Laura Mulvey music video theory

Laura Mulvey, 'The Male Gaze' narrative cinema and visual pleasure

 

The 'Male Gaze' is the concept that suggests how an audience views the people presented in music videos.

From a feminist point of view it can be presented in three ways:

- how men look at women

- how women look at themselves

- How women look at other women

The theory was created 1975. She believes that in film audiences have to view characters from the perspective of  male heterosexual.

Features of the male gaze

Camerawork - camera focuses on the sexual elements and curves of the female body. This makes audiences view females as individual parts rather than a person with thoughts and feelings - this is objectification as they are seen as a sexual object

E.g. Beyoncé - 'Partition' a male acts as the voyeur watching Beyoncé dance provocatively with minimal clothing in which makes her becomes sexualised as an object.

In some music videos, the provocative and sexualised appearance of females is used in everyday life even when it is not relevant to the product being advertised

Criticisms

Some women enjoy being watched as this creates a sense of dominance and countertype against the supposed idea that women are weak and fearful. E.g. beauty pageants  

Andrew Goodwins music video theory

https://prezi.com/ie3ywshifywy/edit/#19_13696309

I have created a prezi explaining Andrew Goodwin's music analysis theory

Music Video analysis

Analysis of Rude Boy - Rihanna (2009)

I have studied and analysed Rihanna's video looking at MES, aspects of star theory and the general conventions of a music  video.

Media Language

-close ups on sexual elements of her body
- extreme close ups of her lips, biting them or with her finger in her mouth, commonly associated with lust and the red lipstick enhances this representation as its also associated with love as well as danger

- many two shots of Rihanna and sexualised males

Representation

- Men are objectified sexually as Rihanna is seen to be dominant when there is a two shot - however, objectification of Rihanna is also present as there are many close ups of her body and lips

- There is also a sense of fun and wild behaviour which is enhanced by the tropical colours of reds, yellows and greens. This links and represents her culture as she comes from Barbados and it's stereotypically very colourful and vibrant with lots dancing there. This is also reflected through her costume as we see in her skirt and her dacning around the sexualised men and with the tiger - again representing her 'wild' behaviour.

Narrative & themes

- The narrative in the video does not have a deep meaning behind it

- The only meaning portrayed in the video is sex

Audiences

- Aimed at both genders and teenagers mainly

- Girls see her as a role model and want to be and look like her

- The objectification and sexualisation of her body makes boys want to be with her

- The bright colours reflect a sense of youth to appeal to younger people

Institutions

- The brand is very sexualised, and the video supports that

- Still in control

- Very centralised

Objectification

- Sexualisation of body parts of both Rihanna and the male dancers

- His/ Her bodies are seen as individual parts  (e.g lips, bum, breasts etc. ) and therefore they are not recognised as a whole person with the consideration of their thoughts and feelings.

Mise en scene

- Studs covering her costume- as well as a 'Bad girl' sexual image it could also suggest empowerment and dominance of females as the video is performance based focusing on the artist and Rihanna being the single and only woman and focus of the video

- Sunglasses and makeup displays her anonymously enhancing the idea she is only viewed as a sexual object

- Choreography is very natural and is not staged which therefore gives a more relaxed, fun and free feel to the video, however the dance that Rihanna performs is very provocative and sexualised

- Her minimal clothing acts as a countertype as she is in control, not only of the screen as she is the focus, but wears what she wants

- She is also very dominant in the video as she is shown riding the 'lion' which also acts as a countertype against the common thought that women are weak and fearful

- The colour scheme is very tropical representing her Caribbean culture, the bright colours portray a youthful feel to the video

Editing

- Lots of 'Rihannas' duplicated to dominate the screen (shows female empowerment over males in the video)
- Cuts between different scenes and different costumes
- Edited to show just body parts (focus on lips)
- Black and white sections show sophistication which contrasts to the brighter colour scheme during the majority of the video

Initial ideas, inspiration and target audience

https://prezi.com/8pcikoq6j875/initial-ideas-and-target-audience-for-my-music-video/

On Prezi I have created a mind mapped styled exploration into my initial music video ideas and research in my target audience.

Artist research and development

Audience research for artist and concept

Artist name for the EDM genre

% - Percentage of research group who chose this idea

1. Globe - 20%

2. Wanderlust - 10%

3. Transmit - 5%

4. Free Rein - 60%
5. xcursion  - 5%

 - the idea developed through the words free, rein which relate to the theme of travel and adventure. As well as this 'free' relating to freedom represents the ability and opportunity for exploration in which are associated with the electronic dance music genre, commonly seen in music videos.

  

Video concept research

Including urban graffiti based in London, as well as contrasting rural locations for skateboarding and longboarding shots. As well as this, I will visit museums/ galleries to portray the creative concept rather than the narrative within the video.   

Artist image/ style - indie, casual style to fit with the theme of adventure and travel. Also a sense of self expression and freedom to do this.

Props - Coloured smoke grenades (bring colour to the shot which contrasts to the rural environment), long boards and skateboards to follow the indie theme portraying the idea of freedom. I will also include cameras and camera phones to use within the art gallery to show people photography the work and as well as this, cutlery such as mugs in the cafe setting.

Shots - tracking, following the character travelling to make the audience feel part of the video, mid shots and establishing shots to gage the environment and reflects is aesthetic aspects which combine to fit the themes relating to the EDM genre.   

As the video is concept based I will focus on the creative aspects hence using artistic and eye-catching locations as a posed to focusing solely on the artist with lip- syncing and or live performances.

When questioning participants about my video concept and ideas these were some quotes produced by them; 

• All participants involved in audience research felt that the shots related to the EDM genre and that the costume/ shots/ props and location help to portray this. 

"All aspects of the plan successfully relate to the music genre"

"I like the creative concept to the video and the locations used to emphasize this" 

"The use of hair, makeup and style all link to the genre and fit within the style of the video"

Audience research for my music video

Audience research for my music video

I conducted this survey using students from my media class. Below I
analysed my results and linked it into my initial ideas for my own music video. 

1.       What two genres of music are you most interested in? (Please tick)

Rap

Pop

Jazz

Rock

Indie

EDM

Other – please specify

90% of the results i collected ticked either EDM or pop as their favourite music genres. This effectively replicates the stereotype that this music genre is more commonly stereotyped to younger, teenagers and young adults as they supposedly are based in a more fun, loud and party style environment 

2.       In a music video what setting appeals to you most?

Urban environment – towns and cities

Tropical landscapes

Studio setting

Country fields

100% said they prefer tropical or urban environments as the setting of a video 

3. What colour scheme do you prefer?

Blue, pink, green, yellow 40%

Green, yellow, red (tropical) 40%

Blue, purple, black, red 40%



4. Do you prefer music videos with staged choreography? Yes/ no

80% of my results said no, this suggests a more 'chilled' natural
environment and narrative is appealing to them 

5. Do you prefer music videos to be…

Concept based 30%

Performance based 30%

Narrative based 50%

Other (please specify)

A narrative or mix of music video concepts/ styles appear to be popular within a younger audience of music consumption suggesting the narrative must play a strong part and is important representing the story of the music  



6. Which is your favourite narrative/theme for a music video?

Love

Self-discovery

Adventure/ fun

Friendship

70% of results showed that self- discovery or adventure are favouritised when representing theme and or narrative in a music video





7. Name your favourite music video from the last two months, and explain two reasons for this

1)

2)

Colour scheme of dominantly pop or EDM music is shown to be a huge factor as well as interesting camera work and set when appealing to younger audiences 

Star Theory

https://prezi.com/_1ubmoauu1s8/star-theory/

I have created a prezi explaining the different concepts within Star Theory

Permision for UMG recordigs copyright letter

I have sought permission from UMG RECORDINGS  to use the song 'Bob Marley feat. LVNDSCAPE & Bolier - Is This Love' for my A2 music video by emailing contact@umusic.com. I am currently awaiting on a reply from the company

Music video analysis exploring Political, Social and Cultural aspects

Music video analysis exploring Political, Social and Cultural aspects

I have studied Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' music video 'Same love'. I felt it effectively represented the political, social and cultural aspects considered in the production of this video. I will now discuss these elements using the general conventions of a music video.

Political, Social and Cultural

In the video 'Same Love' political issues such as equal and gay rights, as well as social aspects including equality, acceptance and discrimination and Cultural aspects such as religion and societal relations are all shown.

The narrative and theme of the video is about self discovery and love between two men and this is portrayed through the general conventions of a video. 

The MES uses lighting as an element of the representation of age to portray the difficulties as the boy becomes a young man and begins to identify his sexuality. 

At the beginning of the video high key lighting and a track of the little boy running in the woods, reflects the innocence and adventure as a child whilst being unaware of love and sexuality. The set of the shots of the young boy and his friends are in the woods which represents the theme of adventure commonly associated with childhood fun, however the lighting drastically changes to a very low key dark set in empty room in which portrays  the boys emotion of feeling trapped, isolated and unable to reveal his sexuality as he matures into a teenager. The contrast in lighting helps to project the narrative of the video to the audience. 
An extreme close up of the young man crying furthermore portrays his fear and confusion. 

Acceptance of new gay marriage laws - in which is the political issue being discussed - is shown through the use of high key lighting and props such as the gay pride flag, as it is waved in front of an iconic and famous american building. The iconic landmark shows the importance of the new law and the support of it and the high key lighting, beautiful setting with bright skies and bright colours implies a positive attitude towards it. This prop furthermore helps suggest to the audience the narrative and the social acceptance of new marriage laws. 



This links into the social elements such as discrimination and equality that are portrayed through a variety of ways. At 3 mins 26 seconds a tracking shot following a gay couple walking through town along a low key dark street is shown to be discriminated against by a passing couple who barge into the key character who is the focus of the video, the . This represents that discrimination of gay marriage is present and that cultural factors such as religion affect these. At 2 mins 58 secs the gay couple are shown to 'come out to their parents' after a pray before their meal. A close up of the father shows him to be in shock as his face tells the audience he is shocked representing the difficulty in acceptance of his sexuality.As the lyrics suggest "you can be cured with some treatment in religion" As well as this a mid, over the shoulder shot of the mother walking out after the father contrasts to the unity of the family beforehand as they hold hands to say grace before their meal showing how religion is able to bring them together. 

Although discrimination between sexuality is present discrimination between race is not as a back girl is shown to be playing with a white baby doll, and two girls one black one white are playing and selling lemonade together. Furthermore a shot of a white boy giving a young black girl a flower is also presented to us as an audience. Therefore gay marriage could be seen as a more controversial issue than racism as mixed racial relationships are not shown to be any kind of issue. 

As the couple age in the video the lighting remains high key showing the gradual acceptance of the laws. The creation of the law shows the happiness of the male couple as a close up silhouette shows the white male to kneel and propose to his partner. The silhouette lighting creates a meaningful romantic atmosphere projecting the love between the men. The setting of this shot is in a beautiful location by the seaside which is associated with happiness and freedom to convey a positive narrative and theme that contrasts to the negativity at the beginning of the video. 

The video has been distributed through institutions such as YouTube which has over 2 billion subscribers and users therefore increasing and maximizing the consumption of the message and success of the song. As well as this, exploring the political issues in which are relatable to younger audiences as over 8 million is the US alone are gay meaning that the video will appeal and apply to its targeted audience. 

Another cultural element is the social relations within the community. Low key lighting is used when the young man walks into the streets as an escapism from his home life in which shows the divide and contrast in the area. The family is a wealthy and this is reflected through high key lighting, modern expensive clothing, the mother is shown to be wearing expensive jewelry and the home is stylized with silver and gold plated decoration. This jux da poses to the streets in which the main character is shown to walk out on comparing the two polar opposites social organisations - the streets that go onto be a party atmosphere, and a wealthy home life.