From the Poptimist Mailbag

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Hi,

I am currently studying for a BTEC National Diploma in Media and I have been asked the following question:

What codes and conventions are related to different genres of music in videos?

I am sure you know what the codes and conventions mean (i.e.) camerawork, narrative, clothing - basically typical things that are included in videos.

I was wondering if there was any possibility of you advising me of what codes and conventions there are for say, 3 or 4 different genres of music.

I have picked four that I was going to investigate:

Rap (hip hop)
Heavy metal
Indie Rock
Techno

The above are just really examples, however, if you were kind enough to offer me any advice, whether it be for the above genres or ones of your choice and if there were more or less than four that you gave me advice on I would be very grateful.

I know this is probably a rather unusual request, and I would be very grateful.

Hope to hear from you,

Thanks,

STUDENT X

Comments

*stretches hands out, cracks knuckles*

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

RIGHT.

Dear Student X,

First may I congratulate you on such an excellent choice of subject for study.

For each genre mentioned above I would advise you to pick some examples - the more prolific (and profligate!) the better.

I) Rap (hip hop): Musically this covers a huge genre ranging from the extravagances of US bling to the murky grime underworld. However the videos follow a narrower scope. I refer you to the classic 1993 video to Nuthin' But A G Thang from our west coast chums Snoop & Dre. The protagonists cruise around LA in their 'pimp-mobile' (which would never pass its MOT with that shoddy suspension) generally showing off and having a laugh. Many ladies shake their booty in slow motion to the amusement of the increasingly inebriated rappers. Excess is key - these dudes are enjoying life while they can. If you are bang in the middle of a torrid world where you could be gunned down or arrested at any second, then you have to get your priorities right.

II) Heavy Metal: One of the most comedic genres in terms of visual impact, thanks to the musicians not taking it very seriously. As an example of what worried parents expect from a heavy metal video, I would point to any video made by Cradle Of Filth, who choose to include the usual ritual sacrifice, broken dolls with one eye, pale girls with black hair being stabbed with crucifixes, flickering lights and murky backdrops. However for a more accurate view try Bark At The Moon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXko2YCuZa8) by Black Sabbath. Low budget smoke machines and costumes, Ozzy hamming it up and having a brilliant time. Wonderful.

III) Indie-rock: One of the dullest genres musically, and as a result the accompanying videos tend to have a gimmick or plot twist to help the viewer distinguish it from the sea of dross. Unfortunately many bands insist on appearing in the video playing their instruments to cement the fact that they are indie and not pop. For example, Bones by The Killers has the band playing on a beach, but with CGI effects to render them as skeletons. Which are made out of BONES. Do you see. Conversely indie-pop band The Feeling abandon their guitars in I Love It When You Call and instead assume the roles of badly dressed gangsters, not even making any reference to telephones. However in the hands of premium directors such as Spike Jonze (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzTxuDUfzzM), Michael Gondry (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRDi67G0Siw) or Chris Cunningham (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCjwr0YG7ow), the video alone can make your song a hit, however indie or obnoxious you are.

IV) Techno: The focus in this genre is music based rather than artist based, which gives the video director far more freedom than when dealing with a stroppy pop star or guitar-wielding indie freaks who insist on doing it live (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohLd4C-Bh0Y). In fact the artist rarely makes an appearance - there is a reason they are a DJ and not a pop/rock star after all. The audience for techno videos fall into two main categories: people about to go out dancing, or people who have just come back from going out dancing. The former therefore wish to see other people dancing in a pleasing fashion (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp8TJuUpKfU) to subconsciously get them in the right frame of mind; the latter wish to wind down and view the world through an altered perception (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00_tZt-748Q) akin to their own. Also thanks to the inherent sparsity of techno, there are countless examples of videos where each 'instrument' corresponds to a different visual image: Around The World (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUoUpLMfngA) by Daft Punk is probably the most famous of these.

Well, Student X, I hope that helps answer some of your questions. For further reading try here (http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/stylus-magazines-top-100-music-videos-of-all-time.htm) and here (http://www.thehits-tv.co.uk/). Happy watching!