Research - Genre Theory

I have been studying genre theory in class. This post applies the different genre theories I have looked at to music video's I have researched so that I am able to apply them to my own production this year.

Iconography:
In Jay-Z's video for 'On To The Next One', there is a lot of iconography used throughout. The genre of music is Rap/HipHop and Iconography is used to represent this sort of culture. As this specific genre often refers back to wealth/money, women and and general gang/youth culture, Jay-Z has used these as clear icons through the video. The screenshots below show very clear and intended icons of money and cars. Although the shot of the money only lasts very briefly suggesting less importance, the shot of the cars leads on to more shots of the car in sequence. He has also used a lot of the number 3 in this video as this represents the name of his album 'The Blueprint 3'. In the screenshot below, the money is being held together by 3 elastic bands, a subtle icon of the number 3.

Utopian Pleasures:

The video for 'I'm A Bore, Mostly' by Deaf Havana can be seen to show certain 'Utopian Pleasures' theory.  This video can be seen to show both sides of the theory: 'Social Tension' and 'Utopian Fantasy'. Social Tension can be seen through the setting, it is an derelict building covered in graffiti and slowly falling apart. This relates to the themes of 'Exhaustion', 'Dreariness' and 'Fragmentation'. The building is very empty and in the middle of no where, surrounded by fields, with no other buildings to be seen suggesting themes of 'Scarcity'. The colours used for these shots are very dark and desaturated with the lead singer, James, being the only one in shot, again suggesting 'Dreariness'. 

On the other hand, Utopian Fantasy can also be seen in this video. The shots of the band all together is in bright, vibrant colours suggesting 'Intensity', 'Community' and 'Energy'. The shots of the people all runing together suggest 'Community' and 'Energy 'and that they are all running together and are there for each other, like in the shot below of the family.

Repertoires Of Elements:

Young Guns' 'Stitches' can be analysed in terms on the 'Repertoires of Elements' genre theory. This theory recognises elements than can be seen in other products of the same genre. In this example, there are a huge amount of different shots all edited together using fast cuts, which is an element that can be found in many rock music videos. The band members in this video wear quite plain but dark, casual clothing which is an element repeated in this particular genre, often just jeans and a T-shirt. The location used for the performance shots is quite dark with strong/high contrast lighting. This has been shot in quite a basic location without many details or distractions. Below I have compared a performance shot from this video to another video (Mallory Knox - Resuscitate) of a similar genre to show this theory in use.

Macro Genre/Micro Conventions:

The video for 'Into Your Arms' by The Maine is an example of the 'Micro Conventions' and 'Macro Genre' theories. Macro Genre for music videos states that they can be categorised into either Performance, Narrative, Experimental and Animation. The video for 'Into Your Arms' challenges this by falling into both Narrative and Performance categories. However instead of filming both in separate shots, this video uses them both at the same time as the band are playing in the location where the narrative is going on. In terms of Micro Conventions, this video can be classes as a 'hybrid-genre' of performance and narrative rather than in terms of musical genre.

Defining Criteria:

Although I have not researched this video, Weezer's 'I Want You To' is an example of the Defining Criteria genre theory. This theory states that videos are made to fit a certain purpose depending on the genre. The genre of this music video is alternative, meaning that it is a different musical genre to defined genres such as pop or rock. This means that there are no real set conventions to follow. The narrative of this music video follows quite a funny, comical idea. This video follows the 'Intended Affect' criteria of the theory and is intended to make people laugh. This has been done through accidents that happen in the narrative to the band members and editing to exaggerate them as well as putting their heads onto children's bodies.