The application of genre theory, to a music video, is crucial to the internal
creation and development of atmosphere and thematic validity, as it helps us understand and evaluate the significance of genre codes and conventions in proving the video with a sense of gravitas. Musings on the relation of genre to media
Roland Barthes (1970)
o Engima Codes - Hermeneutic Code: the voice of the truth; Proairetic Code: empirical voice; Semic Code: the voice of the person; Symbolic Code: the voice of symbols; Referential Code
Andrew Tudor (1974)
o A genredefines a moral and social world This element reflects the significance of our own internal emotional atmospheres, within our video; the dichotomy between happiness, sadness and the realm in-between. Furthermore, this thesis is reflected through the morality and social significance of our main characters point of view. o Empiricist Dilemma To take a genre such as the 'western', analyse it, and list its principal characteristics, is to beg the question that we must first isolate the body of films which are 'westerns'. But they can only be isolated on the basis of the 'principal characteristics' which can only be discovered from the films themselves after they have been isolated. o Genre is 'what we collectively believe it to be' (though this begs the question about who 'we' are). o First, in that innovations are added to an existent corpus rather than replacing redundant elements, it is cumulative. Second, in that these innovations must be basically consistent with what is already present, it is 'conservative'. Third, in that these processes lead to the crystallization of specialist subgenres, it involves differentiation.
Steve Neale (1980)
o Genres are instances of repetition and difference. o Difference is absolutely essential to the economy of genre o Constant shifting of our expectations.
David Buckingham (1993)
o Genre is not simply given by the culture it is a constant process of negotiation and change. o As they grow older, children build on this micro-level understanding, forming scripts or schemata relating to broader categories such as genre and narrative. These scripts serve as a kind of cognitive short cut, for example by enabling children to predict the likely outcomes of a story, to assess characters, or to make judgments about what is and is not realistic. Thus, children develop a multi-faceted genre system for categorising television programming based on judgments about form, content and intention. o Children and young people have identities that don't exist at all or are constantly changing. He studied their interactions with electronic media, and he believes that, due to the constant change of media, identities are constantly changing. He believes that genre isn't simply given to a young person as part of their culture, but instead it is constantly being negotiated and changed. The media reveals the bad sides of the world and therefore parents keep their children indoors to hide them from this reality. Due to this, children spend far too much time around various types of media such as TV's and computers, and therefore learn too much about the world and are constantly going through change due to the amount of views, opinions and cultures that they observe.
Barry Keith Grant (1995)
o
All genres have sub genres; which means a genre within a
genre. This means that they can be divided into more specific and accurate categories when targeting an audience specifically when looking at a more niche audience and not the masses.
o This allows audiences to identify genres by their familiar
specifics and what becomes recognizable when looking at characteristics. Music videos fit into a specific genre by using many features in the video altered to fit the niche audience and specific characteristics that they want to see.
Nicholas Abercrombie (1996)
o Media producers exploit the genre, reusing genres and conventions o The boundaries between genres are shifting and becoming more permeable.
Jason Mittell (2001)
o Genres are cultural categories and industries use their genres to sell products, using codes and conventions.