How does the video Figuring It Out by SWMRS use a structure of anticipation and closure?

The video/lyrics/music to Figuring It Out by SWMRS uses anticipation and closure throughout.It follows the conventional verse/pre-chorus/chorus/verse/pre-chorus/chorus/verse/pre-chorus/chorus creating closure due to the audience being able to expect what is to happen next. However, the use of the solo could come as a surprise to audiences due to it coming between a chorus and verse. On the other hand, it could be expected due to it being a convention to the genre. The lyrics resist a rhyme scheme and instead uses broken and irregular rhyme creating a refusal to the closure and anticipation of the next lyric. However, the repetition of the chorus creates closure to the lyrics due to the repeated lyric (We're still figuring it out). The music follows a steady beat of 4/4. The regular time signature creates closure as does the strong beat. The video cuts to a lot of the beats also creating closure as the audience will begin to anticipate the next cut/the next event. Finally, the repetition of the bass riff also can become anticipated as it is regular and the same through most of the video.

Grand Narratives in Fat Lip//Sum 41

Fatlip from Charley Easter

Genre Case Study // UPDATED

She Moves In Her Own Way//The Kooks



Someday//The Strokes



Snap Out Of It//Arctic Monkeys



Bonfire//The Hunna



How and why do genres use shared codes and characteristics?/How do music videos develop or challenge genre conventions?
Within the indie rock genre characteristics include being about image, this may be about the artist/band or the whole video, such as keeping a running theme throughout the video. This is seen through all of these videos. Within 'She Moves In Her Own Way' the image of the band is seen throughout as laid back and different. Where as within 'Bonfire' The Hunna looks to be a lot more grunge and although the video is very polished, the juxtaposition is very clear between the way the video is shot and the band.

Throughout 'Bonfire', 'She Moves In Her Own Way' and 'Someday' a convention is seen throughout which is the use of performance against narrative. Whereas in 'Snap Out Of It' Arctic Monkeys used a narrative story line, which goes against indie rock video conventions.

Other similarities throughout the music videos include things such as shots of the bands, and the use of handheld cameras. These characteristics make the videos seem more edgy, therefore suiting to the target audiences.

Gunther Kress said  'Genre is a kind of text that derives its form from the structure of a (frequently repeated) social occasion, with its characteristic participants and their purpose.' This gives evidence of reason as to why artists and bands have similar conventional videos and why there is a 'conventional' form at all.

How is genre used by institutions/media producers?
Genre is used by institutions and media producers in similar ways as they both have the same aims to sell the record to the specific target audiences the genre includes. For example, with these music videos the institutions and media producers would be trying to sell to young people who like indie rock.

Genre is also used to establish target audience for the institutions and media producers to be able to sell to. By understanding the target audience the institutions and media producers are able to understand the ways in which they can advertise and shape the artist.

When considering the artists above they may have been advertised very differently. Where a well-known band like Arctic Monkeys would be advertised globally, smaller bands like The Hunna were advertised more nationally. However due to dated bands like The Strokes were advertised through niche magazines such as NME to target their specific target audience.

How is genre used by audiences?
Genre is used by audiences mostly to categorise people and adding to their collective identity. In this day and age a lot of teenagers are finding themselves being categorised into fandoms (the fans of a particular person, team, fictional series, etc. regarding collectively as a community or subculture). This can be argued as a good or a bad thing. Micheal Maffesoli says that 'Today social existence is conducted through fragmented tribal groupings, organised around the catchwords, brand-names and sound bites of consumer culture.' This statement describes how the world is an audience of a consumer.

Within the indie rock genre, pejorative connotations are given to those who actively listen to the genre. These can include -

• Generally aged 16-25 
• Mostly male 
• Actively goes to gigs
• Believes music is very important
• Wears skinny jeans, band t-shirts, checked shirts, Converse/Doc Martens
• Likely to play an instrument, guitar/bass/drums
• Likely to also enjoy indie films
• Likely to be on social media sights such as Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram
• Consume other media - active readers of music specific magazines such as NME, RockSound/Listen to radio stations such as Radio One or Kerrang! 

These styles such as the fashion side of these connotations can be seen in these music videos.

Christine Gledhill says 'Genres permit the creation and maintenance of a loyal audience which becomes used to seeing programmes within a genre' although about television series' it can be taken on and considered for music videos also.

How are genres shifting and permeable?
Genres have always shifted and will carry on shifting. I think that there will always be the big genres that will forever split into smaller sub genres e.g. Rock/Pop Rock.

If considering indie rock, it was established in the UK and the US in the 1980's. The term 'indie' was used to describe the music produced on punk/post punk labels. However, by the end of the 90's indie rock had its own further sub genres showing again their has been a shift within the genre. It had also become mainstream after bands like Nirvana got into the charts.

This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race // Fall Out Boy - Andrew Goodwin Evaluation

The music video 'This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race' by Fall Out Boy displays characteristics from Andrew Goodwin's ideas of conventions of music videos.

Firstly, it demonstrates genre characteristics, such as the use of a stage performance at the beginning and the end. This is used in other music videos matching the 'Pop Punk' genre such as Sum 41's 'In Too Deep'. Secondly, its lyrics and visuals contradict each other. Thirdly, there is a relationship between music and visuals, for example at 0.29 there is a cut between a producer and then to the band. Furthermore, Goodwin says that 'The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artists and the artist make develop motifs which recur across their work' this is prominent throughout Fall Out Boy's work. Within this particular music video this shot :

is from another one of their music videos. Throughout they also have recurring close ups of the band and those within it. Additionally, Goodwin also describes music videos to 'Frequently reference to notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body' this music video does both of those. The use of the cameras throughout the beginning sequence of the music video and then the use of the magazines also. Making the female body voyeuristic is also something done throughout in multiple scenes throughout the music video in shots such as 1:30 and 2:31. Finally, there is use of intertextual references used again from the bands earlier music videos such as the shot above and also the bassists costume of the black make-up around the eyes and the lead singers hat which became frequent throughout their later music videos.

Introduction

Hi, my names Charley and this is my A2 blog :-)