Research into chosen music genre - Miss Georgiou

Artist Duffy is well recognised for her music being of the soul genre as displayed via codes and conventions towards the genre throughout her music video for her single 'Stepping Stone'.

One instance where the music video is conventional towards the soul genre would be the fact that the artist is often shown on her own. Soul is considered to be a much more personal genre as both the sound and lyrics are much deeper compared with other genres such as dance or hip pop which are considered to be more about promoting a good time and less about the quality of the lyrics or a narrative behind the song etc. Hence showing the artist on her own represents this, displaying how the song is more personal to her and not suggesting that the audience should see this song as an opportunity to have a dance and a good time but to really hear and think about her lyrics and the meaning behind them.

Realistic settings are used throughout the music video such as the bedroom this highlights to the audience how the artist is singing about subjects which shall be relateable to the audience. It also illustrates how the artist is basing their song about their normal day to day life. This helps build a bond between the audience and the artist as the audience feel that the artist is providing them with more of themselves than artists of other genres such as pop or dance which are more about pumping people up to go out and socialise. It also allows the audience to feel as though they are engaging in more of an experience therefore gaining more from it than they would a dance anthem. Hence being conventional towards the soul genre as artists of said genre are thought to be much deeper and much more about telling a narrative with their lyrics. 

Mise en scene is also used throughout the music video as Duffy is styled so to suit the stereotypical image of a woman from the 1950s to 1960s. Which is conventional towards the genre as it was constructed in American between the 1950s to early 1960s. She does this via applying the style of make up you would expect woman of said period to typically wear for instance although her make up is fairly simplistic it is heavier around her eyes which many woman of the period applied. Also her hairstyle suits the genre although it's not made to look neat and perfect it has certainly been styled to appear the way it does and has a lot more volume in certain places than you typically expect of a woman today. The artist follows the theme up into her costume as she wears the kind of clothing you would expect of the period with an almost modern touch keeping to the kind of colours you would typically expected to see such as black, white and red and even showcasing a navy blue with white spots style. These colours for clothing are stereotypical for the genre as these are very classic colours hence being well suited to what is recognised as being a very 'classic' period in history. 

The music video also follows codes and conventions towards the soul genre as often close ups are shown of the artist lip syncing, which is conventional towards the genre as it highlight that's Duffy is performing which is conventional as soul artists are expected to 'put on shows' and be good performers however they are expected to be good performers in very different ways to artists of genres such as pop who are expected to put on rather flashy, showy kind of performances instead they are expected to provide a good performance due to the actual quality of their singing as well as the atmosphere they provide following codes and conventions of the soul genre such as the decor or stage lighting used throughout.

Lighting is also demonstrated throughout 'stepping stone' so to confirm to the codes and conventions of the soul genre. The lighting displayed throughout the music video is rather dark and eerie which is convention as it mirrors that of the kind of lighting you would expect to see watching a soul artist perform soul artists use this kind of lighting as it provides that classic touch and has elements of watching a musical performance  in times such as world war two. 

Another artist who conforms to the soul genre would be Adele as seen in her music video for her hit single 'Rolling in the Deep':

Just as was one in Duffy's 'Stepping Stone' there are a lot of shots of both the artist and another figure on their own throughout the music video which is done in the same attempts so to highlight that this is going to be a much more personal song compared to songs of other genres. Soul artists are often displayed on their own within their music videos so to represent the importance this song has to them and signify just how personal it is hence this is conventional towards the soul genre.

Also like Duffy Adele is shown wearing rather simplistic make up which is heavier around her eyes, this piece of mise en scene is conventional towards the soul genre as it represents Adele confirming to the soul genre, presenting herself as an artist from said genre would. This is beneficial to both the artist and the audience as it helps set and create that soul tone for the music video and allows fans of the soul genre looking of for these conventions towards the genre to feel safe in the knowledge that Adele is conforming to their chosen yet and assures them that this will be a piece of work they will enjoy and should be rights being a soul fan adore. 

Following Goodwin's theory throughout the music video various different close ups of the artist are displayed from a range of different angles. This enables the audience to build a closer relationship with the artist as they are viewing a physically closer image of them. It also suggests to the audience that the artist is providing them with a large amount of themselves as they aren't shying away from the camera or trying to cover up and protect themselves from the camera lenses. This also implies that the artist cares a great deal about both their music and their fans hence building more credibility for the artist as well as creating more respect from fans meaning that they are going to be looking forward to hearing from the artist more often and making them more likely to wish to purchase their music. 

Setting is also used throughout so to aid both the video and the artist in conforming to the codes and conventions of the genre. The locations used throughout are very obsolete and deserted providing that classic soul vibe extending from the 1950's whilst reminding the audience of the close and personal connection the artist has with their music highlighting how much it means to them indicating to the audience that the artist is in the industry for their love of it and their willingness to do good for the soul genre rather than to seek fame which would be questioned had they displayed a really flashy music video which wouldn't have conformed to the soul genre much. 

Positioning again provides codes and conventions towards the soul genre throughout the music video as the artist remains sat in a chair throughout the most part of the music video. This highlights that the artist as a part of the narrative behind the music video is soothing themselves by singing in an attempt to cheer themselves up which represents how much singing means to the artist as this is what they have chosen to do so brighten their mood. This is conventional as because the soul genre is so different to others and is thought to require more talent and dedication compared to other genres it is stereo-typically thought that soul artists strive on a real passion for their work. 

Iconography of the musical instruments displayed throughout the music video follows codes and conventions of the soul genre as soul artists are often seen to have big bands performing alongside them when on stage so to help create a bigger and better performance. This also helps to keep both the standards of quality the soul genre expects as well as that classic vibe as artists from other genres may simply have a backing track with some instruments playing if any they may even just use a digitally recorded beat. It would be conventional for soul artists to do so as it adds to their whole performance and keeps the conventions alive as well as benefiting the sound of the actual music. 

Colour and lighting used throughout the music video also adds to the soul genre codes and conventions displayed throughout the music video is conventional towards the soul genre as the dark is fairly dark throughout with plain colours the brightest colour show in the video is white which is still conventional towards the soul genre as white is seen as a rather classical colour hence forming with the classical era of the soul genre. The use of this informs the audience that this is a rather deep song with strong lyrical meaning so much so that the artist doesn't need to distract or impress the audience by filling the music video with flashy items or events as the music and lyrics are enough alone and the artist doesn't want to take away from that. Which is to be expected from the soul genre as it is thought to be a very well respected high quality genre. 

I've always enjoyed listening to music of the soul genre as I've found the music itself to be pleasant to listen to as well as enjoying the concept of really focusing on lyrics and what they might mean or represent rather than just focusing on the beat and dancing to it. I also love the sound of soul artists voices and admire how well they sing. I've also found that it isn't just the actual music itself that I love about soul but all the other elements as well such as the one notified as I analysed said music videos. One of my favorite elements of soul has to be the mise en scene as I love the aspect of dressing as well as applying make up and hairstyle in the classical 1950/1960 style which is something I hope the maintain when creating my own music video possibly with a modern twist much like these artists as well as Amy Winehouse. 

I also plan to showcase uses of iconography relevant to the genre throughout my music video so to drop hints towards my chosen genre throughout the music video. Enabling the audience the safety in the knowledge that this is a music video from their chosen genre whilst highlighting that the artist really is of the soul genre as she understand the different codes and conventions towards it and chooses to follow them due to her love of the genre.  

As I've noted throughout my analyse there are various different ways to manage to confirm to the genre of soul which I opt to do so to enable me a platform to ensure that I am keeping my music video to the soul genre and providing codes and conventions towards the genre which my chosen sector of the music industry audience would expect and hope to see. This helps me make sure that my music video is successful.