Genre Music Video Analysis

The Calling – Wherever You Will Go

The Calling – Wherever You Will Go

• I am going to analyse the music video for The Calling’s song Wherever You Will Go. This song is much like the song we are using for our own music video as it is a slow ballad, and is like the genre we have chosen which is pop rock.

What is the genre of the music video?

• This music video is of the rock genre. I know this as the performance features the band, which the majority of rock music videos will do. Their costumes are casual, which is another convention of this genre. The lead singer, Alex Band, is looking at the camera for most of the music video which is another convention of the rock genre, as the artists will generally sing to the audience in their music videos.

Analyse the setting and decor of the music video.

• The music video mainly shows the band performing together at a river, and singing to the camera. Rock music videos are known for having different settings from their performance to their narrative, and this music video does that as the other part of the music video is set in a town. The river setting connotates the genre of the music video, as a lot of rock music videos will be filmed in different places from their narrative and the band performing by a river shows the conventions of the genre. I think the director has chosen this as it isn’t the sort of place a band would perform, so it is unique and the bleak setting adds to the theme of the song. The setting of the town is another popular convention of the rock genre, and it connotates the theme of relationships, as that is what the narrative is about, through it being set in a town it shows the audience who the characters are, and the audience can relate to it. I think the director has chosen this as it’s a popular setting for music videos of this genre, and it shows the theme of relationships in the music video. It fits the genre as both settings are popular in this genre.

Analyse the costumes of the music videos.

• The costumes of both the characters and the artists connotate realism in the music video. Both the artist and the characters are wearing casual clothes, so the audience know that the artist and the characters are the same, and this fits the genre of the music video as in most rock music videos the artist will wear casual clothes such as t-shirts and jeans much like the characters. I think the director has chosen this costume as the audience will appeal to this look, as it is the look used popularly in music videos of this genre, it also fits the look of the music video. The artist is dressed the same as the characters, as they are in many music videos.

Analyse the props in the music video.

• For the characters in the narrative, the props connotate the theme of sadness and the relationship breaking up. In one scene, the girl is shown breaking items in her boyfriends house because he has cheated on her, because of this the props connotate a theme of sadness in the music video. The artists are using instruments such as guitars, a drum kit and a microphone, which are all popular conventions of the rock genre. I think the director has chosen the props for the narrative to show the audience that this is a sad music video about the break up of a relationship, which is a popular storyline for music videos of this genre. The director would have chosen the instruments as most bands like to be performing in their music video, and to show the audience that it is their music.

Analyse the body language and movement in the music video.

• The artists body language is as if they were performing on stage to a live audience, which most rock artists do in their music videos, so their body language connotes a feeling of realism as if the audience were watching them live. I think the director has chosen this as it shows the audience who the band is and what they are like, in terms of lyrics and performance etc. It shows them for their music and their passion for it. It fits this genre as bands performing is popular in this genre. The characters in the narrative use real body language that the audience can relate to. Different audiences could interpret this in different ways, fans of this genre would know what to expect and know that rock bands are like this, but audiences that are unfamiliar with this type of music and style would still know who the artist is and who the characters are from watching the body language. The artists do move differently to everyone else, as they are the artist and a rock band they move around the setting playing their instruments and singing to the camera, whereas the characters don’t do this.

Performance• The artist is important in the music video. A lot of the music video shows

the artist singing to the camera, and the lead singer of the band is in the narrative at one point, but for most of it they are just performing together as a band to the camera. Their performance adds to the music video the theme of realism as the band is performing to the audience, and the audience for this genre will enjoy this as it is popular to this genre.

Narrative• There is a narrative to this music video. The narrative of this music video revolves around a

girl getting a tattoo of her boyfriend’s name and then finding out he is cheating on her. This narrative is a popular generic convention of this genre, as many rock music videos are about relationships. The artist takes part in the music video at one point, but doesn’t for most of it. The narrative does link with the lyrics in some ways, as it is a sad song and the narrative is sad. The narrative adds interest to the music video that audience can enjoy watching, and will appeal to the fans of this band and genre.