Conventions of Genre

Conventions of Genre

Genre is an aspect of media that does not simply rely on what is in the text itself but also on the way that it is constructed. It can be extremely important to any media text, for example, when distinguishing between a horror movie and a thriller movie. A media text is said to belong to a genre as it adopts the codes and conventions of other texts in that genre, and lives up to the same expectations. Texts from different mediums may belong to the same genre, for example a TV programme like Dr Who and a film like The Incredible Hulk can both be categorised as Sci-Fi.

Genres are described as dynamic, i.e the boundaries are constantly changing. Individual texts can challenge conventions, and defy certain parts of the usual genre categorisation - for instance, recent movies such as Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Knocked Up (all from the same producer, Judd Apatow) have redefined the romantic comedy genre, making the humour cruder, and telling stories from a male character's, rather than a female's, perspective. Genre texts would get very boring and predictable if they all followed exactly the same conventions - no audiences would want to consume new ones, they would just keep revisiting the old favourites.

The same rules also apply to music videos and the music industry in general. The conventions of genre differ depending on the genre of music they are being used for. However, some general conventions are: artists being shown performing, the lyrics of the song reflecting and influencing what is shown in the video, the pace of editing matching the pace of the music and the codes of outfits tend to reflect the mood of the song.

In Dancing in the Distraction Factory (1992), Andrew Goodwin highlighted the following features in music videos:

1. They demonstrate particular genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance for heavy metal bands, dance routines for boy/girl bands).
2. There is a direct relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (illustrative, amplifying or contradicting).
3. There is a direct relationship between the music and the visuals. 
4. Record labels demands will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist. 
5. The artists may develop their own iconography, in and out of their music videos, which, over time, becomes part of their star image. 
6. There is frequently reference to voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women, but also in terms of systems of looking (screens within screens, looking through cameras, binoculars etc.)

Within the pop genre, music videos are usually performance based through choreographed dance or in a narrative storyline that connotes the lyrics. The band/artist tends to lip-sync to the song. The overall tone of the video tends to be upbeat; fast-paced and bright, with the artists sporting trendy, mainstream clothing. Pop music videos tend to be of a fun and lively nature which generally appeals to the younger audience. One example could be the band The Saturdays. 

Hip-hop/R&B music videos tend to be slightly similar to pop in the way that they both incorporate a similar bright tone. The videos usually tend to include the original artists performing in a narrative setting such as clubs, parties, mansions, beaches or a luxurious foreign country and props such as expensive cars to outline the richness of the music, also reflective of the lyrics. The artists are usually portrayed as wealthy by wearing 'bling' and expensive brands. Generally there are dancers and beautiful women in provocative outfits, which highlights the nature of the lyrics. An example of this genre would be the solo artist Chris Brown. 

Rock/Metal music videos are generally presented in a slightly mysterious and 'edgy' way in order to create a certain atmosphere for the audience. The videos tend to be performance based, with a band (with more focus on the main vocalist) which perform in a manner which brings out a dark tone, also highlighted in the way they are dressed and the make-up they wear - which also reinforces their stereotypically 'rock look'. The mise-en-scene is usually a dark tone and, sometime when a narrative based music video is produced the plot tends to be the outline of a dark subject which usually links to the lyrics. Also, the editing of the videos tend to be fast-paced to match the tempo of the rock and metal songs, with the manipulation of special effects to bring out an effective atmosphere. One example of this could be the band Salem. 

Indie music videos tend to have varying combinations of conventions; such as bright, darks or sometimes black and white depending on the tone of the lyrics and the music. They generally cover a mixture of different narrative and performance based videos whereby the focus is either the main vocalist or the performance of the whole band, or even the band or artist not making an appearance in their music video. The narrative music videos in this context usually are more representational or symbolic, rather than illustrating the lyrics directly. In this sense they are typically quite versatile. The editing techniques differ based on the pace of the music, whereby it can vary from slow to fast-paced. The artists are generally presented in quite a casual manner reflecting upon their outfits. One example of this could be the band Kaiser Chiefs.