All the promotional prints in which disclosure release all show a trend, subtly showing a fixed structure throughout. When looking closely at multiple prints it becomes apparent that the boys are always placed in the same positions, with the same artist being placed in front of the other. This goes back to the early image of the boys when they were young, sitting in the chair where the same layout is seen.
The band are known for their simplicity and are all about good music. This is evident in the posters, album covers etc in which they release, using the same simple, boldfont and keeping the information as small as possible.
The groups trademark is a white outlined face over the top of the artists faces. This is recognised with the band and so is always present.
We are going to shoot in London, which could be very problematic because people may not want to be filmed and it will be difficult to film noone that doesnt want to be filmed. The locations and narrative needs to be exact to connect with the audio and lyrics.
Camden area will be our first location when the narrative starts with a poor person, travelling the streets of London. Camden can be a rough area but also is a central and major part of London near the City's major network connection - The London Underground.
Camden Town became an important location during the early development of the railways, and represents the industrial and low, working class people.
Some parts of Camden are residential, which shows it is the outskirts and more of a suburban area of London.
The next location will be areas that are connected to middle class people more. Such as the houses of parliament, London eye and Cathedrals. These are places the middle class like to visit on a journalistic day out, and they could be shot mostly from a tilt up, or worms eye view to show the towering, London landscape.
The last locations will be the streets of London and lit up areas. This is because as a group we feel like the night life of London represents the upper class becuase you have the casinos and the bars which are all very expensive and would only expect a wealthy man to use. The lights also give a good effect becuase you can play with the lighting. For this part of the video, we will be looking to shoot from birdseye veiw or at eye level, to reinforce the idea that more wealthy people look down on others, in contrast to the poor person at the beginning looking up at London and the surroundings.
POV of three men living completely different lives.
The beginning opens up with the sun rise of the city.. the homeless man is walking round the streets looking for food to eat but resorts to stealing.
In the busy rush hour of the morning the homeless man catches eye contact with an average, middle-class man. The camera view jumps into the middle-class mans point of view and the next minute shows the middle-class mans life in his perspective.
Dusk comes and on the way back home, once again the middle-class man catches eye contact with a rich, wealthy man. The camera changes to the rich mans POV and the last minute of the song is used to show the life of the wealthy man.
All three characters are used to show the difference of rich, middle-class and poor.
The end of the sequence shows the rich man walking off into the distance content with his life.
The artist in the video lip syncs to the lyrics which makes the video look more authentic and makes the audience feel she has a passion for what she is doing which develops her star image.
Relationship between the music and the visuals:
The video uses the technique of cutting on the beat, which makes it synchronous and the sound anchors the visuals.
The lyrics in the video are not acted in the video which creates narrative freedom for the producer to produce an amplified music video which has some link to the lyrics, in this case lip syncing, but lets the producer be creative.
Camera:
There are many close-ups of the artist which helps develop character exposition and develops her star image as she is not afraid of the camera.
She breaks the fourth wall and connects with the audience as well as introducing a voyeuristic and fetishistic theme, as she touches and caresses her self and her feminine features and this opens the door for the male gaze.
Shot no. 1
Duration: 3 seconds
Camera: midshot, slightly moving
Mise en scene: Camera focussed on American flag on the wall
Shot no. 2
Duration: 4 seconds
Camera: extreme longshot, out of focus on fireworks in the background, close up
Mise en scene: Fireworks in the distance being set off and close up of the artist.
Shot no. 3
Duration: 1 second
Camera: close up, slow pan
Mise en scene: pans across to show a painting of an old american styled house
Shot no. 4
Duration: 1 second
Camera: long shot, slow pan going left
Mise en scene: shows a run down train trailer with an 'x' spray painted on it
Shot no. 5
Duration: 2 seconds
Camera: steady, handicam, mid shot
Mise en scene: cat grooming itself in the woods surrounded by debris
Shot no. 6
Duration: 2 seconds
Camera: handicam shot, out of focus, longshot
Mise en scene: 'This sucks' spray painted on train trailer
Shot no. 7
Duration: 4 seconds
Camera: extreme longshot, in focus
Mise en scene: fireworks being set off in the background
Shot no. 8
Duration: 4 seconds
Camera: tracking shot, mid shot, eyeline
Mise en scene: following the artist Willy Moon' walking down the road
Shot no. 9
Duration: 4 seconds
Camera: fast pan, framed in long shot
Mise en scene: showing the scenery in the forest of the run down old buildings
Shot no. 10
Duration: 3 seconds
Camera: handicam, tracking shot, framed in mid shot
Mise en scene: the artist continue to walk down the road at a fast pace
Shot no. 11
Duration: 4 seconds
Camera: longshot, out of focus, low angle
Mise en scene: reverts back to the shot of the fireworks going off in slow motion in the background with the buildings
Shot no. 12
Duration: 3 seconds
Camera: fast pan, mid shot
Mise en scene:
Shot no. 13
Duration: 5 seconds
Camera: midshot tracking shot
Mise en scene: shows particular reference to an 'x'
Shot no. 14
Duration: 3 seconds
Camera: tracking shot
Mise en scene: again showing various run down areas in the forest
Shot no. 15
Duration: 2 seconds
Camera: handicam, long shot
Mise en scene: cat walking into the shrubery
Shot no. 16
Duration: 2 seconds
Camera:mid shot, high camera angle, tracking shot
Mise en scene: tracking the movemnent of his feet walking
Shot no. 17
Duration: 4 seconds
Camera: tracking shot, extreme mid shot
Mise en scene: tracking the artist walking through a run down area singing along
Shot no. 18
Duration: 4 seconds
Camera:close up/midshot, tracking shot, eyeline
Mise en scene: tracking the artist walking through a run down area singing along
Shot no. 19
Duration: 1 second
Camera: low angle, longshot
Mise en scene: establishing shot looking up into the sky showing the various scenery.
Shot no. 20
Duration: 1 second
Camera: establishing shot, high angle, handicam, longshot
Mise en scene: changes shot to a dumpster with graffitti on it
Shot no. 21
Duration: 1 second
Camera: establishing shot, high angle, handicam, close up
Mise en scene: looking up at a plant, and the fence which featueres in the next shot
Shot no. 22
Duration: 3 seconds
Camera: tracking shot, mid shot
Mise en scene: tracking the artist walking through a run down area singing along
Shot no. 23
Duration: 2 seconds
Camera: long shot, tracking shot
Mise en scene: tracking the artist walking through a run down area singing along
Shot no. 24
Duration:1 second
Camera: handicam shot, midshot
Mise en scene: slow motion of the artist walking up a set of stairs
Shot no. 25
Duration: 2 seconds
Camera:handicam shot, midshot
Mise en scene: slow motion of the artist walking towards a door
Shot no. 26
Duration: 2 seconds
Camera: close up, handicam shot, eyeline
Mise en scene: artist now inside of this house with a microphone singing
Shot no. 27
Duration: 2 seconds
Camera: midshot, handicam
Mise en scene: artistnow inside of this house with a microphone singing
Shot no. 28
Duration: 2 seconds
Camera: midshot, handicam, out of focus
Mise en scene: artistnow inside of this house with a microphone singing
Shot no. 29
Duration: 1 second
Camera:high angle, mid shot, establishing shot
Mise en scene: shot of an unusual ornament inside a room
Shot no. 30
Duration: 3 seconds
Camera: close up, tracking shot
Mise en scene: the artistsinging with the song inside a shop
Analysis- From writing the technical analysis and watching the video numerous amounts of time it is clear to see that the percentage of disjunctive, establishing shots and shots that feature the artist are spread out giving a good proportion of shots to the artist (Willy Moon) breaking the fourth wall. The shots are usually between 1-3 seconds long which gives a very fast cutting rate which is incorporated with a mixture of static shots to tracking shots which go well with the pace of the video. In terms of the rule of third everything is proportionate in the way the star is always present in the video and it is nicely balanced.
Went to Brighton and focused mainly around the pier, arcade and the seafront. The main aims was to use these locations to our advantage using the tourist attractions to get creative shots using various different camera angles and shots, this included things such asclose ups, long shots, pans etc.
Furthermore, by getting this footage we could potential use some of the film in our ownmusic video, also by experimenting with different shots it allowed us to see what shots worked will with what and gave us an insight in the future for taking potential shots.
What did you achieve?
By using varied camera shots and camera angles we were able to collect a lot of footage which incorporates different styles and techniques.
It also gave us theexperience we need in order to use these camera shots to take to our music video when we make it tore-enact the shots and try again and get the best footage so when it comes down to editing we can produce a really good piece of work
What problems/obsticles did you encounter?
We were lucky enough to not encounter many problems however
a few factors weren't perfect but where out of our control. The weather was
overcast and windy, making steady cam filming very hard to achieve.
We also found that the footage looked dull and drained of
colour, believing that we would have benefited from a sunny day, giving
vibrancyandenergyto each shot.
With the reccietaking place on a cold day in September,
the pier and beach were scarce of people, making it hard to gain interesting
footage, adding to the problem of overcast weather.
What did you learn that you can take to your own reccie
location?
Filming in Brighton made us realise the extensiveamount of
footage and the multiple camera angles and movements needed to produce a good quality
lengthy video. We also discovered the need for numerous random shots in order
to produce a disjunctivevideo.
Planning for the Brighton reccie allowed us to film
straight away, due to the group knowing exactly what we wanted before we
arrived. This gave us more time to gain footage and meant that we didn't film
for the sake of it and actually gained some interesting and well thought out
shots.
We found that filming in an urban location gave us many
more opportunities and allowed us to be more creative, than filming in a rural
location (wilderness woods).
Shot no: 1
Duration: 2 sec
camera: slow tilting, out of focus, Mid-shot
Mise-en-scene: Girl walking towards window in bedroom (away from camera), low lighting.
Shot no: 25
Duration: 1 sec
Camera: close-up, shallow focus.
Mise-en-scene: boy sitting in back of car, low lighting.
Shot no: 26
Duration: 0.5 sec
Camera: pan left, deep focus.
Mise-en-scene: farmers fields, out the window view.
Shot no: 27
Duration: 0.5 sec
Camera: pan left, deep focus.
Mise-en-scene: graffiti walls, streets, out of window view.
Shot no: 28
Duration: 1 sec
Camera: long-shot, deep focus.
Mise-en-scene: boy and girl standing outside building, low lighting, raining, boy blocks off girl.
Shot no: 29
Duration: 1 sec
Camera: mid-shot, shallow focus, pan left.
Mise-en-scene: boy getting out van at petrol station.
Shot no: 30
Duration: 1 sec
Camera: high angle, shallow focus, close up, pan right.
Mise-en-scene: boy picking up petrol pump nozzle.
Shot Analysis:
The majority of shots throughout the video are one second to half a second in length, keeping the video vibrant and energetic. Most shots involve a movement of the camera, mostly suttle but sometimes moving at the pace of the action. The use of slow motion works well with the chosen parts of the audio, giving the audience a chance to consume the characters. Rule of thirds determines the quality of a frame, and can be what makes a piece of footage amateur or amazing. The video shows many perfect examples of characters and locations being shot considering the rule of thirds.
song starts off with a moderatefast tempo to it which continues throughout the song, with the addition of various lyrical sequences which provides a balance between the two. This makes the song not to fast and not to slow at the same time which is ideal considering the genre were looking at needs these characteristics.
lyrics are soothing and have anindie aspect to it where the voice isnt to powerful, it is soft
sounds saturated which gives a more modern feel to it and would go well with video in which shots are saturated using various software's.
Gold Panda - You
starts off very quietly and then has a burst of tempo and is amplified makes it a faster song
is quite repetitive so would be ideal for a song which revolves around a lot of establishing shots as there is no need to change the editing as it is similar throughout
the varied tempo allows it to change in narrative to perhaps a happy one to a sad one
Youth - Daughter
the song is quite slow throughout and so would be more suited to a narrative
it is also more lyric based opposed to the other two which gives it more meaning and can use Goodwin's theory of linking the visuals with the lyrics
finally, the song is used mainly through real acoustic sounding instruments which gives an authentic feelto it
The video itself has over 100 million views on YouTube but was also the fastest single in the UK according to the 'Official Charts Company'. From this information we can gather that the single itself can and has beenconsumed in multiple ways.
The video itself provides a deeper meaning and intricate music video which gives people incentive to watch it on channels such as YouTube, this is due to the popular Wizard of Oz story line that is paired with it.
However, I feel that the song and video came fromambient viewing, this is because the artist 'Naughty Boy' is not that recognised (at least in the UK) so would not have been intentionally searched at first. But using Roland Barthes theory of semiotics and codes implemented within the video, the fact there's a specific meaning and story to the filmic piece gives the audience a reason to keep watching the video for example perhapscultural codes in the way it shows the struggle of a family that live in worse off conditions opposed to modern and contemporary ones. The father obviously abusing his son shows the different ways people live in different cultures and societies.
Think about the institutional context of this video - considering the genre and the artist, what role would the record label play in creating these promotional texts?
As mentioned before I do not think that the artist is that popular so consumers would not of been enticed to go listen/watch it. The genre itself is Pop - Soul, Pop is obviously popular being one of the dominant genres in recent years which would of helped the song out a lot
The record label would of played a big part I feel, Virgin EMI Records is obviously a subsiduary of the large conglomerate 'Virgin' itself and would of had a lot of media attention. Also due to being a large conglomerate it is able to promote the song itself using its different forms of media texts available to it
Genre and Narrative
Rudimental - Not Giving In Using Goodwin, what are the forms and conventions evident in the video?
The usualconventions of a song within the genre of Drum and Bass and Soul is that the video is almost always a narrative, especially themainstream videos. In particular Rudimental's video consist of a narrative with their main singles.
Afast cutting rate is used in order to fit with the fast tempo of the song and gives the video a much faster flow to it.
Regarding the camera angles and shots used in there, it varies with close ups to longshots usedhowever a juxatapostion occurs as the majority of shots consist of either mid shots or long shots opposed to close ups which is the typical shot you would use to a song which has fast aspects to this, this is due to the narrative to allow the audience to see whats happening.
Is this an example of illustration or disjuncture or amplification?
The video is amplified in the way that the ideas represented in the video correspond with the title and the lyrics. The title of the song 'Not Giving In' following the story of two brothers that live in horrible conditions in which one chooses the wrong path while the other goes on to fulfill his dreams.
Furthermore, the video isillustrative in which the song makes you create images in your head when it is played as there is a meaning shown within thelyrics and the video.
Could this video be considered as art?
This video could be considered as art as an artist uses their piece to show some sort of meaning and in this case there is a meaning to both the song and the video. Furthermore, the use of detailed shots and camera angles make this a very intricate filmic video and in which most art pieces involve.
As Rudimental is a mainstream group and appeals to the youth it may be for commercial use as they are related to the genrebut may also appeal to older as the meaning of the video may not necessarily be just for younger people.
Media Language and Representation
Avici - You Make Me What is the message or the purpose of the video?
The message running through the video is about love and how one person can complete another, hence the title 'You Make Me'. About how that despite people trying to interfere with others relationships and this is apparent in the video with the ex of the main girl fighting the her new lover, love will always prevail.
What visual techniques are used to do this any why?
The video adopts a sort of old styled video game fighting scene and is similar to that of Scott Pilgrim vs The world. A lot of slow mo is used especially during the fighting scenes and comes up with names and titles in a superhero font when showing each individual.
The camera work revolves mainly around longshots and close ups to show the emotion on peoples faces and to show whats happening during the video so the audience can get a better understanding.
Is there any intertextuality/ references to pop culture?
Representation
How are the band/artist represented?
The artist 'Avici' is not presented at all in the video as it is entirely narrative based, this adds to his persona as the majority of his videos he is never present and when he is it is only very shortly. This adds to a sense of enigma and makes the audience want to see more this is throughconsuming more of his products which enables him to sell more.
How are different social groups represented?
The main social group shown in the video is of young people and makes them out to be rash indivuals in which they do not care for other peoples well being which is shown by the large brawl that breaks out in the club. However, another way to look at this is that they are willing to fight in order to get something and are determined individuals/
Idealogical Discourse
The main dominant ideologies is that males are shown as the stronger sex in the way that they fight and the females sit out.
However more progressive ideologies which challenges these is that during the night both males and females are working in the club although the males are given a more subtle role and the females are given a much more voyeristic one it still shows a sense of equality.
As in most music videos there is a particular scene in which dance breaks out and in this case it entails both females and males which again challenges dominant ideologies
how might the video be consumed? the song was very popular in the chart music category and many people downloaded the track. This means the video will be consumed on T.V channels.
It is a Pop song so the channels will be very up to date and the younger audience will be consuming the video.
The video could be consumed with authenticity because the artist is present in the video and is lip syncing the lyrics. It is in slow motion and the lyrics are synced meaning the filming was filmed in a faster mode and slowed down.
the viewing of the video is very ambient, but you can see a lot of effort has gone into the video. The iconography makes the video look expensive and the costumes are all identical. It is ambient because there is no narrative to the text and so you can pick up the video from anywhere and you don't have to watch it the duration of the time.
the record label of the video would try to grasp as bigger audience as possible. From the video you can see there are bright lights and a lot of special effects and editing work that has gone into the video. Therefore it is promoting the artist in a special way that seems unreal and making his star image seem even more unreachable to people looking up to him. Even though the artist is an ordinary character in the video a lot of the time, the background and the clothes and mise en scene present in the video make it seem extraordinary.
DJ Fresh Ft. Sian Evans - Louder:
Genre and Narrative:
Goodwin produced a theory on Genre Characteristics, and relationships between different aspects of a music video. Also in the theory is the notion of looking (voyeurism).
This music is high tempo dance music, so you don not expect that of a heavy metal video that would be performance, but here we have a disjunctive and in some places amplified approach to a music video. Amplified actions such as the roller blading fast, when it says 'gotta move faster' is an example of an amplified action. the characteristics of the film reinforce the genre of the music.
the relationship between music and visuals is apparent. The fast music and the fast cutting rate correspond and the action of the characters in the video to relate to the lyrics sometimes.
There is no voyeurism in the text, it is as though the characters are being filmed like it is there own life, from a invisible camera POV. the music video does not 'break the fourth wall'
This video could be considered art because there is a lot of talent in the video and the camera work respects the characters in the video.
It could be considered commercial because the visuals represent the themes and ideas of a young generation. The young audience that will be watching the video - because they are related to the genre - will see this as art, because they enjoy the actions occurring, but the older generation will see it as a disjunctive video.
It could also be considered art because all the movement will be very hard to capture, and will all the different camera angles, shots and distances, the producer has managed to fit in all the actions coherently and make a successful video to the audio. Some of the shots include a 180 pan, tracking shots (of the characters on skate boards and roller blades) and many establishing shots
Clean
Bandit Dust Clears
Media
Language and Representation:
Media
Language
The
message or purpose of the video – I believe the social message is that there
are no limits on how far you can go, and in terms of this video they have
represented that in the different locations they have gone. The extreme
locations include an ice covered lake where a man in ice skating and a cliff
edge. Therefore present an image to the audience that you can go to the edge of
reality, close to the unreal.
Matt
Hansen believes that music videos are an art form and it is a place where
‘visual and narrative experiments can be distilled into a populist short from.’
This video can be seen as an art form because of the camera work and the
minimal if not any special effects but still the video looks unreal due to the
location and camera work of the silhouette of the ice skater in front of the
sunlight.
The
camera is used to reinforce this, there are many longshots which establish the
location and give the audience a clear understanding of the message that is
being portrayed.
The
mise en scene and visual techniques are used to put the message across as the
iconography involves the people playing violins in the outside and scenic
location.
Simulated
performance like the drums being played on the ice. The slow motion on this
scene allows the audience the to understand the freakish behaviour that is
being done to promote the message of uniqueness.
There
are references to popular culture when the start of the video is set in a
workshop where they are manufacturing the instruments they play later in the
video. This is an everyday workplace and the audience can relate to this, and
then cross cuts to the unique locations which some of the audience will don’t
recognise as a popular culture. This creates a meaning because the same people
are in the workshop as the strange locations and this reinforces the message
that even if you are a normal average person, there are no limits as to where
you can go or things you can do.
Representation:
How
are the band/artist represented? The artists are present in the video which
gives an authentic feel to the music. This improves their meta-narrative as the
audience respect them for being there and not just letting the audience enjoy
the music, but let the audience understand the artist is passionate about the
music they produce.
There
are not many different social groups apart from the family that is present
sitting around the dinner table. Here the lyrics are matched with the visuals
and the lip syncing is acted by all the members. It is effective because they
are all holding hands which show they are a close family and represents the
family social group as close and unbreakable, which is what a ideal family is.
Ideological
discourse:
The
dominant idea that equality is important is reinforced by the music video as
gender is shown equally by the use of both genres skating on the ice. This is a
privileged action as it is in a beautiful scenic area under the sun, and not
only the male gets the chance to skate on it but the female shows her talents
when dancing on the ice. This is a dominant ideological discourse.
It
is the males and females in the workplace which further reinforces dominant
ideologydiscourse that females are able to do as much and the same work as
males in contemporarysociety. This ideology will be received by the audience
positively and supports the message of the video that anyone can achieve
anything, as in residual ideologies females would never be expected to work in
a manual workshop and would never think they could.
The name recovery symbolises the artist has had
a bad spell in the music industry and is now wanting to re-achieve what he has
before.
The first aid sign in the ‘O’ is a first aid
sign so it could be medical issues for instance drugs.
Iconography:he glass box Eminem is sitting in on the top
left page expresses an enigma code that he could be in his own little world and
trying to make a change with noone in his way.
The next picture along gives a different
impression. It is more rural, whereas the other is more urban, which shows the
different locations the music video and the Digipak designer has used to create
a busy and quiet, two very contrasting scenes.
The bottom one has ‘Eminem welcomes you to
Detroit’ on a bill board in the background which shows he has made it as he is
in centre of attention in the city and it is like ‘Detroit’ is his home.
He is wearing very dark clothing which creates a
darker mood and reinforces his own mood of getting out of a bad life and
entering a new.
The back shows all the songs that are on the CD.
Normally the digipak front cover always has the
artist prominent in the image and in this case Eminem is on all 3 sides.
There are three signifiers in each of the print, but all the signified have a different meaning. On is looking at the camera, creatig an extradiegetic gaze and builds a relationship between the audience and the artist to give authenticity; another is the artist walking away in a desolate location expressing a meaning that he has come from nothing and walking to a better future, reinforcing the title 'Recovery'; and the other print shows him reading a book, but facing the camera in a glass box, suggesting he wants to learn about the outside world.
The camera techniques used does not always frame the artist in the centre, but uses the rule of thirds in two out of the 3. The artist is positioned as much to the left as possible showing the open road and making the audience focus more on the location rather than the artist.
Introducing Dyer's theory, the artist is seen as ordinary and extraordinary in the same digipak. Ordinary in the sense he is walking down the road and wearing basic clothes of what you would expect to find from a middle class person, but also extraordinary when sitting in a glass box infront of part of a skyline that looks as though it has been dropped there.
Boys, some competent work on the blog so far although there is a considerable amount missing at this point. Please make sure you utilise your time as advised. Work from last term can be uploaded during homework time. Please read comments in response to your posts and make changes as advised.
The artist is a highly popular mainstreamaudience therefore the video will be consumed widely on television and online, using both music channels and websites such as Youtube, Sound cloud, iTunes etc.
The video has 55 million views on Youtube, showing the extreme interest in the song and artist.
The internet offers audiences the chance to listen to high quality music for free, and television channels constantly play the top 40 charts, allowing the video to be viewed by millions of people across the world.
The record label would play a big role in the creation of the promotional text, however with the artist being known for her individuality and weird ways, most of the directing would be done by the artist herself.
Earthquake (DJ Fresh, 2013)
Genre and Narrative:
Mainstream music videos have certain conventions in which are shown in the music video including performance, choreography and the relationship between lyrics and visuals.
The video is both illustrative and amplifying with the video posing the carnage of an earthquake and the action being amplified in order to anchor the lyrics.
The costumes used in mainstream videos are often bright, colourful and extraordinary, this too is shown in the 'Earthquake' video with characters dressed as super heroes.
Voyeurism is a big part in the video, with the girls being shot as an object for male consumption (fetishistic).
The video has a very strongintertextualreferencewith the film it was created for (Kick Ass 2). This is mainly done through costumes and location.
The video is simply commercial and used for promotion purposes to gain interest in the film it was made for.
The video is Narrative based following the concept of the film in which it was designed around.
Talk dirty to me (Jason Derulo, 2013)
Media Language:
The message within the video is that the artist is extremely popular with girls and that they cant help themselves when they're around him.
The artist is constructing the idea that he is extraordinary and that people look up to him, especially girls.
Visuals show the artist being corresed by girls, making him seem important and a girl magnet. He is also shown with his 'boys' making him seem cool and standing out in the crowd (he isnt like every other boy).
Camera close-upsare used to frame the artist in a way in which makes him seem ultra-goodlooking.
The video shows a discourse in usual music video conventions. Rather than all the girls being shown as an image for male consumtion, the male artist himself is being made an object for female benefit.
Special effects are used to make the video more exciting and appealing.
Many modern culture references are shown with the boys dressing up cool and the girls chasing after them.
Representation:
The artist is represented as an iconic figure throughout the video, putting him in the limelight. This is done through camera methods such as close-ups, low camera angles (give him a higher status). The choreography shown also shows him standing out in the crowd.
The process of representing the artist as a star, helps to sell the product and gain interest of the audience, especially female audiences.
The boys in the video are shown to be 'cool' and 'attractive'. The girls are also shown to be 'sexy' however are constructed to be an object for male pleasure.
The video poses a strong ideological discourse when representing girls in a way in which they are just there for male pleasure and are a sexual object. Both the visuals and the lyrics are used to represent this. The video contains mainly black individuals which may be deemed unusual due to current ideologies stating that all races must be shown in order to show equality.
Although sexism is frowned upon these days, men still see woman as a sexual object and therefore institutions will use this ideology as a way of using girls as commodities. Many mainstream music videos involve the use of girls as a way of selling the product and 'Talk dirty to me' is no exception. The use of girls is to extend the target audience, with the artist being highly popular with female audiences, therefore institutions will try and change music videos in order to increase interest and revenue.
“Music videos are simply a tool for
promoting an artist”. With reference to two music videos, how far do you agree
with this statement?
Music videos
are the selling point of the song, and are a dominating factor in success or
failure. Music videos are used to entice audiences into giving the artist a
chance, and further more gaining their interest for the future. Music videos
can be of many different natures and styles, however the vast majority of music
videos involve the singer being depicted as a supernatural and almost
‘extra-ordinary’ character, in which people should look up to.
The theory is
regularly present throughout the mainstream music industry with big artists
such as Rihanna and Beyonce releasing videos in which are used to sell both the
song and the artist themselves. The idea that music videos are merely a tool
for promotion however is not the exact case, however the main purpose of a
music video is to help advertise the song released and gain public recognition.
‘Work’ by
Iggy Azalea is a common example of a fetishistic music video in popularculture. The video is used to sell the artist through the process of sexism and
depicts an artificial character in which is used as a commodification for male consumption. Dismemberment is used throughout the video to help gain the
attention of audiences especially male, and highlight key areas of the artist
in which are shown to be perfect and sexy.
Theorist Andrew Goodwin (1993)
studied the theory of conventions linked with music genre’s and the video style
used. ‘Work’ supports the theory that music video’s contain conventions in
which are associated with a particular genre; The artist and song are largely
mainstream with the song being of a pop/rap genre.
This style of song usually
involves a music video containing girls in skimpy costumes with artificial
looks e.g fake boobs, big bums etc. The woman shown are also given the directions
to displayfeminine touches and are set in function rankings so that they are
given a stereotypical, passive role in order to please the male audience.
‘Work’ by Iggy Azalea is conventional to that of its genre and posses all the
qualities and features in which would be recognised with the type of artist.
‘Somebody
that i used to know’ by Gotye (ft.Kimbra) is that of a completely different
genre and style compared to ‘work’ by Iggy Azalea, However both songs where
successful in the mainstream line-up.
‘STIUTK’ is traditionally from the Indy
genre, however due to the nature and the projected popularity of the song it
does not completely follow the basic framework of other Indy products. ‘STIUTK’
is matched with a simple, however artistic music video, allowing for a fairly
unique and original idea in which helped embrace the audience.
Many Indy genre
music videos pose innovative twists and are known for their simple yet unusual
features.
The conventions shown throughout the video contrast significantly to
that shown in ‘Work’ however unusually both appealed to the same mainstream
audience.
Structuralist, Roland Barthes came up with the idea of narrative
codes and proposed the idea that audiences were in-fact active and would have
their own ideas on situations. The narrative throughout ‘STIUTK’ is constructed
through semic codes, with the story having a simple meaning and the video
posing helping to concentrate the audiences attention on what the lyrics said
mean.
The statement
“Music videos are simply a tool for promoting an artist” is extremely broad
considering the many genres and styles, however describes the basic purpose of
a music video. Artists use music videos to promote themselves, their beliefs,
values etc and it all adds up to give them recognition for the future and to
help them grow in the music industry.
Some artists are more interested in
selling themselves through their videos where as others are concentrated on
making their video special and unique. As different as all music videos are,
their basic meanings all add up to the same purpose off selling the product and
gaining the artist a higher status.
