Task 2 (Research - Genre Comparative Study)

Genre Comparison


Amber Pacific and Yellowcard are both the genre of punk rock. There are many similarities and differences in the two music videos. The first music video I will be looking at, is for a song by Yellowcard which is called Believe. I will be comparing this video to one from Amber Pacific, called Poetically Pathetic.

In the two videos, as they are both from the same genre, they have some typical conventions. For example, in both of the videos, at least some parts of it are focused on the whole band playing and singing into the camera as a whole. This shows the conventions of the genre, this scene appears in most punk rock videos. This also cross references conventions of genre's with selling the artists. The artists will do this to draw people in and show their faces so they will become more recognised. This will inevitably mean that there will be more sales due to the fact that more people will know about them and their music in general.

On the same token, both of these music videos have other story lines that run along side them, which are called parallel narrative. For example, in the Yellowcard video, it is about the 9/11 twin towers act of terrorism. This storyline of how firemen stayed strong and helped people and actually died saving others runs along side another storyline where the band is in a car park singing as a group into a camera. This is also in the Amber Pacific music video due to the fact that whilst they are singing into a camera, this time in a posh house living room, there is also another storyline of two lovers that reverse in time, to when they first met, then get married, and then are old, which is at the start of the video.

Again, in both of these videos there are more similarities. The next similarity is the links between the visuals and the music. In both cases, the music is quite upbeat and fast, and at the same time, the movements of the band are fast, for example their actions – playing an instrument quickly, or dancing. In the Amber Pacific video, the band when seen as a whole inside the posh room are moving very quickly in time with the music. This is also apparent in the Yellowcard video, when the band is playing in the car park, they are doing exactly the same thing. This is because if they were playing their instruments very slowly while the music was very fast, it would look incredibly unconvincing and unrealistic. This helps to sell the artist.

There are more similarities in these two videos. The next is how both of these videos sell the artist. The way in which the artist is sold in both of these videos is not very original. Close up shots of all of the band members are very apparent throughout both videos, whilst at the same time there is even more close up shots used for the main singers. For example when the whole band is playing in the Yellowcard video, there are close ups of the band main singer while he is singing into a microphone, but also a few shots of the band members playing their instruments. This is exactly the same in the Amber pacific video. Also, in these videos, the artist is sold by making them look the part, it is evident that all of the band members hair cuts have been styled and they are likely to be wearing make up. For example in the Amber pacific video, the lead singers hair has been done to suit the type of music to appeal to the right audience, as it is a hair style in which the punk rock genre of people tend to have, as well as other bands. This is the same in the Yellowcard video, the only difference is that the lead singer has gone as far as bleaching his hair to bright blonde.

There is another similarity between the two videos, which is the link between the visuals and the lyrics. In both of the videos, when there is a significant point in the video, there are also lyrics to go with it. For example, in the Yellowcard video, as the band sing, “climbing higher, through the fire, time was running out” there is a fire engine speeding towards the twin towers in the video itself. This trait is also apparent in the Amber Pacific video, the example of this is when the main chorus is sung with the most effort and most affection, it is the point in which the two lovers kiss for the first time, and at this point the lyrics begin with “you bring me out, you show me light”.

In conclusion, there are many similarities between the two different bands because they are from the same genre. It is very typical for these types of bands to have the conventions that they do, as it appeals to their audience, which is primarily the bands aim, which will in turn help them sell many more records, which evidently leads to more money for them.