Music Genre Conventions

Pop:

• Performance based videos/narrative with performance elements to promote the artist, e.g. Body Talk by Foxes

• Close ups of the artist
• Dance routines included, e.g. Jason Derulo's I Want You To Want Me

• The artist is almost always apart of the story line, e.g. One More Night by Maroon 5

• Usually quite fast paced editing to - enhances the need to watch it again
• Shots of the artist even when they're not singing
• Includes unrealistic concepts, e.g. Wide Awake by Katy Perry; the general idea of waking up in a different universe and meeting yourself at different points of your life is unrealistic.

• Low key lighting but you can still always see their face - puts an emphasis on the artist

Rock:

• Generally performance videos - more emphasis on the music and lead singers. It's almost as if they're proving a point by playing their instruments because pop artists don't, e.g. American Idiot by Green Day

• Or narrative based with a storyline completely different from the song, e.g. Nobody Knows by Queens of the Stone Age

• Low key lighting
• Some rock artists prefer to be in the videos of the songs whereas others tend to have a narrative to their songs.
• Often depends on the genre - punk rock is quite quirky and fun e.g. Somewhere in Neverland by All Time Low
  but with alternative rock, it's more serious and powerful, e.g. Kings and Queens by 30 Seconds to Mars

Indie:

• Usually concept or narrative to match the lyrics or have nothing to do with them, e.g Bro's by Wolf Alice 

• Often set in a city, town or in the woods
• Use of a black and white filter to match the genre of the song e.g. The City by The 1975

• Low lighting to add to the effect
• Handheld camera shots to create the mood for the song, e.g. Be There by Seafret