Pop Music

What is POP? Popular music

US and UK circa mid-1950s
"popular music" and "pop music
"Pop" and "rock" were synonymous terms until the late
1960s
Often borrows elements from other music styles
(urban, dance, rock, Latin, and country)
Leads to multiple subgenres
Pop music contains core elements
Identifying factors include generally short to medium-
length songs written in a basic format (often the verse-
chorus structure), as well as the common use of
repeated choruses, melodic tunes, and hooks
Types of POP The Short Film
Can be unrelated to the song

Music Vids Examples of short film music videos: Kanye Wests , Lana
Del Reys Tropico, Michael Jacksons Thriller
To a lesser extent, One Last Time Ariana Grande, Bad
Blood Taylor Swift

Sometimes victim to style over substance

The unrelated nature makes it less likely to link with the
song
Often full of bad CGI effects
Stylisation helps
POP Music Vids
 The Back Arianas new boyfriend finds her when her ex left her
The out of order telling is quintessential pop

and Forth The typical slow motion shots of lip syncing

(Narrative) Counters the narrative scenes that take place

There are three constant locations
Out in the desert
At the Motel
At the party
POP Music Vids
The Pseudo The weirder, quirkier music video
The black and white aesthetic
Anti Pop The identifiable look
The creepy visuals
Emulation of the 90s counter cultural music video
Part of the wider albums theme
Sorry being an album about JayZs alleged affair
Similar to Adeles year based albums about breakups
POP Music Vids
 Theory Laura Mulvey 1975
Visual Pleasures and Narrative Cinema

Male Gaze The way a woman is filtered through a mans POV

Still holds true
Three perspectives
The persons behind the camera
The characters within the representation of the film
The spectators

Many play into it without realising

No longer is the soul executor a man, but the male gaze
still holds true
Discredited in recent years
Still theorists talk of it
Bad Liar Samples the bassline of Psycho Killer by the Artistic
A pop rock song, due to the sampling
Features no overt sexualisation, despite the film tackling
latent sexuality

vs. Not sexual desire towards a man, unconventional but not

in anyway queerbaiting

Hands to A synthpop and dancepop song

Heavily filtered through the male gaze

Myself Her face is not onscreen when the shots of her body are

Also deals with intense sexual desire but revolving

around a man, doesnt pass the Bechdel test
 Popular Michel Gondry
Music Video Bjorks music videos, the Chemical Brothers, The White Stripes,

Directors
Daft Punk, the Rolling Stones
Epitomised the 1990s music video
Director of Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind
McGee
All Star
Charlies Angels, Charlies Angels: Full Throttle,Terminator
Salvation
Michael Bay
Meatloaf I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Wont Do That),
Vanilla Ice I Love You
Established his quintessential style as a filmmaker
Music Video Dancing

Aesthetic Even non-dance music videos utilise some form of dance

break or simple choreography
With exceptions, Western choreography depends on the
cameras ability to make it look good
Not always the case; 90s music vids used extremely
complex choreography and the camera lets it play out
Airbrushed face
The unreal perfection in pop singers skin
Started in earnest with Britney Spears
Becomes an expectation, similar to photoshop in
photography
Also hidden in film in plain sight
The modern-day equivalent of putting Vaseline on the
camera lens