Genre (Needs to be finished)

I am going to discuss theories of genre in relation to my advanced portfolio whereby I produced a music video for Matthew Perryman Jones alternative pop song ‘Save You.’ The music video is a period piece set In the 1940’s and is based on a couple separated as the male character leaves for war, therefore follows conventions of a romantic narrative.

As Daniel Chandler once stated “genre is too restricting and presents audiences with a creative ‘straightjacket.’” Although genre is a helpful way to define different methods of communicating to audiences and creating boundaries and guidelines there is a lot of criticism that surrounds genre. Genres can create difficulties for those who want to experiment outside of the rigid boxes, yet without genre to conform to it would be hard to fund and sell your product. I don’t believe that genre was too restricting with our music however; therefore it challenges chandler’s theory. Our narrative falls under the romantic genre but both conform and subvert the ideas of romance. Our music video reveals a couple through flashbacks showing portions of happiness and love, yet the tragic nature of the video subverts generic conventions. Unlike in other romantic narrative music video’s such as ‘High Hopes’ by kodaline and ‘The one that got away’ by Katy Perry where the death of the male character proves to be tragic yet end on a positive resolution, our music video focuses upon the sadness and vulnerability of the female character and does not end positively. Due to the fact that the music video doesn’t conform strictly to the genre of romance, the genre was not ‘restricting’ like how chandler suggested. Like Jane Feuer mentioned ‘it is hard for genre to be defined as they’re abstract.’

Warren Buckland suggested ‘Genre creates expectations that condition our responses. The familiarity of the genre enables each spectator to anticipate and predict what will appear in them. Genre sets up hopes and promises and brings pleasure if these hopes and promises are fulfilled.” I believe that the high emotional response to our music video is evoked from the intertwining of tragedy and romance. The fact that our video subverts the romantic genre by not having a return to equilibrium creates a high emotional response because the genre which ‘sets up  hopes and promises’ doesn’t bring pleasure because these are not fulfilled due to the tragic death of the male character. Rarely music videos don’t have a return to a state of equilibrium, however one of the main inspiration for our music video ‘Thinking of you’ by Katy Perry ends similarly to our music video. Perry’s music video is a romantic genre like ours yet challenges it slightly by not fulfilling generic hopes.  

Rick Altman