Representation Theory-

Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory-
How women are viewed and presented in the media. Women are seen as sexual objects through cinematography, and that they are there to be seen.

She focus's on
How men look at women
How women look at themselves
How women look at other women

The theory states that :
-In media texts emphasis is put on curves, on the female body.
-Women are refereed to as objects rather than people, and that they are there for pleasure.
-They portray women on how men think they should be perceived and look, and how men expect them to be.
-Female viewers also see women in the media through the eyes of men and usually want to be what men like .
-Women are often sexualised in the media.
-Men have dominant power over women in media texts.
-The media creates the image of an idealistic women and the media tells us what is 'perfect'



Richard Dyer's Star theory-
Icons and celebrities are constructed by institutions for financial reasons and are built to target a specific audience. They know what the audience wants, set of ideas, not real people. An image is given.

Quotes:
"stars are commodities that are produced by institutions"
"A star is a constructed image, represented across a range of media and mediums"
"stars represent and embody certain ideologies"

1-Audience and institutions
Stars are made to make money, audiences consume what they think is the ideal. The institution then modifies the stars image around the target audience. They want to please the audience as they are who will make the stars a success.

2-Constructions
The star is built for an audience and is not a real person, a persona is created for the audience to identify with. And so that stars can differentiate. The star is built specifically with a signature style.

3-Hegemony (cultural beliefs)
We relate to the star because they have a feature we admire or share with them. This develops from admiration into idolization. Some people may attempt to replicate what they like about a star, they are seen as role models.


Tessa Perkin's Stereotype theory-

Perkin's identity's 5 assumptions:
1-Stereotypes are not always negative
2-They are not always about minority groups or the less powerful
3- They can be held about a persons own group
4-They are not rigid or unchanging
5-They are not always false.

Genre theory

Genre is a critical tool that help us study media texts and audience responses to text by dividing them into categories based on common elements (conventions of genres)


Daniel Chandler (2001)
States that the word genre comes from the french work 'kind' or 'class' it is used in literary theory and media theory to refer to a distinctive type of text.  Refers to a distinctive type of text- classifies different types of media. He also says the all genres have subgenres. Different categories within categories for example comedy in side a romance. 

Adults in modern society are familiar with all the current genres for literature, film, television and music. We have all grown up with different media so that we can recognise different genres and conventions. Some argue that there are genres with no name, it depends on the diversity of society. This could link to how one person’s interpretation of a genre may be different to another. Due to different life experiences of am individual. 

Steve Neale (1995)
Stresses that genres are not systems they are processes of systemisation. They are dynamic and evolve over time. They are under constant negotiation and change. 

Jason Mittell (2001) 
Argues that genres are cultural categories that surpass the boundaries of media texts and operate within industry, audience and cultural practices as well.
Industries sell products to audiences by using genre. Produces familiar codes and conventions that often make cultural references to their audiences knowledge of society and other texts. 

Genre also allows consumers to make choices about what products they want to consume through acceptance in order to fulfil a particular pleasure. 

Rick Altman (1999) 
Emotional Pleasures- Creates strong audience response 
Visceral Pleasures- Responses defined by how the text stylistic construction creates a physical effect/ feeling upon its audience.
Intellectual puzzles- Offer pleasure in trying to unravel a mystery, being surprised/ shocked. 

David Bordwell (1989)
Any theme can appear in any genre
For example 
Personal journey, 
Sex,
Segregation,
Romance, 
Rebellion. 

Strengths with the genre theory-
Everybody uses it and understands it, audiences use it to decide weather to consume a text. Institutions use it to study, develop and create texts. 
The potential for the same concept to be understood by producers and audiences, makes genre a useful and critical. Its accessibility means it can be applied across a wide range of texts. 

R&B/ Soul artists

Song background

The song was written by Emeli Sandé, Shahid Khan, Grant Mitchell and produced by Khan under his production name of Naughty Boy. The story of the song talks about first experiences in the music industry, mainly reflecting the search to get signed by a music company and the encounters with several music business people in the industry. Commenting on the song, Sandé said: “It’s about how I felt when I was trying to get signed, I was going for all these meetings and people were looking at me like ‘What do we do with you’? It’s about not allowing yourself to be judged by others or to be taken for an idiot.

In Sande's interview with the Mirror she says "This is about the industry and the struggle to get into it. But I was also thinking about Jeremy Kyle’s show a lot when I wrote that – how we kind of laugh at these people on our TV screens who are desperate enough to go on and talk about their problems.

It was written very quickly – in two or three hours. I wanted it to be defiant... I’m going to be your clown, but I’ll still have the guts to put myself out there."

Using quotes from the artist herself helped me get a better understanding of the song and the personal feelings behind it.

Influences and inspiration

Mood board via pinterest

Follow Josie's board Music video on Pinterest.

Textual analysis 1

Pink- Sober (2008)


This song was taken from Pink's fifth studio album, Funhouse (2008). It was written by Pink and Kara DioGuardi. The power pop song talks about the quiet sense of comfort in being sober, with the singer claiming it was about the vices that we choose. The song received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who commended the track for being a heartfelt track, with some praising its lyrical content. The music video was directed by Jonas Akerlund and filmed in the last days of September in Stockholm, Sweden. It plays on a dream-like space between real and imagined over the course of a night. Pink hosts a party attended by a drunken version of herself Showing her battle over drink.

The video starts with an establishing shot and diegetic sound of church bells ringing. There are cross cuts from between three different locations. The locations are gloomy, dark and spooky and set the mood for the video, the darkness and fog can also represent and link with the meaning of the song, and show the way she feels when her vices take over her. There is then a cross cut to Pink sat on a sofa in a messy, dark, old fashioned house, the mess of clothes and drinks in the room could show how she is not in control of herself. There is a jump cut to a close up shot of pink singing, this follows conventions of a successful music video, the editing is to the beat of the song, there is miming and performance and the video uses a wide range of shots and cinematography, from clode ups to group shots, to tilted shots. This make the video interesting and allow the narrative to develop.

When pink is sat on the sofa singing, she is playing the sober version of herself. She looks put together yet disgusted by the mess and the other side of her that gets taken over by darkness. The lighting is significant on this shot as the light is hitting half of her face and body, this half represents the sober side and the hope in her life while the rest is covered in darkness. However this light can have an opposite meaning of how she feels safe with her vices when she is drunk. This is where she is comfortable and at ease. As it states in the song "I'm safe, up high, nothing can touch me" Relating to alcohol as protection and a cover to hide behind, that numbs her pain.

We are then introduced to the other character pink is playing, the character is sociable, aggressive and loud. Opposite to the character before. She is surrounding herself with alcohol making the ideology of the video clear. We then see the sober pink looking at the drunk Pink, she looks disappointed and upset with the other version of herself. However she is trying to help her, as we can see in the scene where pink is being sick, the other, sober version of herself is trying to help. She is rubbing her back, showing that she is the only person that can help herself , nobody else. This point is backed and linked with the lyrics in the song as she sings "If I let myself go, I'm the only one to blame" Stating there is nobody else to blame for her problems but herself.
This video has a narrative but there are certain aspects of the video that are stylish and abstract. However the abstract scene still gives meaning and holds ideology. For example when we see flashes of red light, the colour red in the video represents the danger that she is in and the negativity. Also the scene were she is in the white room is slightly abstract and looks stylish however it showing that she is trapped and that she is in a mental asylum. That she needs help. The colour white represents the hope that she gets help and can escape the asylum and the negativity. Within the scene in the white room pink has black eyes, there is a myth that people with black eyes have no souls, a soul is a spiritual part of a human , this could link to the shots of churches in the video and how church and spirits are holy and dedicated to god. Which pink is going against.
Near the end of the video cinematography plays a significant part, using tilts, fast pans and high angle shots each giving off different effects. The use of tilts puts slight confusion on the audience, showing he unease and disorientation. The repetitive use of high angle shots in the video show that she is not in control and venerable, it also makes her seem less powerful. The fast pans and camera movements almost makes the audience feel as if they are in her body and mind, like her point of view, the fast spins give the physical effect of being drunk. This shows Rick Altman's theory on genre stating how media texts offers audiences ‘a set of pleasures one of the pleasures being visceral pleasures, these are ‘gut’ responses and are defined by how the film’s stylistic construction evoke a physical effect or feeling upon its audience.
Parts of the video are quite scary for example the [parts in the asylum and in the woods, maybe this is portraying the way that she feels, she is scared of the vices she faces and fear of not being able to help herself and escape the negativity. When pink is in the woods, it reminds me of a saying "cant see the wood for the trees" this saying means there is unclarity within a situation like the character is lost and unable to see the what is really happening and the real effects it can have.
At one point in the video Both of the pink characters are in bed kissing and biting each other, at first I found it difficult to understand what message the video was trying to give here or weather it was just for style and to attract the male viewers (Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory) however I then realised it was about, self infliction, self love and tough love. Tough love meaning encouraging a persons welfare, especially that of an addict by enforcing restrictions on them and requiring them to take responsibility for their actions. Near the end of the video she gets off herself and walks out the rooms linking to when the song says "Why do I feel this party's over" She is taking controls and it's almost as if she is saying this needs to stop and that she is leaving that drunk side of her life behind.

Textual Analysis 2

Ariana Grande ft Zedd - Break Free (2014)

It was the second single from Grande's sophomore studio album My Everything (2014) "Break Free" was written by Savan Kotecha, Zedd and Max Martin. It reached the number one spot on the iTunes Sales Chart soon after its release. "Break Free" received general acclaim from music critics upon its release. The music video was filmed from June 10–12, 2014. Having an intergalactic theme, Grande stated that the video was inspired by the 1968 science fiction film Barbarella, Star Wars, and space in general. The plot consists of Grande on a fictional planet giving up her allegiance to an evil regime and freeing a group of prisoners from their cages. She is subsequently attacked by a giant robot and the planet's overlord. Her character succeeds in killing the villain. The video was directed by Chris Marrs Piliero.

At the start of the video there is an establishing shot of the fictional planet where Ariana is a slave for aliens. The video is like a short si-fi film.The next shot is a close up shot of her face, where the emphasis is on the lyrics and and the si-fi make up. The mise-en-scene of the costume, props and location follow conventions and iconography of a si-fi film. She is wearing space suits and futuristic costumes, using space guns, floating in 0 gravity, being captured by aliens and flying in space ships. However the si-fi genre has changed and this video compared to an old star wars movie will be different. Steve Neale states that “genres are not ‘systems’ they are processes of systematization” i.e They are dynamic and evolve over time. 

She has been labelled with the aliens rune to show she is under their possession, but she rebels and rips it off, throws it on the ground and stands on it. Showing that she is breaking free from her captures Using an individuals own interpretation they decide who the aliens represent based on their own experience and knowledge of media texts. For example the aliens could represent a religion that is having restrictions and struggle on a persons life, or the group of aliens could be Ariana's record label who might be trying to change the artist she wants to be, so she is standing up for herself and being free. There are lots of opportunities on what the story means and who the characters represent. Therefore the video allows many people to relate, and it covers many themes for example rebellion, romance, coming of age, sexuality, bulling and religion. 

The cinematography in the video is strong. There is a continuous use of low angle shots through out the video which shows that she is powerful and the heroine in the narrative. A tracking shot is used to show all the characters trapped in cages on the planet guarded by the aliens. It is almost like they are animals captured or like they are prisoners. Before Ariana destroys the aliens and lets them escape. Setting them free. This video is about good vs bad, Ariana being the protagonist and the aliens being antagonist. Claude Lèvi-Strauss’ ideas about narrative amount to the fact that he believed all stories operated to certain clear Binary Opposites e.g. good vs. evil, black vs. white, rich vs. poor. Things are either right or wrong, good or bad. There is no in between.

There is a lighting change and scene change, it is darker and Ariana is surrounded by fire and she is chained up to the walls. But she pulls hard at the chains and frees herself. The darkness and chains represents her struggle and hurdles she faces in becoming herself. Through out the video she is wearing a red tie bracelet on her wrist this is the bracelet for Kabbalah. Kabbalah is an accident wisdom that reveals how the universe works. It's a way of looking at the world to allow you to have permanent fulfillment. The video has greater ideology, when you look deeper, representing this group.

Textual analysis 3

Somebody That I Used to Know" 

is a song written and recorded by Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter Gotye, featuring New Zealand singer/guitarist Kimbra. The song was released in Australia and New Zealand 5 July 2011 as the second single from Gotye's third studio album, Making Mirrors (2011)The music video for "Somebody That I Used To Know" directed and produced by Australian artist Natasha Pincus has been viewed over half a billion times on YouTube. It shows Gotye and Kimbra naked throughout the clip, and as they sing, his skin is gradually painted into the backdrop via stop motion animation. The painting used in the video's background, painted by Howard Clark, is based on a 1980s artwork created by Gotye's father, Frank de Backer, who also designed the cover art for the related album, Making Mirrors.

When you first watch this music video it seems very abstract and a work of art, it defiantly seems style over substance, like Michael shore's theory, stating how music videos are image and style scavengers ,recycled styles, a simulated experience and about vanity. However when you look closer at the video you see there is meaning behind the abstract and it can represent lots of different things linking with the meaning of the song. The song is about his feelings after a relationship.

At the beginning of the video the camera tilts up the side of Goyte's naked body. Starting from his foot to his head. He is naked meaning that he is open and venerable.From 0:18 to 0:48. there is no edits, within this long edit it makes us listen and focus on the lyrics he sings " Now and then I think of when we were together" Its like he is reflecting on his previous relationship and he is telling the audience about it. After this 30 seconds of no edits there is a jump cut the art starting to emerge on the walls and on his body, this could show the memories coming back to him. and his memories and feelings fitting into place he is finally coming to understand his situation and position he is in with his former girlfriend. 

The starting of the paint could be his memories or it could be showing the start of there relationship, starting with the line that connected them together and the lots of lines making a puzzle, showing how the relationship had lots of different stages, hurdles and feelings. 

When the paint starts to appear on his body it represents the effect she had on him, how she left him messed up and in pieces. Or it can show the confusion that he has been struggling with. The paint on his body also acts as distraction to the audience and it makes the viewers slightly puzzled too, like the paint and himself. It can also be used to mask his emotions and feelings or disguise them.

The video is very intriguing, slightly weird yet very clever. When we see the the camera zoom out to see a two shot, we see a girl who he used to be in a relationship with. She is fitting in with the paint in the background, until she gradually moves over to him  leaving a  

History of music videos

Cliff Richard- Summer Holiday (1963)
Summer Holiday is a British music film in this video we see cliff Richard, an artist fit into a narrative. He plays a character for the audience's entertainment. The video is part of a film. This is when films were very popular and for music to be promoted they would have to be a part of a film. People would go to the cinema to see there favourite artists and listen to there music in films and a narrative. As not everyone had TV's in the 1960's. The film is in colour, which appealed to a wide audience, and the film was non rebellious was what is expected which makes it family entertainment. Other artists like Elvis, played characters within a narrative in the 60's, however this change with The Beatles.


The Beatles- A Hard Days Night (1964)
A Hard Day's Night is a British black-and-white comedy film starring The Beatles during the height of Beatlemania. The film portrays several days in the lives of the group. Because The Beatles were so popular they played themselves in films, to promote there music instead of playing characters. This went against conventions and changed the face of music videos.


The Beatles-  Hello Goodbye (1967)
The Beatles really focus on the performance and technical codes in this video. Because the video was made at a time where there was no conventions to follow, there was no rules and this video allowed them to create an image for themselves. The beginning of the video where the curtains open is like the start of a show, making the audience feel like they are watching a live performance. With the video having no narrative and being highly performance based, allows most of the attention to be on the music. They used a wide range of camera shots, allowing us to see each member of the band. However some shots are too long. They are wearing extravagant outfits, not like how we have previously seen The Beatles. Its like they are saying 'Hello' to The new Beatles.


The Beatles- I am the walrus (1967)
The Beatles also created codes and conventions within music videos, Foe example the use of close ups and different camera shots, the element of performance, editing on the beat and the choice of setting/location. Creating an iconic image.  This happened when films become less popular, due to TVs, more and more households had TVs, so that music videos could be sent on video round the world.  The Beatles used this as a way to challenge values and society, by trying to influence people and send messages through the music and videos.


Bob Dylan- Don't Look Back  is a 1967 American documentary film, the video is basic, in a run down alley way, there is one camera shot through out with no edits. The star is stood to the right of the screen with the lyrics he's holding central, showing that the video is selling the song not the artist. There is no distractions to take away from the song and the important part of the song is highlighted with the cards he's holding.














Beautiful South- Song For Whoever (1989)
This video is substance over style as the video has a narrative and a message. The band are playing talent scouts, to find a new star. The video has strong ideology because they are mocking chart music and pop stars as the captions in the video say things like "you can't sing, you'll go along way" also because the made star is a jelly, its suggesting that celebrities are moulded and created, and that every pop star is the same.


Weezer- Buddy Holly (1994)
This video relates to Michael Shore's (1984) theory of recycled style/ style scavengers. Where the video has no meaning and is purely based on image rather than substance. Where videos take ideas and parts from previous media texts. Weezer takes scenes from American 1970's Sitcom Happy Days, set in Arnolds local coffee bar, like in the TV show. Happy days is the 1970's version/ interpretation of the 1950's, this is a cultural reference, based on other media texts understanding of reality. Other videos recycle style for example, Madonna- Vogue, taking ideas from icons like Marilyn Monroe. And Blink 182- All the small things, this video is mocking other music videos styles.








Rihanna- SOS (2006)
This video backs up the idea of Laura Mulvey's Male gaze theory, as we can see in the video, The star is wearing outfits the are revealing and look good to men, the camera emphasises the curves on her body. She is also dancing provocatively infront of a man, like she is there for a mans pleasure. The man has dominance in the video as she is dancing around him like she his his possession. The audience watch the video through the eyes of a male.




Beyonce- Run the world (Girls) (2011)




Jay Z- 99 Problems (2009)
This video is linked with society and a reflection of society, there is cultural understanding of when the video comes from and what it is based on. The video holds themes you would expect the video to have when linking with the genre. The video has themes such as:
Police harassment, Urban area, hoodie, jewellery/chains, dogs, jail, shooting, objectification of women, basketball, Stereotypes, hand held camera ect...

Evolution of Music and music videos

Lyric analysis