To gain full knowledge of existing media texts of the rock-pop/pop-punk genre I feel it is necessary to analyse existing media texts to get a sense of generic conventions used within the genre. My analysis from three different music videos which I believe belong to the rock-pop/pop-punk genre can be seen in the three following posts.
Paramore's third album "Brand New Eyes" saw the formulation of the above song "Ignorance". The song was released for digital download on 7th July 2009, and was released in the UK on 14th September 2009.
The video has three main locations. The first the audience see is a small dully lit room where the band are in close proximity of one another with little room to move with the use of a light bulb as the only source of light. The second location used is a large performance area but still with emphasis on little lighting. Towards the end of the video the audience see lead singer Hayley Williams in a box room of mirrors. This scene is a lot brighter in contrast to the others, the reflection coming off the mirrors is that of bright blue and Hayley wears pure white clothing secured by black duct tape with her bright orange hair tied up.
The song was written so the band could set aside their differences and become a band again, they were on the edge of splitting up in 2008 and this song saved them after they decided to sit down and talk about their divisions. They expressed their troubles through the song "ignorance" and in fact the whole album - a sense of we are united once more and we are not going anywhere. Gone are their hard hitting neon clothing, unusual haircuts and strutting. Instead, we see dark clothing, dark lighting - a real sense of rock, grown up and developing in their music since settling their troubles. This dark clothing and lighting also fit the conventions of a typical rock-pop/pop-punk music video as it helps to highlight emotional expression.
The video has a great emphasis on the lead singer Hayley Williams. She is seen to be in the limelight, stealing it from the other band members. This is highlighted through the lighting and the focus of the camera. The lighting is a simple, single light bulb which Williams uses to highlight the other band members but only for a short period until she drags it back to herself - this suggests to the audience that frustration within the band formulated due to the attention Hayley created, how she was constantly in the limelight in comparison to the other band members. This frustration comes to its climax towards the end of the video when the band members tie Hayley Williams up and as they finish tying her up the light blacks out and the video ends.
Attention on Williams is created from the very beginning of the video. The camera enters through a bleak looking door and instantly moves towards the lead singer, the other bands members are seen but the focus is instantly put on Hayley implying to the viewer the immediate attention put on the singer. However, the fact that the other bands members are occasionally seen through the use of wide shots indicates that the record label of Paramore - Ramen, yes want to ensure that the band is appealing through the use of a no-nonsense, sexy front women to attract viewers and fans but they are still aware that Paramore are a band and that Hayley would probably be nothing or not as successful without her band supporting her creating strong rifts and rhythms as is the case with any band but especially the rock-pop/pop-punk genre as strong rifts and rhythms establish this genre.
Close ups of the instruments further emphasise the fast beat and guitar rhythms which are further highlighted by a fast cutting rate and exaggerated camera movements. The instruments used are commonly seen in pop-rock/pop-punk music videos. Electric guitars and drums fit the conventions of the rock-pop/pop-punk genre as the band play the instruments in a way which amplifies the aggressive narrative, beat and rhythm of the song.
In regards to the musical/sound of the video, the sound is edgy, fast and upbeat which personifies a sense of aggressive emotion, the formulation of the song such as camera movements and effects echoes this. A particular effect which creates great attention and amplifies the vigorous pace of the song is that of the light bulb flickering at 2:12 and then again at 2:24. I believe this is used to add variation to the shots and to maintain the audience`s focus.
The song is mostly performance based to highlight the close ups on Hayley Williams and the core emotion she expresses throughout the video but through this the audience get a sense of narrative as the way Williams performs in front of the camera reinforces the emotional journey the band have been through, she "plays to the camera" as often seen within the pop-rock genre.
Overall, I believe this music video is typical of the rock-pop genre as the band, but in particular the lead singer`s emphasis on expression of emotion throughout the production which significantly helps to highlight the almost emotionally aggressive lyrics and actions of the song which is further emphasised through the beat and pace of the production. Rock-pop is known for making a statement through choice of unusual camera movement/shots, lighting and mise-en-scene all of which I believe this video possess such as the use of the light bulb, dark locations and most of all the constant focus/promotion on the lead singer and band.
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