Narrative and Performance

Within a music video for a Dance Pop genre there is rarely a performance but a larger focus on the narrative due to dance normally featuring a DJ in which most do not like to be in the videos but want the music and its lyrics to be appreciated. Although there is not always a performance when there is it is usually at least 30% performance. Some examples are Kungs, Allesso and Jonas Blues videos.

However to go against the general conventions of a music promo we are thinking of having at least 40% performance as ours does not include a DJ but two students therefore I think to get recognition of the band out performance would be appropriate. Moreover we still want to use the general stereotypical conventions of having a narrative in a video so by having 60% as a story means that the audience can having more meaning to it.

Performance in this genre normally takes place all the way through the video as there is normally the main singer lip-syncing to the lyrics or no performance at all. Therefore with our idea we think that not defying conventions and having the performance throughout and mainly at the end can make it stand out as well as build on the narrative. In which our performance and narrative set out will be where the performance is occurring alongside the narrative and at the end. Furthermore the performances location will most likely be therefore wherever the narrative will be which multiple locations such as touristy areas as well as the performance is taking place in a final location at the end of the video.

Additionally the average narrative used is either chronological or non-chronological depending on the story line; for Jonas Blues Perfect Strangers video it was chronological to follow how they meet but in The Chainsmokers Closer it is montage of their time together. For our music video we are thinking of having it to start with in a chronological order but towards the end where the performance would begin have a non-chronological montage to create a general over view of the couple to emphasize their bond at lyrics in the song.

Our narrative and performance during the video will overlap because it is linked with our genre of dance pop. Traditionally in a dance pop video, the narrative and performance are linked because it is usually the lead singer or someone in the band who is in the performance and then at the end they join in some form of dance party. This happens in video such as ‘TGIF’ and Avril Lavigne.

Performance is mainly at the end of a dance pop video because there is usually some narrative, and the structure of the narrative is usually like a story. This is clear in the music video ‘Now You’re Gone’ by Bass Hunter. It starts off with a couple that breaks up and then end up going to the same club by accident in an attempt to forget about each other. It has cutaways to band performance during this and especially during the chorus.  We have decided to do a video similar to this but with less narrative, as the song we have chosen is about bonds we are going to have some form of loose narrative alongside a lip synced performance.