Representation - Theorists

Representation - Theorists

 

Representation is one of the key concepts in media studies and is constantly bringing up headlines in he press, these usually are about people being offended at content that has been shown on television or radio. An example of this is the reaction to the comedy series 'Come Fly With Me'



This series draws heavily from the sketch how 'Little Britain' the two actors portray a number of characters that you would find in an airport such as pilots, airhostesses, and terminal staff. These characters are grotesquely stereotypically and are often women meaning the male actors are in drag, however the show came under criticism because of the controversial portrayal of some ethnic characters.

Many people were unhappy with the way in which the actors 'blacked up' to portray certain characters many people believed that this was a throwback to how racism was portrayed on British TV during the 50s and 60s when casual racism was apparently acceptable.

This is a prime example of how people perceive things differently as although the show gained many complaints however many people enjoyed the show and it continued to have a number of successful episodes.

 

 

 These are some examples of theorists concerning representation: 

Angela McRobbie – post feminist icon theory

Laura Mulvey – male gaze/female gaze

Stuart Hall – dominant, oppositional and negotiated readings of representation

Richard Dyer – stereotypes legitimize inequality

Levi-Strauss – binary oppositions and subordinate groups

David Buckingham – representation and fragmented identity

David Gauntlett – “identity is complicated, everyone’s got one”     

Baudrillard – hyper realism

Tajfel and Turner – intergroup discrimination and stereotyping    

Andy Medhurst – stereotyping is shorthand for identification

Tessa Perkins – stereotyping has elements of truth

Judith Butler – queer theory 

Editing Exercise

Editing Exercise



Forms and Conventions of a Music Video

Forms and Conventions of a Music Video

There are a number of key features of a music video which distinguish a videos form. These features are highlighted in Andrew Goodwin's book The Rise of MTV (1992) :

-There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals (with visuals either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics).

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-There is a relationship between the music and the visuals (again with visuals either illustrating amplifying or contradicting the lyrics).

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-Particular music genres may have their own music video style and iconography (such as live stage performance for Heavy Rock music).

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-There is a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close up shots of the main artist/vocalist.

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-The artist may develop there own star iconography, in and out of their videos, which, over time, become part of their star image.

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-There is likely to be voyeurism, particularly in the treatment of women, but also in terms of systems of looking (screen within screens, binoculars, cameras  etc)

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-There are likely to be intertextual references, either to other music videos or to films and TV

However there is a close relationship between narrative and performance in music videos which Steve Archer has been drawing attention to in Media Magazine. he says that when analysing a music video you need to consider the following:

Lyrics

Lyrics tend to help to establish a general feeling, or mood, or sense of subject matter rather than offering a coherent meaning. Key lines may play a part in the visuals associated with the song, but very rarely will a music video simply replicate the lyrics wholesale.

Music

A music video tends to make the use of the tempo of the track to the drive of the editing and may emphasise particular sounds from the track by foregrounding instruments such as guitar, keyboard or drum solo.

Genre

While some music videos transcend genres, others can be more easily categorised. Some, but not all, music channels concentrate on particular music genres. If you watch these channels then over a period of time, you will be able to identify a range of distinct features which characterise the videos of different genres. These features might be reflected in types of mise en scene, themes (see post students did for summer), performance, camera and editing styles.



Genre Theorists

Genre Theorists

John Fiske – genre as ‘convenience’ for producers and audiences

Describes genre as "attempts to put some order into the wide range of texts and meanings that circulate in our for the convenience of both producers and audiences. " 

Henry Jenkins – genre constantly ‘breaks rules’ e.g. evolving hybridization

John Hartley – genre is interpreted culturally

Daniel Chandler – genre is too restricting

He said that conventional definitions of genres tend to be based on the notion that they constitute particular conventions of content (such as themes or setting) and/or form (including structure and style) which are shared by the texts which are regarded as belonging to them.

Steve Neale – genre as repetition and difference

Argues that Hollywood's generic regime performs two inter-related functions: (1) to guarantee meanings and pleasures for audiences (2) to offset the considerable economic risk of industrial film production by providing cognitive, collateral against innovation and difference.

David Buckingham – genre in constant process of negotiation and change

Traditionally genres are regarded as fixed forms however David Buckingham argues that that their form and function are dynamic he said that "genre is not simply given by the culture, rather it is in a constant process of negotiation and change"

• Jason Mittell – industry uses genre commercially

Barry Keith Grant - on sub genres

Rick Altman – genre offers audiences a ‘set of pleasures’

Argues that genres are usually defined in terms of media language ( Semantic Elements) and codes for example in Western films ; guns, horses, landscapes and even stars like Clint Eastwood or John Wayne determine the genre of the film.   

Genre of Music

Genre of Music

Genre is a way of classifying music dependent on the content and style. There are many different genres and generally most music can be divided into these styles:

• Pop
• Classical
• Dance/Techno
• R&B
• Hip-Hop/Rap
• Rock
• Metal
• Country
• Jazz
• Blues
• Reggae

Each of these contains a series of sub plots as well as hybrids & mash ups, however each of them have their own characteristics e.g. instruments, rhythm, lyrics and vocals. They can be connected with other things, such as fashion, hair and lifestyle. Each genre has specific ways of institutional support, including performance venues (e.g. nightclubs), radio stations, record shops, festivals and magazines.
Image is crucial for music genre, and an artist's look categorises them before they start performing. For an artist or band to truly fulfil a genre category, they must be represented visually, on records, photos and music videos.

Genre has always been a cornerstone of music business because customers often dedicate themselves to a certain style of music (e.g. hip-hop, R&B) and are not interested in buying outside of it. 
Although many artists resent being categorised into a particular genre in this way, there is no doubt that retailers and customers rely genre to make their choices. Online music streaming services (like Pandora or Spotify) take into account your past genre choices in order to keep playing you new music that you may be interested in buying.

Key Features for a Music Video

Key Features for a Music Video

• Music videos work around 3 codes- music, lyrics and iconography. The relationship between these codes is key to understanding how music videos work  

• They are designed to provide pleasure in order to keep the audience watching & encourage repeated views

Key words-

Illustration: illustrates the lyrics of the song but not always literal

Amplify: add extra layers of meaning to the song

Disjuncture: contradict between the lyrics and the image

Music Video Styles

Music Video Styles

Music videos can be categorised into different genres however within these genres there are different styles of promos:

Narrative:

A narrative music video tells a story through the images shown on the screen, it usually works with the music coinciding with the lyrics of the song helping people to understand artists meaning behind the song

This is an example of a narrative style music video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyv4Bjja8yc

Performance:
In this style of video he artist/s are shown performing in front of a live audience. The video consists of shots of all the band members and many shots of the audience enjoying the music. You can tell that the song has been recorded live as the audio will sound different to a studio version.

An example of a performance music video is Linkin Park's Numb/Encore-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLlF2FMv968

Animation:
Some music videos use animation instead of filmed footage this could be for a variety of reasons firstly i could allow the creator to show something that they may have not been able to as easily with camera work it could also be used to protect the artists identity for example a band that is famous for not revealing they're true identifies is the Gorillas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pls_luhVdAw

Parody:
Parody videos usually mock existing songs by taking the original material and either creating a new video or to sing over the song and change certain words to edit the meaning of the lyrics, however people also create their own songs that mock a certain topic weather it be a band, movie or celeb. These videos use comic effects to make them enjoyable and these videos are becoming increasingly popular and are usually well received by audiences.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI6CfKcMhjY
This video is an example of a parody by the band Lonely Island and features famous singer Michel Bolton. It uses the movie series Pirates of the Caribbean as its main focus of mockery and eventually moves onto Scarface and Forest Gump.

Analysing a Level 4 Music Video

Analysing a Level 4 Music Video

1. Editing

While you are editing can cut on the beat or to the bar in order to make the video flow with the track it was created for.

2. Variety of Shot Size and Locations

This keeps the film interesting while it does not over complicate the filming by keeping within 4 locations.

3Attention to Framing

 Your framing can have an effect on the audience by influencing on what in the shot they focus on for example if your singer is show singing the lyrics from a close up shot obviously your whole shot will be taken up with the singer forcing the audience to concentrate on their emotions and actions.

4. Mise en scene/ camera/ editing/ all reflect the eeriness of the film

 These things when used in the music video will all portray a certain mood or meaning so when deciding for example the lighting in the shot you need to think about what different effects it can have e.g. a darker shot could portray death or suffering while a lighter shot could show happiness.

5. Lip Sync was Accurate

An accurate lip sync makes the video more believable and easier to watch  for the audience.

6. Narrative- Gothic/Fairy Tale

The images create enigma.



Copyright

Copyright

                                                                                    The examiner's report

“For music video, permission should be sought from the artist for use of the audio track.’ Where this rule was breached, centres either didn’t comment on the use of found material, or acknowledged its use but did not reflect it in the marks allocated. In these cases significant adjustments were made to construction marks which potentially jeopardised the order of merit in a centre, thereby affecting the outcomes for those candidates who had followed the requirements of the Specification; such a situation may also result in all work being returned to the centre for remarking.”

That is the examiners report on how we must approach the subject of copyright in regards to creating our own music video. I will have to make sure that I have met these requirements before submitting my work to avoid loosing marks.



The History of Pop Music

The History of Pop Music

Pop music is a term that originally derived from an abbreviation of the word 'popular', this genre of music originated from rock and roll appearing in its modern form in the 1950's and the phrase 'pop song' was first recorded being used in 1926.

Some of the biggest names in pop music are: The Beetles, Michel Jackson, The Rolling Stones and ABBA.

 

Pop music is often described as commercially friendly, marketable and memorable and today accounts for the majority of the music in the charts, it is mainly a mix of different styles of music which vary from jazz, rap, rock and roll to hip hop, consisting of a combination of catchy verses and choruses.



The history of pop music from LukaWheeler

Definition of a Music Video

Definition of a Music Video

A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. Modern music videos are primarily made and use as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos go back even further, they came into their own in the 1980s, when MTV's format was based solely around them.

Break Down of Pop Music

- 8 verses separated by a repeated chorus

- Middle 8 or bridge is sung in middle of song to break the monotony

- Phrases or standard line length tends to be four bars

- A clear defining beat



"Music video is not primarily a commodity form but a promotional one."

Andrew Goodwin 1992

It could be argued that music videos are also:

·    1. Part of the construction of the image of a particular band or performer (part of the    
         process of constructing stardom).
2. A creative artefact of interest in itself.   
3. The raison d’etre for music channel videos.      
4. Marketing for other media products, for example film.