Research: Genres of Music

Research: Laura Mulvey - Representation

Representation consists of many parts – gender, age, ethnicity, regional Identity etc. Music videos place a great emphasis on representation of gender, especially of females for the male gaze. Laura Mulvey said:

“In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its fantasy onto the female figure which is styled accordingly.”  In other words, she is saying that the audience is usually watching through a man’s perspective; therefore, woman are often dismembered and objectified in order to appeal to the male audience. This is done through the choice of clothes, hair, setting etc.

The video for Blurred Lines (Robin Thicke ft T.I & Pharrell) is a video which strongly objectifies woman and focuses on the male gaze and pleasure, through the use of wearing lingerie and being viewed sexually by the artists.   

However, there are some artists who challenge the representation of woman when creating music videos. Adele has proven that whilst looking elegant, fully clothed, and sitting down the whole duration of a video, the video can still be a hit without being sexually presented to the world. Her video for Rolling in the Deep had received 432,342,027 views on YouTube!

Research: Carol Vernallis – Media Language in Music Videos

It has been found that the camerawork and editing used in music videos highly contrast to that of those used in films and TV programmes. Carol Vernallis had observed the camerawork and editing, and found that they match and move in time with the beat of the music; thus edits appear more frequently. The edits also have a rhythmic base, and the rules of the continuity editing are broken & jump cuts are used. Furthermore, the edits are usually obvious to draw attention to themselves, such as wipes and special effects.

The music video’s structure is created through the use of a master shot (base track), and the camera moves in time with the music.  

A good example which follows these conventions is Rihanna’s music video for Who’s That Chick

Research: Andrew Goodwin – Structure of Music Videos (Dancing in the Distraction Factory)

According to Andrew Goodwin, circular narratives (Todorov’s theory) do not apply to music videos, as music videos are trying to portray stories from a different angle to novels and films. Music videos are built around the song itself; therefore they do not pose the traditional narrative structure (equilibrium - disequilibrium - equilibrium). Moreover, the artist plays the part of the narrator and character throughout the narrative, whilst often looking into the camera to involve the audience.

In comparison to films/TV, music videos often use repetition of same scene/location the way the song has a repetition of choruses. The repetition of the chorus and scene helps the audience to familiarise themselves with the genre of the song. All songs have a form of ending – builds to a climax or constant repetition before fading away.

Music videos have been widely found to follow one of three structures:

o   Illustration

o   Amplification

o   Disjuncture

Illustration – The visuals used in the music video relate to the lyrics and tell the story. A good example of this would be Jessie J's song Who's Laughing Now

Amplification – The visuals and lyrics do not contradict the lyrics, but there is a strong connection between the lyrics and the visuals

Disjuncture – There is very little connection between the lyrics and what the audience sees, and the meaning of the song are ignored visually

Research: What is the main function of music video?

The main function of a music video is to promote the single, the album and the artist. Music videos were first produced during the mid late 70s. Before the 70s, TV producers were using recorded performances. Without a music video, there would be less chance of the artist to be known to a wider audience.

The main purpose of a music video is to promote the single, the album and also the artist. Without a music video, nowadays, its less likely for any artist to increase their fame as there is an increase audience on music channel on television or online websites. It is also a way to entertain the viewer by highlighting the talents of the artists.

Music video is much shorter than a movie. Its more seen as an advert but between 3-5 mins. its also different than TV shows as they use deliberate shots and change of shots which follows the beats and follow the tempo of the song. Theres a high use of editing that takes place. Music videos have developed in a more sophisticate way which enables the artists to perform and become more engaged.

Music videos such as Gangnam style shows the difference between a movie or any other show. In the video, the singer performs different roles such as being the singer, a dancer, the main entertainer. Whilst in a movie or TV show the character has only one role.

Research: Functions of a Music Video

Research: Copy Of Copyright Clearance

113 Mayville Road

Leytonstone London

E11 4PL

15/09/2013

The Matrix Complex 

91 Peterborough Road London

SW6 3BU                         

Dear Takeover Entertainment,

I am a student of A level Media Studies and for my Advanced Portfolio I will be working in a group to produce a promotional package for the release of a new album track. I would like to request permission to use the above track for this project. 

The finished project will not be made available publicly and will be used solely for coursework purposes. The holder of the original copyright will be fully acknowledge in the finished project. 

If you do not hold the right for this song I should be grateful if you could forward this request to the appropriate person, or return it to me with the contact details in order that I might approach the copyright holder directly. 

Yours faithfully

S.louise 

Samuel Louise

Sam13here@live.co.uk