This document outlines several conventions of pop music videos including: linking lyrics and visual storylines, bright lighting/fashion, inclusion of dance routines, attractive lead singer sometimes part of story, focus on singer through mid/close shots but showing surroundings, visuals fitting changing music/lyrics, editing cuts fitting beat theory with faster pace usually every 2 beats and slower in bridges, location/mis-en-scene fitting storyline and appealing to target audience, lead singer appearing attractive/fashionable. It provides an analysis of a specific Britney Spears video adhering to several of these conventions through shots, editing, visuals/locations, and synchronization of sound/music with on-screen action.

2. CONVENTIONS OF THE ‘POP’ GENRE
• LINKS BETWEEN LYRICS AND VISUALS (STORYLINE OF SONGS FITS WITH STORYLINE OF MUSIC VIDEO)
• BRIGHT LIGHTING
• BRIGHT FASHION CLOTHING AND PROPS
• INCLUDES DANCE ROUTINE
• USUALLY MADE TO LOOK TYPICALLY ATTRACTIVE
• MAIN SINGER SOMETIMES PART OF STORY

3. CAMERA
• DURING THE VERSES AND CHORUS’ OF THIS VIDEO MANY MID SHOTS AND CLOSE
UPS ARE USED TO SHOW THE SINGER – BRITANY – HOWEVER TO SHOW SOME OF
THE MIS-EN SCENE AROUND HER, HOWEVER THE FOCUS WOULD ALWAYS COME
BACK TO HER. THIS IS A COMMON CONVENTION IN POP VIDEOS, THAT THE MAIN
SINGER IS THE MAIN FOCUS, AND THE ATTENTION IS FOCUSED ON WHATEVER
THEY ARE DOING – USUALLY SINGING AND DANCING.
• IN THE BRIDGE PART OF THE SONG, THE MUSIC GETS LESS UPBEAT AND THE
LYRICS SAY ‘ I SHOULDN'T OF LET YOU GO’, AND A LONG SHOT IS USED SHOWING
BRITANY SMALL AND SURROUNDED. THIS SHOWS THE VISUALS FITTING WITH
THE LESS UPBEAT MUSIC AND THE LYRICS.
• AFTER THIS IT BEGINS TO BUILD UP TO THE LAST CHORUS THIS TIME GETTING
EVEN MORE UPBEAT AND ALSO MANY TRACKING AND TILT SHOTS ADDED TO GIVE
EVEN MORE OF A LIVELY ‘POP’ FEEL.

4. EDITING
• MUCH OF THE EDITING THROUGHOUT THIS VIDEO USESGOODWINS ‘BEAT’ THEORY, WHERE MANY OF THE
CUTS AND VISUALS FIT WITH CERTAIN BEATS.
• MANY OF THE CUTS, ESPECIALLYJUMPCUTS FIT WITH EVERY 2ND OR 4TH BEAT.
• THESE CUTS TEND TO HAPPEN QUITE OFTEN, USUALLY NO MORE THEN EVERY 2 BEATS. THIS FITS THE
LIVELINESS CONVENTION OF POP, AS THE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CUTTING KEEPS A FAST PACE.
• IN THE BRIDGE SECTION, THE SONG SLOWS DOWN AND SO DOES THE PACEOF EDITING, WITH THE
FRAMES LASTING A LOT LONGER THAN IN THE VERSES AND CHORUS’, CUTTING MAINLY EVERY 4 BEATS.

5. MIS-EN
SCENE
• THE LOCATION THROUGHOUT THIS VIDEO WE SEE IS IN A HIGHSCHOOL, WHICH FITS WITH THE STORYLINE AND SO STICKING
TO GOODWINS CONVENTIONS OF LYRICS AND VISUALS. THE SONG REFERS TO A TEENS FEELINGS AFTER BREAKING UP WITH
HER BOYFRIEND, AND SO THE AUDIENCE AGE GROUP IS ABLE TO RELATE TO THE VISUALS.
• WE ALSO SEE THE POP STAR PART OF THE STORY PART OF THE VIDEO WHICH IS A CONVENTION OF THE POP GENRE.
• ANOTHER TYPICAL CONVENTION OF POP IS THAT IT MAY INCLUDE A DANCE ROUTINE, WHICH THIS VIDEO IS FULL OF. THIS MAY
BE TO IN ENTICE THE TARGET AUDIENCE – TEENAGE GIRLS – AND ALSO TO KEEP WITH THE UPBEAT POP FEEL.
• BRITENY IS ALSO MADE TO LOOK ATTRACTIVE AND FASHIONABLE, COSTUMED AND MADE UP IN WHAT WAS ‘IN FASHION’ AT
THE TIME THE VIDEO WAS MADE.
• ONE CONVENTION THIS VIDEO DOESN’T INCLUDE, IS THE LIGHTING BEING VERY BRIGHT, HOWEVER IS ALSO NOT DARK. THIS
MAY JUST BE BECAUSE THE MOOD ISN’T MEANT TO BE HAPPY AS IT IS ABOUT A BREAK UP!

6. SOUND
• BEFORE THE SONG STARTS WE HEAR A DIEGETIC BEAT AS BRITNEY TAPS WITH HER FOOT AND ANOTHER
BEAT WITH HER PENCIL. ANOTHER DIEGETIC OFF BEAT IS ADDED AS WE SEE THE CLOCK AND THE SCHOOL
BELL RIGHT BEFORE THE MAIN TUNE STARTS.
• THROUGHOUT WE SEE MANY EXAMPLES WHERE THE LYRICS FIT WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING ON SCREEN:
• “SHOW ME” “MY LONELINESS”