Research: Genre

The genre we are doing is the music video genre.

Music video is 'a distinctive art form which can allow really interesting creative opportunities', according to Peter Fraser (2005), and also 'music video is not primarily a commodity form but  promotional one', according to Andrew Goodwin (1992).

According to Andrew Goodwin, the conventions of the genre include:
- Genre characteristics
- Visuals/lyrics
- Visuals/music
- Need to sell artist
- Intertextuality [i.e. to other music videos, films, or TV texts]
- Voyeurism [i.e. women and also the concept of 'looking' and 'seeing' e.g. screens within screens, cameras, etc]

Also, Goodwin points out the main conventions that are apparent such as:
- There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals.
- There is a relationship between the music and the visuals.
- Particular music genres may have their own music video style and iconography.
- There is a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close ups of the main artist/vocalist.
- The artist may develop their own star iconography.
- There is likely to be reference to voyeurism.
- There are likely to be intertextual references.

According to Peter Fraser, the conventions included in music videos are:
- Lyrics
- Music
- Genre
- Cinematography
- Editing
- Intertextuality
- Narrative and performance

In the history of music videos, music and moving images have always been closely associated, also in the 1920's and the 30's, there was a lot of experiments in the music video area, also musicals were established as a film genre, and then jukeboxes came about, such as 'The Soundies', an early US jukebox. In the early 60's, Scopitones were used as a model for music videos, and also many drug-influenced little films by mainly rock artists came about. In the 1970's Top Of The Pops began airing, and then the MTV channel came about, and now there are many music channels which show music videos, which is all promotional.

-Zaynab