Conventions of Form & Genre/Textual Analysis

A media form is the actual product; it simply means the type of media text. For example, a magazine is different to a website. To identify a media form in film trailer, you would look at things like the voice over, music, clips from the film, date of release, actors and actresses and a mini narrative.

However, then media forms are split into genres, genre is the conventions linked to the form. It is the term used for the classification of media texts into groups with similar characteristics. It is useful in looking at the ways in which media texts are organised, categorised and consumed/For example in music we have pop, R&B, classical, rap etc.

In any music video there are always conventions in which we expect to see. These can include; the artist/band themselves, backing dancers, a performance (lip sync), editing to the beat, a narrative/story line, the actual song, costume/location changes, variety of mise-en-scene and cinematography.

For my chosen visual essay video, I chose to analyse Beyoncé’s Partition video. Beyoncé covers two different genres: R&B and pop. In any R&B video the main conventions can include; provocative dancing with a male and a female usually, urban areas, women dressed in a sexual manor, money, expensive brands, jewellery (usually sunglasses or chains) a performance and possibly dark lighting. Whereas in a pop music video you would expect to see bright lighting/colours, fun performance/narrative, links between the lyrics and visuals, upbeat/synchronised dancing, close ups to show emotion, however they still act in a provocative way to add a sexual mood to the video and make it appeal to more people; wider target audience. 

My two music videos I have chosen to write up my textual analysis on are; Rita Ora - Body On Me feat. Chris Brown and Katy Perry - California Gurls feat. Snoop Dogg. The reason I chose these two music videos was because Rita Ora focuses her music around R&B and Katy Perry focuses hers around pop, therefore this fits perfectly with my chosen visual essay video (Beyonce - Partition), as I mentioned earlier Beyonce produces both R&B and pop songs.

The first music video I will be analysing is; Body on Me feat Chris Brown by Rita Ora. I chose to analyse this song as it fits well with the genre I have been producing my essays on (RnB and Pop).

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In the opening scene it starts with an over the shoulder shot of Chris and dark lighting. We can see he is wearing sunglasses and chains; this conforms to the RnB stereotype straight away. Then when we see Rita walk into the shot, as they are both in a lift, she is also wearing hooped earrings, which again fits to the stereotype of an RnB singer. It is a continuous two shot throughout this scene of them having a conversation. When she mentions where she lives, we see a tracking shot of the halls and then a fast pace montage edit to show what is coming up in the music video.

In the next scene we see a tracking shot of Rita going back to her apartment, Chris then walks into the shot. Again, there is dark lighting, which could portray a sexual mood between them both. As she walks past each light, it shines on her face and then she smiles; this is showing her emotions and how happy she looks to have met him.

As the song begins to start, there is an extreme close up on Rita’s face and then the scene is placed in her apartment, a pan and a zoom bring us to Rita as she starts the song. Chris then takes his top off, exposing tattoos; again this conforms to the RnB stereotype. We see a continuous cut edit from one scene with Chris in to another with Rita in. The camera shows an over the shoulder shot of Chris whilst he is sat down, in front of him is a TV which has gone fuzzy; this could portray how he is feeling and that he is confused as to why they have never met before or how he feels about her in general.

To create a sexual tension to the scene, we see a close up two shot of them both in slow motion. Then Rita is exposed half naked with a flag wrapped around her, the scene then cuts to him half naked on the bed. This could show they want to be together in this manor.

He then looks through the blinds, the camera cuts to a point of view shot looking at Rita through her window, showing that he wants to be with her. “I just wanna feel your body on me”, whilst these lyrics are being sang, we see a two shot of the two of them against each other body to body which obviously conforms to the lyrics. There is then another close up montage shown however it is done in a slow pace this time to show the intimacy between them both. The scene then cuts to another fast pace montage of the two of them.

We see the camera looking at Chris through his blinds, then the camera cuts to a medium shot of her looking back at him through her window. The camera cuts continuously between them both to show what they are doing and how they are feeling.

As he knocks on her window, we see an over the shoulder shot of her running up to the window to see him before they both start dancing on the roof top; this shows the performance part of the music video. The scene cuts back to the two of them in a slow montage edit as they are against each other, which enhances the provocative mood. As the performance is shown between them two dancing provocatively, the scene cuts between the narrative of them and the performance.

The music video then ends with a two shot of the two of them on the roof top and a fast rewind montage edit which brings us back to the beginning of the music video where she is stood in a lift with him. This could show that the whole music video was based upon her fantasising about the two of them and what could have happened between them.

The second music video I will be analysing is California Gurls feat. Snoop Dogg by Katy Perry.

To open the scene of the music video, we are introduced to a board game known as ‘Candyfornia’, Snoop Dogg is playing this so it could show that he is playing to try and win the girls over. A zoom shot is used so we can see who is playing the board game, Snoop Dogg is also wearing sunglasses which conforms to his genre of music even if he is in a pop music video.

He begins to put the player on the board as if he is actually playing the game. As soon as the scene of Katy is introduced, we immediately see many bright colours, showing a childish, fun like side to appeal to a younger audience as well as an older as she is wearing a sweet themed costume, although is still showing her breasts and legs. The idea of the short costume conforms to the pop genre as in pop small outfits are usually worn to come across as provocative. Throughout this, we see long and medium shots to show her actions and her outfit. Snoop Dogg kisses his dice in the hope for some luck that he will win a girl in the end.

The scene then cuts to a tilt up of Katy being laid naked on top of a pink cloud, wearing glittery purple eye shadow; this is shown as a medium close up shot. Because of the bright colours, again this comes across fun and exciting. Even though she is laid she does act in a sexual manor. 

Katy and her two friends, who are the other board game players, walk up to the gingerbread man wearing again short, sexualised outfits. We then see them all jumping on marshmallows, this can show innocence but then is soon rejected as we see close ups on their tiny shorts and breasts. The costume used here is also provocative as they are wearing buns on their bras, which are supposed to look like breasts.

After the first part of the narrative, the scene cuts to the performance where we see all the girls dancing in their bun bras to the song. Even though they are wearing this outfit and dancing sexually, the scene is still made to look enjoyable for the younger audience by the choice of bright colours and dance moves. We then see her again laid naked on the cloud; this time the scene is focused on her eating candyfloss in a sexualising manor.

Snoop Dogg emerges from some animated gates with an army of jelly teddies, which can show innocence however they are all made to look angry and ready to fight. The scene cuts to Katy and her group of girls as they hand her whipped cream to place on her breasts; this is seen as a weapon to wipe the jelly teddies out, making the girls look more powerful.

To end the music video, Snoop Dogg is buried in the sand with his head sticking out surrounding by Katy and her friends, showing that they are the dominant gender in this music video and they carry the power.

Throughout the whole music video a lot of high and low angles are used to show the audience which gender is more powerful. This video also adheres to Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory as throughout, the women are seen as objects due to them being a sweet in a board game. The game is also controlled by a man which in this aspect could show them male is the more dominant gender, although as we watch the video, this appears to be false.

I believe both of these videos have their similarities and differences in the fact that they are both performed in a sexualising manor and the choice of provocative outfits and actions. However, the target audience for Body on Me does not seem the same as California Gurls due to the childish fun like in the California Gurls music video, whereas Body on Me is more intimate and serious.