Romanek's video for Jay Z's track 99 Problems is a great example of genre conventions being convayed in the video. In this case, New York hip hop. Unlike L.A party-style hip hop, the New York rap scene is often a more serious, gritty music style. This video features many genre conventions, including the sterotypical hood in Brooklyn filled with crime and African Americans. Jay Z show the rascism the police have in New York in the song, so in the video, during the police scene Jay Z is shown in a mid shot rather than a high angle shot. This shows that he is not a criminal and is going to stand his ground. The video also sells the artist as Jay Z is often shown in a low angle shot. This makes him seem big and tough and this toughness is also a trademark of this style of Hip Hop.
2: There is a relationship between the lyrics and visuals. Example: My Chemecal Romance- The Ghost of You (dir: Marc Webb)
This song's lyrics explore the heartache and pain that a person feels when losing a loved one. So it seemed appropriate to set the video during a war, when many people lose there loved ones. The war setting is perfect for the combined effects of emotional lyrics and loud rock music, also matching the genre and music as well as driving the meaning behind the lyrics.
3: There is a relationship between the music and visuals. Example: Aphex Twin- Come to Daddy (dir- Chris Cunningham)
Aphex Twin creates fast, loud, experimental dance music. This video is an experimental weird horror music video by Chris Cunningham, who uses hundreds of short cuts and bizzare camera effects to create a piece of art that matches not only the strangeness of the video but also the speed of the editing matches the fast paced song and manic, dark visuals.
4: Record company demands, sell the artist/band/product. Example: Paramore- Misery Buissness (dir- Shane Drake)
This video really sells the band and product. Most of the shots feature the band performing and at the end, show them as the dominant characters in the school setting. As well as selling the artist, the video also relates to the lyrics and uses quick cuts to match music and genre. It also sells products for the record company. As well as being just a big advert for the band and song, the band also perform in a room with the word Riot! written all over the wall. This is the name of the album containing the song so it also sells that.
5: Show artists in voyeristic ways. Example: Nikki Minaj- Starships
If ever there was a video designed to make the artist look appealing/sexy and to once again sell the artist, it is definatly this. Or any other Nikki Minaj video. They are all basically the same.
6: There are intertextual references (to other films, TV shows, music videos) Example: Slipknot-Spit it Out (dir- Thomas Mignone)
This video for Spit It Out by Slipknot features clips of the band performing. However, the masked metalheads also accopmpany the violent shouts and strange lyrics with clips of them parodying the equally violent and strange horror film The Shining. This teams in well with the bands horror related masks and loud, aggressive musical style. Once again we also show genre coventions here, with fast, short cuts to match the fast paced track.
Another example of videos using these conventions is:
Eminem- 3 A.M (dir- Sydrome)
Uses the horror genre to accompany an evil rap by Eminem's psychotic charcter Slim Shady.
Since the song is essentially about a pschopath murdering people, it seems only right that the video should also do this. Also, the video sells the artist as most shots contain Eminem.
Some artists have their own video style in order to further promote themselves. Here are some examples:
Pitbull
Rapper Pitbull uses all his videos to match the lyrics and style of his songs. He mainly just stands there in expensive clothes and often exotic locations rapping and partying with lots of pretty girls.
Marilyn Manson
Manson likes to mix the good with the bad (his stage name is a hybrid of Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson). So his videos do the same, often taking things that people love and destroying them. His videos are full of weird, scary, dark images that perfectly match his style and stage persona.
50 Cent
50 Cent dosen't make music video's. He make gangsta films with rap music in them. He frequently uses his videos to sell his gangsta/Pimp/criminal/badman image. He again matches his vids to his style and lyrics.
