Pop GenreCodes/Conventions

Mise en scene• Costume- pop artists usually have a unique, quirky style that you

associate towards them, like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry for example, stand out from a crowd and usually where bright colours connoting to their pop style music. Clothing will always be up to date, expensive and eye catching.

• Location-usually location includes, the beach, a party, on the street etc. Pop music videos normally have 2/3 locations this keeps the target audience interested in the video which are usually teenagers.

• Props- props are essential in music videos they help to explain the narrative and are often used as a symbol in the video.

• Lighting- the lighting in a pop music video will always be bright/ mostly artificial light which will portray the artist as being flawless, the lighting also changes in the video and helps shift the song from verse to chorus.

Sound

• Lately, in music videos there is a narrative which involves acting and scripted speech at the beginning, end and sometimes during a music video. This helps the audience follow the narrative and almost turns into a short film rather than a music video, for example Michael Jackson-Thriller

• Soundtrack-the sound track is usually upbeat because this conveys the pop genre.

• Lyrics- the lyrics often relate to the narrative of this music video making it easier for the audience to follow and imagine/relate to.

Cinematography• The most common forms of cinematography in pop are close

ups and medium close-ups this is because the audience like to see the artists face in detail while they lip sync.

• Performance shots/long shots are also used if there are band or dance sequences to ensure everything is in the shot.

• Dolly tracking shots are used in pop videos, these are used to follow the artist/group when they are walking or dancing, this movement looks good on camera and makes it interesting to watch for the audience because it means the camera is not stationary throughout, like The Saturdays video.

Editing

• Common types of editing include jump cuts, these are used because they ensure to make the different locations stand out to the audience rather than them fading into each other.

• Editing in pop music will always be to the beat of the song, this is so the music fits in with the music video and flows together.

• Montage editing is also used in music videos, this helps the video flow if it has a narrative so it is easier for the audience to understand.