An analysis of 5 pop music videos, with corresponding album art and advertisements A2 Media Studies

1. ANALYSIS OF
A POP VIDEO
ABIGAIL FIRTH

2. FANCY // IGGY AZALEA FT. CHARLI
XCX
CAMERA – Close ups, mid shots and long shots are used on
Iggy as she is the main focus; twin shots used with in shots
with Charli and occasionally mid or long shots are used on
Charli alone; pans are used over extras during classroom and
dance scenes
MISE EN SCENE – Generally bright lighting, bright colours and
choreography/dance scenes are all conventions of a pop
video; all costumes and settings based on ‘Clueless’ (this is
important because it gives an indication of the intended
audience)
EDITING – Generally quick shots and camera angle changes
(has to be fast to show essentially the full movie in 3/4
minutes); some slow motion bits but is still fast paced; visible
editing in the form of title cards/credits (name of song and
artist in the style of Clueless’ title cards.

3. THIS IS HOW WE DO // KATY PERRY
CAMERA – Lots of pans due to heavy choreography;
close ups on artist while lip syncing and long shots
to show everything in scene
MISE EN SCENE – Lots of costume changes and
props change to fit each line of the song; very
bright colours & light throughout; heavily
choreographed – as if whole scene moves with each
line/shot
EDITING – Animation (not CGI), lot of green
screening, transitions & wipes, slow motion – all
represent fun nature of pop music

4. SHAKE IT OFF // TAYLOR SWIFT
CAMERA – Focuses on artist, close ups, mid shots and
long shots on artist; long shots for dance scenes; mid and
close up for lip syncing; extreme long shot at end
MISE EN SCENE – Costume changes with scene changes;
different characters all played by Taylor; bright lighting;
background is usually dark when Taylor plays a different
characters, but is white when she plays herself; real
dancers perform different styles of dance while Taylor
mocks choreography
EDITING – Generally fast changes between shots; all
straight cuts

5. MY SONG 5 // HAIM FT. A$AP FERG
SOUND – (Not only song); Host talking, crowd cheering
and talking at end introducing Danielle to the stage; all
diagetic
CAMERA – Close ups on singers, pans over dressing room
and audience, long and mid shots for chat show setting
MISE EN SCENE – Dark lighting backstage, bright on
camera, flashing dark and light during scene with girls
stood in a circle; costume is all black when the band is
together, dressed for other roles in chat show otherwise;
cameos from other pop stars, rappers & band members;
very little choreography
EDITING – Slow motion & reverse on hair flips; fast paced
and flashing shots towards end; wipes and transitions on
chat show intro; title cards

6. ROYALS // LORDE
CAMERA – Establishing shot of village; close ups of artist
lip syncing; shots of various places/rooms around village;
mid and long shots of other characters in video,
sometimes characters are almost fully out of the shot
MISE EN SCENE – Dull lighting; all scenery fits song; very
average town/suburbs (possibly a low budget video?);
artist has one outfit throughout, very plain, light colours
but lighting is dull or dark at some points; muted colour
for everything
EDITING – Very still; nothing moves in scene except
people; straight cuts; black and white title card

7. ANALYSIS OF A
POP ALBUM
COVER

8. THE NEW CLASSIC //
IGGY AZALEA
This album cover, despite the genre
being hip hop, is definitely more of a
pop album cover, due to the very
bright colours and bold fonts. When
we look at hip-hop album covers or
music videos, we often see women in
very little clothing and a male artist,
but here we see the artist (who is
obviously female) fully clothed, and in
very bright colours. This cover also
features high key lighting and a
brightly coloured building in the
background, which are conventions of
a pop album cover. This album art also
ties in with the music video, as the
video is full of bright colours and
lighting, and is more of a pop video
than hip hop.

9. PRISM //
KATY PERRY
This album cover is very stereotypical
of the pop genre, as it features the
artists full face and is all done in bright
colours. The artist is either naked or
wearing very little clothing, which is
again stereotypical of pop album
covers. However this is quite a demure
album cover, compared to Katy’s
previous covers, thus representing
how the artist has developed and
matured over time. The bright,
overexposed lighting also represents
the title and theme of the album
(which was “letting the light in”).
While the artist is an older pop star, I
think this is quite a young album cover,
because of the bright colours and
floral border, which is possibly due to
the audience. The album cover ties in
with the music video in terms of colour
and lighting, but the music video is
much sillier and fun, but this is a much
more serious photo shoot.

10. 1989 //
TAYLOR SWIFT
In this album cover, we immediately
recognise the artist as Taylor Swift,
despite it only having her initials and
half her face on the cover, because she
is an established artist. Although the
artist is a pop star, the album cover is
not a typical of this genre, as she is
only shown from the nose down and is
not wearing revealing clothing, which
represents who she is as an artist. The
Polaroid format of the photograph
adds to this, as it makes it look like it
should belong to another genre
(possibly indie rock). The album title
and initials are written in marker pen,
suggesting this is a more personal
album. The album cover and music
video don’t fit together well, as the
music video is very stereotypical of the
pop genre, but the album cover is the
opposite.

11. DAYS ARE GONE //
HAIM
Here we see another stereotypical pop
album cover, despite the band being
more of an indie rock band. The bright
colours and the way the artists are
positioned are both conventions of
pop album covers, but the costumes
are not. The positioning of the band
(all sat in the same way) is also
representative of the fact that they are
sisters, and we view them as a unit
(like one person) rather than a band of
separate members. It is important for
a debut album for the band to be
featured on the cover, and they are
easily recognisable for their hair and
outfits. This album cover ties in with
the video in some ways; in the
choreographed scenes show the
sisters as a ‘unit’, but the colours are
more low key in the music video.

12. PURE HEROINE //
LORDE
This album cover, although it is a pop
album, is completely different to any
other. The plain black background with
simple white text where we would
expect to see a picture of the artist, is
representative of the artist, as it adds
to the mystery behind her. In addition,
it is clear that the artist is already
established before her debut album
has been released (this is very rare),
allowing her to only have text as an
album cover, and setting her apart
from other artists. It also shows that it
is more of an alternative pop album.
Although the artist is very young, the
album cover makes her seem older
and appeals to a much older audience.
The cover also ties in with the video,
as it is a pop video that is the complete
opposite of a stereotypical pop video.

13. ANALYSIS OF
POP ALBUM
ADVERTISEMEN
TS

14. DAYS ARE GONE //
HAIM
The promotional poster for this album
features the image from the album
cover but in the style of the band’s
previous single covers (with the bands
logo at the top and an image in a
square below). It also features the
album title and release date below.
The fact that it states it is their “debut
album” suggests that the album was
anticipated and is finally here. The
NME review gives an indication of the
genre and helps to promote the
album.

15. PURE HEROINE //
LORDE
Unlike her album cover, this poster
features a photograph of the artist,
alongside the album title and artist’s
name in the same font as on the
album cover. Again, the poster states
that it is the artists debut album,
suggesting it is highly anticipated, and
the fact that it mentions that it
includes her most famous single is
important, because it means the artist
can easily be recognised thusly.
Reviews are important because it
helps promote the album.

16. PURE HEROINE //
LORDE
In addition to posters, Lorde posted
various song lyrics around her home
country of New Zealand. Despite
having her name at the bottom, it isn’t
easily recognisable as Lorde as there
are no images of her, which adds to
the mystery around the artist. The
extra promotion is essential for an
artist releasing their debut album,
especially if they are a hyped up artist
who is expected to succeed.

17. PRISM //
KATY PERRY
As Katy Perry is already a very famous
artist, she is able to advertise in more
elaborate ways, such as how she
announced her third album “Prism”:
on a huge gold truck driving around
LA. The truck featured the album
name, artists name and release date.
We wouldn’t expect this for an artist
releasing their debut album, as they
would not have the budget.
In addition, if an artist is to such a level
of fame, they might not even need to
advertise. For example, when Beyoncé
released her fifth album, she just
released it on iTunes with no prior
promotion, and it still reached number
one.