Music genres- A2 research.

2.  Low budget
 Natural lighting (dependent on setting) no bleaching
effect
 Muted colours
 Accessible to audience because of this
 Often mixed videos, containing both narrative and
performance elements
 Editing- minimal special effects
 Filters may be used; but will simplistic. black and
white/sepia tones common; cheap and not flashy to
conform with the conventions of the genre.
 Simple jump cuts used; occasionally dissolves for
atmosphere.

3.  Tends to have higher production values
 Relies heavily on the promotion of a star image to pedal the rock
star lifestyle of the band. Perpetuation of this stereotypes.
 Common themes include: rebellion, sex, life styles and concerns.
fairly wide ranging.
 Subdivisions: hard rock, Goth rock, alternative rock, indie rock.
 Costume borders between smart and casual; more polished, more
expensive look that the indie genre.
 Fast, up-tempo beats.
 Because of the importance of star image; there is often a strong
performance element.
 A lot of close ups, a lot wide shots showing the entire band.They
are the centre of attention.
 Direct mode of address via the use of shots.
 Even with a narrative example there will still be a presence of band
members.

4.  Dark clothing, quite often representative of intertexuality
by using band t-shirts e.g. led Zeppelin, ripped clothes,
piercings and tattoos. represents rebellion.
 relies heavily on instruments as props; as a result very
often contains performance elements.
 "Angst" themes. Dark, serious, and very angry. Emotional
and sometimes fantastical. Dramatic.
 Women- fulfilling a role as opposed to being an actual
person.
 Male dominated genre.
 Similar to alternative music in that it very often tries to
deviate from mainstream culture. Ironically, it has become
a fairly mainstream genre in comparison to psychedelia
shoegaze or space rock.Therein lies a true alternative.

5.  "Popular". It's all in the name. Mainstream, fashionable, stylish and
polished. Not pushing any boundaries. Bright, bold colours.
 Common themes include love and relationships.
 Consistent form and structure.
 A young audience, male and female in fairly equal proportions.
Dance beats.
 Representation may vary; at one end of the spectrum we can find
RobinThicke with blurred lines (hopefully a one hit wonder) who
insists that a woman is "an animal baby" and that "you know you
want it." It doesn't take much effort to wade in amongst
the degradation and assumed consent that this isn't an A* in
morality; but it is unfortunately fairly typical to the genre.
 The opposite to this would be the presentation of men as causes
of trouble, the sole fault in the singer's life. (alaTaylor Swift
"Trouble"); but this obviously goes both ways- broadly speaking,
relationship and the problems they cause are common themes.

6. • Editing involves a lot of dissolves to emphasise emotive/
reflective tone
• Clothing is typically dark; reflecting tones and themes of music.
Hairstyles to suit this, often hiding eyes to create a sense of
• Often contains a large narrative portion which may be abstract
or descriptive.
• Setting often natural/outdoors, queue leafless trees and wilted
plants to represent the loss of life and vibrancy.
• Themes include loss, frustration, romance, anger.
• A moderate budget.
• Heavy conformity to ideal established by genre, as a result
there is a large amount of extremely generic bands and
products.

7.  Wider range of themes than emo; draws on
different sources for intertexuality. More
variation within the genre.
 Narrative form is very popular; often used to
convey moralistic/personal opinions and beliefs.
 Costume may be fantastical, neo victorian, or
more if a more simplistic approach is taken dark,
casual clothing- ripped t-shirts, black jeans,
piercings.
 Quite often present a departure from reality or
containing fantastical themes.

8.  Often contains sexual themes and/or relationship themes
 Jewellery and tattoos present as status symbols- signify
wealth and accomplishment.
 This is also reflected by setting, which is very often indoors
in rooms or apartment which appear to be very expensive
or luxurious.
 Very similar to the “jet set life style” presented by the rock
genre.
 Often contains dance elements- choreography shares link
with music and lyrics, although audience is free to make
these links themselves. While codes and conventions do
vary across genders, voyeurism is generally a common
features applied to both male and female artists.

9.  Low production values
 Outdoor setting places emphasis on
importance of nature
 Often dismissive of materialism
 Extremely popular in the US, not so much in
the UK and Europe.
 Often relies simply on acoustics and vocals-
very little
 As with indie; strong performance element
accompanied by narrative.