Codes and Conventions
Music videos for house/dance music tend to have specific codes and conventions which allows for more freedom when creating ideas for music videos. They tend to feature videos about love, sexuality, and things young audiences can relate to. The videos tend to feature clubbing scenes, women with minimal clothing, parties, pools, dancing around, and drinking. The atmosphere comes across as wild and happy, and there's often bright colours shown. Dancing plays an important role in house/dance music as this type of music is usually played in clubs and parties which would make you want to dance. The artist of the song doesn't usually feature in the music video themselves as the narrative normally doesn't have anything to do with the lyrics.
Music Video 1 Basshunter 'Now You're Gone' 2006
This song is of electrodance genre mainly for clubs, raves and festivals, and this music video clearly depicts these typical conventions for this genre. The use of camera shots are usually mid shots and close ups of the characters but mainly focuses on long shots showing
people dancing and close ups of women's' bodies. There are numerous shots in this video of the females wearing minimal clothing in the club which is conventional, but can convey this negative message that women are sexual objects. In contrast, this is more light hearted for the house and dance genre compared to the R&B or rap genre, as the atmosphere of being in a club or rave is seen as more harmless fun rather than being overpowered by men like in R&B videos. In terms of mise en scene, the costume of the characters within are quite conventional, as women are seen in minimal clothing such as shorts and vest tops and the men are more casual in simple jeans and t shirts and shirts. This fits into the genre as these are the sort of clothes you would expect to see people wearing in clubs and therefore evokes the atmosphere it intends to. The settings and locations consist of a night club and the two rooms of the lead characters in this video. In the night club there are many colourful strobe lights which is conventional as this genre of music is meant to be uplifting and get the listeners in the mood to dance. The editing in this video consists of quick cuts to reflect the upbeat tempo of the song but also there's use of slow motion when the two main characters look at each other. This subverts the stereotype that dance music videos are only about fast paced editing, however this has been done to help build the narrative about two lovers and creates emotion between them. The target audience for this music video would be young people, especially young adults, as it is the sort of song to be played at clubs so it would therefore appeal to the youth. The mise en scene, camera shots and editing all help to entice the target audience for example the setting of being in a club would have relatability for the audience. Race is represented in this video as stereotypically as there usually is white people within. Age is represented as stereotypical as dance and house music videos ten
d to only feature young adults. There never really is older people featured as they're unlikely to be associated with the settings of clubs and parties. Gender is represented very stereotypically as the women are dressed in minimal clothing and there are various camera shots just showing off their bodies. They are often sexualised within these music videos so therefore it is conventional. The men are seen to be having fun going out with the 'lads' which is a typical thing to happen in everyday life but also in these music videos. The focus on the males in this music video is for them to be seen looking and admiring the women in the club, which is very conventional. Music Video 2 Disclosure 'You and Me' ft. Eliza Doolittle 2013
This music video is a narrative video which is of house and deep house genre so it possesses certain conventions. The narrative follows a young couple adventuring and traveling around places, and it is quite unconventional for the house genre to have a narrative so this is interesting. There are many camera shots and angles that show off some conventions such as many close ups between the two characters. As well as the close ups, there are a lot of long shots showing the couple going out adventuring in these interesting places. This is conventional as in house music videos there usually features foreign countries and people having fun. In terms of mise en scene, there are some aspects which are conventions of the house genre such as the settings. There are various places such as hot countries with blue seas, simple streets, and a club is featured too. These are all places that are used in house music videos as they create this holiday vibe that makes people want to dance, go out, and travel. The props used also fit into this genre as maps and foreign money. These two things bring the theme of traveling and being lost with the one you love. These props are help to build the narrative which also fit into the lyrics which subverts the usual stereotype that house music videos have nothing to do with the lyrics. This has been done to maybe appeal to a wider audience and also help the audience understand the meaning of the song. The song isn't very fast paced compared to other house songs so this allows there to be this more chilled video of a narrative of two young lovers. There is high key lighting which reflects the mood of the song as well as vibrant colours used which is conventional for the house genre to use. The editing for this music video consists of quick cuts, especially when it gets to the chorus, and the whole video is almost like a montage of their adventures. This is conventional for the house genre as well as being conventional for narrative music videos, as montages become almost like a mini scene in a film. The target audience for this video would be young teens and young adults as this music is usually played in clubs and parties. This music video appeals to the audience as there is slight humour between the couple which people could relate to, and the theme of travelling is very appealing to young people. Age is represented in this video as conventional as the two young characters that feature within are seen to be having fun and being slightly reckless, going clubbing and making money. This is a typical portrayal of youth in house music videos and also very appealing to the target audience. Race is portrayed relatively stereotypically except the couple are interracial with the female being mixed race and the male being white. This subversion is interesting but also appealing as interracial couples seem to be more and more common these days which is largely appealing to younger people rather than older people. Gender is portrayed as stereotypically in some parts where the female is seen in minimal clothing during some of the intimate scenes but mainly throughout she is covered up. She is also seen wearing quite baggy clothing and not even seen in a bikini. This subversion is interesting but reflects the meaning of the song as it's more about being in love with one person. Therefore the focus would be more on the two lovers as equals.
Music video 3 ZHU 'Faded' 2014
This music video is of the electronic and house gene, and does not have a narrative. There are many camera shots and angles to show off some typical conventions of this genre. For example there are various mid shots showing off the people dancing in this club, as well as high angle shots looking down on the crowd dancing. This is conventional as this type of music is associated with clubbing and raves, and this camerawork clearly depicts this. The mise en scene in this video does show off most typical conventions. The costume of most of the people are an example of this, such as the women wearing minimal clothing. Their clothing is also very sexualised as there are a few scenes where there is only one girl shown in a room laying down wearing some sort of lingerie/corset which is very provocative. This could even subvert the stereotype as women aren't usually sexualised to this extent in house/dance music videos. In terms of the lighting, it is very low key as it's in a dark night club, but there are also flashing strobe lights which create a rave atmosphere. The whole video is also in black and white which in a way subverts the stereotype that house/dance music features vibrant colours. This therefore creates the effect that this video has a more sexual and fierce theme. The editing within this music video is interesting as the whole video is in black and white and there are various overlays used of people's silhouettes. This is quite artistic and reflects the deep house sound of the song. This is therefore conventional and has elements of symbolism of sex, dance, and the idea of loosing yourself in music. There is a lot of quick flashing cuts which reflects the upbeat tempo of the song as well as creating this hallucination effect. This also reflects the idea of being drunk and 'faded' as this what the song is all about. There is also use of grainy filter which has elements of grunge and grit which enhances this same theme of alcohol and drugs. The target audience for this music video would also be young people, mainly adults, as the ideas of getting drunk and going clubbing is mainly surrounding the lives of young adults, definitely not children. Therefore the themes of the music video, being set in a club and featuring women with minimal clothing, would successfully appeal to the target audience. Age is represented as stereotypically as again there are only young people featured, and they are shown to be behaving reckless having fun in the club. Gender is represented in this video as stereotypically especially in terms of women showing off their bodies and the men are having fun too. There is a particular part in the video where there is a silhouette of a women putting her leg up onto a men sitting down which portrays the men to be less dominant sexually. Race isn't particularly portrayed in a stereotypically way or conveys any particular message as there are various races shown as equals in the video, 
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