Music video auteur signature
View more presentations from Leanne Gelder.
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Saturday, 18 September 2010
Music Video and Genre
Grouping music videos into set categories is increadibly difficult. There are no clear cut genres or classifaction (or taxonomy) of music videos that everyone agrees on within the music industry and many music videos fall into two different genres or classifactions e.g. The Ting Tings - Shut Up and Let Me Go (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x50nU0a5l4s) could be classed as illogical yet artsy.
As part of my research I have tried to produce a classifaction of music videos;
As part of my research I have tried to produce a classifaction of music videos;
- Narrative
-> Classic,
-> Logical,
-> Disjointed,
-> Illogical.
-> Logical,
-> Disjointed,
-> Illogical.
- Computer Generated
-> Anime,
-> Animation,
-> Retro.
-> Animation,
-> Retro.
- Home made/DIY
-> Low budjet
- Soundtrack/Film
- Performance
-> Studio,
-> Abstract,
-> Dancing,
-> Historical,
-> Comedy,
-> Horror,
-> Emotional,
-> Scenic,
-> Artsy,
-> Montage,
-> Live,
-> Tour,
-> Fantasy.
Although there has never been a singular definitive classification of music videos one of the most widely known groupings of music videos was put forward by Andrew Goodwin. He identified a number of key features including;
-> Abstract,
-> Dancing,
-> Historical,
-> Comedy,
-> Horror,
-> Emotional,
-> Scenic,
-> Artsy,
-> Montage,
-> Live,
-> Tour,
-> Fantasy.
Although there has never been a singular definitive classification of music videos one of the most widely known groupings of music videos was put forward by Andrew Goodwin. He identified a number of key features including;
- A relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics.
- A relationship between the music and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music.
- Genre related style and iconography present.
- Multiple close ups of the main artist or vocalist.
- Voyeurism often plays a major part, especially in relation of females.
- Intertexual references to other media may be present.
By using these key points Goodwin provided a three pronged media music video classification;
Illustrating - The pictures or images on the screen match the song lyrics e.g. a song about being in Las Vegas has images of the singers or actresses in Las Vegas. A video example of this is Pulp - Common People. This however runs the risk of being over literal and simplistic.
Amplifying - The video adds another layer of meaning to the song lyrics e.g. Oasis - Rock 'n' Rolla video the images that fill the video are of the band doing normal everyday activities and suggest that the rockers or people in bands are normal people too and like to do normal everyday things like ride roller coasters and visit theme parks.
Disjuncture - These videos are often based on abstract imagery and work by rejecting or completely contrasting to the song's lyrics. This is a very dangerous strategy to adopt as the audience may not understand what is going on and therefore not buy the single. For example the Arctic Monkey's video, Fluorescent Adolescent where random men are beaten up by psychotic clowns.
Laura Mulvey (1975) - Also argued that a lot of mainstream media texts are based from a males point of view or from the male gaze. For example the Kayne West Golddigga video or the Brittany Spears 'Ooops I did it again.'
Next I researched three different music videos to see the extent in which these videos follow Goodwin's or Mulvey's theories;
Eminem feat Rihanna - Love The Way You Lie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U&ob=av2e
The first video that I looked into was Eminem and Rihanna, Love The Way You Lie. In this video there is lots of genre based iconography. Withing Eminem's videos there is usually some form of narrative within the video and this one is no different. Similarly there is also lots of multiple close ups of the main artists, both the singers and the actors.
The relationship between the music and the visuals is illustrative as the narrative speed matches the speed of the music. Likewise with the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals e.g. the actors are seen saying some of the lyrics of the song during their fight and Eminem also acts out some of the lyrics during his verses.
Finally this video could also be suggested that it is shot from a man's point of view as Meagan Fox and Rihanna are both wearing tight or short and revealing clothing. This is clearly another example of voyeurism within the video.
In this video we are shown omniscient narration, where the narration of the video is not tied to a single character and the camera reveals elements in the video that the characters may or may not know. This usually creates suspense as the audience knows what is going on and are waiting for something big to happen. However all the narrative theories like Propp, Levi Strauss and Todorov are irrelevant here as there is no clear binary opposites between the characters, no evidence of the five stage theory or Todorov or no hero sent on a quest by a sender to rescue a Princess by Propp.
Kayne West feat Jamie Foxx - Golddigga
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vwNcNOTVzY
Kayne West feat Jamie Foxx - Golddigga
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vwNcNOTVzY
Throughout the video the audience is shown frequent close ups of both singers (Kayne West and Jamie Foxx) whilst also showing intertexual references to other media e.g. in the case of a men's magazine cover below.
Similarly this is a clear example of a video shot from the point of view of a man as all of the women are wearing skimpy and revealing clothing therefore it not only valid for Mulvey's theory but also of Goodwin's as it is another clear example of voyeurism as males will find it entertaining to see the skimpy clothed women on screen. Likewise there is lots of genre styled iconography involved e.g. the song is a hip hop/rap song so someone would expect stars like Kayne West or Drake to be involved with lots of scantily clad women dancing with them.
Similarly with the video above there is no clear narrative form within this video yet unlike the the Rhianna and Eminem video the audience is shown restricted narration where the narrative is tied to a single character and the audience only sees or knows what they know which creates a feeling of mystery in the audience as they do not know what is going to happen.
Finally there is also a relationship between the visuals and the lyrics and the visuals and the music. The relationship between the lyrics are illustrated clearly by the visuals e.g. when Jamie Foxx talks about money he makes a counting money action with his hand, whilst it is a similar story for the relationship between the music and the visuals as whenever the music skips a beat or changes the person on the screen, whether it be male or female, changes too.
Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
Like most music videos, Teenage Dream shows multiple close ups of the main artist; in this case Katy Perry. On the other hand in this video the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals is amplifying rather than illustrating. This means that whilst the visuals in the video do not match the lyrics what the artist is singing, the visuals hold an extra hidden meaning to the lyrics. For example in this video Katy Perry does many things that teenagers do e.g. parting and hanging out with friends.
Yet unlike the relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, the relationship between the music and the visuals is illustrating the music. When the music slows down, so does the speed of the visuals or the level of action/movement within them. Within this video there is also lots of genre related style and iconography e.g. the song is about teenage dreams so the inclusion of lots of young people is not surprising.
Both Propp's, Levi Strauss and Todorov's narrative structures are irrelevant here. This video only tells a short story of Katy Perry and her boyfriend and friends partying and running away together therefore any narrative structure here would be useless. Within this video we are shown restricted narration as we are only shown what Katy Perry's character knows which primarily puts her as the focus of the video and allows the audience to have a deeper connection to her and her thoughts and feelings.
Both Propp's, Levi Strauss and Todorov's narrative structures are irrelevant here. This video only tells a short story of Katy Perry and her boyfriend and friends partying and running away together therefore any narrative structure here would be useless. Within this video we are shown restricted narration as we are only shown what Katy Perry's character knows which primarily puts her as the focus of the video and allows the audience to have a deeper connection to her and her thoughts and feelings.
Finally within this video there is lots of voyeurism as throughout the video all of the women are wearing tight, revealing clothes which is clearly seen from a male point of view.
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Music Video and Redundancy/Entropy
Discuss the role redundancy and entropy play in at least four music videos
Redundancy - '.....is that which is predictable or conventional in a message. Redundancy is the result of high predictability...'
Entropy - '....is unpredictability. Non conventional which keeps the message quirky and interesting.'
During my research I have found that a music video has to have both elements of redundancy and entropy in order to make effective communications. By using the examples below I hope to demonstrate this and discuss the roles of both redundancy and entropy within the text.
-> Ellie Goulding - The Writer (2010)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-ru2glqXAg
The first music video that I looked into was Ellie Goulding, The Writer. This is a very redundant video showing many residual ideas. For example Ellie Goulding is wearing short, tight clothing which sexualisies her and makes this video appeal to the male gaze. At the start of the video the audience is shown many extreme close ups and close ups of the artist, something that is a redundant factor within music videos as well as the effect of wind blowing through her hair. These features accompanied with the bright white light behind her gives her the look of an angel connoting her innocence and purity. A residual factor within society is that women should be seen as innocent and is something that is shown clearly in this video.
In this video there is not much in the way of props or other cast members. Any props that are in this video are ordinary and redunant, things that would be seen everyday in the real world e.g. the ocean, green fields and a lighthouse. This could be because the artist wanted to emphasise the song and not the locations or props within the video. Another example of this could be when the artist is frequently shot in narrow focus, making the audience concentrate on her rather than the things around her.
Finally there is a shot from a high angle, looking down at the artist as she walks through the field and is a frame within a frame shot. This could connote that she is feeling trapped and vunerable and alone. This is a residual ideology example whilst likewise being a redundant factor as many forms of media have portrayed women as vunerable and helpless.
-> Lady Gaga Feat. Beyonce - Telephone (2009)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVBsypHzF3U
This music video shows many examples of being both redundant and entropic. On a basic level the audience expects a Lady Gaga music video to be strange and bizarre with Lady Gaga wearing quirky mise - en - scene and doing wacky choreography. This is the first instance of redundancy within this video. Secondly the beginning of the video is shot in a prison so prison officers, batons, CCTV shots, fights, bars and handcuffs are all predicable and objects that we hope to find within that prison setting. On the other hand the wacky accessories and mise en scene (including a mobile phone and cigarette sunglasses) are not and are very entropic.
However we, as the audience, are used to seeing a prison full of men and male officers as this is largely a male dominated area. Although this prison is filled with women and women prison officers, the women guards are burly, male like figures which in itself is a redundant factor - and residual ideology - that if a women does a male stereotypical job then they must be masculine too. Another redundant factor is that when Gaga, a new prisoner, first enters the exercise yard all the other prisoners immediately dislike her and largely ignore her. This is something that audiences have become used to when watching other prison dramas like Prison Break and follows a classic prison storyline.
However the most redundant or predicable fact that is shown in this video is by the mise en scene of the women prisoners. All of the women, including Gaga and Beyonce, are wearing skimpy clothing for example Gaga wearing nothing but bright yellow and black police tape. This further shows a more residual ideology as by doing this the video appeals to a more male centric audience. Another example of this is the shots of female prisoners fighting, which both symbolises an emergent ideology and entropy, whilst also appealing to a more male audience.
Being a Lady Gaga video there has to be a large level of entropy and unpredictability involved. Firstly there is the mise en scene. Throughout the video Gaga is shown wearing bizarre and unpredictable clothing and accessories including sunglasses made out of lit cigarettes, clothing made out of bright yellow police tape and a coke can wrapped in her hair. Similarly choreographed dancing in a kitchen with lettuce and baguettes, a break halfway through the video to instruct the audience on the correct way ‘to make a sandwich’ and underwear clad women dancing throughout the prison also show a high level of entropy as the audience would not expect this to happen in usual music videos or within a prison or classic American diner setting.
This video also shows lots of emergent ideology. The video is mainly dominated by women and shows them in the more powerful role over men, rather than the other way around. The video does this in a variety of ways; the females dominate the frame, drawing your attention to them most of all; Females are always shot using close ups or other close up shots therefore giving the audience more to empathise with them rather than the men whilst also showing their greater importance to the narrative; females are shot from a slightly lower angle, making them appear more powerful and finally all the females wear brightly coloured or bizarre and attention grabbing clothing, whereas the men largely wear identical clothing, thus symbolising that men are all the same and are largely irrelevant to the narrative.
This emergent ideology could also be shown by the two women killers in Gaga and Beyonce, whilst also showing a high level of entropy as there are not many women killers. All of these points clearly portray a new dominant and independent woman, the opposite of the residual version of the cooking and cleaning housewife.
Finally another high level of entropy is seen in the length of the video itself. Normal music videos range from between three to five minutes. However due to the decreasing sales and profit within the music industry; stars and producers have had to do more and produce more entropic and unpredictable music videos as a form of micro marketing, in order to sell their music and generate more interest in the artist and produce more profit. To do this many stars have extended their videos in order to provide a more unusual and almost mini movie based around their music. This will hopefully generate more buzz around the song and provide the artist with free advertising and promotion and hopefully more profit.
-> Katy Perry - California Girls (2010)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwE-SLnLkqY&ob=av2e
The second video that I researched into was Katy Perry, California Girls. Like the Lady Gaga video above; this video also shows both redundant and entropic factors.
At the start of the video the audinence is shown a shot of Snoop Dog sat on a throne overlooking a boardgame with Katy Perry as the character piece. The is an example of both residual and redundant ideology as the audince is used to seeing men being at the centre of the action and the throne that he is sat on connotes his power and dominance; something that is further shown by how he is in control of Perry's movements as a playing piece of his boardgame.
Redundancy - '.....is that which is predictable or conventional in a message. Redundancy is the result of high predictability...'
Entropy - '....is unpredictability. Non conventional which keeps the message quirky and interesting.'
During my research I have found that a music video has to have both elements of redundancy and entropy in order to make effective communications. By using the examples below I hope to demonstrate this and discuss the roles of both redundancy and entropy within the text.
-> Ellie Goulding - The Writer (2010)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-ru2glqXAg
The first music video that I looked into was Ellie Goulding, The Writer. This is a very redundant video showing many residual ideas. For example Ellie Goulding is wearing short, tight clothing which sexualisies her and makes this video appeal to the male gaze. At the start of the video the audience is shown many extreme close ups and close ups of the artist, something that is a redundant factor within music videos as well as the effect of wind blowing through her hair. These features accompanied with the bright white light behind her gives her the look of an angel connoting her innocence and purity. A residual factor within society is that women should be seen as innocent and is something that is shown clearly in this video.
In this video there is not much in the way of props or other cast members. Any props that are in this video are ordinary and redunant, things that would be seen everyday in the real world e.g. the ocean, green fields and a lighthouse. This could be because the artist wanted to emphasise the song and not the locations or props within the video. Another example of this could be when the artist is frequently shot in narrow focus, making the audience concentrate on her rather than the things around her.
Finally there is a shot from a high angle, looking down at the artist as she walks through the field and is a frame within a frame shot. This could connote that she is feeling trapped and vunerable and alone. This is a residual ideology example whilst likewise being a redundant factor as many forms of media have portrayed women as vunerable and helpless.
-> Lady Gaga Feat. Beyonce - Telephone (2009)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVBsypHzF3U
This music video shows many examples of being both redundant and entropic. On a basic level the audience expects a Lady Gaga music video to be strange and bizarre with Lady Gaga wearing quirky mise - en - scene and doing wacky choreography. This is the first instance of redundancy within this video. Secondly the beginning of the video is shot in a prison so prison officers, batons, CCTV shots, fights, bars and handcuffs are all predicable and objects that we hope to find within that prison setting. On the other hand the wacky accessories and mise en scene (including a mobile phone and cigarette sunglasses) are not and are very entropic.
However we, as the audience, are used to seeing a prison full of men and male officers as this is largely a male dominated area. Although this prison is filled with women and women prison officers, the women guards are burly, male like figures which in itself is a redundant factor - and residual ideology - that if a women does a male stereotypical job then they must be masculine too. Another redundant factor is that when Gaga, a new prisoner, first enters the exercise yard all the other prisoners immediately dislike her and largely ignore her. This is something that audiences have become used to when watching other prison dramas like Prison Break and follows a classic prison storyline.
However the most redundant or predicable fact that is shown in this video is by the mise en scene of the women prisoners. All of the women, including Gaga and Beyonce, are wearing skimpy clothing for example Gaga wearing nothing but bright yellow and black police tape. This further shows a more residual ideology as by doing this the video appeals to a more male centric audience. Another example of this is the shots of female prisoners fighting, which both symbolises an emergent ideology and entropy, whilst also appealing to a more male audience.
Being a Lady Gaga video there has to be a large level of entropy and unpredictability involved. Firstly there is the mise en scene. Throughout the video Gaga is shown wearing bizarre and unpredictable clothing and accessories including sunglasses made out of lit cigarettes, clothing made out of bright yellow police tape and a coke can wrapped in her hair. Similarly choreographed dancing in a kitchen with lettuce and baguettes, a break halfway through the video to instruct the audience on the correct way ‘to make a sandwich’ and underwear clad women dancing throughout the prison also show a high level of entropy as the audience would not expect this to happen in usual music videos or within a prison or classic American diner setting.
This video also shows lots of emergent ideology. The video is mainly dominated by women and shows them in the more powerful role over men, rather than the other way around. The video does this in a variety of ways; the females dominate the frame, drawing your attention to them most of all; Females are always shot using close ups or other close up shots therefore giving the audience more to empathise with them rather than the men whilst also showing their greater importance to the narrative; females are shot from a slightly lower angle, making them appear more powerful and finally all the females wear brightly coloured or bizarre and attention grabbing clothing, whereas the men largely wear identical clothing, thus symbolising that men are all the same and are largely irrelevant to the narrative.
This emergent ideology could also be shown by the two women killers in Gaga and Beyonce, whilst also showing a high level of entropy as there are not many women killers. All of these points clearly portray a new dominant and independent woman, the opposite of the residual version of the cooking and cleaning housewife.
Finally another high level of entropy is seen in the length of the video itself. Normal music videos range from between three to five minutes. However due to the decreasing sales and profit within the music industry; stars and producers have had to do more and produce more entropic and unpredictable music videos as a form of micro marketing, in order to sell their music and generate more interest in the artist and produce more profit. To do this many stars have extended their videos in order to provide a more unusual and almost mini movie based around their music. This will hopefully generate more buzz around the song and provide the artist with free advertising and promotion and hopefully more profit.
-> Katy Perry - California Girls (2010)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwE-SLnLkqY&ob=av2e
The second video that I researched into was Katy Perry, California Girls. Like the Lady Gaga video above; this video also shows both redundant and entropic factors.
At the start of the video the audinence is shown a shot of Snoop Dog sat on a throne overlooking a boardgame with Katy Perry as the character piece. The is an example of both residual and redundant ideology as the audince is used to seeing men being at the centre of the action and the throne that he is sat on connotes his power and dominance; something that is further shown by how he is in control of Perry's movements as a playing piece of his boardgame.
However this video also has some entropic signs. Snoop Dogg is shot wearing a suit decorated with sweets and cupcakes with a pink coloured tie whilst sitting on a throne made of frosting. Whilst this shows both emergent ideology (pink fluffy things are generally shown as more female items and shows that Snoop Dogg does not care that he has a feminine side and likes these types of things) yet by him sitting on a throne it suggests his dominance and ownership over others, a classic residual ideology symbol. This could also be seen as redundant sign as many music videos or other forms of media shows men controlling women or having some form of dominance over women.
Another sign of residual ideology is the mise en scene. Katy Perry, along with all the other women in the video, are wearing skimpy and revealing clothes which are common factors in contemperory music videos. This suggests that the stars or the directors of the video are trying to appeal to a wider audience - in this case it was to attract a more male audience into watching the video.
Yet we, as the audience, are also shown further entropic symbols within the video by the mise - en -scene. As mentioned before all the females in this video (including Katy Perry) all have strange coloured hair and clothing e.g. a dress made out of lollipops and sweets. This could be an example of the video trying to appeal to a younger audience as the mise - en -sene resembles a children's TV programme of video e.g. candy floss clouds and lollipop trees.
Yet we, as the audience, are also shown further entropic symbols within the video by the mise - en -scene. As mentioned before all the females in this video (including Katy Perry) all have strange coloured hair and clothing e.g. a dress made out of lollipops and sweets. This could be an example of the video trying to appeal to a younger audience as the mise - en -sene resembles a children's TV programme of video e.g. candy floss clouds and lollipop trees.
On the other hand the audience is still shown some levels of redundant images; for example Katy Perry eating an ice cream. By using this image within this video, along with the other childlike settings, connotes a more light-hearted and fun approach suggesting that Katy Perry still sometimes acts and thinks like a child, whilst also trying to appeal to the younger adolescents by showing her in redundant situations that they can relate to and empathise with. This will hopefully make them buy her record.
However by trying to target a younger audience there has to be more entropic and unusual situations or features. For example in this video there is walking gummy bears, who on meeting Katy Perry swears at her. This connotes a openness to swearing and early childhood socialisation and to children growing up early whilst also adding humour and surprise to the video as many would relate gummy bears and sweets to childhood and innocence. Yet afterwards Katy Perry is shocked and disgusted by this; connoting that swearing and being rude is bad and unacceptable. This is a redundant factor and shows residual ideology as women are frequently shown to be inncoent and that swearing and being rude is a more male behaviour and are rarely seen in women.
In recent years we have seen more and more showings of powerful, independent women and this is further shown in this video. Katy Perry is seen climbing, running, and completing other 'dangerous' activities what are usually done by males, connoting that she is a strong and independent women who doesn't need a man to help her. A good example of this is when Katy Perry is seen saving at least three other women - one trapped in a pink bubblegum bubble with pink hair (another entropic example). Yet in a clear residual and redundant connotation Kety Perry saves the pink wig wearing woman with the end of her stiletto and as many people know women love shoes and clothes.
Another entropic factor is when Katy Perry is shot lying on a pink candyfloss cloud with no clothes on. Whilst this primarily is done for the male gaze (a residual and redundant connotation) it could also be seen as an emergent and entropic example as it connotes the audiences are more open about people wearing reveling clothes and also that it it aimed at a higher aged audience due to the sexual connoations and profanity involved.
Another main entropic example within this video is the fact that it is the women (Katy Perry) saving the trapped women and being the hero. The fact that she is the one who saves all the trapped women could sugest that she has more concern for others and compassion that Snoop Dogg who is more intrested in playing a game. This is a redundant factor as within media texts the audience is used to seeing women being the more compassionate out of the two genders.
Later on within the video she even wins a fight against Snoop Dogg and his army of gummy bears (another entropic factor). The army of gummy bears under Snoop Dogg's control could be suggested is a sign of his masculinity, domiance and power whilst Katy Perry and the other women winning the fight could suggest that it is infact women who are the more dominant and powerful gender in contemperory society.
Finally the females within this video are always shot from a close range, allowing us to empathise more with them, and from a lower angle or straight ahead, the same as men. This could suggest that our society's values women on the same level as men yet there are also many shots (see above) that still suggest that it is men who are in control and look down on females, especially from high angle shots. This is almost ironic as the song is sung by a female, about females and with a female protagonist however throughout the film we are still shown shots of male dominace and power.
-> Justin Timberlake - Senorita
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcBliEF2IdE&feature=channel
Finally this video has very little entropic factors and mainly focuses on redundant ones. Throughout this video the audience is shown simple everyday items or locations including pool tables, cars, bars and people playing poker. This could suggest that the background and the other people that are shown in this video are not important and should blend in with the rest; it is the song that is the most important and the cast or other props in the background shouldn't take the audience's attention away from it.
In this video all the women are wearing short or tight clothing, a clear example of residual ideology and is primarily for the male gaze. Another redundant factor is the fact that it is the men who have the power and dominance over a situation and women are subordinate to them. An example of this is when at the bar scene where the woman who was stood at the bar first moved so that Justin Timberlake and Pharell Williams can sit down and order their drinks.
Similarly males are always shot either from below or straight on suggesting their power, authority and importance as they are usually centred in the frame. On the other hand most of the shots of women are shot in a group, rarely alone; perhaps suggesting their insecurity whilst the men are frequently shot alone, connoting their leadership and authority. This is another example of residual ideology. Finally another example of residual ideology and redundant factors are the way that all the men seem to be good with women and find it easy to talk to them, this could suggest their cockiness and assertiveness amongst the other men.
After conducting this research I have found that the majority of successful music videos have a mixture of entropic and redundant factors. Too much entropy makes the video too strange whilst too much redundancy can make the video dull and boring.
In recent years we have seen more and more showings of powerful, independent women and this is further shown in this video. Katy Perry is seen climbing, running, and completing other 'dangerous' activities what are usually done by males, connoting that she is a strong and independent women who doesn't need a man to help her. A good example of this is when Katy Perry is seen saving at least three other women - one trapped in a pink bubblegum bubble with pink hair (another entropic example). Yet in a clear residual and redundant connotation Kety Perry saves the pink wig wearing woman with the end of her stiletto and as many people know women love shoes and clothes.
Another entropic factor is when Katy Perry is shot lying on a pink candyfloss cloud with no clothes on. Whilst this primarily is done for the male gaze (a residual and redundant connotation) it could also be seen as an emergent and entropic example as it connotes the audiences are more open about people wearing reveling clothes and also that it it aimed at a higher aged audience due to the sexual connoations and profanity involved.
Another main entropic example within this video is the fact that it is the women (Katy Perry) saving the trapped women and being the hero. The fact that she is the one who saves all the trapped women could sugest that she has more concern for others and compassion that Snoop Dogg who is more intrested in playing a game. This is a redundant factor as within media texts the audience is used to seeing women being the more compassionate out of the two genders.
Later on within the video she even wins a fight against Snoop Dogg and his army of gummy bears (another entropic factor). The army of gummy bears under Snoop Dogg's control could be suggested is a sign of his masculinity, domiance and power whilst Katy Perry and the other women winning the fight could suggest that it is infact women who are the more dominant and powerful gender in contemperory society.
Finally the females within this video are always shot from a close range, allowing us to empathise more with them, and from a lower angle or straight ahead, the same as men. This could suggest that our society's values women on the same level as men yet there are also many shots (see above) that still suggest that it is men who are in control and look down on females, especially from high angle shots. This is almost ironic as the song is sung by a female, about females and with a female protagonist however throughout the film we are still shown shots of male dominace and power.
-> Justin Timberlake - Senorita
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcBliEF2IdE&feature=channel
Finally this video has very little entropic factors and mainly focuses on redundant ones. Throughout this video the audience is shown simple everyday items or locations including pool tables, cars, bars and people playing poker. This could suggest that the background and the other people that are shown in this video are not important and should blend in with the rest; it is the song that is the most important and the cast or other props in the background shouldn't take the audience's attention away from it.
In this video all the women are wearing short or tight clothing, a clear example of residual ideology and is primarily for the male gaze. Another redundant factor is the fact that it is the men who have the power and dominance over a situation and women are subordinate to them. An example of this is when at the bar scene where the woman who was stood at the bar first moved so that Justin Timberlake and Pharell Williams can sit down and order their drinks.
Similarly males are always shot either from below or straight on suggesting their power, authority and importance as they are usually centred in the frame. On the other hand most of the shots of women are shot in a group, rarely alone; perhaps suggesting their insecurity whilst the men are frequently shot alone, connoting their leadership and authority. This is another example of residual ideology. Finally another example of residual ideology and redundant factors are the way that all the men seem to be good with women and find it easy to talk to them, this could suggest their cockiness and assertiveness amongst the other men.
After conducting this research I have found that the majority of successful music videos have a mixture of entropic and redundant factors. Too much entropy makes the video too strange whilst too much redundancy can make the video dull and boring.
Friday, 10 September 2010
Video Skills Audit
During this year I would like to develop five skills that would help to make a key difference to my ability to achieve a high grade in the video coursework.
Pre Production
Reconnaissance - Before shooting any of the two music videos that I worked on last year, I made hardly any 'recce' reports; for example notes on the lighting in the location, possible noise sources permission to film etc. I believe that this year completing these small reports and posting them to my blogg will help both my organisational skills and provide me with a more detailed look into the smaller aspects of completing the music video so that I can spot any potential problems so that they can be dealt with quickly.
Research - I need to work on developing my research skills this year as last year I seemed to get bored quickly when doing this and drifted off onto something else. Therefore some of my research may not have been as detailed as I would have liked about the genre that I am working in. This year I intend to look outside of the media for inspiration and also use different forms of media (e.g. powerpoints, videos etc) to demonstrate my research. By doing this I hope that I will find research more interesting and stop me from drifting off topic and onto something else.
Production
Camera Skills - Even though I became more proficient using the cameras and other shooting equipment I believe that I can still become better. Some of the shots could have been better positioned in the Famous video and I could use more practise on camera movements so that it looks more professional and adheres to the rules of continutity editing.
Organisation and Logs - During the filming of both my Famous video and for our whole classes Busted video I rarely kept notes about which shots we had done that day and which we stil needed to film. As a result of this sometimes we found it difficult to remember exactly which shots we had already done and therefore lost valuable time when we had to look through our shot lists to find which shots we needed to shoot that day. For my A2 media music video however I will make detailed notes during every take so that no shots are missed out or rushed. This will also help with my planning and organisational skills as I will be able to plan the next days shots beforehand so that I know exactly which shots I will be taking and hat props and actors I will need.
Post Production
Editing Accuracy and Continuity - I found that on my Famous video (as with the Busted) that my lip synching could have been better as in some shots they were out of time. Likewise in some areas the continuity of the video also had minor flaws which I hope not to make in my final A2 piece. I believe that as I have more practise with programmes such as Abode Premier Pro my skills will advance and my music video will become more professional.
Organisation and Logs - During the filming of both my Famous video and for our whole classes Busted video I rarely kept notes about which shots we had done that day and which we stil needed to film. As a result of this sometimes we found it difficult to remember exactly which shots we had already done and therefore lost valuable time when we had to look through our shot lists to find which shots we needed to shoot that day. For my A2 media music video however I will make detailed notes during every take so that no shots are missed out or rushed. This will also help with my planning and organisational skills as I will be able to plan the next days shots beforehand so that I know exactly which shots I will be taking and hat props and actors I will need.
Post Production
Editing Accuracy and Continuity - I found that on my Famous video (as with the Busted) that my lip synching could have been better as in some shots they were out of time. Likewise in some areas the continuity of the video also had minor flaws which I hope not to make in my final A2 piece. I believe that as I have more practise with programmes such as Abode Premier Pro my skills will advance and my music video will become more professional.
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