Research into the Diversity of Music Videos- Miss Miller

When studying music videos, it is noticeable that there is a huge diversity in the different styles of videos. For example, dance, rap, pop and indie will all follow different conventions to make themselves distinct from other genres. A diverse music video is one in which that subverts against the stereotypical conventions of a particular genre. A unique video is again, one that includes perculiar characterists that would not be seen else where.

When looking at diverse music videos, a well known music video director that is specific in this area is Chris Cunningham. Cunningham creates music videos in which are unique and diverse to particular genres. He has worked with many artists, however, the videos in which i will be looking at is Madonna Frozen and Aphex Twin Come to Daddy. These two videos both show examples of subverted conventions to their genre. Madonna's genre of music is pop, yet the music video directed by Cunningham suggests differently. The dark lyrics of her song are reflected in the visuals in which we are shown, this portrayal is part of Andrew Goodwins theory of music videos. For example, she is wearing black clothing and her hair is dark coloured which presents sorrow and sadness. This element links with the lyrics she sings saying 'you're broken' in which is sad and upsetting. The dark clothing and setting in which shows her by herself, ultimately goes against stereotypical conventions of the pop genre. The performance based video allows for the artist to be shown to the audience and be centre off attention. As we are seen many close ups, we are able to see how upset and depressed she is seemed to be. Again, this subverts against typical pop conventions as we expect the main singer to be happy and dancing. Madonna's Frozen video is diverse as we would expect the video to be conventional. Because of its unique structure, music channels may not play it on their channels, ultimately, this means less publicity for the artist and for the song not to have a wide audience making it unnsuccessful in its sale. The next video by Cunningham in which I looked at was Aphex Twin Come To Daddy. This song falls under the electro-house genre. Cunningham goes against the stereotypical house conventions to create a diverse and unique video. The setting is in an everyday living area, around a block of flats, firstly, this isn't typical of the genre, we are expected to see a club setting and flashing lights. Again, in this music video, the music matches the visuals. When the lyrics say 'come to daddy' we are shown children walking to the TV in which we can see the artists face on. Because the electro-dance appeals to the older teenagers and young adults, showing young children within the video may put the audience off and may find it disturbing. Again, this music video is unique as the idea has never been seen before which means that music channels may play it on their channels. This may create publicity for the artist and may gain fans. However, like the Madonna video, channels may be hesitant to show it and would therefore only attract a limited audience and therefore make the song less popular. There are advantages and disadvantages to both of these music videos, the individuality of the videos makes the artist rememberable, it creates publicity and the controversy creates a buzz.

The next director is named Michael Gondry who also creates diverse and controversial music videos. He has worked with Kylie Minogue and the White Stripes in whom both music videos are obscure and ambiguous. The music videos for these artists that he created are out of the ordinary which makes them both memorable. Kylie Minogue's video 'Come into My World' is of the pop genre which is typically associated with flamboyant and extravagent scenery and dance routines which the audiences would expect. However, the artist is the only person shown and is shown repetitively. The repetition of the artist is unconventional for the pop genre which will draw the attention of the audience and engage them to watch more. Another factor that makes the music video so diverse is the fact that Kylie Minogue is wearing casual clothing which subverts typical pop and also has a normal everyday setting. The next video in which Michael Gondry had directed and produced is The White Stripes with their song 'The Hardest Button To Button'. It uses some of the aspects also in which are featured in Kylie Minogues video.  There is repetition of the artists themselves throughout the music video which is self-promotion, they are represented as typical rock artists in the way they are dressed and both are playing instruments. The setting is ifferent images in the audiences mind, making it more entertaining and memorable for them. Music channels are likely to play this music video due to the diversity and eye catching editing of the instruments and also to appeal to the target audience of the rock genre. Kylie Minogue's and The White stripes music videos also present advantages and disadvantages. For example, it makes them both different to other artists from the same genre, making them more well known within their genre. Both videos are also very memorable, so they both make more of a profit. The disadvantages they faces are that they may not appeal to a wide number of people therefore decreasing sales and as each video uses repetition, this may seem boring to the audience and they may lose interest whilst watching. 

Overall, the music industry now is a very difficult industry to build yourself up in and be remembered to stand out from the mass amount of music artists within it. Therefore, an artist may feel the need to create a diverse music video in order to be memorable and gain fans. Gondry's idea would be less suitable for my genre due to the use of repetition because as an artist within the indie genre you wouldn't want to bore your audience- you would want to be creative and individual. A lack of audience means a lack of profit and publicity. As well as this,  Cunningham's style would also be unsuitable for my genre due to the use of swearing and explicit scenes and the negative narrative used within the music videos he directs.