(R) Music Video Genre Conventions

Pop

Pop videos are generally upbeat, fast-paced and bright in order to make them more appealing to a younger audience. Bright, colourful, cheerful settings/locations are used as well as bright lighting which emphasises the artist's facial expression during a close-up. Furthermore, the video usually incorporates a dance sequence which is used to illustrate a section of the lyrics, thus making the video more upbeat and cheerful. Costumes are also an important part in pop videos and there are usually several changes throughout the whole thing. The storyline is usually cheesy and based on some sort of romance or other conventional teenage 'problem'. An example of a popular, conventional pop video includes Britney Spears' Baby One More Time:

Hip Hop/Rap

Generally hip hop/rap videos feature expensive clothes, gadgets, jewellery and fast cars and expansive mansions where many a party takes place. Females dressed in skimpy clothes also feature a lot in this genre of music video and expensive branded items are usually included as a way of product placement, thus advertising the companies involved which therefore emphasises the idea of expensive gadgets and a lavish lifestyle. The video usually involves a party scene of some kind which inevitably features (expensive) alcohol and even sometimes illegal substances. Females are a very prominent fixture in this genre of music video, whether in a party scene or to act as 'arm candy', and they are either dressed skimpily or expensively and stylishly, as if showcasing what a famous rapper expects out of a female. These females are always beautiful, with perfect make-up and hair and generally slender bodies. These music videos nearly always tend to fit in with Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory - that females are used just for the gratification of males. Mulvey theorised that the audience is put into the perspective of a heterosexual male, for example, the camera may tend to linger on the female's body and perceive them as being sexy even if the product itself isn't sexy. The male is usually portrayed as the character with the power, whereas the female is just an object to look at for the male's pleasure, which is how hip hop/rap music videos tend to be. To put it simply, a hip hop/rap music video showcases the 'perfect' lavish lifestyle - money, female, designer clothes, fast cars and massive mansions. An example of a conventional hip hop/rap video is 50 Cent's Window Shopper:

Rock

Rock videos are generally very dark and dim which gives the video a mysterious, almost scary tone. Musical instruments - guitars, etc. - are usually present in this genre of music video, and the artist/band are usually present playing them, generally on stage with a crowd surrounding them. Crowd surfing is also popular in this genre of music video, which gives the impression that everyone who is a fan of this music are all friends - it gives a sense of belonging, etc. Normally rock music videos don't have a set, continuous storyline; mainly the video just features the artist/band on stage and maybe several cuts to a different scene featuring someone who isn't a part of the band. The artists are usually dressed in dark clothes and adorn many piercings and tattoos giving a sense of rebellion and danger. Facial expressions are usually serious or angry, emphasising the sense of rebellion throughout this genre of music. An example of conventional rock music video can be seen below, Papa Roach's Last Resort:

Indie
Indie music videos generally include lots of various scenery shots: clouds, sunsets, trees, etc. and usually feature a random, 'loose' storyline that is generally irrelevant to the lyrics. The video tends to be full of various different camera shots which are edgy and give a whole new prospective to the video. On top of this, the video usually includes the artist/band and any instruments that they happen to play. These videos are usually quite casual and slow-paced with longer shots featuring the artist/band just sitting around, laughing, talking, etc. To sum an indie music video up, I'd use the word 'quirky'. An example of a conventional indie music video is Two Door Cinema Club's Something Good Can Work: