Music Video Theories

There are 3 main music video theories that I want to learn and talk about for my music video. these are:

1. Goodwin's theory
2. Barthes theory
3. Mulvey's theory

Goodwin's theory

key features

• A relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images which are either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting
• Music videos demonstrate characteristics (R&B, indie etc.)
• The record label want lots of close ups of artists and these artists may find a common thing the use in their music videos.
• A relationship between music and visuals. The video reflects the music with emotions and its atmosphere throughout.
• Usually inertextual references to films, TV programmes and other music videos.

Barthes theory

describes a text as "A galaxy of signifiers, not a structure of signfieds; it has no beginning; it is reversible; we gain access to it by several entrances, none of which can be authoritavely declared to be the main one; the codes it mobilizes extend as far as he eye can read, they are interminable... the systems of meaing can take over this absolutely plural text, but their number is never closed, based as it is on the infinity of language"
What he is saying is that text is not one thing but can change by the way it is read ad how you read it. It also talks about how each text is different and how they may be linked. Text is like a ball of threads which can be unravelled and you can find several meanings in one sentence.
He also said that texts can be 'open' and 'closed'

There are five codes he says that can be in any narrative:


link to where this is from


Mulvey's theory

'Male gaze' she believes that in film and other forms of media, audiences have to view characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male.
I presents women in the males view so the camera focus on curves of the female body
It gives the women the status of an object.

This theory does have criticism as some people say some women like being 'looked' at. It ca also be used on a male to show body image or their clothing.

AS media evaluation questions

We have been asked to evaluate our first year in several questions and these are all about reflecting back on what we learnt and what we will bring forward this year, these are the questions I was asked and my answers:

As media critical analysis

What about the subject still holds your current interest? What are you dissatisfied with?

As media was interesting as I learnt many new skills and some of these I still use regularly. Making a music magazine gave me new skills and I am very interested in doing this again as it would great fun and very interesting. The photography also holds my interest as I learnt new ways to take photos and develop them on Photo shop to create a better photo. I was dissatisfied with the amount of exam work and preparation. There was lots of coursework and I feel the media course should be more than 50% practical as this means more to learn than the exam as it lasts longer. Although the exam is key and is needed, I feel it should not count for 50% as this is a little too high, the coursework should be worth more.

What is the overall value of the As Media course? How will this impact A2 Media?

The value of AS media will be carried on for many years, skills such as Photo shop and being able to evaluate what a picture is trying to show will be useful for many years and especially help when at university. The planning techniques I also experimented with to do well in the exam will help me later on as they gave me solid ground to do well. The media course was valuable too as the skills I learnt also were used when I did my other a-level exams as they were able to be carried across to them as media is so broad. The skills and value of AS media will move to A2 as these skills will be developed further and will give me solid ground to start from. The Photo shop skills I learnt can be developed further and make a more professional magazine front cover as I had no idea where to start before, now I know what to do and how to start it and develop from that. These Photo shop skills are worth a lot to me as I never knew how to do this before and now, I have a good understanding and would be able to basic tasks if needed straight away. It took me time to learn this but now I do, I will use much more in my life, especially in advertising (what I want to do after a-levels) as this is a key part to it so it looks more professional.

What are the course’s (and your) strengths and weaknesses?

The course itself is a very good a-level to do as the skills can be spread across many other a-levels. The strongest part to me was creating the music magazine as this gave us many skills to learn and to develop to make a professional piece of coursework. These skills then can be used later on in life, especially at university and can be used elsewhere also. The course also developed my exam writing technique and s.a writing techniques. The questions were high in marks and there were only 2 so I had to write with good explanation and well presented and I did very well in this getting a B bringing my grade up from a D to a C. this is a great skill to keep and I hope to develop this into A2

The course did have its weaknesses also though.  I feel the course should be more reliant on the coursework (as said in other questions). Although I did better in the exam I still feel the coursework should be worth more as this is a better skill and shows much more understanding as some people do not like exams. Although exams are needed I do feel the coursework should be worth a little more and exam a little less. The course also had a weakness from our teacher. He was great at teaching but his marking skills were poor as I was told my coursework was at grade A but I only got a D which is very disappointing. I had my doubts so still did a little more work than normal and I am glad I did or it may have been an E.

My strengths in this course were the exam writing techniques and gathering photos and making posts on my blog. These pieces I developed skills for the AS and made them work in the coursework and exam. I learnt how to answer questions to a high standard within the time limit, it is just a shame that the question in the exam was one I never tried, although I did good, I could have planned and done a bit on that too and done even better!

The weaknesses in this course would be the piece involving Photo shop and planning. I did not know how to use the programme before the AS so I only learnt basic pieces and how to do them so it was not at a professional level (D). my planning, although sufficient, was not enough to get into the higher boundaries and get a C. I could of improved this much more and done much better and brought my grade up, but these are just things which happened and cannot be changed as it is finished but I feel I did well overall not knowing what some things were before and coming out with a good grade, the highest in the class for AS.

Digipak's

In the course as said in the first post, I have to also create a Digipak and develop it closely with my music and its genre. I choose to look at 2 other Digipak's and evaluate these so that I can get a good understanding, my questions on these Digipaks were:

• how has the Digipak used  colour?
• how has the Digipak used language?
• does the Digipak have the 'persuasive factor'?
• how does the Digipak represent the artists music?
• what's good about the Digipak?
• what's bad about it?
• what ideas have you gained?

I asked myself these questions on two Digipaks, myth and desert rose and these are my answers.....

http://hollywooddisc.com/images/P/CD_6panel_digipak.jpg

Use of colour and image: The Digipak uses all space available to promote the singer ‘myth’ and all colour is coordinated, like in this case all colours are dark to match it. This creates a dark, maybe spooky feeling, linking with the title 'myth' and making it seem more attractive to the buyer. The use of language:  The colour of the language on the front cover is the opposite to the rest of the colours, making it stand out more, and it is completely different font along with this. It is also in the dark part of a picture so you can clearly see the writing. Taking the word ‘myth’ we can associate the fact that the band wanted us to feel their music is out of this world and may be passed down for generations therefore this is a successful persuasive device because it brings more people to buy or want this product more.

The persuasive factor:
If you were a fan of this singer they would emphasise on this cover to make you buy the Digipak.  The cover with its persuasive name and colours also mean that you are more attracted the product. Also using the Digipak itself is a persuasive factor as it gives an exclusive feel and makes it look much more professional.

How it represents the artist/the artists music: 
 This could represent the artist by making him look smart on the front cover showing he has class or is very calm. Also on the middle part he has white gloves, matching the face showing smarter. The writing on the front though could also show rap or a dark theme throughout as of its font and the way it is shown.

 What’s good?

The smart feeling throughout works very well with this artist as he tries to portray this throughout ad it works. The writing inside also is very smart and works with the background colours and does not try to stand out too much. 

What’s bad?

The writing on the cover feels as if it is the opposite of the rest. It is less smart ad more casual or rap-like, the colours of it also means it stands out much more. Although this does work to catch the buyer’s eye, it just does not work with the ‘smart’ theme going on throughout.

What ideas have you gained?

The idea of having a smart theme throughout works very well as it means it as a very high standard. Also the opposite style font on the front works in one way as it means that the buyer’s eye is caught from this although it is opposite to the rest. The idea of having different photos at each part of the Digipak works also as it gives different views of the main subject, ‘myth’ .

 http://www.groovehouse.com/images/products/cd_digi_6panel_ruby_james_CS_1.jpg

The use of colour and image:

The album cover unlike the Digipak before has bright colours ad is of a real background, in a town or beside a road. It has a long-mid shot of ruby James with a hat and the photo also is distorted I the background making you focus on her first then realise the background. This continues to inside where again ruby is the main sot but this time  a close up of her face, ad anther with her with another man, maybe showing romance on this CD or breakup?

The use of language:

The colour of language on the front makes the Digipak have a touch of class, and make it look like it is a country/folk singer with the font of this language.  It is also situated ion the darker part of the Digipak so it is clearer than anywhere else on the Digipak. The title also links with the genre as ‘desert rose’ makes us instantly think it is country/folk and is not going to be pop or dance.

The persuasive factor:

The persuasive factors start with having the singer on the front cover and being able to notice her instantly. She is the front of the picture and which the photo is focused on. The Digipak also has a touch of class to everything and the colours are not bold and make it look very professional. The Digipak also heaving focuses on ruby all the way through, not just on the cover. The colours are also lights high on contrast to make it look more clearer and brighter creating a more clear scene and more focused on her.

How it represents the artist / the artists music

The Digipak represents the artist as classy and from a country village or town. The classy side comes from how she is standing and the font and how it is set out. The colours are also natural, not artificial looking making it look natural and more country like. The name of the album also pushes this across as it is called ‘desert rose’ showing the desolate side of a desert but also the rose, meaning love maybe in the middle of this, meaning she could be lost in love? She could be talking/singing about love and being alone? This touch of class and the font make us attracted as it can be related and people may want to be like her.

What’s good?

I think the fonts and pictures work very well together as they link together well as they are not opposite colours, instead they work by matching and working together. The Digipak is also got a professional touch to it, it does not feel like it is trying to push you to buy, instead buy because you want to, it is not crazy coloured and the font works and is not over the top. The pictures are also focused onto her and not nothing else making us know it is her who is the singer and only her.

What’s bad?

I feel the Digipak may not stand out as much as it needs to. The market is crammed with lots of artists and it would be hard to choose this off a shelf as the persuasive factor is there but its not enough, it would not focus us straight onto it unlike others and may not sell because of this. Also the name is pretty short and it does work, but I feel it may not link to her music unless she is talking about being alone and about heartbreak and sadness.

What ideas have you gained?

I have gained the idea of having everything work together like in this where it all fits and does not try to rub it into your face, instead it looks professional and very well designed like it should be. Also having the singer, in our case the band as the main focus for us so you know its them who made it and that works very well.

First lesson back for A2 media

in my first lesson back (5th September) I had a in-depth conversation about how music videos can differentiate and be similar and how the genre can change how the music video is shown and its links with it. The discussion I had with these people was recorded and here it is:
 My group was full with 5 people, three boy and two girls. We feel this discussion worked well as we helped each other understand what we knew and also found out other opinions and gained new knowledge. I felt I contributed well in this discussion as I gave some valid points and spoke about important factors, also coming away with a stronger idea of what it was all about. I also listened to other points and expanded on these and I feel this conversation went very well. It could have been better if we went into deeper understanding and spoke more about the characteristics of what makes it link to that genre.

over the next few months I have tried to learn more and gain a much better understanding by analysing several other music videos of other genres and see how they differentiate from each other and also how they link with this.

A2 Media starting point

This is my first post onto the blog about my a2 media course ,in which I will be creating a music video with 2 other students, Karl and Carl, and we will work together to do so then 2 preliminary tasks, to create a Digipak and to create a music magazine front cover. we shall be working together and hopefully create the music video to a high standard in which uses all types of camera shots and also is edited to a high standard also.

We hope to plan the music video also with a variety of different ways and methods so that we get a professional video at the end. The Digipak and music magazine advert also will be created and planned so that it is at a high standard to match the video and I want it all to work together.

A2 analysis

after doing the AS critical analysis work, we were then told to talk about the a2 analysis and i wrote this down and chose to put this on here as proof of what i talked about in my small group.

·       What were your initial impressions of the task? Why?

·         Could be very hard if not planned- the idea is a tough thing to do but much harder if not planned correctly

·         Lots of work to do around it to make it work- not just creating video but also creating focus groups to get responses  and planning story of video

·         Very interesting- great for us as we get lots of ideas quick

·         Great for making our own work- we choose what the video will be like

·         Good that we choose our own song- lots of different styles of music we can choose ,lots of options.

·         What does the task entail?

·         The task involves lots of planning and research as it is not something which happens overnight, we need to find locations, actors and plan how it will work.

·         The magazine cover could be done like last year but much more professional.

·         The Digipak will be a new thing to create but with planning can be completed with time and effort

·         In what order will you complete the task?

·         We will create the music video then use this and the pictures and film we got from this to help us create the magazine cover and Digipak. This would mean we would also have lots of time to plan and think about these two things two creating a better idea

·       What excites you about it?

·         Making a music video-will be great fun and get to make something ourselves with our own ideas

·         The free will to choose the song and genre means it can be made to our own likes or another group of people who like other songs

·         Digipak- something new and something we can try our best at and try to make it look professional.

·         What problems do you envisage facing?

·         Video- getting the film and photos right and getting actors to do so, also the planning would be very difficult to do as this would take a lot of time to plan the video itself .

·         Digipak-getting the ideas and the skills to do this to a professional level may take a lot of work and time

·         Time- may be hard to do all in the time limit given.

·         What are your initial ideas?

·         Story- telling a story instead of showing a band which would link with the genre and lyrics of the song

·         Genre- we would like to use folk as this can link well with the story idea

·         A band instead of one person, may have vocals, women and man to get good harmony

·         What would you like to learn more about?

·         Types of video shots- learn how to take good film which would show professionalism

·         How to develop ideas and make them work

·         What research will you do?

·         Bands- what bands to choose and their songs

·         How to make a good music video

·         Types of shots

·         How to film the video

·         Time planning and management

·         Where to get actors from for the video

AS blog

http://joshlockey.wordpress.com/

This was my AS blog from last year.