Research into chosen music genre

The dance genre that we chose for our music video was brought around as we feel as a group we can work with the fast pace of the song and use this for editing. The up beat sound of a dance song gives everyone a happy. loving and positive vibe. It is the genre that the younger generations are listening to and it is popular at young party scenes. This genre of music is also presented well in the media as they show that artists have a positive effect on people when at parties but they can however, have a negative one.I analysed two music videos that had the same dance genre that my group and I are choosing for our music video. The first was 'Thinking about you' by Calvin Harris and the second is 'Sun Don't Shine' by Sonnentunz.

The codes and conventions within Think about you, are stereotypical of a dance genre as is has a club since however, it goes from a club scene to a scene about the lyrics such as thinking about you. For example a man and women were arguing and then she went over to the person she was 'thinking about' and started kissing them. The song was able to demonstrate that it was a dance song through the party and club seen but it also revealed a deeper understanding to the lyrics as it showed all the people that it was thinking about. The conventions within the music video were related to the music videos genre being dance as it had strobe lighting, the artist on the DJ decks, a party scene and a normal scene relating to the lyrics.

The mise-en-scene was used effectively throughout the music video. The mirco-element of mise-en-scene which was used was Iconography, this was used when a BMW car pulled up and it had the artist in it. It shows the lifestyle of the artist and it relates to the song as artists producing such popular songs will have a luxury lifestyle. The location of the music varied from a huge house to a club. The house represented the lifestyle of the artist and high profile that he has, while the club shows that everyone is enjoying themselves to the music that the artist is producing. There are strobe lights which are used while Calvin Harris is on the DJ decks, it relates to the party seen and also relates to the song as it is a dance song. The positioning used within the music video is evident when the artist is on the DJ blocks and everyone is below him, he is center of attention. It shows that everyone is watching the artist and having a good time to the song that he is playing, it relates as everyone is having a good time to the music within the club. The facial expression of the boy and girl that are dancing on their own in the house have a loving and happy face, it shows what the music does to people and it effects them physically and emotionally. It relates as it shows that they are having a good time to the dance music that is being played within the house.

The camera shots that are used within the music video help to represent the genre. A mid shot is used within the video when people are dancing in the club which shows that they are happy and enjoying themselves. It relates as people within t a club should be having a good time because of the music and the vibe that they are getting. A high angled shot is used in the club above the crowd, it shows that everyone is dancing and getting into the music. It relates as the song is having a positive effect on the people within the club, and it is what the music is meant to be doing to the people. The editing techniques that are used during the video help to relate to the dance music genre. A straight cut is used during the video when a girl kisses another girl then it cuts to a boy kissing a girl, it relates to the lyrics of the song as they are thinking about being with each other and no one else. It relates to the music as the song makes people connect through the music. A slow editing technique is used during the music video, when the boy who got beating up starts punching the boy that did it. It shows that he is thinking about the abuse that this boy is giving him therefore relating to the lyrics of the song.

The target audience for this song would be club scenes and party people. Through the music video the song does show that it can be played within a house to chill out or within a club. The target audience for this song would therefore vary from party goers to people having a gathering. The song can be used in both situations. The artist is represented during the music video as a person who will perform for this audience as he is playing his music within the club. It shows that he likes to perform and that he wants to give his audience as feel for the music. The style of the music video consists of being 20% performance, 40% narrative and 40% concept. It has been directed like this to shows the artist, the concept of the song being thinking about
people and the narrative of the club scene. Goodwins theory was used during the music. The first being that the music video demonstrates the genre characteristic, this is evident when the song is played within the club setting and everyone is having a good time to the music. There was a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals when they sing 'thinking about you' and the girl kisses the girl and the boy kisses the girl, meaning that are thinking about each other. There is a demand of the label through the artists label as he is on the DJ decks and that is what Calvin Harris's trade mark being a top DJ. There is also a frequent reference to the nation of looking and particular a voyenuristic between the female body. This is when the women are in their bikinis on the boat and a girl is topless walking down the stairs of the house.

The second music video i analysed was the 'sun don't shine' by Sonnentunz. This music video did follow some conventions of its music genre but not all. For example it did show that the girls within the music video were having a good time as they woke up hang over from a good night before. However, it does not have much of a party scene, and conventions such as strobe lighting and alcohol. There are conventions but not as many as a normal dance music video.

Mise-en-scene was used during the music video. Costume and iconography was used in the music video when the girls within the music video were wearing hippy or festival clothes. This shows that the girls were dancing and having a good time to the music the night before. It relates to the song as this type of song would be played at a festival as it would get the crowd buzzing. The lighting that is used in the video is natural lighting on the girls when they are waking up. It relates to the song as the have just woken up from the night before having a good time. It relates as the song would have been played the night before when they were having a good time. The location of the video is on a roof, however it gives the the impression that it could be at a festival or field as it has grass and chairs like the girls are at a festival which would relate as the song would be played at a festival. The positioning of the girls is that they are high up on a roof above civilization, which relates to the song as when you would be listening to it you would not care about anything. People would just want to live for the moment. The facial expressions used by the girls are a happy face when they get up to dance. This shows the effect of the song on them, they get a happy vibe from the song which would relate as it was made to get people in the mood for parting.

The camera shots that are used in the music video help to explain the codes and conventions of the music video. A establishing shot is used within the music video when the girls are on the edge of the roof and the city is behind them while they dance and have a good time. It relates to the song as it shows that they are careless when they are listening to it and they just want to have a good time. A long shot is used when they start dancing on the roof, it shows that they are having a good time and they just want to live for the moment. It relates to the song as the girls just want to be together and they get a connection from the song and being together. Editing techniques are used during the music video in the form of a fade at the start of the video. It was used when the girls were waking up from a hang over, it relates as it shows that they had a good night and the song was used during the night. It relates as it shows that they had a good time before as they were all smiling when they woke up, while the music was playing. A straight cut was used during the clip, which was evident when they were sleeping to when they were waking up. This was used to show that they confused were they was and did not care what happened to them. This relates to the song as it shows that people are careless when listening to this song and this genre of music.

The target audience of the song would be party goers like the ' thinking about you' song but i feel it would be for a teenage audience. This song feels like it has a more chilled out vibe to it and people could also just relax to this type of song. The song could be used in a party seen and it could also be used in a chilled out environment. The artist is not represented throughout the music video as there is no performance within the music video. It has been used to show how the song can come across. The style of the music video is 80% narrative, no performance and 20% concept. It has been used to show the music can effect people. There is a  relationship between the lyrics and the visuals when the they are high up on the roof and it sayings melting your worries away, it shows that the song makes people forgot about their worries and on a roof people do this. There is also a frequent reference to the nation of looking and particular a voyenuristic between the female body as there are only girls within the music video.

This research will help me when making my own music video as it has given me more codes and  conventions that i can use. It has also given me a different look on how to make a music video as they do not always have to include performance within the music videos a video can be 100% or 80% narrative. It has given me more ideas that i will carry over to my group when discussing ideas for our music video that we will be producing.