Assessment 2A. Pop, Indie, Hip Hop & Other | Homework (Group)

Pop - Eunice
MISE-EN-SCENE
Music videos from the pop genre are normally performance videos which is either narrative or is just dance. The three music videos in this report are all of artists that are women, which are lip syncing to the song. The lyrics of pop songs are based on the good aspects of life which is shown through the mise-en-scene. The music video is bright and in someways dark because the song is about hiding herself from the paparazzi. 

Costume
In the first music video, Piece of Me by Britney Spears, she has a number of outfit changes, but all of her outfits reveal certain parts of her body, just like the second music video, Madonna Hung Up. This is shown as voyuerism because of the way women are portrayed in these music videos. They are hardly wearing any clothes and the first song is being shown that Britney Spears is being sexualised by the way they are dressed. When it comes to music videos, costume is very important because it creates an image for the artist. For example, if the artist was to wear dull looking clothes, they wouldn't attract their target audience. However, if they were to wear designer or popular clothes, they would attract their target audience because the target audience are young teens and they like to follow the trend their artist sets.

Location/Settings
Normally, the location and or settings for a pop music video is based or filmed in either a club or in front of a green screen because it is a convention of a pop music video as it shows how colourful pop music is; like my example video above. 

Colours
Pop music videos generally have bright colours to bring the songs and music videos to life. My next example, This is What You Came For, is full of bright colours to represent the beat of the song. This music video is a performance music video because the artist, Rihanna is lip syncing to the song where there is a background of people partying and jumping up and down in the back or either on a green screen. 

Choreography
Choreography in pop music videos is popular because of the up-beat tempo. It is used in music videos because if the song was to be performed in either a music festival or concert, the artist and back up dancers will be able to repeat what was used in the music video, in real life. It will create a type of reality where the audience will be able to relate to the dance as they will focus more on the performance than the song itself. 

Performance


In this music video, there are lens flares, and colourful flashing lights from the effects used for this. There is a party atmosphere with the crowds partying and dancing and in the parties there would be alcohol that connotes a fun atmosphere. 

CAMERA & LIGHTING
Most music videos have a range of shot types such as close ups, extreme close ups and mid shots. This is to create the innocence of the artist and also their personality from their music. Close ups are also used for the use of lip syncing, to show the emotion in the artist's face. In Britney Spears' Piece of Me, there is high key lighting and also lens flares. 

EDITING

Pace, lip synching, cutting, transitions, rhythmic montage, tonal montage
The tone and pace of pop music videos are quite fast, as they cut to the beat, which is also rhythmic montage. There is also transitions such as wipes, which wipe from one scene to another. Also, fade in and outs are frequently used in music videos as they represent the many different effects used rather than just cutting (and also using jump cuts).

Indie - Ese

These videos tend to have varying combinations of conventions; such as bright and dark colours and lighting. Sometimes black and white depending on the tone of the lyrics and music. 


Indie music videos tend to be a mixture of narrative and conceptual. However, there are also performance based videos. A performance music video is a type of music video that  features the artist or group singing (lip syncing) The purpose of this kind of music video is to give the audience and fans a in-concert experience. A narrative music video is a video that tells a story. The narrative can be linear or non- linear. The purpose of a narrative music video is to convey a message. Conceptual music videos rely heavily on poetry and metaphors. These videos do not tell a story in a linear way, rather, they create mood and feeling.

The focal point can either be the main vocalist or the performance of the whole band, or even the band or artist not making an appearance in their music video. The narrative music videos in this context usually are more representational or symbolic, rather than illustrating the lyrics. In this sense, they are typically quite versatile. The editing techniques differ based on the pace of the music, whereby it can vary from slow to fast pace. The artists are generally presented in a casual manner reflecting upon their outfits. Indie artists typically try to promote their independent status in the music videos. They do this so that they can be seen as "different" or "unique". This helps to create their star image. 

Mise-en-scene (Location/settings,props and costumes)

Many Genres of music videos have a unique visual theme.This is normally something the audience will recognise and can relate to. Props,costumes and location all make up Mise-en scene. "Mise en scene" plays a large role in a lot of music videos. Props and costumes help create a artist's identity and sets them apart from other artists. They also make the video look and feel realistic. For indie music videos, the common props are normally the instruments. As mentioned before, indie artists want to promote their independent status and be branded as "real" musicians and creators. Using actual instruments in the video helps reinforce this notion. In indie music videos, the artists typically wear clothing that relates to the theme of the video. The clothing that indie artists wear in their videos often symbolizes something or creates meaning. For example, the clothing could represent the mood of the music video. If the mood of the music video is happy and energetic, the artists will wear bright colored clothing.However, If the mood of the video is dark with angst and sad, the artists will wear dark colored clothing (Black and grey). 

Locations that are often used in indie music videos are "everyday places". The purpose of indie music videos is not only to promote the indie artist, but to create a "real" image that the audience can actual relate to. This is why locations such as skate parks, residential areas and cities are used in indie videos. 





Foster the people's "Call it what you want" music video uses instruments. 

(Foster the people: "Call it what you want")

The Givers's "Up,Up,Up" music video is mostly set in new York city. However, a chroma key  effect with green screen is also used.

(Givers- Up,Up,Up)





Rock Mafia: Fly or Die

Rock Mafia’s Fly or Die music video is very different. This music video separates itself from the typical Performance and narrative videos one would usually see. The music video itself is an animated narrative. It uses a combination of 2D and CGI animation to complement the song and tell a story. It does not use any actually real footage. This video can also be considered as a concept music video. Concept music videos can include both performance and narrative aspects. Usually, concept videos are based around a surreal, poetic idea. This idea usually grabs the audience’s attention and draws them in. Songs within the indie genre tend to use a mixture of bright and dark colours in their music videos. The fact that both bright and dark colours such as black, red, orange and blue are used in the video, shows that this is a convention of indie music videos. The lyrics of the song relate to the visuals in the video. The video and song are telling the same story. The story is that a village has been attacked and raided by an evil Dictator/tyrant. The dictator and his army have taken control and destroyed most of the village. Everything the dictator touches turn evil and is stamped with an “Anubis industry” logo. The dictator himself is riding a giant Anubis robot. The logo is the letter “A” with an eye over it.

Anubis is an Egyptian god that is often associated with mummification and the afterlife. Anubis guided the souls of the dead through the underworld kingdom of his powerful father. His father was Osiris, the god of the dead. The fact that the giant Anubis is destroying everything could symbolize that he is taking the people of the village to the underworld. In other words, he is “Killing” them.  Not that far from the village, a group of people who seem to be monks, are meditating in a cave. The monks sense danger coming from the village and start to flee using flying vehicles. A girl who seems to be an apprentice is also trying to escape. However, her flying vehicle does not seem to work. 

At this point of the video, the chorus of the song starts, which is “Fly or Die”. The chorus of the song implies that the people must “fly” or risk being “mummified” and turned evil by the dictator and his giant Anubis. 

Editing techniques 

The Editing matches the pace of the music within particular indie music videos. This is common in indie music videos.This creates rhythm for the audience because the visuals are more exciting to watch. In the video below, the pace of the visual effects matches the beat of the song. 

(Bloc Party: Ratchet)





Camera Work and Lighting

The most typical camera shots used in indie genre music video are close up. Close up shots introduce the artist and it helps to promote their "star image". Close up shots highlight the artist’s talents when they are singing. Crane shots are also popular when filming live performances as it allows different angles. Long and wide shots are used as establishing shots to set the scene of the narrative in the music video.​

(Miles Kane- Don't forget who we are)

(Crystal Fighters - Love Natural)