Reflections of genre theory

The audience are very picky in terms of what they want to listen, watch or read and it is sometimes hard for them to know what they like. Genre is a specific type of text which has numerous of characteristics put together to create something that would attract the audience. Genre is the most essential part of the media presented. Daniel Chandler argues that not many works have presented full characteristics of the genre. Which means that they are more or less a blend or two or more genres. that It allows the marketing part of the production to be more efficient and to be recognised by the audience.

This year I have worked on a music video  for the artist Halsey, her music genre is electropop which follows Chandlers theory of blending the two genres as it is a sub-genre of dance. This genre is a great example as it shows how the artist is simplifying the mass of available information. We can see how she can be blended with the other genres easily through this example taken off from the amazon page with a list of genres and where Halsey has been featured. 

Additionally, Nicholas Abercrombie believes that "media productions should stick to using the typical conventions in a music video" this is a point which may be taken into consideration as it is showing the clear success as audience are guaranteed to like them as it would be easier to identify the text. Audience could refer the new media to the new one and it may bring nostalgic feeling to the audience while watching the video. Lady Gaga's music is a hybrid itself between electropop and and dance pop. My music videos genre is electropop which is a hybrid itself between pop and dance, which shows the boundaries between genres are becoming permeable, as it is a hybrid genre. I believe that hybrid genres bring together a wider range of audience, the ones who like dance and electro. Making the music more unique and target more people.

Jason Mittell states that the producers use familiar codes and conventions in their work to make it more recognisable for the audience. They could have done this through costumes, lightings and camera works. For example Lady Gaga and Madonna, they are two artist whose styles are very similar. His theory can also apply to my work as I have used a point of view camera angle which was featured in The Weekends False Alarm. However, this references may vary for different audience depending of their nationality, age and gender for example this shot may bring back memories differently, some people may recognise this shot from "False Alarm" which was released in 2016, some my recognise it from "All Falls Down" by Kanye West from 2009 and "Smack my bitch up" from 1997.

Using familiar codes and conventions are a great way of marketing as it allows the audience use their knowledge from their experience as well as bringing different audience to that media. They might recognise this through camera angles, beat, lyrics, etc. 

Mittell argues that the genres are cultural and categories that surpass the boundaries of media texts and operate within industry, which use genre to sell products to the audience. This means that music now can be easily accessible on websites  and apps such as iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. However for people who enjoy hard copies, digipaks are provided by the artist on their official website but they are also distributed through a retailer. For my artist I have created a website where they would be able to buy the digipak. I have also created YouTube channel where I publish the music video. In addition I have created a digipak for the people who would enjoy having a hard copy of the song. 

Which links to the Goodwin's theory of a 5 aspects to a music video. There are certain conventions to be followed for each genre. For example stage performance for rock bands whose conventions may include performance with audience. This was achieved in a music video Counting Stars by One Republic. 

Here we can see the lead singer dancing and singing, while the rest of the band are playing their instruments. In my case I have my artist performing while the actress is involved to perform the story.  

One of the conventions of electropop music video genre includes bright. This is featured a lot in Halseys' music video for example in the music video "Ghost" which use a lot of bright neon colours. 

In this video you could see Halsey taking a pink neon heart shaped bath which connotes love, she is alone which suggests that she is missing someone. A bright blue wig which was her signature colour for a while for her Badlands album and a white swimsuit. In my video I have experimented with lighting and colour correction on Final Cut to follow electropop genre conventions. My artist is also wearing pastel coloured jacket with a white bralette and skirt. 

Another convention of an electropop genre includes revealing clothing, this type of genre convention follows Laura Mulveys' theory of a Male Gaze which relegates women to the status of the objects to be admired for the physical appearance, this leads to hegemonic ideologies within our society. Other female artists of an electropop genre include Madonna and Lady Gaga who are known for their revealing clothing and sexual manner. We can see that almost in every music video they are wearing revealing clothing. In this example taken from a video Bad Romance we see Lady Gaga wearing a diamond covered chain like two piece. This clothing is not only revealing but gasps attention. This is a clear example of Laura Mulvey's theory which  makes Lady Gaga look like an object, like a jewellery for men.