The Rihanna music video 'Stay' uses conventional pop music video elements to highlight the genre of the song. It features Rihanna portraying vulnerability as she sings in a bathtub without clothes or makeup on, challenging her usual glamorous public image. This unconventional portrayal keeps audiences engaged by presenting something new while still relating to her celebrity persona. The bare setting enhances her display of natural vulnerability, reflecting the theme of being stripped of conventions.

1. The Rihanna music video ‘Stay’ uses Lacey’s repertoire of
elements in order to highlight the genre of the song that is
identified through conventional methods. The song, similar to
most pop songs, stereotypically has a non-linear narrative as it is
exploring the effects of a love story without showing a story
behind the song. The way in which a female singer is portrayed
as the victim is a generic convention of pop songs where the
female is going through a break up, which is identifiable through
her enclosed body language and strong facial expressions. Steve
Neale’s theory is explored as the audience would expect the
well-known pop singer to create a video in which she remains
the popular glamorous icon she is known to be, however she
exploits the controversial image of being naked in a bath with
no makeup on, challenging her original message she states with
her celebrity image, which meets the needs of Neale’s mental
machinery that the audience is watching something
unconventional enough for them to feel that it is something
new, individual and interesting. The mise en scene adds to the
vulnerability she is attempting to get across as she as if she free
of the typical materialistic things such as clothes and make up
that create her usual pop look. This is linked to the story she is
reflecting as the bath strips her of these conventions and shows
her natural and vulnerable side.
One Direction’s music video for their song ‘Kiss you’ is a prime
example of postmodernism as they purposely include the filming of
their music video applying reflexivity as it shows the making of the
video and allows their audience to gain an insight to their
production. Also, the fact that they are reflecting previous artists
work such as the Beach Boys and Grease is an example of
intertexuality as they are modernising iconic music video and
interpreting them in their own way in order to still meet the needs
of their current audience. The well-known media texts they have
recreated in their own music video allows the audience to recognise
significant sections of the video which would also meet the needs
of Neale’s mental machinery as the audience would feel like they
are watching something conventional enough to recognise the
genre they enjoy and also find challenging. The behaviour of the
singers is over exaggerated as they are attempting to imitate the
behaviour of iconicmale actors from the film ‘Grease’. This is a clear
example of intertextality as the band has purposely included scenes
from other postmodern films to allow their audienceto relate to
iconic scenes from well-known films. The mise en scene links to the
pop genre as the brightly coloured background reflects the young
and vibrant image they are portraying through the light hearted
message of the song. This is stereotypical of generic pop song, as
they usually include a narrative linear in order to allow the audience
to become intrigued in the unfolding story.