My Chosen Genre

There are many elements to pop music videos, and firstly I will look at Mise en Scene. This is the general term for lighting, props, costume, hair, makeup and location and colour. In a typical pop music video, the lighting is bright, this will probably be similar to my own music video so will be very pop in this sense.

   As well as this, props generally used may consist of cars, phones and speakers yet I for my own video I think I will use less technology featured and keep props at a minimum otherwise the video might look too busy for my preference.

   In terms of costumes, a traditional pop song features people wearing ‘trendy’ clothes which is definitely something my video will include, to appeal to the younger generation.

   Hair and makeup will also follow trends yet also be a little bit different/futuristic to pave a way for new trends.

 Locations for pop music can vary dramatically but I am interested in filming in different variations for variety, including some shots in the studio using coloured lighting with gels.

   In terms of editing, the type of pop song can determine how it is editing, yet because I am going down more of the dance/house pop, the video would traditionally be edited to be very fast paced with jump cuts. Also, filters will be put on the video to make it look more aesthetically refined.

   The song I chose will also be very dance/house/alternative influenced. Something important to me is a good beat as the foundation leading to ideas in a music video.

  I have chosen to go down the pop genre because of many factors, including that most pop songs have a fast-paced beat which will give the music video energy. I am more interested in filming with jump shots because they give a video more dimension and can make it more interesting, which is why I would need a fast-paced song to suit the style of the video.

   As well as this, I feel that pop music doesn’t have to conform to the quintessential style of music of ‘bubble-gum pop’, yet can still have indie/alternative influences and still be in the charts today. I am definitely interested in more dance-pop which can be seen as more refined and urban.

   Furthermore, aesthetic detail in a music video is very important to me because the video needs to perfectly express an emotion or persona of an artist. I will have to make sure my video looks crisp and refined in the sense that it looks modern, young and ‘cool’/’edgy’.

   However, from a consumer’s point of view, I have chosen pop because it is much more accessible due to it always being played on the radio. For the benefit of the consumer I would choose a pop song that is directed towards a dance/alternative style, which is more polished and less naïve. From this, I would hope the music video would be aimed at as many people as possible; young children because it would be a good dance song, as well as older teenagers who are seen as preferring ‘cooler music’, up to mid-twenties as this age would be when adults are still youthful yet more mature in what they like.

   There are many examples of pop music I would wish for my music video to follow in the style of such as Dua Lipa’s ‘New Rules’ solely due to the crisp and modern aesthetic. I also am very influenced by Charli XCX’s ‘Boys’, Dua Lipa’s ‘IDGAF’, Troye Sivan’s ‘My My My!’ and Fifth Harmony’s ‘Down’. 

Troye Sivan - 'My My My!':