Codes and Conventions of Popular Music Genres and How They Are Incorporated in Videos
Rap Music -
Rap music has been around since the late 70s, and early 80s in New York city. Recently, the popularity of this genre has sky rocketed dramatically, although it has always been popular. The way that the majority of Rap music videos have been filmed, however, has stayed the same since its conception. The most common camera angle of a rap video is the low angle shot - this is used to present the artist as a more powerful and influential being as the audience, mainly because rapper's lyrics are about spending a lot of money. In terms of camera shots, the medium-shot and close-up shots are used a lot so the audience can see the artist's face; it may also be used to show expensive things such as cars and show the artist in a club surrounded by women. Leading on from that point about women, in rap videos, women are mainly used as sexual objects towards the men featuring in the video and the artist him self. (if the artist in this genre is a woman, in some cases men may be used as a sexual object, but mostly men may be seen as the desirable product for the women. As this is a typically male genre, successful women artists are few and far between). Because women are mostly seen this way in the rap videos, this particular genre is more male-focused.
Rap music has been around since the late 70s, and early 80s in New York city. Recently, the popularity of this genre has sky rocketed dramatically, although it has always been popular. The way that the majority of Rap music videos have been filmed, however, has stayed the same since its conception. The most common camera angle of a rap video is the low angle shot - this is used to present the artist as a more powerful and influential being as the audience, mainly because rapper's lyrics are about spending a lot of money. In terms of camera shots, the medium-shot and close-up shots are used a lot so the audience can see the artist's face; it may also be used to show expensive things such as cars and show the artist in a club surrounded by women. Leading on from that point about women, in rap videos, women are mainly used as sexual objects towards the men featuring in the video and the artist him self. (if the artist in this genre is a woman, in some cases men may be used as a sexual object, but mostly men may be seen as the desirable product for the women. As this is a typically male genre, successful women artists are few and far between). Because women are mostly seen this way in the rap videos, this particular genre is more male-focused.
Pop Music -
Pop music is the most played and popular music currently on the market. During the top 40 charts around the world, pop music takes up a vast majority of it, as it is something most of the public listen to. In stereotypical pop music videos, the main artist is always centre stage, using close ups and medium shots to show their/his/her face - in pop music, the image of the artist is the most important part of the act, even more so than the music, as usually pop artists themselves are the desirable product. In pop music videos, the lyrics presented in the video are stereotypically about an unrequited love - the pop artist desires someone who doesn't desire them. Although in pop videos, the artist always gets the woman/man that they desire throughout the video, indicating to their audience (most commonly teenagers) that things will work out with the person you love. In this way, Pop music videos are presented to the public as a fantasy - pop music presents things in a perfect scenario, whereas things in real life are quite the opposite. Taylor Swift has made a very successful career from Pop music, and her VEVO account has over six-million subscribers and over one-billion video views.
Rock Music -
In rock music videos, the general conventions are to use a lot of panning shots, to keep up with fast paced music and action in the video itself. In this genre of music, the videos keep a similar tempo, whether its fast or slow, depending on the speed of the music. Close ups of the lead singer are always used, so the audience know for certain who's voice they are listening to. A perfect example of this kind of genre is a song by popular rock group Kasabian, performing the song "Fire". This particular video displays all the conventions of a rock music video, such as the camera angles and story content (whether or not they are representative of the lyrics).
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