Music Genre Research

Music Video Research

Codes and Conventions of Different Music Genres

Codes and Conventions of Rock

·         Rock music is generally very loud and heavy

·         Rock artists usually wear dark clothes and may have multiple piercings and tattoos

·         Usually use shots of the band

·         The instruments they play are usually guitars and drums

·         Lighting in the video tends to be relatively dark

·         Usually set in a dark and gloomy place

·         No narrative within the video or lyrics

·         No special effects used

Codes and Conventions of Hip-Hop

·         Usually set in a party environment

·         Shots usually include the artist

·         Sometimes other artists are in the video

·         Tend to have no storyline

·         Usually wear branded clothing and casual clothing

·         Usually has money as the main object

·         Features include cars, jewellery, alcohol and mansions

Codes and Conventions of Dance

·         Songs are usually upbeat

·         The videos are usually fun

·         There can sometimes be a narrative to the song

·         Dancers in the video will wear the same or similar outfits

·         The location for the video is usually at a party

·         The colours in the video are generally very light colours

·         There is usually a choreographed dance

Codes and Conventions of Indie Rock

·         Can sometimes have a narrative

·         Usually shots of the band performing

·         Close up of the characters in the video and close ups of the artists themselves

·         Sometimes a few special effects

·         Sometimes black and white videos

·         Song usually has a calm setting before the beat starts.

Codes and Conventions of Pop

·         Video has a narrative

·         Targeted at younger audiences

·         Usually shows the artists in dance routines in the videos

·         Usually have a lots of colours

·         Closes ups of the artist

·         Pleasant locations fun videos

Codes and Conventions of R’n’B

·         Lots of close ups of the artist/s

·         Major use of special effects

·         Sometimes has a narrative

·         Sometimes a dance routine

·         Set in houses with parties

·         Money is seen extensively

·         Not much performance

Codes and Conventions of Metal

·         Usually have a dark and depressing theme to the songs

·         Usually have dark lighting

·         Lyrics are very heavy and meaningful

·         Music is very loud and strong

·         Usually have longs shots to sow the entire band

·         Band usually play drums and guitars

·         Bands usually wear dark clothing and lots of eye make-up.

·         Usually have multiple tattoos and lots of piercings

Codes and Conventions of Jazz

·         Videos usually contain bright lighting

·         Usually filmed in a large open space

·         Artists usually wear suave clothing such as suits

·         Videos are usually shot in casual locations such as streets, run down places and shops

Codes and Conventions of Folk

·         Lighting is usually dark and is usually focused on the main artist

·         There are usually shadows to show the artist’s emotions

·         Close ups of the instruments and artist

·         Videos usually have a lot of black and white to them

·         The music is very exaggerated

Codes and Conventions of Acoustic

·         Lots of close ups of the artist and their instruments.

·         Artist usually shows facial expression

·         The movement in the videos tends to be very slow

·         Locations of the videos tend to be isolated

·         The videos are edited either in black and white or to make them look old fashioned
Lewis Gollop