In the majority of pop videos props are used throughout to help narrate or to engage the audience in the video, however in my music video I used direct mode of address with the camera, I chose to go against this convention because I feel eye contact is a much more personal aspect, use of props would have also been quite challenging as my location was very simple there was nothing to link to any sort of props it was just my talent. Using a broken camera effect in my music video almost gave the idea of it being filmed on a camcorder, I wanted to use this to make the song relatable and personal to the audience and because of this I feel use of props would have obstructed this effect.
Fast Paced cuts were a convention I challenged while making my music video. Many Pop music videos are very upbeat and fast paced cuts are used simultaneously with the beat of the music to be visually appealing. This example is Miley Cyrus's music video '7 things'.
Like many pop videos fast paced cuts are used from the first chorus and throughout the song. My song choice however was much slower and varied in speed throughout the duration. There was quite a lot of repetition in lyrics towards the end, I tested fast paced cuts while editing between these lyrics but it didn't suit the style of my music video, I felt it looked too blunt and for the pace of my song it definitely wasn't well suited.
Lyrical references are used in many music videos of this genre, for example Marina and the Diamonds 'Oh no' music video during certain lyrics a cartoon speech bubble is used with a visual reference to the song lyric.
I think lyrical references are used to entertain the audience and to make the songs meaning clear. I didn't think about this convention until after I had finished my final music video, because my song choice was slightly slower paced and more repetitive it may have been harder to use. I do feel however my music video has a great deal of emotion that are more effective than visual lyrical references. My talent put in a great deal of emotion when lip syncing and with some of the expressions portrayed it gives the audience a personal connection as they can reflect to a time where they have felt that way it also made my music video appear realistic and did successfully show the emotion behind the songs meaning.
The use of intertextuality was another convention I challenged firstly its hard to get it into a music video and secondly its very easily missed, while planning my music video I was very aware of timing limitations for the filming and I didn't want to spend a long time on a reference that may go unnoticed.
A massive part of pop culture is dance. Choreographed dance routines are a typical convention of a music video in this genre. Demi Lovatos 'Neon Lights' is a perfect example of this.
I decided to challenge this convention mainly because I only wanted one individual in my music video, this convention would be better used in a music video with a group.
A recognisable symbol or band trait is often used in pop culture. An example of this is the hat Olly Murs wears in each of his videos its become a symbol of his music just like Michael Jackson and the White Glove. Using Marina and the Diamonds as an artist led me to the decision of whether or not to use her signature look, a black eyeliner heart drawn under her left eye.
I decided against using my artists signature as I didn't want to copy her, I didn't want to get carried away in her style and lose any original ideas I had so I left this open for my own interpretation.
The male gaze theory is the main convention I wanted to challenge in my music video, the reason behind wanting to challenge this in particular was because of how much its used and how it objectifies women. An example of this being 'Blurred Lines' By Robin thicke.
I'm really not a fan of the current music industries view on women or the use of over sexualised music videos. The whole point of a music video in my opinion is too portray the emotion of the song, it should be all about the song no how the women look. Not using typical panning shots of the female body, exposing clothing or shots that make the individual look vulnerable were factors I went against to challenge the male gaze theory and this worked successfully.
Over all looking at conventions that have been challenged by my final music video the biggest challenge is probably the theme of the music video itself. 'Pop' culture is all about current trends. Pop music is an abbreviation of the word popular. Pop music is associated with being modern, music videos in this genre are almost always portrayed in a fashionable trendy way. A current example of this is 'Move' by Little mix both the males and females are dressed in the most popular current fashion trends, make-up and hair. The location also portrays this, a brightly lit modern looking room. With my music video based on the style of the 1960s and its vintage look its the complete opposite of the stereotypical pop style you would expect to see.
There are some conventions that I have kept one of these is lip syncing as with every pop music video I have looked at there is some form of lip syncing involved even if its a narrative story, I used the typical convention of direct mode of contact (performing to the camera) to create an audience and artist relationship as I feel its a good way to convey emotion.
Another convention I have kept is certain camera work. I used close up shots quite a few times in my final music video. Close up shots are a direct mode of address in music videos they're more personal.
The use of close ups in music videos such as Marina and the Diamonds 'starring role' put emphasis and attention onto the artist themselves, this is the effect I wanted; the artist being the centre of attention without using the male gaze theory. The use of close ups also emphasises the facial expression, my talent was very good at portraying certain expressions and this is something I wanted to highlight in my music video.
Location was a convention that I decided to follow, a lot of music videos in the pop genre are filmed outside or in wide open spaces, especially with solo female artists. Two good examples of this are Selena Gomez- 'Come and get it'. I followed this convention because I wanted to also portray femininity with the use of a scenic pretty background, the only problem was I was filming in the middle of december!
Filming in an out door location also allowed me to follow the lighting convention of typical pop videos. Pop songs are often upbeat and often a happy vibe to them because o this lighting is overexposed in places and quite bright. Filming outdoors meant I could use the natural light to create this effect this way when I layered the aged film effect onto the footage it wasn't dark at all and gave this light, warm hearted feel to it which I feel worked well.
Looking at typical conventions I have both challenged and used these to make a good quality music video.
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