This document summarizes the genre conventions represented in various music videos. It discusses how Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" incorporates different genres through costumes and settings. It also analyzes Olly Murs' "Beautiful to Me" for its natural lighting and relatable storyline. The document provides overviews of several other music videos and how they fit conventions of genres like pop, rock, alternative, country, and rap.

1. 5 genre 3 videos

2. Genre- Pop
• Video – Shake it off Taylor Swift
Shake it off portrays a range of genres all in one video to try and appeal to the many other genres
that are available to watch in the modern time and things that are popular now. The song is from
Swift’s 2014 album ‘1989’. The track contains many brass sound instruments such as trumpets and
percussion instruments such as drums and symbols. A main convention of this song is that it is very
performance based as many of the shots focus mainly on Taylor and the dancers. Although Taylor is
performing in many different ways she is still the one singing the song all the way though. There are
very fast paced cuts through out the video to keep in time with the up tempo song and to keep
everything exciting for the viewer to watch. The use of studio lights are very effective in the video as
it is keeping everything light and therefore keeps everything looking connoting something positive
and also shows off all of the different costumes that are involved in the video – especially in the
gold sequin tracksuit. The costumes are also very relevant to what people wear today in different
genres of music and sometimes in real life to stereotype a culture. The settings are also very
relevant in the music videos, for example the white background at the end is very neutral with all of
the different colours of clothing from different people, who are being individual to show that no
body has to be the same or act the same to be happy. It is also the time where we finally see Taylor
as herself which connotes that this is how she is most happy. The lyrics in the song are very well
demonstrated in the video as it is based at a very general audience who could relate to the song, so
in order to represent this Taylor has used many genders and races because it is a general feeling
portrayed in this song. The lyrics are also represented to be aiming for a younger audience

3. Genre - pop
Olly Murs’ song beautiful to me is a narrative music video focusing on two people that have grown
up with each other and obviously have a history together. The story uses very natural lighting in
many of the scenes to show that it is a very natural feeling coming from the lyrics in this music video
and between both of the characters on screen and also to make the song relatable to other people
as they might remember an event like this from their childhood. The lyrics are also very general to
everyone, I can tell this because in the video the two main characters we are focusing on are very
working class people and have gotten in trouble at school for something silly and the interior of the
school does not seem to be very high class. It is also very similar for the house they are later in.

4. Genre- Pop
In Rixton’s ‘We all want the same thing’ it is portraying how things used to be and portraying the
lyrics and music of the song very well. First we see the Rixton members outside a music video shoot
in clothes that they normally wear for day to day life. However once they go through a curtain it is
then very 70’s inspired. This sort of 70’s funk has been making a come back with artists adding in a
sound similar. They add a filter like colour to the camera to imitate how they used to be and for
people to really experience the song. The costumes worn also display the idea for the music video,
this is also where some editing is used where one of the members travels in and out of the curtain
and then sticks his hand in and out.

5. Genre – Rock
In All time Lows music video ‘ I feel like dancing’ from their 2011 album ‘Dirty Work’ they have used
humour to reach their target audience of teenagers to early 20’s. For example they have used the use of a
record label and big bosses and changed it so it is what expected of a band, the use of stereotypes such as
‘sex’ ‘promotion’ and ‘stealing ideas’ and then film it in a very stereotypical studio that is normally used to
film these sorts of music videos. The use of green screens are also involved to help steal ideas from other
artists. The lighting is all artificial with the use of studio lights and green lighting to help recognise the
genre and so it feels like it is a rock video. They use a range of angled shots to help view the setting of the
video and to present the social ranking of each of the members.

6. Genre – Rock
• Fall out boys Irresistible is not at all in the conventions of a rock song. For example the whole
video concept is humour and this is common in music videos however in the rock genre it is very
unusual to have this, as we would normally associate rock with a performance video not
narrative. They use a number of shots in order to capture the basketball game like high and low
angle shots and medium shots to capture facial expressions and movement. They have also used
non diegetic sound as many of the noises are something off the internet or they are referencing
films as this is the sort of audience they are reaching out to (15- late 20’s). They also have used
dialogue from some of the band members talking to others on the set.

7. Genre – Rock
• In Pink Floyd's – Another Brick in the wall the director has used a range of
connotations of different things that we normally associate with rock music.
Things I could point out are the use of very low key lighting used in one of the
first scenes before the song starts, this represents some sort of angst or bad
memories that was meant to be represented in this song. The video is very
narrative based because before the video as already briefly mentioned is a short
story showing the viewer the reason behind this song and why it was written and
very much based around being at school.

8. Genre – Alternative
• In Bastille’s ‘Things we lost in the fire’ it fits in with the mood of the song
by it creating a very dark tone to the song. They do this with the use of low
key lighting, creating shadows and making everything seem much more
negative which adds to the plot of the songs narrative. The mise en scene
of the video is also very dark, like the costumes they are all wearing as it is
war like and also is connoting something bad is going to happen.

9. Country – Nine to Five – Dolly Parton
In Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’ it fits very few country conventions however some have been
woven in. For example it is set in the city this is very unconventional from a country singer
as it is normally set in the countryside, however it is very in keeping with the song as it
represents city work very well (tempo of the song). The city also is a very good pace for
setting it in the city as something is always going on just like in the city. It is very obviously
80’s much because of the costumes and the setting around them.
The lighting in the video could be from natural lighting representing what a normal working
day could look like so that others can relate to this.

10. Rap – Eminem ‘Lose Yourself’
The conventions of a rap video is normally represented by a black male, however Eminem
is breaking this stereotype in music.
However Eminem does present several cliché things towards his rap video for example
before he starts rapping there are many shots of a city and cityscapes in the evening (using
a birds eye view).
It is also conforming to conventions by showing Eminem looking at himself in a mirror. He
does this as rap is a genre that helps people express what they are feeling, so like in other
videos he is ‘facing up to his demons’ and this also fits in with the conventions of the song.