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1. DIRT
MUSIC VIDEO GENRE CONVENTIONS

2. Group feedback
WWW EBI
• Some chose suitable and challenging videos
• Fairly good understanding about genre
• Some of you – media language (camera, editing
etc)
• Half of you – good explanations and considerations
about contexts
• Be clear on denotation/connotation (codes)
• Conventions are a little shaky*
• Presentations are rushed – the quality of
presentation is low (more annotated screen grabs
and less sentences)

3. Group presentation task
• As a group, you will find a music video to analyse in the way we just practiced. This will
be assessed with the 3 levels (minimal, adequate, excellent)
• Slides should contain (stuff from worksheet)
• The genre/subgenre
• Examples of artists in that genre
• The genre conventions (a list you come up with together)
• A link to the video you want to analyse
• Media language codes (denotation/connotation)
• Genre indicators
• Genre conventions
• Genre comparison (screen shots from other videos)
• Neale’s theory
• Contexts
• Hybridity
Marked individually but you work as a
team – divide the work fairly and
appropriately.
Assessed on:
-understanding of genre and
subgenre/hybridity, genre codes and
conventions
-analysis of codes (meaning)
-understanding of how genre
compares/differs
-application of theory
-understanding of context and
influence of contextual factors

4. DIRT focus
• Codes - Denotation/connotation
• Genre conventions
• Contexts
• Target audience

5. Codes – denotation/connotation
Tell me 3 codes
Prompts:
1. Action/behaviour
2. Setting
3. Costume
Challenge: tell me one that’s not in prompts…

6. Denotation/connotation
• Nuances are the golden nuggets!
• Subtle stuff that carries significant meaning
• I.e. scene from https://vimeo.com/107038516 from 3:40
• i.e. Famous:
• choker around her neck
• Language used by the parents when they text (appropriating teenage language) or they
way they imitate teen culture by the horrible attempts at selfie’s/dancing
• The fact she lives her live in a bubble through her phone

7. Types of Music videos (see other ppt)
• PERFORMANCE
• NARRATIVE = illustration, amplification, disjuncture
• CONCEPTUAL = thematic, symbolic

8. Music video conventions
• Type of video
• Role of the artist
• Image of the artist (how they’re represented)
• Settings/locations
• Characters/models/dancers
• Costume/props
• Type of performance (singing, dancing, other skill)
• Concept of video
• Mode of address – how it speaks to the audience
• Colours/mood
Technical conventions:
• Camerawork
• Editing
• Lighting
1. Think about WHY they do this and what
meaning they create
2. Do they REINFORCE or SUBVERT*
conventions?
*subvert: undermine the power and authority of
(an established system or institution).

9. Conventions – ‘how far’
• In the exam you will get a ‘judgement’ question which means you
have to make JUDGEMENTS.
• Often they are worded by the phrase ‘how far’
• i.e. Explain how far the conventions are reinforced
• Think of how far like a scale 0-10
• 0 = not reinforced at all
• 10 = totally reinforced

10. Contexts
• You will have to discuss how media texts reflect the world and time in
which it was created in (contexts). This could include social and cultural
contexts.
• Social = how media products (Shape of You) reflect society in which they
are produced
• Cultural = how media products (Shape of you) reflect arts and culture*,
including popular culture, of their time
• Culture: the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society
• Remember that contexts overlap!

11. Context questions
• How does it reflect society and society’s values?
• How does it reflect culture and pop culture? (customs, ideas, social behaviours etc)
• Why would Ed Sheeran/his record label make this type of video?
• Why would Ed Sheeran not perform in his video?
• Why a boxing theme?
• Why a love story?
• Why an empowered female?
• Why mixed race relationship?
• Why comedy (sumo suits)?
• Was the concept of the video inspired by other media products?
• This can overlap with conventions…..

12. Target audience
• Think about how videos appeal to target audiences
• Think about who they are and their wider likes/interests…..
• What makes them appeal/attractive to those audiences?
• The type?
• Concept?
• The artist?
• The stuff (visuals) in the video?
• REMEMBER MUSIC VIDEOS ARE TO PROMOTE THE ARTISTS
• Overarching question: How do the video promote the artists?

13. Monday’s assessment
• Get shown an unseen pop music video
• You have to write about:
• Codes – denotation/connotation
• Genre conventions – identify and discuss (reinforce or subvert)
• Context
• Target audience and promotion of artist
• Judgement (HOW FAR) will be on 1 of the questions

14. Practice
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGwWNGJdvx8 ED SHEERAN
• Codes – denotation/connotation
• Genre conventions – identify and discuss (reinforce or subvert)
• Context
• Target audience and promotion of artist