Group Assignment

In lesson, we were told to get into the groups that we wanted to do our coursework with. I decided to by myself because I prefer to work on my own and I can rely on myself rather than other people. Also, I can do my own ideas and be in charge of all executive decisions to make my video as best as possible.

"Mrs. Potato Head" - Melanie Martinez (Potential Song No.4)

"Teen Idle" - Marina & The Diamonds (Potential Song No.3)

"Carmen" - Lana Del Ray (Potential Song No.2)

"Gasoline" - Halsey (Potential Song No.1)

Potential Songs

I wanted to do a music video based around the fragile mind so I've spent a lot of time contemplating what song I would like to do and after a lot of thinking, I whittled it down to four potential songs before making my final decision:

1. "Gasoline" - Halsey.
2. "Carmen" - Lana Del Ray.
3. "Teen Idle" - Marina And The Diamonds.
4. "Mrs. Potato Head" - Melanie Martinez.

To decide which song to do, I decided to do weigh up the pros and cons of each song then finally decided which one would be best.

Genre Research: Interviews

Over the summer holidays, I decided to do a little more research into my selected genre. I have two potential artists at the moment: 'Marina and the Diamonds' and 'Halsey' so I've been watching lots of interviews of those two artists talking about their music. In the first interview, the interviewer talks to Marina about her songs being two different styles; either more upbeat and dance-like compared to more "coldplay-esk" and sad which primarily is the essence of the electro-pop genre.

In the interview below, Halsey discusses the influences of her life on her music. She promotes the genre in her music videos by basing each video off of cult classic teen cinema where she felt everybody could feel apart of the music and everyone could relate to it - which is a common convention of this genre. She believes that the best way to achieve that is to have as much visual content as possible, which is why music videos for songs are very important.

Genre Conventions - Music Video Research

In lesson, I looked at ten different song music videos in the indie genre, in order to determine what genre conventions there are and which ones I want to conform to or subvert in my own music video.
After looking at all the music videos, I decided that although I want to conform to most of the genre conventions; low-key lighting and casual rough clothing, I also want to subvert some by not having my artist perform to the camera and having to reference to a band or instrument. 

"Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz

I really like this music video because its very unique to its genre. This video clearly demonstrates lots of the conventions of the alternative rock genre. The setting in alternative music videos tend to be quite abnormal - shown here the setting is in a cinema and a lighthouse floating in the sky. The lighting in this video is also quite abstract. The first half of the video shows a very dark, dingy lighting scheme in comparison to the second half which is set outside so the lighting is high-key. The editing also shows this with quick, short cuts verse long shots in the two halves of the video. This contrast conveys the emotion of the song.

 

Electropop Genre Conventions

I decided that I want to do a song from the electro pop genre for my music video. Electro pop is a variant of synth-pop but places more emphasis on the electronic background sound. It combines electronic sound with pop music but features the frequency varying synthesizer as the main instrument. They also feature simple and small dance beats but still differ from dance genres that emphasise the lyrics over the beat.
Music videos is the electro pop genre most often include fast-cut montages which leaves the audience wanting to see it over and over. They're very narrative based and appear quite modern with a lighthearted and relaxed atmosphere. But despite this, videos usually don't tend to stick to easy, safe ideas but instead, seem to be quite experimental. The beat of the song is reflected in the editing and fast pace - which links to Andrew Goodwins theory that there is a relationship between music and visuals to amplify or illustrate the music.
One of the main reasons I am siding towards doing an electro pop song is because there usually is little lip syncing. Lip syncing is quite difficult to get perfect and without it, the audience can relate more.
I have found some really good examples of electro pop songs and artists that i've listed below.

Kesha - "Woman"
This music video exemplifies the conventions of the electro pop genre perfectly. It is edited to the beat but it does have a performance element rather than the usual narrative. I really love this video because its quite light hearted and has got lots of bright colours - which follows those genre conventions.

Lady Gaga - "Applause"
This video is also a good exemplifier because its edited to the beat and there is quite an obvious link between the music and the visuals. There is a dance element and includes quite a modern performance idea with lots of abstract visuals. It supports Goodwins theory as there is a lot of voyeurism and the female body is highlighted quite a bit throughout. Despite this, it also challenges some conventions of the electro pop genre as the lighting is quite dark and has a rather intense atmosphere.