Codes and Conventions of Female Pop anthemic music videos, focusing on 2000s music videos.

1. Codes and
Conventions of
Female Pop
anthemic music
videos
By Joanna Attwell

2. My Vision
• I aim to create a music video encompassing codes and conventions from pop
anthemic music videos.
• I'm focusing on a female audience and using inspiration from pop and pop punk
music videos from the period and analyzing uses of mise en scene and
various production techniques.
• I am going to make a music video for an 80s female pop anthem with a 2000-
2010 style.

3. Costume
• The artists are wearing fashionable clothing for the time making them appear aspirational to the target
audience.
• The general theme was bright colors, wavy hair and makeup looks that would be achievable for the
audience to recreate.
• The fashion helps predominantly a young female audience connect with the artist.
• In narrative videos, where the artist is acting, they are wearing common fashionable clothes and shots in
the chorus being performed in a gig light setting are often darker and more risqué like in the Since U Been
gone music video (see next slide).
Still Into You- 2013
Bright colors, chunky
belts, Doc Marten
Your lips are moving- 2014 Bright colors, Meghan central
and stands out by wearing a different color pallet The Fear- 2009 the white collar, black bow and
style of dress is very common for the mid
2010s 'twee' style

4. 2010s fashion trends
• (Early 2010s) 1980s influences
• (Early 2010s) Tribal fashion and 1990s revival
• (Mid 2010s) Monochromatic and printed clothing
• (Mid 2010s) Costume jewelry, onsies and Snuggies
• (Mid 2010s) Hippie and grunge influences
• Subcultures include hipster, classic preppy, slater and scene

5. Color pallet
2000-2010s
• The 2000s saw an emergence of
bright neon colors which was later
muted into more subtle tones in the
2010s.
• One of the most popular colors of
the 2010s was millennium pink.
• These color pallets relate to fashion
and décor which can be
seen reflected in music videos mise
en scene and costuming.

6. Timeline
• A convention I noticed was the verses often carry the videos narrative
elements and a story is created whereas the chorus is often performed in
a gig like setting or in a location with a microphone.
• The use of this creates and cements the idea of the artist as a performer
and gives the audience a taste of what they may expect at a concert.
• A partial or full band is often visible to give the sense of live music.
Complicated- 2002 above is the
chorus band shots and below is the
verse narrative shots
Party In The USA- 2009 above is the verse
narrative shots and below is the chorus band
shots
Since U Been Gone- above is
the chorus band shots and
below is the verse narrative
shots

7. Choreograph
y
• During the chorus if there is not band and passionate performance
shots then there is often a choreographed dance routine.
• The artist is either dancing with extras or extras are dancing around
the artist as they give a passionate performance and lip sync.
• It seems more common for the artist to be performing the lyrics and
people in the background dancing.
Hit Me Baby One More Time- 1998,
Britney dances in a choreographed
dance routine whilst lip syncing. She
is doing the same dance as the
people in the background.
The Fear- 2009, Lily Allen is lip-syncing, and
man dressed as butlers are dancing around
her and lifting her, making her central to the
video without doing complex choreography
I Wanna Dance With Somebody- 1980,
Whitney is performing and lip-syncing
whilst some men are doing a complex
choreographed dance routine

8. Camera
movement
Many videos opened with a horizontal or vertical pan scanning
across the set and ending with the artist alone or with the band.
This is often followed or replaced by b-roll of the set.
The camera often uses smooth movements (possibly from using
a gimbal rather than a handheld) either zooming in or moving
side to side in an almost semi-circle action, following the artist.
This is common during the verses.
During the chorus to give an impression of chaos or high energy,
a handheld is often used to do close-ups of the artist whilst they
are lip-syncing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhW4nZsg19A (this video
helped me understand and distinguish between camera
movement techniques)

9. Shot Type
Close-ups of the artist are common throughout to
show how they are the most important character in
the video.
Medium shots are used regularly, mostly featuring
the artist or the location. Often there are jump cuts
from medium shots to close ups to keep a scene
moving and visually interesting.
Long shots seem to be used predominantly when
performing with a band or during choreography, but
they often contain movement to keep them from
appearing boring or stagnent.
Tracking shots are used to keep the artist central, it
helps make the shot feel free rather than boring
and stagnent.

10. Editing
The transition between shots is often more fast
paced in the chorus and bridge, the pace of the
editing matches the music.
These shots often transition between various
locations, but the artist is often lip-syncing in
them all.
In videos from 90s onwards there are mainly
just jump cuts instead of fades and other S.F.X.
like in Girls just want to have fun.
The music videos from 90s onwards adopt a
more natural approach to editing.

11. Other codes and conventions
• One common feature used in several videos is a wardrobe scene where the artist either
looks through clothes or tries on lots of outfits. These are used to make the artist
appear relatable but also aspirational as they have good fashion sense and lots of
clothing.
• Most of the videos either used all females and just males for a love interest or the artist
as the only female with men surrounding them.
• The videos are often filmed in common environments such as a bedroom, bathroom,
mall or park. This is another technique used to help the artist connect with the
audience.
• Often if the artist is dancing it is free rather than choreographed and more about the
passion and performance rather than the actual technique.