Genre Theory Evaluation

1. Genre Theory
This presentation will aim to show how
my music video uses, challenges or
develops the Genre theories
surrounding music videos.

2. Daniel Chandler & Steve Neale
Genre is a tool that allows us to separate different media texts into different
categories. Daniel Chandler suggests that the word ‘genre’ is Latin in origin,
and that it’s commonly used to define a ‘class’ or ‘kind’ of something.
Barry Keith Grant argues that all genres have sub genres that deploy a more
specific set of codes. However, Steve Neale argues that genres are dynamic
and evolve of time; “genres are not ‘systems’ they are processes of
systematization” .
I studied the typical conventions of genre when constructing my video, and
the research and planning Prezi in which I identified the conventions of both
the form and the genre came in very useful.

3. David Bordwell (1989)
He argues that any theme can appear in any genre. An important point to
take from Bordwell is he suggests that music videos can include the following
themes to attract a younger audience: Teen angst, Rebellion and Nostalgia.
My video uses these conventions because the rebellion of youth culture is
mirrored by the protagonists behaviour; he rebels against his religion using
typical signifiers of youth culture such as smoking and drinking. Teen angst is
exclusive to teenagers, and is a similar experience to depression and anger. It
could be argued my video highlights this teen angst because most people
engage with recreational drugs (alcohol/nicotine) in order to escape their
emotional instabilities. My character is often seen to be angry or
uncomfortable, portrayed through the subtle facial expressions and the
obvious violent actions such as the boxing scene. Nostalgia is not particularity
significant in my video, though the trainer and sock combination is stylistic of
retro skateboarding in the 1990’s. This is therefore nostalgic to some degree.

4. Teen Angst
Rebellion
Nostalgia

5. David Buckingham & Jacques Derrida
Juvenile Delinquency - Moral panics and the teenager as a folk devil. This
basically means that teenagers are prone to acts of violent behaviour, and this
is often portrayed through music videos. My video follows this convention
because it presents my character as violent, and as an antagonist figure
because from a religious standpoint because he brings his religion into
distribute.
Though this can been evidenced in many music video genres, David
Buckingham argues that genres are constantly subject to change. Postmodern
theorist Jacques Derrida takes this even further because she states “the law
of the law of genre . . . is precisely a principle of contamination, a law of
impurity“. This means that many genres can share similar themes and that
thaw distinctions between genres are not so black and white. In my video, I
have used an acoustic guitar. Such instrument is strongly associated with
singer/songwriter or the country genre, but because it makes sense in my
narrative, it is included and it does not mean my video can no longer be
considered indie.

6. Indie Genre
My video satisfies many conventional elements that are commonly seen
throughout music videos such as the use of black and white, low budget
setting through urban and rural areas, exploration of drugs/alcohol through
youth culture, jump cuts, rhythmic editing and close ups to emphasise
meaning. My protagonist is also male which aligns more with the indie genre.
My video also challenges some conventions because most indie music videos
include an element of performance, but mine is pure narrative. The guitar
itself is not linked with the rhythm of the song, and the guitar develops the
convention of including musical instruments because an electric guitar is
more associated with the indie genre, yet my video uses an acoustic guitar.
Although I was aware of this convention, an electric guitar would not make
sense in the narrative of my video. Indie videos that included performance
usually include establishing shots of the artist playing, though this can not be
seen in my video for obvious reasons (performance is not included).