Group Task - Discussion (Choices)

REPRESENTATIONS IN MUSIC VIDEOS 

What is a representation? How the artist or band is potrayed within a music video (including their gender, race or class) and how it potrays other elements found within the video.

Music videos depict aspects of reality found within the society which they reshape in order to make the media product more appealing to current audience. In order to succeed the producers use stereotypical assocciations as it makes the videos easier to understand for the audince. 

This is a music video titled 'Only' by Nicki Minaj ft. Drake , Lil Wayne, Chris Brown. The video focuses on the genre of hip hop. The media product significantly demonstrates various stereotypical assocciations of black and white people as well as stereotypes based upon this genre of music. Within this task I will be discusing gathered examples supported by screen shots from the video. 

 

Already at the beginning of the video the representation of gender is quite unsual demonstrating a strong countertype. Nicki Minaj is potrayed as a dominant woman within the scene. The stereotypical idea of females being seen as vulnerable and weak is completly contrasted. Her role first involved seducing the man. This can be considered as stereotypical assocciation of woman particulary within the hip hop genre due to the idea of woman being sexually objectified. This is supported through confident costume which is exposing her female characteristics, revealing woman's 'real nature'. However, At the same time these features reeinforce the power which she has gained over the male character. The scene is followed by a potrayal of a white man who is demonstrating weak, fragile characteristics by giving up to a woman. The fact that the woman is draging the man also shows strong female characteristics which again supports the idea of countertype.

The representation of woman dominance and sexuality is shown throughout the clip. This is strongly supported through the mise-en-scene, particulary seductive clothing including high hills, exposing outfits, masks, feathers and tights. Stereotypically, this would be specifically aimed at black coloured woman as suggested by Bell Hooks theory 'colour codes' in which black woman are objectified and sexualised particulary within this music genre. Whereas the lighter skinned woman are considered as more desirable. This video supports the stereotypical representation of black woman, however at the same time the video demonstrates a clear conutertype as lighter skinned woman are also sexually objectfied throughout the video.  This shows that the attractivness of woman is based on John Berger theory ''Men look, woman appear'', as this idea is not aimed at any specific races but genre. 

This is another screen shot which supporting the theory of John Berger. It's demonstrating the man's nature of objectifiying woman as well as the stereotypical association of black race man being quite sexual,  Besides, from that this representation demonstrates the idea of a 'male gaze' ( Laura Mulvey theory) where woman are potrayed as passive objects of a male desire. The audience is forced to look view woman from the point of view of a heterosexual male. This can be supported even further through the woman's dance and postures which also signify that they are submissive to the man's sexual wants and desires. 

The next representation is focused around the male genre and black race. The music video demonstrates stereotypical associations of black people in particular due to the mise-en-scene but also body language. The scenes found within the video portray typical raper associations due to their costumes including hoodies and caps which can be comsidered as symbol of crime. This negative represantation can be often seen and found within the youth community, casuing theorical threat to the socity. Another elements such as gold teeth and chains are very characteristic to this genre as well as race, suggesting wealth and power due to gold's high price. However, the overall representation can cause confusion within the audience as people tend to blur race and class (Stuart Hall). This can be applied to this example in particular as black people are often associated with low class due to the stereotypical associations and hard historial background (link to archaeology theory giving a sense of 'history being the present'). 

Furthermore, the final character Lil Wayne suits also very well with the stereotypical image of a raper due to similar reasons as mentioned above for Chris Brown including physical appearance, mise-en-scene and props. However, another association focused around black male characters is their use of body language which is very specific. The confidance in their poses and agression in facial expressions allows them to feel more powerful and dominant, creating a sense of agression, violance but also hyper-muscularity. 

ZEITGEIST : HOW CURRENT TRENDS ARE REFLECTED IN MUSIC VIDEOS.

Zeitgeist theory is based on defining the trend of a particular period of time from various events which is then reflected in the current society.

This is a music video of Lady Leshurr titled 'Queen's Speech 4'. Within the video many zeitgeist elements are reflected using intertextuality including:

• INSTAGRAM - As we can see on the screenshot Lady Leshurr is directly referring to one of the most popular social websites - Instagram. This particular social network focuses around images in order to keep people updated at all times with what is happening in your life. This application is well known within the celebrities, allowing their fans to be updated with their events at all times. The application can be considered as intertexual trend of last months. 

• SNAPCHAT/ BANTER - Another element within the song which demonstrates Zeitgeist theory through current trends is the reference to Snapchat application which has been one of the biggest appealing social networks in last months. Although Instagram is focusing on image updates, you are able to form your own profile, almost like a photo blog. This differs from Snapchat which allows you to sent videos and images up to 10 seconds, meaning you are unable to store them in any way without the other person knowing it (due to screen shot). This app can be considered as controversial due to the time. Furthermore, the same verse of the song includes reference to 'banter', an exchange of playful and teasing remarks between two people which is often used within the youth culture in order to define humorous act.  

• RELIGION (RAMADAN / ADAM & EVE) - the use of special effects, specifically caption 'Ramadan' and the lyrics referring to 'Jesus' and 'Adam & Eve' clearly suggests the reference to religion. The use of these captions might strongly refer to current news of Syria crisis as Muslim people are escaping to Europe, a continent which is well known for Christianity. The contrasting use of words within one verse strongly suggests the reference to these events.

• BRUCE JENNER - Another controversial intertextuality within the video is the reference to Bruce Jenner change of sex. This current gossip has been spreading around the world causing debatable and contentious thoughts and opinions.

• FLIP FLOPS WITH SOCKS - Another trend demonstrated within this music video is based around wearing the flip flops with songs. This was a surprising trend as this combination of clothing was considered before as embarrassment, meaning you don't have good fashionable taste. This has changed over time once the celebrities started wearing flip flops with socks with casual stylisations, clearly not being ashamed of it. This shows how influential the media can be. By spreading few images of celebrities the world substituted the embarrassment with a new, fashionable trend.  This presents the power the media has and it's influence on the society.  

•  KYLIE JENNER BIG MOUTH CHALLENGE 'BIG MOUTH GYAL, WHERE YOUR LIPS GONE'? - These lyrics found within one of the verses clearly relate to Kylie Jenner's Big Mouth Challenge. As the intertextuality was found within the lyrics I have decided to take a screen shot of the effects caused by the challenge. The screen shot presents young girls attempting to enlarge their lips by 'sucking' onto a cup or any round object. As seen above the consequences are quite unpleasant, again showing social media influencing young communities around the world due to social networking websites such as Youtube or Facebook. Besides, from that this shows how easy it is for a celebrity to influence others, without looking at the consequences.  

• In conclusion, all gathered examples above show clear representation of current trends and their influential consequences on communities, particularly youth cultures. The music video portrays various trends which are different from each other, although their similarity is focused around the social networking websites which are allowing the trend to reach even larger groups of audiences. 

NARRATIVE THEORY

TODOROV'S NARRATIVE THEORY is divided into five different elements:

1)EQUILIBRIUM (happy balance)

2)DISRUPTION OF EQUILIBRIUM (when something goes wrong)

3)RECOGNITION OF THIS DISRUPTION

4)AN ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THE EQUILIBRIUM IS MADE

5)EQUILIBRIUM IS RESTORED OR A NEW EQUILIBRIUM IS ESTABLISHED (when the balance is obtained again after something goes wrong)

This music video titled Hozier 'From Eden' suits very well with the Todorov's theory as it follows the sequence. The video starts of with the happy balance of a family. Then the disruption takes place once they try to brake into a private property. The disruption is recognised and attempted to repair. Although the man character is the disruption the equilibrium is restored through the rest of the family. We can also say that a new one is obtained as the woman and the child are forming a new, balanced and happy relationship.

CUTTING TO BEAT

This is a final response to the task titled 'cutting to beat'. Our aim was to practise editing skills in relation to the speed of the soundtrack. After choosing a song we have collected around fifteen secondary images which we have then combined with the soundtrack.

This task will definetly help me with the final product as I am going to be able to cut to beat various scenes after recording my own music video. Besides, I will be able to develop better quality product as I already have some idea about the editing process. Depending on the beat speed the cuts will be slower or faster. This is not going to be a problem as I know how to accuratly put the scenes or images in place. Furthermore, I used Adobe Premier in order to practise skills such as importing files or exporting the video which is also important in order to keep high quality of the files. This task also improved my understanding of the software which is going to be vital in the soonest future during while editing my final product.

WHAT IS A MUSIC GENRE AND HOW WE DEFINE IT?

DIFFERENT MUSIC GENRES & THEIR ASSOCIATIONS / CONVENTIONS

WHAT IS A MUSIC GENRE?

A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions.Music is perceived through its physical properties, which are affected by things like the instruments used, the recording and processing techniques employed, and the creative decisions regarding structure and format (time signature, having verses or choruses or bridges or whatnot, what kind of role the output intends to fulfill, etc). Another element which we tend to identify a music genre is through mise-en-scene. This can include a certain style, behavior characteristics, interests and so on. This is often associated with social stereotypes which build up associations to a certain music genre. Here are some examples:

This is a brainstorm representing rap associations which significantly identify genre's characteristics such as muscularity, swearing, graffiti, violence, money or clothing including hoodies, tracksuit, expensive trainers or bandannas. All these characteristics have been developed over years by media institutions including magazines, TV or music videos. These negative representations have been also developed through stereotypes which portray rapers in a negative light of crime including violence or vandalism. This can be supported through their mise-en-scene such as hoodies which hide their facial features (showing relation to crime), gold chains which can be treated as symbols of money but also expensive gadgets including sport cars. Their 'careless' image supported through their confident, aggressive poses and inappropriate use of language makes the audience believe and reinforce listed above associations. 

The modern pop genre associations include an image of  young artists with female look characteristics. These are significantly contrasting associations to rap genre which are  reinforced even more with the innocent and cheerful looks of pop musicians. Their mise-en-scene is based around stylish costumes which allow them to be seen as unique and creative. A good example for this characteristic is Katy Perry which is continuously surprising people with her imagination. This differs from pop bands that tend to have matching costumes that allow them to reach higher recognition. 

The R&B genre associations show clear similarities to rap characteristics. This includes baggy clothing such as loose jackets or hoodies, muscularity and confident poses, although the overall look seems to be more casual and stylish. This is why I have included Drake image - a hip hop artist which dresses more causal. This can be supported through the black shirt that can be seen as more formal, going against the hip-hop dress code which is dominated by hoodies and loose jackets. In terms of the woman appearance the costumes seem to be also revealing just like in hip hop genre. This creates an idea of woman being sexually objectifying in both R&B and Rap genres due to confident, exposing poses which might be appealing to man audience. 

The last association brainstorm includes Rock and Alternative Rock genres which are very similar in terms of their mise-en-scene in particular. Both genres support characteristics such as tattoos, piercing, leather jackets / trousers and other black clothing or long hair. Besides, from that they might be considered as aggressive due to confident and strong beat found within their music. This might link to the audience's interest in instruments such as guitars or percussion that allow to create strong, confident and aggressive performance. 

MUSIC VIDEO TECHNIQUES / MEDIA LANGUAGE ANALYSIS

SKUNK ANANSIE - CHARLIE BIG POTATOE <- CLICK TO WATCH HERE

The genre of this music video is alternative rock. Alternative rock is a genre of rock music which emerged in 1980s. This music video is concept and performance based therefore it is again a hybrid. In this video a mix of thematic and symbolic concept has been used as the video is packed with small symbols as well as a theme. The symbols used in the music video are hard to understand as they convey a concept that the artist had however objects like water and bugs could be used to symbolise  the artists concept. I believe that this music video clearly represents the alternative rock genre by what is visible in the video itself as at the first sight it does really stand out to what is shown by the mainstream music. In the video we have a lot of symbols which do interlink with the concept based idea of the music video. Water, insects or even abstract way the artists sit could symbolise the thought the artist had behind the music video. 

The sound in this music video is a mix of both diegetic and non diegetic as we can partially see the whole band perform and partially a concept story being shown. In my opinion having both diegetic and non diegetic sound really helps to get the concept across as the audience is not focused on the artist singing but on what is shown in the video. In terms of the mise-en-scene used in this music video we can see that a very dark theme has been set. The band is wearing black leather clothing which is mainly associated with rock music therefore this clearly presents the genre to us. Additionally the clothing contained spikes which to the audience signifies the sharp and hard-core tone of the music. To emphasise the dark theme the video uses a low-key lighting which makes the scene very mystical, allowing for a very effective use of strobe lights which can be seen in the background. In terms of the editing, this music video used a high amount of cuts. The cuts have been done at both fast and slow paces depending on the songs rhythm. By this the song is emphasised as the audience gains tension according not only to what their hear but to what they see. The cinematography used in this video included close ups on the walls and face, tracking shots, medium shots and medium close ups . The close shots such as the close up or medium close up were used either to show the scene or show the artists emotions. By the use of such various cinematography, the artist conveys her performance and the concept behind it very clearly to the audience.