This document discusses genre theory and how it relates to several music videos. It provides analyses of music videos by Coldplay, Whitney Houston, Jay-Z featuring Blackstreet, Alicia Keys, Beyond the Wizards Sleeve, Panic! At the Disco, and Lucy Rose. The document examines how the music videos fit with concepts from genre theory, such as offering escapist fantasies, relying on audience expectations, requiring cultural knowledge, influencing interpretation through constraints, deriving pleasure from repetition and difference, manipulating conventions, and limiting meaning potential.

1. GENRE THEORY
ALL MUSIC VIDEO’S ON BLOG, RELATIVE TO EACH SLIDE

2. RICHARD DYER,
KNIGHT
• Genres are pleasurable because they offer escapist fantasies into fictional worlds that remove the boredom from
reality.’
• ‘Genre may offer various emotional pleasures such as empathy and escapism.’
• Coldplay – Up&Up
• This music video offers this exactly. The video itself is a performance narrative, as the band perform in the escapist world
that is cleverly captured in this video. Which however steers the video away from performance narrative, as it is all taking
place (band performance and happenings in escapist world) in the escapist world.
• Another way in which it fits into the criteria of this theory, is the fact that it is set in a world unlike our everyday lives; a
world of routine alongside a lack of mystery and wonder. In the world that is seen in the video, there are aspects and
elements that are wildly out of the ordinary, and simply peculiar to each audience member. Whilst making it completely
unique and inspiring, they have also managed to incorporate these intriguing aspects and elements into every day life
situations and routines. Such as, synchronised swimmers in tea cups, giant butterflies placed on the sides of oil rigs, and
tube carriages travelling through space. They have successfully demonstrated that no matter how small something is
made to look, or be portrayed, it remains in holding huge amounts of significant value. They have also made everyday life
appear interesting and mesmerising, encouraging their audience members to see life as a gift, not a chore. Following this,
they have managed to incorporate wonder and mystery into a world that is lacking in these factors, and have taken a
unique spin on creating an escapist world; it allows audience members to remain in their world, but see it as another, in
doing so, reminding them of the beauty that their own world and their own lives already offers, and that this beauty can
be seen in every moment of life.

3. FOWLER
• ‘One advantage of genres is that they can rely on readers already having knowledge
and expectations about the works within a genre.’
• Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You
• This music video deals with a love story between Whitney Houston herself, and a male character. It is a
performance narrative. The video is based on the film, The Bodyguard, in which Whitney and the male
character both starred. The video itself focusses on the memories that Whitney has of her and the male
characters romance, and the moments they experienced together, both positive and negative.
• In terms of the theory, as mentioned above, the music video compliments it perfectly, as it is
predictably dealing with a common genre throughout. This being romance. One of the first scenes is of
a female character and a male character exchanging a look, lovingly, emanating the feeling of passion
and romance to the audience, making it clear that it belongs to the genre of romance. Picking up on
this factor early on in the video, gives the audience the chance to vaguely predict the remainder of the
video which gives them a satisfying sense of control.

4. ALLEN
• ‘Any text requires what is called ‘cultural capital’ on the part of its audience to make sense
of it.’
• Jay-Z feat. Blackstreet – The City is Mine
• This music video offers this in the form of intertextuality. The music video references the film,
whilst also promoting it. The video is a performance video.
• In further relation to the theory, the film itself helps the ‘audience to make sense of’ the music
video, due to the fact that the music video makes reference to the film which some audience
members will be able to relate to as they would’ve viewed the film. By feeling that they have an
understanding of the music video, the viewers will be provided with a sense of control which is
commonly endearing and comforting for an audience member. As well as feeling a sense of
understanding of the music video, they will also experience a sense of pleasure and satisfaction
from recognition of the fact that they see the relation between the film and the music video.

5. FISKE
• ‘The assignment of a text to a genre influences how the text is read.’
• ‘Genre constrains the possible ways in which a text is interpreted, guiding readers to a preferred reading.’
• Alicia Keys – If I Ain’t Got You
• This music video is a performance narrative. The lyrics of the song immediately begin to determine the genre for the
audience, or certainly narrow down the possible choices. This is commonly known as being fairly helpful for the
audience, as they can envisage the possible consequences of the remainder of the music video. The genre of this music
video is romance, which is not only evident from the lyrics, but also the emotions and actions we see performed by the
artist and the actors in the video. As well as the lyrics, the physical and visual evidence is also seen from an early point in
the video.
• During the music video, there is an evident dispute between the male and female leads; they are in the relationship that
the artist sings about. However, due to the commonly seen conventions of the genre, romance, we as audience members
are aware of the fact that things we return to their typical state, as seen in other moments in the music video. This
consequently relates back to lyrics; it is crucial that the lyrics connect well with the video, as this relationship between the
lyrics and the video guide the audience to their hopeful conclusions of the video, prior to viewing the entirety of it.
• Although the audience know what is going to happen, they still remain watching the video, as it is satisfying for them to
know that they correctly interpreted the video. Not only is this done purposefully, but it also relates back to Allen’s
theory regarding cultural capital; the audience feeling comfort and control from being able to interpret the
consequences of a music video that they have not seen before.

6. NEALE
• ‘Pleasure is derived from repetition and difference.’
• Beyond The Wizards Sleeve – Creation
• This music video includes repetition, whilst featuring creative difference. The video itself is a concept music video,
as it features no evidence of performance from the artist, or set narrative. The majority of the video consists of
two girls dancing in, what seems to be, an empty, abnormal and mysterious mansion, with a sense of eccentricity.
The entirety of the video is in black and white, alongside the fact that everyone in the video wears strange, plastic
masks.
• Though this video sounds like a concept video only, that has been completed before (e.g. Chandelier – Sia), it has
a spin that causes the video to stand out and make it different to other concept videos. This spin being the fact
that the video is put in reverse, causing it to be far more difficult to understand the set meaning (if there ever
was one). In addition to this, the song alone is part of a fairly uniquely listened to genre, which in turn makes the
music video more unique; if the lyrics are harder to understand, so will the music video.
• As we know, audience members feel satisfaction from being able to interpret a music videos conclusion.
However, every once in a while, an audience member will find satisfaction in viewing a music video that is
completely out of the ordinary and impossible to make sense of, due to the fact that sometimes people find
pleasure in change, and often not being able to make sense of something doesn’t matter, as it is far too
entertaining and/or interesting to even try and begin to comprehend its meaning.

7. ABERCROMBIE
• ‘We derive pleasure from observing how the conventions of a genre are manipulated.’
• Panic! At The Disco – This Is Gospel (Piano Version)
• This music video is a performance video, as the artist is playing an instrument and lip syncing
throughout the video; the lyrics tell the story, instead of a visual narrative.
• This links perfectly to the theory, as this sort of music video has of course been seen before. However,
in this video, the genre conventions have been creatively manipulated, bringing something new and
exciting for the audience. This manipulation of the genre also allows the music video to stand out,
which relates back to Neale’s theory regarding difference in music videos that would commonly be a
certain way, as they are part of a certain genre.
• What makes this music video unique is, firstly, the location. It is set in front of an abandoned, wrecked
building, covered in graffiti. This results in a contrasting factor, being the glossy, white grand piano
placed in front of this forgotten, crumbling building. Secondly, in the remainder of the music video,
random objects begin to fall onto the grand piano which would prove to be highly unexpected to
audience members. These objects ranging from chicken nuggets, to tinsel, to small, plastic balls. These
are all supposedly of metaphorical value from the perspective of the artist, however, the audience
would find this creative style hugely unexpected, yet entertaining and interesting to see and
experience.

8. HARTLEY
• ‘Genres are agents of ideological closure; they limit the meaning potential of a given text.’
• Lucy Rose – Nebraska
• This music video is a pure narrative video, as there is no evidence of performance from the artist.
• It demonstrates the theory perfectly, as it represents a current, growing subject of both discussion and
demonstration. This being the representation of the subject of transgender. This music video
challenges the common genres, whilst making those involved with transgender culture feel included
and supported within society. As appose to common pop music that have music videos that will be
relatable to more people, as they are usually focussing on a heterosexual romance.
• Less commonly known artists such as Lucy Rose are more likely to incorporate less commonly used
and spoken about topics.
• Music videos such as this open peoples minds as to what can be drawn from a music video. For
example, you may think that there is only one story or plot that can be taken from this music video
e.g. a heterosexual romance (the norm). However, this music video proves that other ideas and a
different story can be used alongside these lyrics.