atmosphere

Features I dislike and might not use:

• There was no performance in this video. In fact there was no music video.

Location - Khalid (2017)

Title: Location

Artist: Khalid

Year: 2017

Target Audience:

• Young Adults (17-35)
• Mainly male
• English speaking audience on a global scale
• Old souls looking for a blast from the past

Features I like and might use:

• Warm lighting creating a relaxed atmosphere indoors
• The fancy car with patriotic symbols on it
• Soft and slow dancing performance is great mise-en-scene to set the mood
• Mise-en-scene of the desert fits very well with the song

Features I dislike and might not use:

• I don't think we will be utilising a desert to film our music video
• It's really only one location and it makes the audience bored of watching the same repetitive stuff over and over for 5 minutes.

Here is some additional research that helped me with ideas.

How to shoot a music video - the basics

This video helped me to see that it's actually really basic and very easy to film the music video. It'll just take a bit of time to do as we'll have to reshoot the artist singing the song a few times.

Self Reflection:

I found this to be the worst part of this project. I absolutely hated having to analyse and type everything down onto this blog post. I dreaded the time I'd have to do this task as I knew it was going to be long and laborious, which is why I left it to the last week of the deadline to do as I would rather work on other things in this project. I found analysing the music videos to be difficult as I needed to apply the correct terminologies and that was absolutely boring, but I did learn how to do that all so I guess that was valuable. I also learnt about different conventions of the genre of music video R&B that I may or may not use. I found finding the music to analyse the easiest part as I employed the help of my friends who knew how to find them and who published them. I also found watching through the videos very interesting as the information was relevant to me. I will most definitely be referring back to this page when seeking for inspiration for the project.