Initial Ideas In Relation to the Narrative of the Song

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Andrew Goodwin (1992) argues that in music video "narrative relations are highly complex" and meaning can be created from the individual audio-viewer's musical personal musical taste to sophisticated intertextuality that uses multidiscursive phenomena of Western culture. Many are dominated by advertising references, film pastiche and reinforce the postmodern 're-use' tradition.

Multidiscursive phenomena of Western culture = history of Western culture is accessible to use through media/the Internet. Now not just Western culture is accessible to us but world culture is too. We create meanings from our knowledge and experience of culture.

Sophisticated intertextuality = referring to other media texts withing media texts. An example of this is the Family Guy Star Wars episodes.

Conventions of Genre

I would say that the genre of my music video is probably rock-pop because it is quite fun and upbeat although it is also quite serious as is it talking about a topic very meaningful to the artists which makes it not a typical pop song, as it has an element of rock within it. This can be backed up by the black and white effect used in the original music video.


The conventions of the pop genre are:

• bright colours
• bold outfits
• smiling
• lyrics are normally based around love or relationships
• typically young artists within this genre 
• appeal mainly towards the younger audience/teenagers
• catchy song to stick in the audience's mind 
• partying
• dance routines
• pretty artists/actors
• high-key lighting

The conventions of the rock genre are: 

• leather jackets
• studded clothing
• piercings
• tattoos
• low-key lighting
• instruments
• performance element within recording studio or garage for example
• dominance of the colour black
• tartan
• big boots
• heavy make-up
• scruffy hair

Michael Shore

Michael Shore argues that music videos are:

• recycled styles
• surface without substance
• simulated experience
• information overload
• image and style scavengers
• ambivalence (don't care)
• decadence (want luxury)
• immediate gratification
• image assaults and outre folks
• the death of content
• anesthetization of violence through chic
• adolescent make fantasies
• speed, power, girls and wealth
• classical storytelling's motifs

Claude Levi-Strauss - Binary Oppositions

Levi-Stauss' theory commented on the narrative of music videos and films and states that all stories are operated to certain clear binary oppositions.

Examples of these are:

• good vs evil
• black vs white
• heroes vs villains
• men vs women
• light vs dark
• young vs old

Essentially a complicated world is reduced to a simple eithe/or structure. Things are either right or wrong, good or bad. There is no in between. 

Tessa Perkins - StereotypesTheory

Sven Carlsson, Pam Cook and Tzvetan Todorov's Theories

Sven Carlsson (1999) said that in one type of performance, the performer is not a performer anymore, he or she is a materialization of the commercial exhibitionist.

Kate Domaille - 8 Narrative Types Theory

Conventions of Form - Music Video

What Makes A Good Product - Audience and Personal Feedback

What are conventions of film trailers?

• Includes the name of the filM
• Release date
• Actors
• Lots of locations (5 or 6)
• Main elements that compose the film
• Shows best parts, doesn’t have to make sense
• Narrative demonstrated
• Variety of different costumes
• Music (non-diegetic mainly)
• Voiceover

What are conventions of music videos?

• Artist
• Range of locations
• Variety of costumes
• Variety of cinematography
• Narrative
•  Performance element
• Lip-syncing
• Acting element
• Music

What makes a bad product? (things you are not going to do)

• Use little shot types
• No links to the lyrics
• Long shots
• Bad framing
• Bad lighting
• Editing doesn’t match the pace of the song
• Lip-syncing not matching to the song 
• Bad performance/acting
•  Leaving it until the last minute

Textual Analysis

·      LIIAR (language, institution, ideology, audience and representation)

·      3 different textual analysis’ for 3 different products 

• language – what the song is about/concept/imagery and lyrics
• ideology – the message behind the video/lyrics
• institution – who are they signed to
• audience – who is the song/video targeted it and does it suit the need of that audience
• representation – what genre (love, heartbreak etc.)

·      How does the product use the 4 micro elements (angles, framing, movement, message, pace, special effects, swipes, solves, cross dissolves, just lyrics or sound breaks for narrative, song get any louder at some point, asynchronous, locations, costumes, props etc.)

Narrative ideas

• if you are planning on abstract you must explain the concepts you are wanting to create
•  you need to explain in detail your 3 initial narratives ideas for your product

Audience Research

• focus group
• what they like/dislike
• want to see more or less
• what dies do they have in relation to the song chosen
• play them it before telling them your concept
• is there’s different/similar
• do they like you idea if so why or why not
• different target groups

Storyboard

• not grade ability to draw but locations, framing props, mise-en-scene etc.
• scanned in and put on blog (animatic – storyboard moving to the song to make sure that it matches the song)

50 Word Treatment of My Music Video

Male and female singers, smashing items and screaming, located in two empty derelict square rooms with a singer in each,  rock costume, end of video is artists leaning against sides of a wall looking like they're in rooms next to each other, lip-syncing, low-key lighting.

Richard Dyer's Star Theory

 Richard Dyer states that:

• "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"
• "A star is an image not a real person that is constructed (as any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of materials (e.g. advertising magazines etc. as well as films and music)" (1979)

Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze Theory

After learning Laura Mulvey's theory I watched 5 different music videos and 5 different film trailers ro see whether her theory is proved right or not.

Calvin Harris ft. John Newman - Blame
Theory right : - woman wearing lingerie
                      - shadows of women
                      - slim models birds eye view
                      - sexual objects
                      - media's ideal representation

Lilly Wood and the Prick ft. Robin Schulz - Prayer in C
Theory right : - women getting dressed up
                      - close ups of woman's bum
                      - dresses blowing up when spinning around
                      - kissing (girl with girl and girl with boy)
                      - teasers

Sam Smith - I'm Not the Only One
Theory right : - woman in wedding dress vs woman in dressy dress in pub
                      - close up of a topless woman being rubbed on her back by a man
                      - kissing

Taylor Swift - Shake It Off 
Theory right : - women's arms
                      - ballet dancers
                      - a lot of female bodies visible
                      - shaking their bums

Iggy Azalea ft. Rita Ora - Black Widow
Theory right : - tight clothes
                      - can see their breasts
                      - behind shot to see their bums

Sex Tape (Film)
Theory right : - naked women
                       - kissing
                       - in the shower
                     
Lucy (Film)

Theory right : - women in underwear
                       - looking down top
                       - close up of eyes and lips

Before I Go to Sleep (Film)
Theory right : - woman in bed
                       - covering herself up with a towel
                       - can see legs and underwear

Inbetweeners 2 (Film)
Theory right : - girls in bikinis
                       - women taking off towel naked
                       - topless woman on car

Lets Be Cops (Film)
Theory right : - group of women staring at men
                       - women in swimwear
                       - women in short dresses

Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory, which describes women as sexual objects in the media, is proved to be correct looking at these music videos and film  trailers. I know this because in the music video Black Widow  by Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora the two artists are wearing very tight leotards and you can see a lot of their breasts, to please the male audience and make it seem as if they are there just to make the men happy, which backs up this theory. This theory is also proved correct in film trailers such as Sex Tape and The Inbetweeners 2 were the women are wearing underwear or swimwear in order to show as much of the female body as possible.

Overall, I would say that Laura Mulvey's theory that women are seen as sexual objects in the media is proved correct as through watching many different music videos and film trailers the women tend to wear lingerie, little or tight clothing to appeal towards the male audience.

Although, a down fall of Mulvey's theory could be that this is now an expectation of women, therefore making women feel as if they have to look this way due to how the media represents women. Meaning that more and more women will feel pressured into losing weight and wearing certain clothes in order to look like those do in the media, in order to make men happy.

I think that the media portrays women in this way in order to appeal towards men as well as women, so that they have a wider audience, therefore becoming more successful, and earning more money. I also think that the media portrays women in this way because women wouldn't aspire to these women if they weren't seen as 'perfect' and these women are trying to shape people to think how we want others to look. The media has influenced how women are represented and it is now extremely hard to change that perception.