Genre Signifiers

Pop

Close up shots are particularly important in pop videos as it relates back to the artist and also enables facial expressions to be shown, the lighting is usually bright. The editing is usually upbeat which continues the theme of the music being uplifting. In regards to costumes and props, bright coloured costumes are usually used, the style of clothing is usually whatever's in trend and mainstream at the time as the people that like pop music are usually into finding out the current trends. Within pop music videos there is usually some link between the video itself and the lyrics of the song, the main theme of most pop songs is usually love and romance, this can relate to the audience of the song. One of the main scenes in most pop videos is to have the artists perform the song, usually also with a dance routine.



Hip Hop

Often in hip hop videos, there's a use of low-angled shots which implies power of the artist over the audience. Close ups are also used to signify their status as artists over us as the audience. A popular scene for hip hop music is to have a crowd of people dancing along to the beat of the song, making the song look like it can be enjoyed by a large amount of people. A main mis-en-scene feature is the references to wealth throughout which just like the camera angles is another way the artists trues to signify their status. Most male hip hop artists use other males in their video in order to show males as being the more powerful and dominant sex, however this is at times challenged by female artists such as Nicki Minaj who portrays a different idea in her videos.



Rock

The colour black is a common convention of a rock music video, the lighting also tends to be low-key in order to create a dark and mysterious atmosphere to go with the song and lyrics. The sounds are often heavy which again represents the mood of the song. The choice of costume are often alternative and different, its unlikely to find an on trend outfit in a rock video, makeup is usually heavy and hair is often messy with unnatural colours at time. The mis-en-scene often comes in the form of facial expressions and body language which are used to present the mood and theme of the song. The editing is carefully chosen to relate to the tempo of the song, often rock songs are either very upbeat in which case editing would be faster, or at times they're slow and dark which would mean slower editing. In most occasions, the narrative in the video tells the story of the song through the visuals.

Music Video Distribution

Social Networking Sites

Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are an easy way to access music videos, particularly new releases. If someone were to follow an artist they would be notified when a new song was released which means they wouldn't miss it. Another good feature of social networking sites is that it is easy to share a link with others meaning the video should get more publicity and views. These sites are particularly effective for artists with a smaller fan base or new artists as it allows them to share their music with their friends and family and then they can share with their friends etc, its also free which makes the process a lot easier. The only downside to it is that it's more a way of advertising and sharing the music rather than downloading it, meaning it can't be listened to/watched on the go without internet however it can share the details to allow people to download it.
An example of the success of this is the music video "Fivers" by Indigo Palace, this is a song by a new musical collective in 2016 that was shared on all forms of social networking and due to the shares and popularity it allowed them to get over a thousand views on YouTube.

YouTube


YouTube is one of the most popular websites today, and is a huge source for finding both new and old music videos from a variety of artists and genres. Just like social media websites, if someone was to subscribe to an artists channel they are able to get notified when a new video is uploaded, meaning they won't miss out on new content, and again it is easy for them to then share the video with friends by copying the link. Another advantage, of YouTube is that its completely free to subscribe to artists and to watch videos. However just like social media, this is predominately just a way to watch and share but not to enjoy on the go, meaning it can't be downloading and can only be used with wifi or mobile data so perhaps making it less accessible than a website that allows the purchase of music videos.
The most well known example of music videos on YouTube is "Gangnam Style" by Psy, This video currently has over 2 billion views, showing the power YouTube has on reaching a mass audience.

Music video channels

Music video channels such as MTV and 4Music are an easy way to listen to music and watch the videos for the songs on TV. Its one of the more traditional ways of accessing music videos, MTV dates back to 1981 when the first video was aired. Although this is a good way to access new videos that have been released, airing programs such as the current charts. However a main disadvantage of music video channels is that you're unable to choose which song it is you're wanting to listen to and are unable to pause the song or rewind it or listen to it again. It also isn't a portable way of consuming music and cannot be downloaded or enjoyed whilst travelling, only at home which could make it difficult. On the other hand it can be enjoyed by a wide range of people as there are different channels and programmes within the channels that cater to people with different music interests, including 4Music's The A-List Playlist which focuses on the top music videos currently, compared to 4Music's Trending Live which not only plays new videos but also discusses celebrity news and gossip.

iTunes

Created in 2001, iTunes has continued to be a popular form of music distribution. Although originally  iTunes focused on song and album download, videos are also available including music videos, TV programmes and also movies. The app available on Apple products allows consumers to pay for music videos which then download automatically to their iTunes library, making it easy to access this product on all forms of Apple devices including iPhones, iPods and Mac computers. The main advantage of this is the variety of accessibility, although it isn't free it's easy to pay once and listen anywhere for free without Wifi. A disadvantaged of this app is that it's only available on Apple products and there isn't anything that's particularly similar for other devices. Another good thing about iTunes is that it is very up to date with current charts and trending songs which means it is one of the first music distribution methods to release songs, making them available to download straight away.


Official artists websites

Artists websites is a good way of consuming the new releases from particular artists, the websites can be accessed on most devices easily and are usually free to be able to watch online. On some websites like Beyonce's there is an option to watch her videos online and also an option to buy the video to be able to watch without internet. A positive about this technique is that the artist will upload the videos pretty soon after release meaning they're up to date with new music. However a negative about official websites is that at times a certain software would need to be downloaded to watch the video which may not be available for some people, additionally it can be a risk at times knowing whether the website is official and if it isn't it could lead to virus' or money being taken by choosing to buy a video that isn't legit.

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

6 Key Aspects:

Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics
- Include a 'trademark' action which can help establish the genre
- This helps the artist market the video to fans of that particular genre
- The location/costumes/colours etc also can help identify which genre the song is

This is the case for the Artic Monkeys as their videos are always very dark and in black and white to go with the rock genre.

There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals
- Goodwin believes that music videos promote the song by analysing the lyrics, so the character does exactly what the lyric says
- He states that the video can either have a complete similarity to the lyrics or be a complete contrast

In Jessie J's song Price Tag the props are used to describe the song, for example this money tree is used to prove a point that society thinks money is the most important thing.

There is a relationship between the music and the visuals
- He identified that the visuals may be edited in time with the lyrics and pace of the song
- The images and colours used can also project the mood and feeling of the song

The feeling of this song (Wake Me Up by Evanescence) is very dark and this is portrayed through the visuals as it's set at night and her facial expressions show her dark emotions.

There are always close ups of the artist, the artists motifs may recur across their work
- Used to create a star image and promote a recognisable brand image
- The artist is usually shown throughout the video
- Mainly used on female artists in order to sexualise the artist

This video of Beyonce's is possible her most recognizable video and that's because it features her all the way through and the dance is now known globally as being her dance.

Voyeurism
- Many voyeuristic angles of women are used
- This attracts male audiences so they have an interest in the artist and will buy into them as a product

This video featuring Britney Spears shows her as a sexual object and throughout angles and costumes are carefully chosen in order for her to be viewed in a sexual way.

Intertextual references
- Especially used in humorous videos
- Some songs use a direct reference to another media text
- This provides the audience with a gratification if they recognise the link

The video for Fancy cleverly uses intertextuality as throughout there are references to the film Clueless through location, outfit choices and scenes.

Rick Altman's Theory

Rick Altman argues that genres in music videos are made up of 2 elements;

Semantic Elements:

- Rick Altman states that within music videos there are elements which visually signify the genre of the video

- This includes the colours, locations, props, costume and makeup

- An example of this would be features of a pop video, which include bright colours, dance routines, and the artists performing the song in some way

- This is shown in One Direction's music videos, including One Thing and History where they are performing the song to the camera with a few dance moves, the group are also wear some bright colours and the video for One Thing in particular is in a bright and exciting location






Syntactic Elements:

- These elements of the genre aren't visual

- They are often themes of the video or the overall mood or emotion throughout the video

- In most hip hop videos theres a theme of love or lust, this can be shown through the lighting or camera shots and also the location and outfit choices

- In Beyonce and Jay-Z's song Drunk In Love the main emotion is love and this is shown through the black and white effect, and also through the close up shots of them together, portraying their love as being strong and showing their affection when they're together

Gender Representation Theories: Angela McRobbie

Angela McRobbie

- Her theory surrounds the way gender roles are represented within the media

- She believes women and men are 'socialised' into gender roles by the media

- She states that the way the media portrays the genders has a major influence on us as humans and dictates what we should and shouldn't do in society

- Men in the media are portrayed as being masculine, aggressive and powerful and she believes this is why men in society feel the need to be like this

- Whereas women in the media are the opposite and are portrayed as being weak, submissive to men and are known for being traditional home wives and mothers which is an extreme stereotype for the gender

- However she does accept that in some cases in media texts women are more powerful than men which whereas some feminists argue is demeaning to women, McRobbie think
s its a good thing and that it can empower women as sexually powerful and represent them as being able to be dominant

Gender Representation Theories: Laura Mulvey

Laura Mulvey

- Women in the media don't have a human identity and are only referred to as objects to be admired

- Mostly all music videos are from a heterosexual mans perspective as they all show women in a sexual way



- In some media texts the woman doesn't matter, she only exists in relation to the male she's with which Suggests that men are more superior to women


- Camera angles are used that only show the female in a sexual way, for example only filming certain body parts

- She states that even songs that are clearly aimed at women still have a video that portray the perspective of a heterosexual man meaning women also have to view other women as objects





Another part of the theory suggests that there are two different ways women are identified:

1) A virginal innocent character
Common features of this include a woman that is distant from the camera, dimmer lighting and the character not being shown in any revealing clothing and no camera angles that only show particular body parts




2) The "sexy whore"
This includes images of females in an explicit way, the character performing in a sexual way and close ups of the female herself and her assets



This theory has been particularly relevant in recent years as it has been noticed that this is what gets the most views and publicity. For example Miley Cyrus has release many controversial videos that show her as a "sexy whore" and because of the controversy and publicity she received she has millions of views on Youtube and millions of album sells. The main artists that represent women in this way are males who include these women in their videos but also young female artists like to represent them in this way in order to stand out. However older artists are less likely to have young women in their video in a seductive way and also artists such as Adele who have in the past received comments about her body image haven't been known in this way and finally some artists such as Taylor Swift choose not to portray themselves in this way as they're likely to be considered as a role model for young girls and whereas Miley Cyrus went against this most artists want to keep that representation up.

Top 10 Music Videos of 00's

(Billboard.com)

10.

Get Ur Freak On - Missy Elliott

(2001)

9.

Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers

(2000)








8.

Firework - Katy Perry
(2010)





7.

The Real Slim Shady - Eminem
(2000)








6.

Disturbia - Rihanna
(2008)




5.
Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyonce
(2008)

4.

You Rock My World - Michael Jackson
(2001)








3.

I Write Sins Not Tragedies - Panic! At The Disco
(2006)






2.
Toxic - Britney Spears
(2004)






1.

Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
(2009)

Analysis of Digipaks

Lorde - Pure Heroine

The album cover for Lorde's Pure Heroine album is quite non conventional as the artist herself is not shown, in some ways this allows the audience to focus on the music that has been produced rather than being all about the artist herself. The colour choice helps symbolise the genre of the music as the songs are more alternative than they are mainstream and most have a dark undertone to the meaning, which is projected through the use of black and white in the digipak. The cover itself is very simple, only the name of the artist, the name of the album and the titles of the songs themselves are written which is a conventional feature of a digipak, usually it would be strange to find any big pieces of writing on the front or back. The font choice is simple to continue the simplistic theme of the album and has a classy effect for the artist. No photographs are used on the cover, the only image is a diagram of a woman which is assumed represents Lorde. Overall the design itself is just simple in order to match with the genre of Lorde's music.

Halsey - Badlands

The digipak for Halsey's album Badlands its quite conventional for an electropop album, the cover includes a picture of he artist and the name of both the artist and the album which is likely to be found on most digipaks. The colours are bright to reflect the electro feeling of the music and are also used to attract the audience to the album. Just like most digipaks the wording isn't of great importance, therefore the only wording on the cover is the artist name, album name and the tracklist. The font choice is simple, easy to read and keeps the whole cover more focused on the colours and imagery rather than the text. The image used is a prominent feature of the album, it projects the alternative style of the album and also the artist through the bold coloured hair and clothing which would appeal to people that have an interest in this style. The overall design of the album is there to represent the artist as being an alternative musician, it is however kept quite simple by having no image on the back which allows the consumer to concentrate on the music itself rather than the artist.

Troye Sivan - Trxye 

 



The colour choice of this album cover is gripping and bold to stand out to audiences and consumers, the colours blue and red are chosen as they complement each other as well as being a statement. The artist himself is on the front cover however his eyes are covered by the title of the album, perhaps creating mystery as this was the artists debut album or perhaps to show that the artist wants audience to focus on the music rather than him. As this is an EP it only features 5 of the artists songs which keeps the design and wording simple. Another way the album is designed to stand out is through the use of capitals on the front and back. The design over all is chosen to focus on the music, representing the artist as being passionate about what he does and showing his dedication to his music career.

Analysis of adverts for digipaks

Lady Gaga - Fame Monster

This digipak advert differs from the digipak itself as it features pieces of texts that aim to sell the album or inform audiences of the album or artist. This includes the review from the Rolling Stone magazine and information about the album itself and about the release date. These pieces of information work to persuade audiences to listen to the album or buy the album. The advert features an image from each of the albums to show the versatility of the artist in order to appeal to a wide range of people. Colour choice is kept simple to go with the style of music as its more alternative than pop/mainstream. The design is used to make the correct things stand out, including a photo of the artist and the artist name so they're the parts that get remembered.









Marina and the Diamonds - The Family Jewels

The main feature of this digipak advert is the image of the artist herself, this could be used to stand out to someone that may be looking through this magazine as they may be more likely to recognise what she looks like rather than her name. The colouring is kept with blacks, white and nudes however there is a pop of pink which complements with the neutral colours well and adds a bit of excitement to the advert. The writing on the advert aims to sell the album to the consumers by including some well known singles that are featured on the album and by also having the new single in bigger font to emphasise it as being a special part of the album. The text is also in capitals and parts are in bold in order to stand out to audiences.

Conventions and purpose of digipaks

A digipak is the packaging of an artists/bands album. The digipak usually consists of the title of the artist, the title of the album and a listing of songs on the back. The front cover usually includes a picture of the artist/band and can be use to portray a theme of the album, for example Taylor Swift's album Red includes an image of her with red lipstick on, relating to the name of the album. At times, the digipak includes a booklet in the front of the case which can include pages of lyrics of the songs in the album.


Front:
The front of the digipak tends to include the title of the album and the artists name, there may also be an image of the artist/band. The front also portrays a theme of the album or genre that the artist is associated with. This is in order to stand out to certain people that may enjoy that genre to increase popularity and attention for the artist and their album. It is also used to hint at what the audience can expect from the album, e.g. an image of a couple kissing will hint that the album is full of love songs.

Back:
The back will also portray a theme or genre that relates to the artist and album, as the colours and images on the front will continue through to the back to continue the overall theme. The main purpose of the back is to illustrate the track names and what number track they are in relation to the album, at times the length of the song is also included next to the song name. The bottom of the back cover will include copyright details, including a bar code and information about the record companies and also the CD identification number. Additionally information about the artist/band will be shown including their website and perhaps social media sites to increase their popularity further.

Inside:

The theme continues through the inside through the use of images and colours. In some cases, the inside of the digipak includes a little booklet of lyrics of the tracks on the album. Within the booklet there are also likely to be images of the artist or band that are specific to the album, details about the recording company and a message from the artist or members of the band to dedicated certain songs or the album to someone and also to say thank you to people of their choice.

Benefits:
The design of the digipak could be a selling point for the artists as it could draw someone to buy it purely judging on how the digipaks been put together. It can also prove loyalty for some people in the artists and can create awareness of their music.