Andrew Goodwin

Number 1 - Genre Characteristics

The most obvious genre characteristic is the brightly coloured background, its very conventional of pop music to include bright colours. Also her costumes always seem to include a piece of clothing with a bright colour. Another more modern convention of pop music that this video contains is having a different artist perform a rap verse towards the end of a song, this is done to achieve a wider audience and so the song isn't too repetitive and annoying.

Number 2 - Relationship between lyrics and video

The most prominent link between the video and lyrics is the constant referral to money and price tags, an example is the money tree and the fact she rips up a note when she says "its not about the money". Also every time she sings "we just want to make the world dance" her and B.o.B start making more obvious dance moves and when B.o.B says "in 30 seconds were leaving to mars" a photo of mars appears.

Number 3 - Relationship between the tone of the music and the visuals editing

Price tag is a relatively upbeat and fast tempo song which is easily demonstrated by the fun coloured background but what the audience tend to not notice is the way the video has been edited and put together but then again it is not meant to be noticed. One good example of the relationship between the tone and the visual editing is in the chorus, the editing is a lot slower and the shot duration is longer right before the chorus begins and the the tone and rhythm of the song becomes a lot faster which is supported by the short shots and the fast paced editing.

Number 4 - Record label demand and artist motifs

Music videos are essentially adverts, they are trying to get the artists to be recognisable and the way the record label does this is by demanding lot of close up shots which is certainly clear in this video because it seems that every other shot is a close up of Jessie J.  The artist also has to build a brand and show things that are associated to them so they become easier to be recognised and for Jessie J it was her statement lips and bejewelled lips which are featured on most of her music videos and her album cover.

Number 5 - The female body

In every industry sex is a driving sales point but it is definitely the main selling point of the entertainment industry, this becomes clear when you watch any female artist perform or their music video. This is no different for Jessie J, all her outfits are tight and hug her body and the first outfit we see her in is extremely exposing as its skin coloured and completely show off her long legs. Also the bejewelled lips being the focal point in her entire image really plays on the sexualisation of the female body.


Number 6 - Intertextual references

There is a large amount of intertextual references in this music video, right at the beginning we can hear a musical box rendering of Johann Strauss ||'s The Blue Danube. Also a quick reference to the men in black can be seen when she says the lyric "Got shades on your eyes" as well as a reference to the classic movie "A Trip to the Moon" in shape of the planet Mars rather than the moon. Other references include Pinocchio in the marionette scene by wearing a hat similar to his, Alice in Wonderland when she's inside the cool house and even referencing her own music video for "Do it like a dude" by doing the same dance moves and wearing the same costume seen in that music video.