Analysis of Music Videos Genres - Miss Georgiou

Each music video that is created has a genre attached to it whether that be Rap, Pop, R 'n' B, Jazz, Rock etc. Most music videos are conventional to the genre in which they are, for example, Rappers are stereotypically flashy with a lot of money and so are expected to display expensive accessories and impressive settings in their videos. Being conventional to the genre in the music videos engage the audience as they are intrigued by the way that this artist/music video has gone about the genre and developed it in their own creative way. People watch music videos to see the artist they're watching express the emotion the song suggests. They are also intrigued to watch them as they are able to witness the artists lifestyle and way of performing the song.

Drake is a current and highly successful rapper of today. His music video for his song 'Over' has many different aspects to it and the content of which is very conventional to the genre of Rap. The target audience for him here is around 16 - 30 years old.

This video is very technical in the way that there are a lot of features of all aspects of the video: cinematography, editing and miss-en-scene. I am firstly going to talk about the cinematography.

Around half-way through the video, there is a low angle shot shown where Drake is sitting on the end of the bed performing. The low angle shot makes the artist appear bigger than they actually are and the audience are made to feel as if they are in a position where they are smaller than him. This reflects the dominance that Drake has here and also ensures that all attention and focus is on him at this point especially when this is complimented with the fact that the artist is central in shot - emphasising the focus. This also allows for the artist to express himself through the way he is able to also act on hand gestures and body language. Having a variety of camera shots is very conventional to the rap genre as it tends to create diversity within the video. The artist is able to express themselves in different ways for example, rapping directly to the camera makes his performance more direct to the audience and therefore, can give a more personal delivery to the viewer. This engages the target audience as they are able to retrieve the emotion from the artist in different ways and the low angle reinforces his power and dominance in the video when for the majority he is alone in the video.

Another element of cinematography is demonstrated through the use of a shallow focus. This ensures that the focus is solely on the artist, especially as this is the part in the song where the tempo becomes slightly faster. The audience are enabled to see him perform intricately with no interference or distraction from the background of the woman dancing. Consequently, the artist is able to express their passion and expression of what they are performing. Him being at the side of the shot also allows him to cover up what's going on behind him when he feels like it so he can move more into the centre of the shot. This type of shot is conventional to the rap genre, as this acts as an emphasis not only on the artist, but also the music and what he is rapping about (lyrics). Even though the woman in the background still has relevance to the video and the scene because she is in with his lifestyle in which he is describing, at this point the focus ideally needs to be on Drake. This enables the emotion of what he is rapping about to be put across to the audience. Therefore, the target audience appeal to this as although they get to see what's going on in the scene behind the artist, they can also still see him and focus on what he is doing and how he is performing at this point. Also, having him  at the front in focus gives the illusion that he is closer to the audience, which further appeals to them as they feel like he is rapping mored directly and personally to them.

Moving onto editing, a projector is on him that plays a clip which has been fast-pace edited. The clip that plays is an ongoing clip of a road, and then the lines double up and become quicker as the tempo of the music gets faster. The way that this occurs is conventional to the rap genre as the tempo of rap songs tend to fluctuate throughout the song. Having visuals that compliment this is satisfying for the audience as it creates diversity and interest within the video, without the risk of any repetitive nature. The way the clip has a likewise image to a road going faster and faster demonstrates the journey of the artist's life and what he is rapping about. It reflects how his career has risen so fast that and mirrors the idea that his fame has came essentially 'overnight'. Followed by this clip is another clip that has been fast-pace edited which shows crowds in a busy city going about their everyday life:

This being fast-paced edited could show how the artist feels that everything around him is also going quick and people are going about their life as normal whilst he could inferably feel like the minority - taking life as it comes. This is also conventional to the rap genre as the fast-pace nature of what is around him singles him out who is performing at normal speed, which reflects dominance onto the artist. Rap artists are always seen as a main focus in rap videos as expression and passion can be portrayed across to the audience which helps the video appeal to them. The use of this type of editing is also generically conventional as it also reinforces how the artist feels, as a visual image compliments what they are rapping about, helping the audience to relate to them. Therefore, this appeals to the audience as they feel they can relate and empathise with someone they like.

Another editing technique used in the 'Over' video is the use of green screen, complimented with visual on-screen lyrics. The green screen allows effects that may not be possible to carry out in real life to be inputted (due to safety, for example) into the video, for example fire. The fire effect used in the video (as seen in the screenshot) is created through green screen. Using this with the artist in the shot also reflects the passion and conventional anger that the artist wants to illustrate throughout. The fire could be a representation of the artist's emotions which is then further confirmed through the facial expressions of the artist. This is conventional to the rap genre as rap artists tend to express anger and passion which can be complimented with similar images that mirror this emotion. Fire connotes danger, anger and unpredictability which can also be illustrated in the particular way Drake is performing at this point. In collaboration with the lyrics which have been edited in front of the screen, it creates an emphasis on the lyrics and the emotion that is intended to be created. This is conventional to the rap genre as it makes the lyrics more clear and distinct, easier for the target audience to follow and understand making it also appeal to them.

Mise-en-scene is used effectively in this music video, particularly through the use of lighting. As clearly shown in the screenshot, there is low-key lighting present in some of the scenes in this video. The main source of light here is the spotlight which illuminates Drake. With the way this is and the fact that he is central in the shot, he is the total focus here as he is all the audience are able to see. This could suggest that he is around all negativity or literal darkness but the way he is shown in the light reflects him in a positive way. In a more literal way of looking at it, he is clearly the dominant figure here in the scene and outside of it, as the audiences whole attention is on him. This is conventional to the rap genre due to the fact that the way the lighting falls on the face creates emphasis on the facial expressions of Drake. This way the expressions can be portrayed clearly and more empathetically which appeals to the target audience as they are able to watch a better performance with a raw, real feeling behind it from the artist.

Another element of mise-en-scene is setting. The use of a simplistic setting of a bedroom for one of the scenes in this video is conventional to the rap genre as it makes the artist seem more relatable to the audience as they are more familiar with this kind of setting. It also contrasts to his wild lifestyle, it could be inferred to be seen as a way to escape from the fame. The bedroom could also be significant in what he is rapping about and could have a meaning or feeling behind it, such as nostalgia. The setting of the bedroom here could also emphasise the fact that he is just like anyone else in the world but he has just risen to fame. The way that the setting isn't very decorated in reference to the way it looks quite simple with block colours, makes it seem clean and fresh. The heavily detailed aspects or madness in the artist's life could be emphasised here as they are (again) the main focus and are therefore shown in contrast to the setting in this way. 

Costume, hair and makeup is also a part of mise-en-scene and I have particularly chosen to talk about costume. Throughout the video, Drake goes through 6 different changes of costume (a different one for each scene). All of the outfits consist of casual clothes for example, he is wearing a simple white hooded jacket in one scene and more of a casual coat in another. The casual manner of the costumes make him relatable to the target audience as they are able to and probably do wear similar clothing as to what he does. The frequent changes in costume are conventional to the rap genre as it creates diversity in the video, along with a change of mood and distinct difference between the scenes. The target audience also appeal as it makes the video more interesting for them to watch. Taking a look at the last screenshot, Drake is wearing a gold watch which he places in shot as he puts his hand on his head. This type of accessory as part of costume shows Drake to be wealthy and content as gold is seen as a valuable material to wear. This makes his costume choice not too flashy but just enough to show that he does have money and that working hard allows you to buy expensive, valuable accessories such as this one. Representing the artist in this way is conventional to the rap genre as the artist likes to be able to show their wealth in one way or another.

Facial expressions and body language also fall into mise-en-scene. The generic convention of rap referting to facial expressions in-particular is anger. As visible in the screenshot, the artist is displaying his anger and passion through the way in which he shows his facial expressions. The passion is satisfying for the target audience as it shows them how passionate he is about what he is rapping about and so, a realer emotion is passed across. It also appeals to them as it reflects the way that an artist they like is living their dream and are showing to be making the most of it and not taking granted the opportunity they earned The expressions are conventional as the content of rap songs usually contain something the artist may have a concern about or a personal meaning that may have a personal feeling connected with it.

The positioning of characters is the last element of mise-en-scene. For the majority of the video, the artist is positioned in the centre of the screen, near the front. This ensures that all the focus and attention of the audience is on him. As screenshotted, the first and last position of the artist are extremely similar - almost identical. From this, it is clear that this focus is maintained all the way through the video which is typical of a rap gene music video. The target audience appeal to this as they are made to not become distracted and the detail of the emotion in which the artist expresses can be shown clearly throughout. Having him central also could be inferred that he believes the world revolves around him. When complimenting the fast-pace edited shots of the people in the city going about their life, this seems like a possible idea. This appeals to the target audience as they are able to see the artist they like as centre of attention. This is also conventional to the rap genre as rap artists normally like to be dominant with attention on them.

The next genre that I have analysed is pop, through the 'Marvin Gaye' music video by Charlie Puth featuring Meghan Trainor. The target audience for this song is fairly wide as the song makes frequent reference to a song released by Marvin Gaye named 'Let's Get It On' in 1973, meaning that older generations will recognise the reference. However, generally the target audience is around 16 to early 20 years old.

A medium shot of the main artist for this video, Charlie Puth, as part of the cinematography, is evident near the beginning of the video. He is shown playing the piano whilst performing the song. This shot shows how that the artist cannot just sing but also play an instrument, showing his talent off to the audience - who may not realise he could also do this. The target audience appeal to this as the artist looks extraordinary here, especially when the scene has a rather sombre tone before he arrives on stage and starts singing. It is also conventional to the pop genre for a shot to show this because the majority of pop artists can play a musical instrument - typically piano or guitar. If there is a point in which they are able to flaunt their various talents, other than their vocals, they choose to, to enhance their star quality and talent rating, as well as their like-ability. Audiences tend to enjoy a multi-talented artist as it demonstrates their dedication and the hard work in which they put into their material for the industry.

The cinematography is varied throughout the video and shows a long shot, as shown in the screenshot to the left. In this shot, it is clear that the artists are shown performing on stage whilst the school students are dancing along to them. This shows that the spread of artists' music has a had a positive effect and makes the audience feel engaged and satisfied. Furthermore, where the camera is situated makes the audience feel as if they are there, in the crowd and in the scene making them want to get up, dance and enjoy themselves which is the vibe the song intends to create. This is conventional to the pop genre as the majority of the songs produced are extremely catchy or dancy. Showing that people in the video are enjoying the music helps to influence the audience to feel the same as it encourages them to listen and catch on to the melody. 

Editing is used throughout the video to ensure that the video flows well and makes sense. Shot-reverse-shot is used just over half-way through the video when Meghan has entered and is singing to/with Charlie. The use of this here enables the audience to see both expressions of the artists whilst Meghan is singing at this point. It also demonstrates the good relationship that the artists have in the industry - the positive emotions reflect this. Furthermore, the happy and upbeat tone of the song mirrors this expression. The target audience appeal to this as it ensures that they can see the artists in a way they may have never before. Seeing 2 artists interact with each other that may be unexpected is interesting for the audience to watch as it is intriguing to see how they show the relationship between them. Having a shot-reverse-shot like this one is conventional to the pop genre, as a large number of pop songs feature more than one artist. Using a shot like this allows two things to be seen at once and expressions, emotions and reactions to be shown in the most effectively way possible. Therefore, he artists can show their emotion and expression in a way it will be valued in the video.

Reaction shots as part of editing are also included in the clip for example of the teachers. When the artist first starts to sing, a reaction shot of the teachers appear. The woman is seen lifting her glasses to show her pleasant surprise and shock at how good the artist is. She lifts her glasses inferably to acknowledge who it is who is singing on the stage. It's as if the mood changes in the scene as he begins to sing. An uplift is created and it is clear that the teachers see that this will come as the initial hearing of the artist begins. Likewise with another reaction shot of the teachers but this is when the students start dancing sexually with one another. The teachers look shocked and slightly disgusted at what they have seen because it is so unexpected to see them act in such a way. This appeals to the target audience because it is quite humorous to watch, especially as they give in at the end. Reaction shots like these are conventional to the pop genre as there is often something in the narrative that sparks a reaction whether that be good or bad. Reaction shots therefore are able to capture these reactions as best as possible.

Mise-en-scene is used effectively throughout the video. The setting of the music video is in a school hall, appropriate as they event they are holding is some kind of school 'Spring Fling' (as the banner says) disco/party. The audience are familiar with this setting as they would be at the age of going to school or have recently left which appeals to them as it could bring back fond memories of their school life. Therefore, they would also be familiar with the situation the people in the video are as they are clearly not enjoying themselves at the event. This often happens where you build an expectation for something, especially at school and it doesn't go as you expect. This is a conventional setting for pop genre music video because a lot of pop artists' target audience are young. Having a school setting makes it a relatable one to the target audience and so, they feel more engaged and involved as they watch. Having iconography such as the vintage/old style microphone used my Meghan makes the performance seem a lot more live and 'old school'. The song has aspects from previous musical eras to it and so this is mirrored through the use of this microphone because of its style. This is conventional to the pop genre as making it seem more live makes it more engaging to watch for any events that may purposely go wrong. It also engages the target audience as they feel as if they are witnessing more of an exclusive live performance. Furthermore, the iconography use of the Fiat car is product placement within the video. This is conventional to the pop genre as many artists have product placement in their videos in order to promote the products that are included. The target audience appeal to this as, in this case, it makes them want the car as artists which they like are associated with it.

Another element of mise-en-scene is the costume, hair and makeup. The costume used in this music video is varied. The students are wearing a mixture of dresses, suits and more slightly casual smart clothes. Each of the costumes help define and reflect the personalities of the students but also add to the visual satisfaction of the video. The costumes supply a vast amount of colour to the video and so, when they start dancing it's as if the colours start to blend and move, reflecting the happiness that the song intends to create. The way that the costume is varied for the large amount of people is conventional to the pop genre as it helps to create a personality mark on each individual. The target audience also appeal to this as they are able to associate with some of the outfits that may have been similar to what was worn at their own party events.

The lighting (as part of mise-en-scene) used can always have an effective impact on a scene or shot. It is used in this video effectively where Meghan makes her appearance. It is used to help hide her identity but also create a build up to her revealing as bright light is placed in front of her, making an emphasis on her presence in the shot. As shown in the screenshot, the audience are able to see the back of her but not the front which would spoil the identity of her. This also allows the audience to witness the reaction of the students to the 'mystery' artist, which is in fact a positive one from the facial expressions that they portray. The lighting is a prominent feature at this particular part of the video especially as the artist is wearing black which is in contrast to the bright white light in front of them. This creates a clash of the colours making Meghan the centre of attention which appeals to the audience as there is also a thought within the audience's mind as to who they think it is (obviously if they didn't know who the song was sung by). This is a convention of the pop genre, using lighting to create some sort of tension or build up through hidden identity as it creates a slight climax within the video making it interesting and unique.

The positioning of individuals in a scene is also part of mise-en-scene. As shown abundantly in the screenshot, the students don't really looked engaged in the even and are scattered around the sides and some in the middle. This is at the beginning where the students don't seem like they are enjoying themselves at the event which is clearly shown in the way that they are not interacting with one another and are not dancing. The positioning of the characters show the emotion and how they are feeling to the audience even though none of them speak. This appeals to the audience as they can relate to a moment like this where they may feel embarrassed to get up from the edge as they do't feel encouraged enough to make the effort. The positioning of characters showing emotion and how they are feeling is conventional to the pop genre as it doesn't take away the attention from the artist but also allows for the emotions of minors in the scene to be recognised and understood.

Body language along with facial expressions is also another element of mise-en-scene. The song refers to 'getting it on' which is reflected frequently throughout the video. As the song progresses the students start to 'get it on' until eventually the artists also do at the very end of the video. The song makes reference to this all the way through and so having the artists joining in with it at the end confirms the message of the song. This appeals to the audience as it is unexpected and they begin to wonder as the song reaches to the end what is going to happen. This is conventional of the pop genre as there is only a minority of pop songs that are not about love. Therefore, showing affection in pop genre music videos is common as it matches the content of the song. 

I have chosen to also analyse the music video of 'Budapest' by George Ezra, which is from the genre of folk rock. His target audience is hard to be specific with especially because of the genre, however, it is roughly 16 to early 30's.

Cinematography has a prominent role in this music video. As shown in the screenshot, here is a shallow focus shot of the artist performing to the camera. The lyrics of a folk/rock song are performed quite slow in some cases, with a lot of meaning and so, the artist is able to put across their emotions to the audience in a direct and personal way. The focus is all on him, even though there are many people around him, this shot enables him to be the centre of attention. The shot captures the expression on the artist's face as he performs the song but also his movements of playing the guitar too. The audience appeal to this as they are able to retrieve the emotions that the song intends to deliver and they can understand the personal feeling of the artist more too. This type of shot is conventional to the folk rock genre as there are normally a lot of individuals involved in folk rock music videos. However, this shot allows the artist to still be the main source in the video without the distraction from the other minors.

As part of cinematography also, many frequent high angle shots are used throughout the video. This emphasises the amount of people in the video and surrounding the artist. It also puts the audience in a dominant position as they are at the higher angle, looking down on all the people. The audience are able to judge each person from the way they interact or look which makes them seem higher in authority. This appeals to the audience as they get to feel at a level where they have more power and also they are able to see each individual as clearly as possible. This is a convention of the folk rock genre as high angles tend to show status and represent some type of emotion within a song - which many fold rock songs have deep meaning to.

The editing in a music video is vitally important in order for it to be interesting and different. At the beginning, the artist's name and the name of the song appears over the top of the clip in capital letters. Editing this in enables the artist to kind of promote himself as he is essentially creating a visual watermark for this video. It also allows the audience to immediately acknowledge that this is a music video from one of his works. This is conventional to the folk rock genre as it gives an identity to the artist and relevance to their name which is often seen in folk rock music videos. This appeals to the audience as they are able to see who's video it is and are more likely to remember it and the artist as, it being placed central, large and in capital letters makes it hard not to forget.

Slow-pace editing as part of editing is also used in the music video. This is used when the people begin to move and create habits that they carry out all the way through. This is conventional to the folk rock genre as slow-pace editing engages the audience and not only does it allow for the audience to see the deeper meaning but also it reflects the chilled atmosphere folk rock songs provide. The target audience appeal to this because they are able to see every detail, even when n reference to a minor individual. Moreover, they are able to get to know the people featured in the video a little better.

The lighting in this scene illustrates and outlines the artist above from the rest. He is seen in a spotlight whilst standing in the middle of everyone else. This makes him dominant and authoritative in this part of the video and the darkness upon the other minors make them almost seem irrelevant in the scene. This is a folk rock convention - that light outlines the individual artist performing alone. This ensures that focus is on him entirely which appeals to the audience as they can also pay focus to the lyrics and he meaning that may be carried with them. 

In terms of costume, in folk rock genre music videos most of the people in them are wearing really casual clothing. This is likewise shown in this video where everyone is dressed how they want. Having them dressed differently and how they want means that the audience can recognise the personality of each other. This appeals to the target audience as they can relate to the characters that are wearing the clothes, being something they would buy. This is conventional to the folk rock genre because it reinforces the chilled and relaxed look of the people making the overall video fairly chilled out.

The setting is not very clear in this video for the vast number of people that surround the video actually block out any evidence suggesting where it is. Talking about iconography, many uses are found in this video where they start to pass around the accessories. The main one however, is the guitar. This is a typical, generically conventional aspect of the video, as well as the fact that the artist is the one who is playing. This is a stereotypical instrument used for this type of genre which appeals to the audience as they are familiar of the sound of this instrument from this genre.

The characters are positioned very closely together which actually looks slightly claustrophobic. This illustrates the tight-knit community in which they are expressing. The way that the artist is positioned within them is different because you wouldn't expect there to be as much attention of George as there is. This is conventional to the folk rock genre as keeping the main artist the centre of attention is key and also the audience appeal to it because they can still see how the artist performs but just with quite a few motionless people. 

The facial expressions shown in this video reflect the personality of the individuals. For example, as shown in the screenshot these 3 men are choosing one of them to eat a chilli. This suggests they are quite daring and enjoy spending time together as they seem to have a good relationship within them. Facial expressions are used without speech conventionally in this folk rock genre as it allows the emotion to deliver to the audience visually. This appeals to the audience as it enables them to look into the different types of people and different types of personalities that are included in out society.

The technical elements clearly vary in the different music videos in which I have analysed. For example, in the pop genre mostly demonstrates love and affection in their videos - 'getting it on' in 'Marvin Gaye'. Whereas, in the folk rock genre for example, there is less content about love and more about a general, personal narrative which affects the way the video is carried out. Music videos appeal to an audience as they are able to see how an artist performs their song or justifies it with a deeper meaning narrative. As well as this, the audience also appeal to them because it enables them to create a better understanding of the meaning and background of the song they are listening to. The audience can build a relationship with the artist through how relatable they show themselves to be or how deeply and directly they put their emotions across. For example, if an artist is performing directly into the camera, the audience are more likely to build a stronger relationship between themselves and the artist because they are able to retrieve the artist's emotions more easily. Using the idea of the shallow focus shots help to engage the audience and portray the emotions and expressions that the artist displays which I think is effective and an idea I am likely to take on board for my music video. In addition, I have noticed that lighting has been used in all the videos to create some kind of intended emotion, which I think is also really effective and I will be using this idea when creating my own music video to create the same effect of showing emotion.