Codes and Conventions of Pop Music

1. What is a Pop music video?

1.1. The genre of pop music came about in the 1950s where, at the time, rock and roll was the most popular music. However, today a lot of the popular music is dance music or rapping. Also, a lot of pop music videos in today's world contain performative routines, vibrant colours and have special effects edited on to them.

1.2. Many artist use their costume to symbolise something whether it's expensive cars to show wealth or revealing clothing to show sexuality.

1.3. Dance routines are used frequently in pop music videos by artists such a Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Little Mix, etc. This is to give the audience a feeling of what the artist they are listening to is like.

2. Setting

2.1. Many pop music videos use well know locations such as London, New York, California, Miami, etc. This is because many of the artists' target audiences will recognize these places for the atmosphere and party life. Places such as schools, gyms, parks, etc. Are also often used so that the audience can feel closer to their favourite artist.

2.2. This pop music video is mainly set in a high school however has videos of people from around the world doing the famous dance routine which is shown in the music video. By setting this music video in a high school it shows that the artist's intended target audience are teenagers as they could relate to the high school setting.

2.3. This pop music video called Wake me up by Avicii was shot in Piru, California. In the music video there is also concert footage which was taken in Miami. These places are well known globally so this will keep the viewer interested in the music video.

3. Intertextuality

3.1. Intertextuality in pop music videos refers to what ideas and inspirations were used from separate pieces of work in order to make one idea.

3.2. For example, Little Mix's song, 'Black Magic' can be seen as getting it's inspiration from Clueless, Sabrina The Teenage Witch and The Craft. We can tell this through their typical 90s, geek, teen outfit of heavy back packs, glasses, interesting choices in knitwear and unbrushed hair; which would have been seen in the films they got their inspirations from.

3.3. Another example could Ed Sheeran's song Shape of You. This song I believe could have got inspiration from films such as Creed, Rocky and Southpaw. In all films the boxers train in run down gyms as does Ed Sheeran in his video. Similarly, in all films and the pop music video, there is a love interest for the boxer.

4. Voyeurism- How are females represented in pop music videos?

4.1. Female as a solo artist or in a all-girl band are objectified as a sexual object. Solo artists like Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj are clear examples of voyeurism within pop. This is because they both wear little/revealing clothing or tight fitting in order to catch the gaze of men and to keep the attention of their target audience..

5. Voyeurism- How are males represented in pop music videos?

5.1. Male solo artists like Justin Bieber and Drake are rarely objectified as a sexual objext in music videos. There are often female dancers in the background of their music videos or dancing with the male artist. Here again it is the females that are objectified as a sexual object. .

6. Narrative/Audience

6.1. Pop music video's narratives often revolve around love or a party lifestyle. This is because many of the artists target audiences are teenagers who are associated with both love and partying. This means that the artist's target audience will want to watch their music videos.

7. Editing

7.1. Depending on the tempo of the music being either at a slow or fast pace

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8. Cinematography

8.1. Close-up shots of artists or characters, in the music video's, facial expression could be used in order to display to the viewer the feelings and emotions the artist/character is feeling. For example, at the beginning of the music video for La La La by Naughty Boy there is a close up of a young boys face from a high angle looking down on him while he has a sad expression on his face. The high angle is used to show that the boys is

8.2. Camera shots can also be used to highlight what an artist is known for. For einstance, frequenbtly in Justin Bieber music videos there is multiple shots of dance routines as he is know for his dances. Similarly, Miley Cyrus has worn revealing clothing in her music videos before as she is know for not being shy of showing off her sexuality. These are typical conventions of a pop music video.

9. Mise en scene

9.1. Oftern in modern pop music videos the artists/characters change there costumes throughout the music video in order to keep the interest of the viewer. Often in pop music videos bright and colourful clothing is worn or clothing is worn which fits the narrative.

9.2. The lighting in pop music videos is often bright and full of colour to create a positive feel amongst the audience. However, this may differ due to narrative or genre of music such as rock, as in pop rock music videos the lighting may not be as bright and vibrant as rock is associated with darker and duller lighting.