Genre Music Video Analysis

By Farida Islam

Introduction

In this I am going to analyse the ‘Poker Face’ music video by Lady Gaga, as it is within my chosen genre Pop. I am going to analyse the meaning produced from the use of media language through the mise en scene i.e. props, costumes, lighting, setting/décor and performance.

Genre

The ‘Poker Face’ video displays typical generic conventions found in Pop music videos, therefore fitting the Pop genre. For example the video involves Lady Gaga and backup dancers. Another convention is Lady Gaga being the main focus in the video, as she is the main artist and is lip-synching throughout. Furthermore the artist is filmed in several costumes and positions. Two visual elements that suggest it’s a Pop video are the dancers and artist in the majority of the shots throughout the video.

Setting

The setting of the video is outside a modern mansion in America, thus fitting with the modern look the artist portrays. Setting the music video at a mansion connotes to the audience that the artist wealthy and extravagant. This fits in with the song for the music video as it is called ‘Poker Face’, the director took the literal meaning of the song title and instructed the artist and extras to play poker. Thus connoting to the audience the extravagant lifestyle associated with poker i.e. mansions, money, friends. I think the setting does fit within the genre of the video. This is because Pop is about current trends and in recent Pop music videos its modernised with showing mansions and luxurious lifestyles.

Costumes

Lady Gaga’s costumes in the video were flashy and modern, making her stand out amongst the extras. In the video she wore several different costumes, this is a generic convention of a Pop video as the artist usually wears more than one costume. The director decided for the artist to wear these costumes as it coordinates with the video theme I.e. flashy and extravagant. The image that Lady Gaga portrays is different to the other Pop artists in the music industry as she is eccentric. Thus resulting in her videos being eccentric to suit her image as it is expected from her.

Props

In the video the director has chosen to take the literal meaning of the song by using a poker table, playing cards, poker chips etc. Another prop used in the video is the big light behind the artist, connoting to the audience that she is the star and the focus needs to be put on her. There are also mannequins used in the video that are out of place on the setting. This could be denoting the artist Lady Gaga’s eccentric image as she doesn’t fit in with the norms and is out of place in the music industry. In Pop videos certain themes are used to fit the song meaning.

Body Language and Movement

The body language and movement is sexual since the artist’s audience is older e.g. above 16 years. For example there are several extras kissing and caressing each other throughout the video. Both the extras and the artist’s movement within the video is upbeat and energetic as the song is fast-paced. However the artist is more enthusiastic with her movements so the focus is on her. The artist is important in the video because its her song.

Narrative

In the video there isn’t a strong narrative as there are mainly performance shots of the artist. The narrative emphasises the meaning of the song which is about being bisexual, as there are people kissing and caressing each other. The video conveys the actual message of the song to the audience by connoting it through actions used in the narrative.

Genre Music Video Analysis 2

By Farida Islam

Introduction

The second video that I’m going to analyse within my chosen genre is ‘Rock Your Body’ by Justin Timberlake. Similarly to the previous analysis I am going to analyse the meaning produced from the media language used through the mise en scene i.e. props, costumes, lighting, setting/décor, and performance. The reason why I selected this video is because it is completely opposite to Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’. Although there are similar aspects that both videos share due to the fact they are within the same genre, there is a clear difference in content, style, image etc between the two artists.

Genre

The genre of this video is Pop as it includes generic conventions that would be found in a Pop music video. For example in the video Justin Timberlake is the main focus of the video and is in every single shot. This is conventional to Pop music videos where usually the artist would be in the majority of the video. Also Justin has background dancers and is lip synching throughout the entire video. Furthermore there is no narrative in the video there is just the artist and background dancers. Two visual elements in this video that suggest that it’s a Pop video are the dancers and the artist being seen throughout the video.

Setting

The video has a simple setting with only the artist and dancers in a room with walls made of lights. The lit up walls in the video were constantly changing with different colours to the beat of the song. This emphasises the catchiness of the actual song. I think the director decided to use the lit up room as the setting of the video because he/she wanted to put emphasis on the music rather than the theatrics.

Costumes

Justin wore the same costume throughout the entire video i.e. a white vest, white jacket, and white combats. Whereas the dancers wore all black clothing, this was intentionally done so that Justin stands out. I think the director chose this costume, because at the time when the video was filmed these clothes were seen as trendy and in style. It does fit in with the genre because Pop music is about the latest trends and being modern.

Props

The props used in the video were only the lights and the hexagon pod that held cameras. The director chose to not use many props because he wanted the video to just be about the artist Justin. Not all Pop videos contain props in, therefore it does fit in with the genre as it is mostly about the artist.

Body Language and Movement

The video for ‘Rock Your Body’ contains a lot of movement, this is because the majority of the video involves dancing from the artist and dancers. Some movement in the video is quite sexual, fitting with the song meaning which is about exploring sexuality with a person. The artist’s body language is confident to match with meaning of the song. I think the director chose the video to involve this type of body language and movement because it relates to the song. This fits with the Pop genre, because Pop is known for being catchy and easy to dance too. Although this song is aimed at an older audience due to the meaning of the song, younger audiences will also enjoy it as its catchy. The artists role in the video is important as he is the main focus of it.

Narrative

There isn’t a narrative in the video as its mainly performance. However there is a part in the video where the artist and the featuring artist are dancing with each other sensually. Thus connoting to the audience the meaning of the song.

Reflection

By analysing two videos within the same genre it has helped me understand typical generic conventions that should be included in my video. Also I have learnt that throughout the video that the props, costume, and the body language and movement should all connote a meaning connected to the actual song. For example in my video my artist will have to be confident and empowering during her performance parts, as this conventional to Pop videos. The narrative will also have to connote to the audience my song meaning and directly link.