Goodwin's Conventions of Music Videos (Genre conventions)

Drake - Worst Behavior (Pop)   

One of the common themes in rap music is starting from the bottom and building yourself up to achieve success. The miss-en-scene at the opening of the music video is used to suggest this ideology to the audience through location. At 0:01, 0:03, 0:05 and 0:07 long shots are used to establish the scene and present this ideology. At 0:01 the building appears to be run down with graffiti on the side, giving the impression it is a lower-working class area which the majority of the audience will be able to identify with. The colour correction enhances the representation; the colours are de-saturated, giving a muted, almost subdued effect, which establishes a connection with the audience. This suggests that it doesn't matter what background you come from, you can rise above it to achieve success which ties into the American dream as the idea that from working hard you can achieve success is present in the music video. 

The wealth and prosperity that come with success are well presented through the mise-en-scene. The costumes and props are used to portray this; a variety of close-up shots are used which show expensive jewellery, wrist wear and hats. The men are all sporting brightly coloured smart suits and designer sunglasses, which suggests a rich and luxurious lifestyle. The colours are no longer de-saturated, giving a more vibrant, optimistic feel. The gesture codes suggest pride and power; at 0:22 the shot shows the man with his hand on his hip and at 0:38 his hands are behind his back, showing off the gold piece of jewellery. This connects to the ideology of starting from the bottom and rising up, suggesting it is achievable as people have previously done this. This idea is  then confirmed at  0:33  as the sequence of shots flicks back from the run down location to a shot of Snoop Dogg.  The fact that Snoop Dogg is on screen  creates a more personal feel for the audience as they can relate to him as a real person who has achieved success. This adds a sense of realism as it shows it has been done before.

Cars are another key piece of iconography used in the music video. At 0:50 a long shot showing the four men leaning against a pink limo is used represent wealth and success, and at 0:52 a close up shot of a spinning tyre is used to enhance that representation, adding a feeling of energy and excitement. The contrast between this and the static, old cars used in the opening scene is clear. This could be read by the audience as materialistic as the audience may criticise the lifestyle and spending large amounts of money on material objects. 

Pink- Raise Your Glass (Pop)

The mise-en-scene in Pink’s 'Raise Your Glass' music video is used to present the ideology of not conforming and being anti-establishment. An example of this is the medium/close up shot at 0:07, as the female character is sporting a grey shirt with a red bandanna, using the inter-textual reference of Rosie the Riveter. This suggests that women can be strong, not just beautiful, which is stereotypically the pop genre ideology. Pink's gesture codes suggest masculinity and strength in the way she is flexing her arm. As well as this she has tattoos which are also stereo-typically masculine and tough looking, juxtaposed by her make-up, including red lipstick, which depicts her femininity and beauty. 

Props are also used to show the ideology of what beauty really is. At 0:03 cardboard cutouts of the two girls are used to show that what is stereo-typically beautiful and normal doesn’t matter because it is what is on the inside that counts. Similarly, at 0:26 two men are kissing at what appears to be a wedding, which isn’t stereo-typically known as the ‘norm’ but should be accepted because it is okay to be different.

The editing in the music video is also used to present the ideology of being yourself and not worrying what other people think. An example of this is at 1:35 when a variety of different people’s faces are merged on top of each other. This is used to suggest that everyone is different and unique, which is a positive thing. 

The cinematography in the music video is also used to enhance the ideology of being different and rebelling against what is popularly thought of as being acceptable. A variety of medium/close up shots are used to show a diverse set of people, such as the girl at 0:38 and the boy at 0:45. The shot of the boy shows him left of center of the frame, sharply in focus with the people in the background out of focus. This enables the audience to focus on his emotions, clearly evident in the close up shot, and the direct mode of address creates a more personal experience for the audience as it breaks the fourth wall.

Although Pink's music is within the pop genre, the ideologies found within the music video derive from the rock genre, as being unique and not conforming is something that the rock audience values. Despite this, the music video is still accessible to a wide audience as Pink is presenting ideologies and beliefs that most people hold; being yourself and feeling comfortable in your own skin is important to a wide variety of people. Additionally, enabling the audience to see and understand what the people are going through in the video, such as the girl sat next to the cardboard cut outs of the stereo-typically beautiful girls, shows the audience that being beautiful on the outside isn’t everything. All in all the ideologies shown in the music video include: anti-establishment, non-conformity, and challenges to the stereotypical perceptions of what beauty really is, what's on the inside is more important than outside appearance. 

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Rock)

One of the genre conventions present in the music video is that the music is what is important. This is shown in a variety of ways through the cinematography, for example at 0:01 there is a close up panning shot showing peoples feet and legs tapping to the beat of the music. Also, the main focus of the video is the band itself, shown playing live via a variety of close-up, medium and long shots, for example at 0:16 there is a long shot showing the drummer and the guitarist. This portrays the idea that the music is what is most important as they are playing live music throughout the video.

One of the ideologies of rock music present in the music video is being anti-establishment, which is shown through the mise-en-scene. At 0:08 a medium long shot shows cheer leaders in cheer-leading outfits with their pom poms.  However they aren’t wearing the usual cheer leading outfits as they are dressed all in black, which suggests rebellion and anti-establishment. The band's costumes are also anti-establishment as they all appear scruffily dressed in baggy jeans and tops with long messy hair, giving the impression they don’t care what people think.

The location also presents this ideology as they appear to be in a high school gym which is an alien environment in the sense that school represents the establishment and the band represents anti-establishment, The lighting throughout the music video is very low key with yellow undertones which adds to the sense of rebellion as it's not the norm. At 1:07 there is a medium shot showing the crowd dancing and head banging which is something you would generally see at a rock concert. At 2:38 there is a long shot showing people dancing, panning to uncover a fire which adds to the rebellious ideology of rock music, fire being a symbol of destruction. At 2:46 there is a medium shot showing crowd's head banging and dancing  appearing to be escalating out of control which continues throughout the rest of the music video. Once again, this is something the audience will relate to as they may have experienced this at rock concerts. At 3:52 there is a long shot showing the crowd dancing and someone hanging from the basketball hoop which presents the ideology of being rebellious and anti-establishment.

Glad You Came - The Wanted 

The music video for Glad You Came by The Wanted holds many of the genre conventions of Pop music videos. Goodwin's theory suggests that rhythmic cutting is conventional to the pop genre and  is shown at 0:19 all the way through to 0:34, which is used to create a more upbeat atmosphere for the audience. The lyrics and visuals match such as at 1:52 the lyrics are "and i'll take you by the hand" and the band member reaches for a girls hand, this is used as it will appeal to the target audience and is something that is conventional to the genre of music.