Introducing the music video Forms and Conventions Pop

Introducing the music video

Forms and Conventions

Pop Music Video: Forms and Conventions A music video is a videotaped performance of a recorded popular song. It is usually accompanied by dance or a fragmentary story. Music videos often use concert footage. Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody.

Pop Music Video: Forms and Conventions Typically music videos are three to five minutes long, they frequently include quick cuts, stylisations, fanciful and often erotic imagery, and computer graphics. Abba – Knowing Me Knowing You

Pop Music Video: Forms and Conventions Music videos can accommodate all styles of filmmaking, including animation, live action films, documentaries, and non -narrative, abstract film. Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues.

Pop Music Video: Forms and Conventions In the 1980 s the music video became synonymous with the rock idiom and for this reason they are often referred to as rock videos. U 2 - Where The Streets Have No Name Foo Fighters - Pretender

Institutions

Pop Music Video: Institutions Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire Dizzy Rascal – Dance Wiv Me

Pop Music Video: Institutions The proliferation of music video came in the 1980 s, when MTV (Music Television)'s format was based around them. The first video show in 1981 was… Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star

Pop Music Video: Institutions For this reason the success of the music video is synonymous with the second British invasion of the American charts in the mid 1980 s. Duran – Rio Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams Wham! – Club Tropicana!

Pop Music Video: Institutions Although the origins go back much further to music television programs like Top of the Pops (UK), Ready Steady Go (UK), American Bandstand (US) and Musikladen (D). The Beatles – All You Need is Love TOTP Dusty Springfield – You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me TOTP

Pop Music Video: Institutions By the end of the Sixties, when bands could not make it to a TV studio to perform, record companies often provided TV producers with a short film clip to promote their latest single. The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever.

Pop Music Video: Institutions By the 1990 s many hundreds of videos, representing a cross-section of musical forms were being produced yearly. Genres include traditional to Country and Western, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Hip Hop, r+b, Adult Orientated Rock, Teen Pop etc. Guns n Roses - November Rain Kris Kross - Jump

Audiences

Pop Music Video: Audiences A common misconception is that pop music videos are aimed strictly at teen audiences. Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan and the music produced by Stock, Aitkin and Waterman are classic examples of performers aimed at teenagers.

Pop Music Video: Audiences Many videos of “soft rock” songs have traditionally been directed at an older group of viewers. Bon Jovi – In These Arms. Stevie Nicks – Sometimes It’s A Bitch Cher – Heart of Stone How do these video appeal to an older audience?

Pop Music Video: Institutions Since shortly after their inception, the style and content of music videos have strongly influenced advertising, television, film, and popular culture as a whole. The Clash – Should I Stay or Should I Go (Levi’s Advert)? Bryan Adams – Everything I Do It For You (Robin Hood) Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You (The Bodyguard)

Pop Music Video: Audiences Digital TV Channels means that music videos are targeted at niche audiences.

Pop Music Video: Audiences Beyonce - Irreplaceable

30 Seconds to Mars Attack – The Kill

Pop Music Video: Audiences Coldplay - Yellow

Pop Music Video: Audiences On the internet sites like www. myspace. comhave enabled unsigned bands like the Arctic Monkeys to find mainstream success in part by providing an outlet for new music videos.

Pop Music Video: Audiences You Tube is a forum for online bands to show DIY video footage. The Foo Fighters – Live in Norway on Mobile Phone

Pop Music Video: Audiences Fans can also post archive clips from TV shows… Bucks Fizz – Making Your Mind Up.

Pop Music Video: Audiences As well as professional music videos from established artists. Madonna – Hung Up

Pop Music Video: Audiences And spoof versions of famous videos. Madonna – Hung Up On Crack

Representations

Pop Music Video: Representations The popular music video certainly has its own clichés Spinal Tap – Hell Hole

Pop Music Video: Representations Many examples of the genre feature the macho rock stars. The Cult – Sweet Soul Sister Guns and Roses – Sweet Child of Mine

Pop Music Video: Representations Scantily clad dancers have become cultural clichés… Robert Palmer – Addicted to Love Aerosmith – Love in an Elevator

Pop Music Video: Representations Certain music videos, however, are notable for their cuttingedge techniques and artistic innovations. As time passes those techniques can look dated. Dire Straits – Money For Nothing Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer

Pop Music Video: Representations Race: in the early days of MTV in America black artists were not featured… until Michael Jackson’s high budget Thriller. Michael Jackson - Thriller

Pop Music Video: Representations Gender is another key issue. Successful female rock stars have both lived up to and parodied male fantasies Blondie – Detroit 442 Donna Summer – I Feel Love Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights

Pop Music Video: Representations Jonas Akerlund smashing pumpkins, iggy pop, madonna, cardigans, metallica, blondie, primal scream, jamiroquia, rammstein, blink 182, jan’es addiction. Many directors now train to become music video makers and it is often considered to be an ‘auteurs medium’ with particular directors having specific styles of mise-en-scène, camerawork, editing etc. The Cardigans – Favourite Game Blink 182 – I Miss You

Pop Music Video: Representations Interestingly Jonas Akerlund is also in high demand as the director of television advertisements for leading brands. Jonas Akerlund

Pop Music Video: Representations From an institutional perspective audience/user generated content has transformed the forms and conventions of music video introducing a more DIY aesthetic. Has the music video come full circle? OK Go – Here It Goes Again Moby and Deborah Harry – New York