PowerPoint on the different genres of music I have looked at for my A2 media work.

1. Music Genre
Types

2. Classic/opera
 The videos are usually all performance
 Usually takes place in a theatrical setting
 Long shots and mid shots are used to show the
instruments that are being played
 Usually the performers will be wearing suits/formal
clothing
 Opera is musicians preforming a dramatic work
combining text and musical score
 Orchestra or smaller musical ensemble are usually
used
 Performance is typically given in an opera house
 Opera incorporates many of the elements of
spoken theatre eg acting, scenery and costumes
 E.g. Phantom of the Opera

3. Pop
 Bright colours with fun storylines are used in the
music videos to help make it appeal to a mass
audience
 Stereotypically ‘slutty’ dancing takes place in the
music videos
 Skimpy clothing is usually worn
 Videos can either be narrative or performance
based but they tend to be either a combination
of them or just all performance
 ‘Stripper’ heals are usually worn by the women in
the music videos
 Lots of bum shots are seen in pop music videos
which portrays women as being provocative, tis is
however common in pop music videos
 E.g. Miley Cyrus – ‘We Can’t Stop’

4. Rock
 Heavy makeup is often worn by males in rock
music videos
 Drugs and masks are typically shown in the
videos of this genre
 The lead singer(s) are often shown playing a
musical instrument of some sort
 Dark lighting is also common in rock music videos
which usually is used to reflect on the ‘dark’ lyrics
of the songs
 The videos are usually a combination of both
narrative and performance
 The stories that are being portrayed in the
narrative of aspect of the music videos always
have a deep meaning to them
 E.g. Guns ‘n’ Roses – ‘Fire’

5. Hip Hop
 The videos are often a combination of narrative and
performance
 This genre is usually seen for the demonstration of
women as they are usually shown to be more
revealing in the music videos
 Males tend to wear baggy clothing with no tops and
big jewellery, low angled close ups are often used to
show this and to emphasise that the artist has power
 Very few musical instruments are used in the music
videos of this genre
 Hip hop is classically associated closely with African
Americans
 Rap and RnB are closely associated with hip hop
 DJ Kool and Dr Dre are the artists that made the
genre hip hop famous
 E.g. Shaggy – ‘It Wasn’t me’

6. Rap
 Rap music videos are more often than not
performance based however there is usually a
narrative element that the artists use to tell the
audience a story which is relating to the lyrics of the
song
 There are strong editing cuts between concept and
performance
 Male artists in this genre stereotypically wear casual
baggy clothing with lots of jewellery
 There are lots of close ups used to show the artists
clear display of emotions presented through gestures
and their facial expressions as they look directly into
the camera which makes the audience feel like they
are being addressed
 Most male artists in this genre will use a female to
vocalise the chorus, the female is usually wearing
skimpy and little clothing which is done to allure
heterosexual males who dominantly listen to this
genre
 E.g. Eminem – ‘Lose Yourself’

7. Alternative
 The music videos off this genre are most
commonly narrative based however they can be
either performance or narrative
 The genre has a sense of surrealism as lots of
artistic outside of the box ideas are shown in the
music videos
 The music videos are often light hearted even if
the lyrics don’t reflect upon this
 Long shots and medium close ups are used so
that the audience can see the artists contrasting
choice of style whether this be through the type
of clothing worn or something else
 Although the music videos are mainly narrative
there is often shots of just the band with the
instruments which gives the audience a break
from the narrative

8. Indie
 The music videos in this genre are usually
narrative
 Instruments like guitars and keyboards are
often used in the music videos
 The videos are often low budget and
simplistic which is done to portray realism
through the music video
 As the artists have a niche style, an
independent company will usually work with
the artist to create the music video which
highlights the artists individuality when
compared to other artists and their music
videos
 E.g. Bombay Bicycle Club – ‘Come Too’

9. House
 House music is a sub genre of electronic
dance music
 The music videos in this genre are usually
performance based
 It is uncommon for the DJ to appear in the
music video, its usually the lead vocalist who
takes main stage
 Lyrics aren’t always involved but when they
are, they’re usually repetitive lyrics/verses
 The videos are usually colourful and have
messages about alcohol, drugs and even
dancing involved through the use of
repetitive arrangements in the videos
 E.g. Disclosure – ‘ Latch’

10. Techno
 Lots of shots are cut together to make the music
video a narrative
 There is lots of handheld camera work with rarely
any static shots
 The variety of camera shots and angles is very
high however a lot of close ups of the lead singers
are used
 There are new shots every 1 or 2 seconds and lots
of fast paced shots which is in time to the tempo
of the music
 Music videos in this genre are usually filmed in a
night club and feature lots of dancing, flashing
lights, modern teenage stereotypes like drugs
and alcohol and a fun atmosphere
 E.g. Basshunter – ‘Now You’re Gone’

11. Disco
 Disco music videos are usually performance
based
 Most of the videos take place in a large area
where the artist(s) have lots of room to dance,
the setting us usually a dance floor
 Most videos are set in the 1970’s
 The types of clothing worn in this genre is very
decent meaning that the women wear long
garments ad this is typical for the 1970’s era
 Bright colours are always featured in the music
videos, usually through the clothing bring bright
 Tight high wasted trousers were commonly worn
by the male artists
 E.g. ABBA – ‘Dancing Queen’

12. Punk Rock
 Videos of this genre are usually performance
however some elements of narrative can been seen
 It was developed in the mid 1970’s and in 1976 ‘The
New Sex Pistols’ and ‘The Clash’ were recognised as
the new musical movement
 Master shots are used to show the whole story of the
individuals in the band and close ups are used to
show what they are wearing and how they’re
performing and also as to whether they’re wearing
any makeup which is common in this genre
 This genre usually uses a variation of shot types which
are used to give the audience a sense of the setting
 Punk rock is commonly known for the artists creating
their own characterised individualities by wearing
distinctively different clothing
 E.g. The Sex Pistols – ‘Never Mind the Queen’

13. Grunge
 Music videos of this genre are usually
predominantly narrative and performance based
 The lyrics often refer to relationships, drugs, sex
and current affairs
 There is a lot of anger displayed in this genre
through the artists in the videos and they lyrics of
the songs
 Kurt Cobain is an iconic image of the genre
grunge
 The typically types of clothing that men wear in
the music videos include flannel shirts, jeans and
trainers
 Close up shots are used a lot in this genre to she
the audience the raw emotions on the artists
faces
 E.g. Nirvana – ‘Smells Like Team Spirit’

14. Country
 Due to the fact that the music videos of this
genre are based on a storyline the videos are
usually narrative based rather than
performance
 There is usually a simple melody which often
comes with a deep message or meaning to
them
 The artist is usually featured in the music
videos in this genre
 Medium shots, close up and long shots are
used to show the audience different things
that are relevant to the storyline
 Instruments aren't usually used a props in this
genre because the videos are mainly
narrative
 E.g. Carrie Underwood – ‘Blown Away’

15. R‘n’B
 Music videos of this genre are usually a mixture of
both narrative and performance
 The women in the videos usually wear little
clothing and can usually be seen doing
provocative dance moves, this is because the
lyrics of a typical song of this genre have a sexual
sense to them and so the videos are influenced
by the lyrics of the songs
 Its not just the women in tis genre that wear
revealing clothes but also the men to, they are
usually seen wearing baggy jeans with vest tops or
no tops to show off the ‘chiselled’ bodies of the
artists which is done to attract the genres target
audience of heterosexual females
 E.g. T.I ft Justin Timberlake – ‘Dead and Gone’