Research into chosen music genre

The music genre chosen is pop which stands for popular music. This simply means the music video will be aimed at a mainstream audience.The genre was chosen on the basis of agreement within the group who felt this would be of of our interest. As the genre is mainstream, we have an understanding of the conventions and can therefore apply both Goodwin's theory as well as Dyer's theory. Research into a similar music genre (in regards to the music genre chosen for the music video that will be created) will provide an understanding of the codes and conventions. This will be achieved by an analysis of two similar artists, and an in-depth analysis of one of their music videos.

James Morrison - Broken Strings ft. Nelly Furtado

The music video to 'Broken Strings' directed by Micah Meisner  is mostly a performance based video that features the artist performing the track.  It is based in solely one location; a hotel room in which the artist is primarily seen sat on a bed. The most prominent iconography in the first scene is the guitar which emphasises the artist's talent whilst conforming to stereotypical genre conventions. The room displays simplicity with objects such as a standard television and a vase of flowers being significant towards the end of the video. The mirror is also a dominant element of the mise-en-scene as the artist's reflection is visible; conveying the idea of reflecting upon himself. This iconography is then used to establish the secondary artist of the video; Nelly Furtado. The female is behind the glass of the room which suggests she is intangible as opposed to present with the artist. This is suggestive of the artist's thoughts which further allows the audience to form a relationship with the artist through accessing his thoughts. The female's presence or lack of it is emphasised through a fade effect which contributes to the idea of her being intangible and therefore stresses the importance of the lyrics illustrating the artist's thoughts and emotions.

In order to illustrate the performance aspect of the music video, a panning shot is used. The shot revolves around the artist which means he is the main focus.This is also reinforced by the artist being positioned at the centre of the frame. As he is the main artist, the emphasis placed on him and his talent is conventional of music videos of the pop genre. Goodwin's theory which states a demand for close ups is also conformed to as close ups of the artist's facial expression are evident on numerous accounts in the video therefore allowing his emotions to be captured through the use of cinematography. Close ups allow the audience to build a relationship with the artist as they provide an insight into the artist's emotions and potentially his persona within the music industry. Mid shots of the artist with the guitar place emphasis on his talent which also allows the audience to focus mainly upon the lyrics and the performance aspect.

Through the analysis of the way in which James Morrison is presented, it is visible that he is of an 'ordinary' nature which conforms to Dyer's theory. This is evident by his loose hair and causal style clothing. This allows the audience to view the artist as someone they are able to relate to through the use of the lyrics of 'Broken Strings'. However the 'extraordinary' element of the Dyer paradox is also evident as the artist is successful which is illustrated by his voice and therefore ensures his success within the music industry. The target audience of James Morrison is likely to consist of young adults and potentially adults as the artist is of a pop genre which suits individuals of those ages. His target audience involves both males and females due to the nature of the song. The topic being relationships is conventional of the genre and is therefore likely to appeal to a wide audience.

The narrative aspect is also a significant aspect of the music video as it portrays the lyrics and therefore promotes the song itself by providing the audience with an understanding of the lyrics. The video aims to capture a relationship in which the individuals keep "running back through the fire when there's nothing left to save" which refers to attempting to save a relationship that cannot be saved. The female behind the glass isn't initially revealed yet surrounded by low key lighting which has negative connotations and may potentially suggest the artist's unhappiness. A fade effect is then used to establish the female whilst she performs fragments of the lyrics. The editing is used to display the lyrics which refer to "ruins of us' therefore conforming to Goodwin's theory which mentions a relationship between the lyrics and visuals. Although the artist and the female are separated by the wall, they simultaneously perform the song; conveying their connection of them both feeling pain due to the break down of the relationship. This is reinforced by the male and female both placing their hand on the mirror from the opposite sides as if to suggest they are touching.


The narrative then evolves as the objects in the hotel room begin to break, the reversed explosions being inspired by the film 'Insignificance'. This conforms to Goodwin's theory as it is an inter textual reference. The smashing of the objects is used to signify the breakdown of the relationship. The visuals and lyrics are parallel therefore further conforming to Goodwin's theory. In terms of editing, a green screen is used to illustrate the hotel room going up in flames. The artist simply remains sat on the bed performing whilst the background behind him goes up is on fire. The editing is used to show the build up of the lyrics in which the artist aims to express his pain; fire having a connotation of getting hurt. The music video then ends in everything going back to normal and the female fading away. This further reinforces the events being a figment of the artist's thought process as opposed to actual happenings.

Demi Lovato - Give your heart a break 

The music video to 'Give your heart a break' directed by Justin Francis aims to illustrate the female artist attempting to win over her on screen love interest. Flashbacks of the male and female are shown to convey the happiness felt prior to arguing which is also displayed in the music video. A contrast is therefore created between the flashbacks and the present tense of the video. This is reinforced by the colours present throughout the video. The performance aspect involves the artist being dressed in dark colours that may potentially have negative connotations whilst the narrative illustrates colours of a light nature therefore conveying the purity of the relationship. The editing is also used to display the difference between the happiness felt by the male and female against them arguing. The flashbacks are edited in a way that emphasises the light therefore they appear to be brighter than shots of the male and female alone whilst in an argument. 

An establishing shot is used at the beginning of the music video; illustrating the female artist trying to get hold of the male. The phone is therefore effective iconography as it presents the importance of technology, emphasising the song being current and appealing to younger viewers. The female artist wearing casual clothing as well as being in a normal bedroom setting emphasises an ordinary representation of the artist the music video aims to portray. The artist image therefore conforms to Richard Dyer's star theory in which the star is ordinary as well as extra ordinary to the consumer. The way in which the artist is presented allows the audience to relate to her however her talent which is visible due to her vocally performing highlights the extra ordinary aspect of her which contributes to her fame.


Photographs act as the most significant iconography within the music video. The female artist is seen looking through the photos such as one where the caption 'the day we met' is present; emphasising the memories of the male and female's relationship. The photos have a positive connotation as they represent what the relationship could be. However the male placing a photo frame containing a photo of himself with the female downwards presents his pain and desire to get away from the relationship. This further creates a contrast between the emotions felt by the two individuals at the two different stages in the relationship. The video revolves around photos; firstly the artist is seen collecting the photos from around her house, she then packs them into a bag which she carries whilst performing. The photos are then placed on a wall whilst flashbacks display the memories of certain photos. At the end of the video, a collage of all photos together is revealed to the audience as well as the male love interest in at attempt to get over the argument and start again.

According to Goodwin's theory, there is a demand for close ups of the artist. The demand is met on various accounts in the music video. The close ups allow the audience to gain an understanding of the artist's emotions which then allows them to relate or potentially emphasise, overall enabling them to form a relationship with the artist. Close ups also place focus on the artist who is the main and most important aspect of the music video. This therefore emphasises the artist's vocal talent. Due to the song referring to a break up, the audience is most likely to involve young adults. However due to Demi Lovato being a known actress of the Disney network, acquiring her fame through appearing in shows such as 'So Random' , she is likely to have loyal fans of young ages therefore the song is also likely to target a young audience.

Goodwin's theory also mentions the style of the music video to be highly important. The music video involves both the performance as well as narrative aspect which is conventional of the pop genre. The two aspects are evenly interwoven with the artist performing against a dark background in an outdoor location. The narrative is present throughout the music video in which both flashbacks of the male and female as well as them arguing in the present tense of the video is evident. The nature of the song being a break up is also a convention of the genre as many songs refer to this topic therefore appealing to the target market. The artist is presented in a positive way which is expected seeing as the video aims to promote the artist to the audience. She is therefore seen attempting to rebuild the relationship, the lyrics 'Wanna give your heart a break' are parallel to her actions such as creating the collage which shows her dedication to the male. The relationship between the lyrics and visuals also conforms to Goodwin's theory.

Summary
Research into the chosen music genre will assist with planning the music video as it provided me with knowledge regarding the conventions of video of the pop genre. I am therefore aware of the mise-en-scene,editing styles, camera shots as well as how the videos conform to mainstream theories. Analysing two videos had developed my understanding of the genre and how it appeals to an audience. I have also gained inspiration as to what could potentially be involved in the music video that will be produced by me and my group members.