This document analyzes characteristics of pop music videos like Little Mix's "Black Magic" including:
- Links between lyrics and visuals to help audiences remember songs
- Synchronizing edits to the music's beats to seem upbeat
- Bright colors and fashionable costumes to appeal to young audiences
- Narratives often involving love to interest teenagers
- Dance breaks and lip syncing to showcase artists as performers
- Close ups of artists to keep their faces relevant in the shifting pop world
2. Genre characteristics-
Link between lyrics and visuals- Helps people remember
lyrics and remember the song increasing sales.
Link between music and visuals- Editing corresponds to
music, preferably changing when snare drum beats making
the song seen upbeat and joyful.
Mise en scene- Bright lighting, bright colours, props and
costume. Making video appeal to a younger target audience,
making it seem more upbeat. Clothing is generally whatever
is fashionable at the time.
Narratives- most pop videos have a element of love in there
narratives. Appealing to the target audience as young
teenagers often obsessed with the concept.
Performances as well as narratives- Using dance breaks or
solid lip synching breaks the video up as well as shows the
artist as a serious performer rather than an actor.
Close ups of artist- Close ups are often used of the artist
because they want to keep their faces relevant as the world
of pop is ever-changing.
3. Link between lyrics and visuals-
Lyrics-
Ig o t the re cipe .
Reading a spell
from
a book of
enchantments.
By having a link between lyrics and visuals people are able to retain the
lyrics of the song for longer making the song difficult to get out of your
head, increasing marketing and advertising.
By creating this imagery the idea of teenage girls going to extreme
lengths to get a boy to like her is reinforced. This targets the target
audience of young teenage girls obsessed with the concept of love.
This imagery also works along stereotypes, portraying the nerds of the
school to find a way in which guys may notice them, reaching out to the
“outcasts” of a stereotypical teenage society.
4. Link between music and visuals
In the music videos most of the
cuts are always edited in when
the beat or bass drum is heard.
This helps create a uplifting,
exciting expression.
In this shot a bell
tower/school is shown a
school bell is heard over
this shot. This sets the
scene as well as helps
relate to their target
audience because most of
their target audience are
still in school.
5. Mise en scene-
In the music video stereotypes are used.
In the first shot the blonde girl is shown
To be the girl all the boys like. By casting
this girl
Stereotypes have definitely been taken in
to
Consideration. For example the girl is
popular,
blonde, skinny, pretty and wears revealing
clothing.
Portraying to the target audience that you
have to look
Like her for boys to like you, emphasising
that’s boys
are stereotypically shallo0w and superficial.
In this shot the stereotypical “nerdy
girls” are
wearing baggy clothing, sweaters
and bag packs, carrying books.
Through the narrative it is
portrayed that by dressing or
acting this way you will get no
where in high school.
6. Narrative-
By using the element of
love in the narratives it
appeals to the target
audience as young
teenagers often
obsessed with the
concept of love.
The narrative throughout this
video is about changing
yourself or enhancing yourself
to get a guy.
The narrative appeals to
the target audience
(teenage girls) by being
based in a school as well
as revolving around
trying to get a guy or
boyfriend; by which most
teenage girl
stereotypically long for.
7. Performances-
By using solid performers such as dance breaks or solid lip
synching the video is broken up as well as shows the artist as a
serious performer rather than an actor with in the video.
8. Close ups-
Close ups are often used of the artist because they want to
keep their faces relevant as the world of pop is ever-changing.
This also creates a closer atmosphere which make the viewer
or fan seem closer to the artist.
