1. Genre: Narrative & Pseudo-Documentary

2. What is the function of genre?
For industry?
For consumers?

3. Genre Category, grouping based on similarities, a rationalization
About difference as well
Economic: organizes the financing, production and marketing of commodities
Consumers: it's a marker of taste/distaste
Genre is FORM, NOT content and not the music

4. Railton and Watson Genre operates in complex ways w/ MV
MV genre are NOT music genres
Builds off of Gow's categories
Pseudo-Documentary
Narrative Video
Art Music Video
I like to throw in Concept video: focuses on a theme, color, meme, design, idea, shape, mood, etc.
Staged Performance
Hybrid

5. Pseudo-Documentary Aesthetics of documentary realism
Legitimizes artists as skilled professionals
Cinéma Vérité: capture reality, unobtrusiveness, unedited, etc.
Director not dictating scene, but a participant (along w/ camera)
A sense of reality, naturalness
Grainy, use of B&W, handheld and shaky camera
We are given exclusive access to the artists' lives: on tour, backstage, sound check, in the studio

6. “Nothing Else Matters”
1992, Metallica
Dir. Adam Dubin
Nudity; MTV censorship
Pseudo-documentary
Everyday life of Metallica; conjunction of gear and performer
Footage from A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica; making of the eponymous album

7. “Paradise City” 1987, Guns N' Roses Dir. Nigel Dick
Oasis “Wonderwall” (1995), Britney Spears “Baby One More Time” (1998)...and ever Nickelback video every made...
Shot at two separate concerts
$200K, 6 camera shoot
Pseudo-documentary
B&W, vérité look, narrative about performance: the pressures and pleasures

8. “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor”
2005, Arctic Monkeys
Dir. ???
Shot on 1970's TV cameras
Based on The Strokes “Last Night” (2001, Dir. Roman Coppola)

9. Narrative Video Tells a story, linearly usually
Related or unrelated to the song
Use of continuity rules and structure (often)
Narrative can be intercut w/ performance; in fact, it often uses shots of the artists performing
Performance clips can be related or unrelated to the narrative
Recording artists may also act or cameo
Climax/Resolution usually a hook or twist ending

10. Until the Quiet Comes 2012, Flylo Dir. Kahlil Joseph 35mm film stock
Violence, innocence, death
Hyper-Real Narrative
Use of dance as liberation of soul from the body? Similar in “Never Catch Me” (2014)
Sundance Special Jury Award for Short Film

11. “Nothing Like This” 2003, J Dilla
Dir. Daniel Garcia (co-directed with Mixtape Club)
Madvillain “Monkey Suite” (2006), Killer Mike “Reagan” (2012)
Animated narrative

12. “Take on Me” A-ha, 1985 Dir. Steve Barron
Michael Jackson “Billie Jean” (1983), Dire Straits “Money For Nothing” (1985)
Animation/live action hybrid
Rotoscoping frames
VMAs
Making of...

13. “Brenda's Got a Baby” 1991, Tupac Dir. Hughes Brothers
Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, The Book of Eli
Video literally tells the story of the song
Arc of song and video are the same
Song based off of a story Tupac read

14. “Smack My Bitch Up” 1997, Prodigy Dir. Jonas Ackerlund
Gaga/Beyonce´ “Telephone” (2010)
Known for short film/movie trailer aesthetic
First person, POV narrative
Takeaway at end
MTV and censorship
Controversy: break or maintain stereotypes; encourage misogamy and domestic violence???

15. “Janie's Got a Gun” 1989, Aerosmith Dir. David Fincher
Made tons of MV (Madonna “Vogue” 1990)
Aliens, Seven, Fight Club, Social Network
Narrative and Continuity
Groundbreaking for use of dramatized violence, which would become popular in MV after

16. RJD2 “Let There Be Horns”
2010, The Colossus
Dir. Thom Glunt
Fireworks “Arrows”

17. “Born Free” 2010, MIA Dir. Romain Gavras Red head genocide
Kanye/Jay-Z “No Church in the Wild” (2012)
Justice “Stress” (2007)
Red head genocide
Political/social critique
Controversy using genocide and violence to sell a pop record

18. “The Scientist” 2002, Coldplay Dir. Jamie Thraves
Uses reverse narrative
Shot in reverse; had to learn song backwards
Made popular in Pharcyde “Drop” (1995)

19. “Bad Romance” 2009, Lady Gaga Dir. Francis Lawrence Narrative
JT “Rock Your Body” (2002); lots of high budget pop vids
Narrative
7 VMAs, Best Pop Video
“Thriller” aesthetics

20. Undun 2011, The Roots Dir. Clifton Bell Concept Album
Story of Redford Stevens

21. “Show Me How to Live” 2003, Audioslave Dir. AV Club
Uses footage/ideas from Vanishing Point (1971)
Narrative w/ performance

22. “Stan” 2000, Eminem Dir. Philip G. Atwell (Dre)
Co-director w/ Dre, Eminem
Prod. Murder Was the Case (1994)
Narrative, concept, literal

23. “Suds in the Bucket” 2004, Sara Evans Dir. Peter Zavadil
Directed 150+ country MV
Video shows narrative details not in the song
Narrative w/ performance

24. “Natural Blues” Moby, 1999 Christina Ricci, Fairuza Balk
Dir. David LaChapelle
Rize
MTVE “Best Video”
Animated Version