25. Conventions Of A Pop Video

Pop Videos

My song is a pop ballad, so I though I would research the conventions of a pop video, prime conventions I found were;

- Bright and colourful where the artists are in your face
- Extreme close ups and close ups showing the artists innocence and purity as many pop artists are shown in the 'goody' light. However, some do go against this and are portrayed sexually, going back to Laura Mulveys theory, although, the majority have a 'perfect image' not a 'rough' one. Many girls view the videos and aspire to be like the people they see, this is one of the main reasons many girls in our society feel inadequate due to the constant focus on this. Popstars feel like they have to be perfect.
- The majority are to attract teenage audiences in and show people in a perfect way.
- They are often upbeat and as I said, in your face to make you remember the artists and their songs, their songs are often catchy so they are constantly kept in the individuals head.
- Female/Males are both portrayed often portrayed in a sexual way to bring in the viewers.

Personally, I wish to go against these conventions and produce a video that is not like this. I don't wish to portray my characters in my video in a 'perfect' way and I want to show them 'raw' and in their personal form, creating emotion and empathy with the audience considering it's a motivational ballad.
A prime example of showing someone in their 'raw' form in a pop music video is, The Fighter - Gym Class Heroes feat. Ryan Tedder.  This shows a US gymnast in a day-to-day life working hard to get where he wants to be and achieve, I like the idea at the beginning where he explains and says 'I'm a Fighter' to automatically motivate. This is definitely the type of 'pop' video I want to create, as this also goes against the set conventions. This video also contains a peformance/narrative, just like I want to create myself.