Music Video and Genre Research

Different music videos fit under different genres depending on the track. Genres of music determine the genre of the video which ultimately sells the song and the artist, categorising themselves into a distinctive style. 

• Homage music videos refer to other events with in the song and take inspiration from other elements of media like films or even literature- these could be seen as tributes and songs out of respect. They could link to important events that actually happened. 

This song having been written by 2Pac   

This video  is seen as a tribute to Tupac Shakur, this song was released ten years after his death and it was produced by Eminem.The artist 2Pac never appears in the video and neither does Elton John as samples from Indian Summer feature in this song. An actor, J.D Williams plays the artist of 2Pac and is presented through means of mise en scene as someone who does not involve himself in the life of drugs. The start of the music video follows a pproleptic point of view of Tupac's death and then enters into a flash back of a time period before so that we can see the inevitability of his death. Eminem as a producer may have included this to create a sense of ambiguity so that the audience/ viewers feel attached to 2Pac as an artist. The music video takes a narrative form following 2Pac through his everyday life and then we, as an audience, witness his death. Music videos are usually thought of as adverts for an artist so this could be interpreted as Eminem's way of keeping the artist alive. At the end of the video there is a message from his mother saying "Remember to keep yourself alive, there is nothing more important than that". This song contains a pastiche or a mixture of genres of music type such as rapping, soul..etc. 

There are other examples of music videos which link to films such as;




For example this video by 30 seconds to mars 'The Kill' which takes direct inspiration from the film The Shining directed by Stanley Kubrick. Using locations and themes that the iconic film features this narrative video mimic one with the structure of the film. The lead singer of the group, Jared Letto, adopts the characteristic of the main character of the film, Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson. This video contains features of the genre of Rock music. 





Wolf Alice's You're a Germ music video makes links to many horror films such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Cabin in the woods,  and The Evil Dead. The music video follows a fantasy style narrative structure which appears to have a groundhog day affect as they relive many moments resulting in death. The mise en scene depicts this concept entrapment and the perfect connotations of a horror film setting. The artist is generally dressed as a normal person would and this could be argued to be a feature of relatablity the artist wants to ensue on the audience. In terms of actions this is not a setting or an event that the artist/ people would be performed in real life. This band can be classed in the genre of indie or rock.

• Animation can be used in music videos to illustrate lyrical meaning. 

This music video by BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan), a south Korean boy band, contains a pastiche of hip-hop and rap focusing on rhythmic fixtures withing the artistic animation. the animation is cued to be in time with the beat and contains features of cutting on the beat. The animation contains a character similar design to the members of the group. The colours follow their concepts. This is the only video by BTS which features animation however this video is used as a trailer to introduce their new concept. 






'Do I Wanna Know' by the Arctic Monkeys is a blend of neo psychedelia, garage, indie and stoner rock genres. The feature of simple and unconventional visual representation puts it at one of the most effective music videos in terms of representing the beat of the music. 




One More Time by Daft Punk features the anime talents of Leiji Masumoto and centers on the story of an alien pop band as it was used int the French-Japanese film Interstellar: 5555. The video matches the happy sound of disco house track. 




Feel Good Inc. by the Gorillaz. This video features a blance of CGI and 2D animation and combines the music with the visuals perfectly. Gorillaz feature as a virtual band with animated members in many of their music videos. Feel Good Inc. tackles political and visual issues and therefore the visual stimulation makes an audience think. The singers are presented in the form of characters as gorillas to reiterate their band noame. 

• Narrative- A story is told throughout the music video to extend characters or the artist in general. 

Katy Perry's Last Friday Night tells the story of a girl who goes through a bildungsroman transformation from geek to cool girl with the help of her neighbor. From an antisocial nobody to a popular social butterfly she features the whole story in her music video. This Pop song allows for a fun story to be told and Katy's fans can find themselves in an aspired state of mind and relate to her more. 




Love is a Battle Field by Pat Benatar shows her being kicked out of her home and running away. Eventually she is hired as a prostitute to ensure a well being and element of living all the while her family is shown to miss her and her brother receives letters from her. Pat's character is shown to never truly belong. Pat's character is shown to lead a sense of rebellion in the brothel where she works metaphorically and visually through dance and she is left running again. This version of 80's pop is shown to follow a narrative structure with visual elements of dance and have minor elements of dialogue so that it follows the structure of a film.

• As Live- showing elements of the song being performed of stage. 

This version of By The Way by Red Hot Chili Peppers contains features of live recording and performance. Although it doesn't show an audience it really shows what the genre of Rock would be like performed live as you can see the band in a comfortable state as they would be when they were performing. this is presented through the rough editing and the shaky camera taken at an angel with the correct lighting to make it look as though they are performing on a stage.  






This video by 4 Non Blondes shows the performance of their single What's Up. Therefore it presents some elements of the surroundings that would be present during a performance of the song. This video also follows an artistic form of overlaying different clips from different situation- this is done to present the confusion that the group feel when uncovering issues of their professional and personal lives. 

• Referencing- using inspiration in your product. 

Ashanti - Foolish contains inspiration from the movie the classic gangster movie Goodfellas directed by Martin Scorsese but it puts its own take on the video and sells the music whilst following the general plot of the video for the genre of  female RnB. 





Hold on, We're Going Home by drake mimics and shows parallel connotations to the film Scarface directed by Brian De Palma and staring Al Pacino. The Hip Hop song is ultimately sold but the video aids the visual appeal.

• Parody - It is created to mock the original piece of work, whether this is through the style, movement, presentation or actuality of the piece.   

A simple video following the tune usually of a well known song as well as mimicking events or traits of the artist featured. This video is a parody of the pop song I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift. 

• Influence of Commercials- This is where the well known styles or layouts of commercials on TV's or magazines.. etc are used to influence the style of the product. 

Here we have the video for Gold Digger by Kanye West featuring Jamie Fox. The video features girls posing as though they are on the covers of magazines and the backgrounds contain layouts similar to those of a magazine. The women are depicted as 'pin up' models from the vintage 50s era. 

• Surreal or Abstract (Disjunctive)- A dream like state is created and it can not be believed to be a true event as the audience possibly don't understand what is going on. 

Lorn- Acid Rain contains elements of surrealism in this indie DJ beat. The idea that the events in this video are actually happening seems impossible and this is what allows the audience to experience the unrealistic qualities of this video. The setting and the situation both enforce this prospect also.




This video, 'Your nails look so pretty' by Hot Sugar, contains elements of surrealism through lighting and costume. This simple mix of beats and classical piano has been auto tuned to a max to create a new type of sound and the simplistic slow motion visuals help to allude this relaxing atmosphere and visually represent the song. 

• Interpretive- These kinds of videos offer a visual representation of the lyrics. 

This video of Elastic Heart by Sia contains elements of interpretation as it creates its own plots and style for this pop song. The video contains dance, and emotion form two characters of complete binary oppositions. 




Block B present their music video Toy which is a KPop song in which they display themselves as trash and need throwing out. The concept is that they were used up like a toy and then thrown away when they were bored. this can be classed as an interpretative because of the structure of an independent story line. 



NCT's video of a Synchronization of Your Dreams shows the group finding themselves in very different events and circumstances however the nature of their concept makes a nonsensical interpretation to be formed. This video is presenting the group in a long shot of the events whilst applying minimal cutting features, such as cutting in black, to allows the situation to flow as one.  The video has been slowed down slightly to also allow a more relaxed and surreal aspect. 

• Impressionist- an artist impression on their own 

Red Hot Chili Peppers visits different artist styles through the years in their video for Dani California. Each member dresses as a key influential artist in the video for example; The Beatles, Prince and Kiss. The video is a quasi-chronology of the evolution of rock music; the band performs the song on a stage, but in a variety of outfits representing important figures and movements in the history of rock, thus expressing the evolution of the Rock genre.