Mock exam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVPRD2aKqz8&feature=youtu.be

Genre

What is Genre?
Genre’ is a critical tool that helps us study texts and audience responses to texts by dividing them into categories based on common elements.
Daniel Chandler argues that the word genre comes from the French (and originally Latin) word for 'kind' or 'class'. The term is widely used in rhetoric, literary theory, media theory to refer to a distinctive type of ‘text’.

All genres have sub genres (genre within a genre).

This means that they are divided up into more specific categories that allow audiences to identify them specifically by their familiar and what become recognisable characteristics (Barry Keith Grant)

However, Steve Neale stresses that “genres are not ‘systems’ they are processes of systematization” – i.e. They are dynamic and evolve over time.
Generic Characteristics across all texts share similar elements of the below depending on the medium...
Typical Mise-en-scène/Visual style (iconography, props, set design, lighting, temporal and geographic location, costume, shot types, camera angles, special effects).
Typical types of Narrative (plots, historical setting, set pieces).
Generic Types, i.e. typical characters

Different genres of music

• rock
• Indie/rock
• Indie/acoustic
• classical
• romantic
• jazz
• scream
• heavy metal 
• pop 
• r&b 
• hip-hop
• blues
• alternative
• opera
• country
• trance
• dance/night club

Jason Mittell argues that genres are cultural categories that surpass the boundaries of media texts and operate within industry, audience, and cultural practices as well.

In short, industries use genre to sell products to audiences. Media producers use familiar codes and conventions that very often make cultural references to their audience knowledge of society, other texts.

Genre also allows audiences to make choices about what products they want to consume through acceptance in order to fulfil a particular pleasure

Pleasure of genre for audiences

Theorist Rick Altman (1999) argues that genre offers audiences ‘a set of pleasures’.

Emotional Pleasures: The emotional pleasures offered to audiences of genre films are particularly significant when they generate a strong audience response.

Visceral Pleasures: Visceral pleasures (‘visceral’ refers to internal organs) are ‘gut’ responses and are defined by how the film’s stylistic construction elicits a physical effect upon its audience. This can be a feeling of revulsion, kinetic speed, or a ‘roller coaster ride’.

Intellectual Puzzles: Certain film genres such as the thriller or the ‘whodunit’ offer the pleasure in trying to unravel a mystery or a puzzle. Pleasure is derived from deciphering the plot and forecasting the end or the being surprised by the unexpected.

•The main strength of genre theory is that everybody uses it and understands it – media experts use it to study media texts, the media industry uses it to develop and market texts and audiences use it to decide what texts to consume.

•The potential for the same concept to be understood by producers, audiences and scholars makes genre a useful critical tool. Its accessibility as a concept also means that it can  be applied across a wide range of texts.

Over the years genres develop and change as the wider society that produce them also changes, a process that is known as generic transformation

Over the development of genre, the music artists and the media have made the narratives for music video's into short movies which tell stories that relate with the audience.

Genre themes

David Bordwell ;

Horror films, for example, are basically just modern fairy tales and often act as morality plays in which people who break society’s rules are punished.

Fear of the unknown – the monster is the ‘monstrous other’ i.e. anything that is scary because it is foreign or different.

Sex = death – in horror movies, especially Slasher movies, sex is immoral and must be punished, werewolf movies can be seen as a metaphor for puberty, vampires can be as metaphors for sexually transmitted diseases or rape etc.

The breakdown of society – post-apocalyptic movies are about our fear (or secret desire for) of the breakdown of society. The collapse of civilisation results in human kind reverting to their animal instincts.

Some music videos even reflect the troubles of a modern world society and reflect upon modern day problems we have such as bank branch shut downs, criminals, murders, suicides, war, abandonment, neglect, etc. These music videos  are more relatable to a more youthful audience, the themes are targeted towards the younger audience. These themes include;

• Teen angst
• Rebellion - Conformity verses non-conformity;
• Romance;
• Sex/losing your virginity
• Nostalgia – for the innocence of youth
• Nihilism – the belief that there is no future;
• Coming of age rituals (e.g. the prom, falling in love, losing your virginity etc.);
• Tribalism: Popularity verses unpopularity,Juvenile Delinquency: Moral panics and the teenager as a folk devil;
• The currency of ‘cool’;
• Hedonism – living purely for pleasure;
• Friendship.
• War
• Crime
• Poverty
• Capitalism
• Racism

How this theory applies to my chosen music video

The genre to Greenday ' Wake me up when September ends' is an indie/rock genre. However the narrative to the music video shows a short story of a young couple that have money problems but are enjoying each day together, despite their problems. The video takes a sudden change of events when the young man joins the army and causes the young women to worry and freak about the fact that she wouldn't be able to live without if him, if the worst was to happen. The music video jumps between the performance of the band and the narrative of the music video. The next thing to see in the music video is the young man going to the army base and preparing to go to war, which jump cuts between the young man. the girl and the band performing the song. The video shows the man in combat and then jump cuts to show you the girl sat at home waiting for him, doing everyday things. At the end of the song it shows the girl walking along and thinking back to what they used to talk about before the young man joined the army, we presume the young man is dead because she is on her own and beforehand the couple did everything together. There is a glimpse of hope that the man is still at war and when the girl looks up at the sky she is hoping, for him to return. The genre of music goes well with the genre of the short film/narrative of the music video. We can see that this music video is made relatable for more older teens/ young adults, who know people that are in the army or have problems, so the theme of the music video fits in well with the target audience. 

Audience - Stuart Hall

Stuart Hall - The reception theory
The reception theory states that media texts are encoded by the producer meaning that whoever produces the text fills the product with values and messages.
The text is then decoded by spectators.

Different spectators will decode the text in different ways, not always in the way the producer intended.

As the audience we are the spectators and depending on how view things in the media due to life experiences that have happened to us as individuals and have impacted us or not makes a difference in how we interpret/ view different media texts.

The processing of the Reception theory;

1. Producer encodes message/meaning
2. Dominant/preferred 
3. Negotiated
4. Oppositional 

The dominant/preferred

The dominant reading of a text is that the audience view the media text in the way the producer intended.The audience agree with the ideology and message behind the text and will be able to relate with the message that is being portrayed to the target audience.
The audience will view the message in the way the producer wanted them to.
The ideal consumption has been met and the institution happy.

Negotiated

This is a compromise between the dominant and oppositional readings, the audience accepts the views of the producer but also has their own input and understanding in relation to the text.
They do not agree or disagree, they however can see the point being made in relation to the reading yet still have their own opinion.
For e.g. they understand what the institution want the message to be and how they are supposed to consume the text, however they do not fully conform with the message.

Oppositional 
The audience rejects the preferred reading and create their own reading of the text.
The audience reject the meaning fully as they do not agree with the message created for the audience.
The audience reject the message fully and interoperate the text in the wrong way, they may be offended, upset and fail to see the intended message from the institution.

Parkin’s/Hall’s  Audience Readings Theory

• Dominant or Preferred Reading: The meaning they want you to have is usually accepted. 
• Negotiated Reading: The dominant reading is only partially recognised or accepted and audiences might  disagree with some of it or find their own meanings.
• Oppositional Reading: The dominant reading is refused, rejected because the reader disagrees with it or is offended by it, especially for political, religious, feminist, reasons etc.

The Frankfurt School’s Hypodermic Theory 

The "hypodermic needle theory" implied mass media had a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences. The mass media in the 1940s and 1950s were perceived as a powerful influence on behaviour change.
Several factors contributed to this "strong effects" theory of communication, including:
The fast rise and popularization of radio and television
The emergence of the persuasion industries, such as advertising.

The theory suggests that the mass media could influence a very large group of people directly and uniformly by ‘shooting’ or ‘injecting’ them with appropriate messages designed to trigger a desired response.

This theory suggests a powerful and direct flow of information from the sender to the receiver. 

The hypodermic needle model suggests that media messages are injected straight into a passive audience which is immediately influenced by the message. 

It expresses the view that the media is a dangerous means of communicating an idea because the receiver or audience is powerless to resist the impact of the message. 

People are seen as passive and are seen as having a lot media material "shot" at them. People end up thinking what they are told because there is no other source of information.

The theory assumes what we see or hear we believe and consume. The theory assumes we are brainwashed in to believing the media messages.

Passive Audience Theory

  The idea that the media ‘injects’ ideas and views directly into 

   the brains of the audience like a hypodermic needle, 

   therefore, controlling the way that people think and behave.

‘Passive’ audience/hypodermic theory 

The media has a direct and powerful effect on its 

audience – current debate about the influence of 

rap/gangster videos or artists like Marilyn Manson or The Black Veil Brides

Moral Panics And FolkDevils

• Stanley Cohen in his book FolkDevils And Moral

Panics defines a ‘Moral Panic’ as:“…a mass response to a group, a person or an

attitude that becomes defined as a threat to society.”

• Cohen arguesthatthemedia, especially news

media, often create and/or reinforce moral

panicsin the public. The news are known as moral entrepreneurs, which create moral panics for the mass audience.

• The term‘Folk Devil’ isthe name given to the

object ofthemoral panic, i.e. it is another

name for a scapegoat. People who fall under the category of a Folk Devil are people such as; teenagers, criminals, 'chavs' under-class people, etc.

Criticisms Of Hypodermic Theory

• Doesn’t allow for resistance or rejection of media 

messages

• Elitist.

• Simplistic.

• Discredited by academics but often referred to by 

journalists
This theory is out dated
No one uses/consumes media in the same way
we are aware of how society works and how instituions operate

 Active Audience Theory

• This is the idea that the audience have an active role to 

play in the understanding of, and creation, of meaning 

within a media text.

• Active Audience Theory argues that there is diversity 

in society (everyone is different) and therefore there is 

also choice (we can choose what to believes)

How the Hypodermic needle and Hall's theory applies to my chosen music video

This theory applies to my chosen music theory because the band Greenday have the representation of rebellious adults, who write their songs based on things that have happened in their life's or their thoughts on society.  Some would say that those who listen to greenday are indie-like and enjoy other forms of indie/rock music. Some parents may be concerned that if their children listened to greenday and other music artists similar to greenday then their children would turn rebellious and wouldn't be afraid to speak their thoughts to their parents which creates moral panics for parents and older generations who may be weary of rebellious teenagers. However looking at the active audience argument it says that due to the variety in ethnicities and the fact that everyone is different, people choose to behave and act in the ways they want to. Which can be influenced by the media or not but we choose what to watch through media products so it's down to everyone's personal decision on how they act. The media has helped to create individualism in today's society which can be seen as an advantage because if the media had no influence on people, then everyone would be the same. Not everyone agrees with certain genre's of music but as individuals we are able to tell the media what types of music is preferred through out the country. which is how we get the top charts and why their are a lot of music channels on TV, these have been produced by the media. The dominant message of the narrative of this music video is that the young man decided the best way to help them financially is to join the army, where is well paid but he would be risking his life. The negotiation with this music video is that people may or may not relate to the couple acting for the narrative but they may also be able to relate to the lyrics of the song itself.

3 initial ideas

Idea One








Idea Two












Idea Three
,

narrative

Bordwell and Thomspon 

•Bordwell and Thompson (1997) offer two distinctions between story and plot which relate to the diegetic world of the narrative that the audience are positioned to accept and that which the audience actually see. They based this on Russian film theory:

• Fabula (story) is all the events in the narrative that we see and infer. The fabula is defined as the chronological series of events that are represented or implied.

•Syuzhet (plot) everything visible and audibly present before us. Syuzhet is considered to be the order, manner and techniques of their presentation in the narrative .

Tim O'  Sullivan 

•Tim O’Sullivan et al. (1998) argues that all media texts tell us some kind of story.

•Through careful mediation, media texts offer a way of telling stories about ourselves – not usually our own personal stories, but the story of us as a culture or set of cultures.

•Narrative theory sets out to show that what we experience when we ‘read’ a story is to understand a particular set of constructions, or conventions, and that it is important to be aware of how these constructions are put together.

O’Sullivan et al suggest,narratives have a common structure, starting with the establishment of plot or theme.

Key terms

The narrative of a music video is the main structure of a story Diegesis; The fictional space and time applied by the narrative which is the world that the story takes place in.Verisimilitude; Literally – the quality of appearing to be real or true. For a story to engage us it must appear to be real to us as we watch it (the diegetic effect). The story must therefore have verisimilitude -following the rules of continuity, temporal and spacial coherence.

The method of Todorov

•Stage 1: A point of stable equilibrium, where everything is satisfied, calm and normal.

•Stage 2: This stability is disrupted by some kind of force, which creates a state of disequilibrium.

•Stage 3: Recognition that a disruption has taken place.

•Stage 4: It is only possible to re-create equilibrium through action directed against the disruption.

•Stage 5: Restoration of a new state of equilibrium. The consequences of the reaction is to change the world of the narrative and/or the characters so that the final state of equilibrium in not the same as the initial state.

Sven Carlsson 
 suggests that music videos in general, videos fall into two rough groups: performance clips and conceptual clips.
When a music video mostly shows an artist (or artists) singing or dancing, it is a performance clip.
When the clip shows something else during its duration, often with artistic ambitions, it is a conceptual 
Carlsson developed a mythical method of analysis of music video - centred on a "modern mythic embodiment" . 

Viewed from this perspective the music video artist is seen as embodying one, or a combination of "modern mythic characters or forces" of which there are three general. The music video artist is representing different aspects of the free floating disparate universe of music video. Carlsson In one type of performance, the performer is not a performer anymore, he or she is a materialization of the commercial exhibitionist.

How does this theory imply to my chosen music video?

In my chosen music video, the narrative consists of a diegesis which gives us the story of a couple that are facing money problems. The young man then decides to join the army to help them both out with their problems which causes them to have an a argument. However the narrative then leads to see the young man preparing to go to war and the young woman waiting for him at home. The plot of my music video is to produce the audience with a piece of media text with a story that takes a turn for the worst when they couple are struggling with money. The audience wouldn't expect the man to turn to the armed forces however in the view of his persona that is the best way to help out the couple with their struggles. As the audience we wouldn't expect the man to join the army. However the lyrics to the song paint an a story of about the main singer's father who died when the singer was a young boy. The lyrics refer to the guy following the father's footsteps and viewed his father as precious and important to him. This could connote the fact that the story tells us that the young man joins the army, in remembrance of his father.
Todorov is used in my chosen music by showing at the start of the video where they are relaxed and talking about the future, staying together which creates irony in the music video for the ending of the song. Stage 2 of todorov when the young man joins the army and stage 3 when the notices the change of the behaviour of the couple when the woman finds out he has joined the army and everything changes. Stage 4 showing the young women waiting for the man to come home and as she does everyday things we see him fighting in a warzone. Stage 5 of todorov shows the young woman reminiscing the time she spent with the man, after which we presume as his death because she's on her own after he said he wanted to stay with her forever. This music video specifies in both of Carlsson's idea of the 2 clips to a music video. My chosen music video has both the performance of the band and the narrative side in the video.

Tessa Perkins - representation

 Stereotypes

A stereotype is an ideological expectation of certain types or categories of people relating to their personalities, race, how they act etc. etc.

In everyday life we place people into catergories or stereotype relating to media concepts, for example we may think pretty girls are naturally horrible or people who like maths are nerds. Some stereotypes can be based on negative views and some are based on good intentions.

There are 5 assumptions about this theory and stereotypes;

1. Stereotypes are not always negative
2. They are not always about minority groups or the less powerful 
3. They can be held about one's own group 
4. They are not rigid or unchanging 
5. They aren't always false 

Not always negative 

People assume that stereotypes are negative e.g youths in hoodies are seen as troublesome however youths can also be seen as positive because students can achieve good grades and are seen in a positive light.

They are not always about minority groups or the less powerful

people assume that stereotypes are aimed at/ targeted towards the less powerful but this is not always the case, we can make assumptions and stereotypes about upper class minorities in the same way they would make assumptions about lower class people.  

They can be held about ones own group

For example collectively as a representation of people we are based as a group within Wyke College, with in our group we are stereotyped. We stereotype based on our assumptions. This makes each of us feel part of the larger community.

They are not rigid or unchanging

Once a stereotype has been created it is very hard to change however Perkins states that over a period of time, that it can change and develop an example of this would be Miley Cyrus or Britney Spears.

Implications of stereotypes

Stereotypes are always erroneous in content and they are usually negative concepts however they do have some aspects of the truth to them.


How does this theory apply to my chosen music band?

Every music artist or band has a stereotype/reputation based on how they appear to the audience which is based on looks and actions. This influences the audience's interpretations of the singers/bands over time.

The stereotype of my chosen band

Greenday has the representation of an emo/ indie rock music band. They present themselves as a band that write their own indie rock genre songs which most people connote indie rock with death or depressing issues. However Greenday's main singer Billie Armstrong writes all of his songs based on things that have happened to him or problems/impacts that affect people in everyday life. if you read the lyrics to the songs we can see the links to what each song is about. For example the song I have chosen to analyse 'Wake me up when September ends' is about the death of the main singers father.

Other band's/singer's that link to Greenday due to stereotypes

Other bands that link to Greenday through stereotypes are bands such as; Evanescence, Fall out boy, Simple plan, Linkin park, My chemical romance, All time low, Blink 182, Avril Lavigne and The red hot chilli peppers. Each of these bands share similar stereotypes of producing 'emo music' are known for influencing teenagers to listen to indie, rock music and dressing in an emo or goth way. However most of the songs written by these bands or singers are based on the life decisions or problems that appeal to the target audience because they find the sing lyrics relatable.

How my chosen Band act as positive role models

Greenday act to suit their genre of music, however they do not in any of their songs or interviews say that people have to act like them. The songs they produce/write do not entice or tell people to smoke pot or take drugs like The Beatles did in the 60's with their song ' I am the Walrus', The lyrics to Greenday songs are often inspirational or relatable for the audience.

Richard Dyer theory -representation

Richard Dyer developed the theory of the idea that the viewer's perception of a film is heavily influenced by the perception of it's stars and that the publicity materials and reviews determine the way that audiences experience a media text.
With this  idea in mind, Dyer analysed the critics, magazines, advertisements and the films themselves, to explore the significance of 'stardom'.

Quotes from Richard Dyer;

• "Star's are commodities that are produced by institutions"
• " A star is a constructed image, represented across a range of  media and mediums"
• "Star's  represent and embody certain ideologies"

Dyer also states that  a star  is an image, not a real person they are constructed, as any other aspect of fiction is, using a range of material and methods e.g. advertising, magazines and featuring in films and music products.

Icons and celebrities are constructed by institutions for financial gain and target one specific audience/group of people to make profit

Star's create a persona that is desirable to a target audience but is not actually a true presentation of themselves.

Desirable female celebrities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 4 key components;

1. Star's as constructions
2. Audience and industry/ institution
3. Ideology and culture
4. character and personality

Star's are constructed , artificial images even if they  are represented as being 'real people'. In fact star's are reconstructed versions of themselves for a reason - to get money from the audience.•Stars are manufactured by the music industry to serve a purpose — to make money out of audiences, who respond to various elements of a star persona by buying records and becoming fans.
Record companies nurture and shape their stars  as the TV talent show processes have shown us. They tend to manufacture what they think audiences want, hence the photocopied nature of many boy bands, teen bands
The institution want to make money out of their constructed stars and create constructs of stars they believe an audience want to copy. 

Stars represent shared cultural values and attitudes that promotes a certain ideology about themselves as an artist and what they want an audience to see what they believe in.

By having dominant desirable ideologies it allows the audience to see their star qualities and make them more desirable. Conveying their beliefs and opinions out side music and film helps a celebrity create a star persona. Stars promote their ideologies within culture to make them a consumerable house hold name. Audiences tend to copy or idolize ‘stars’ so promoting their own beliefs makes them more desirable.

Dyer says stars provide audiences with ‘ideas of what people are supposed to be like’ and because of this audiences feel the need to conform to these constructions.
A star creates a character based on themselves and what they feel the audience want to consume they promote an image what they feel is desirable for an audience.
Dyer states they are constructs of what an audience wants to consume. They are a construction of them selves Stars are characters that create personalities to present to an audience. Audience consume this idea and the character these stars re-present to an audience. 

Hegemony

Star's represent shared cultural values and attitudes to promote a certain ideology and this is also what makes them a 'star' by having such a powerful influence on an audience. Examples of this would be Katy Perry making her target audience believe she loves them by calling them her Kitty-Cats.

Star's provide audience's with 'ideas of what people are supposed to be like'' Star's create character based on themselves. They are constructs of what an audience want to consume

Star's use motif's and logo's to represent themselves as a 'brand', these are usually used as iconic things that symbolise a singer or a band. These are used so that as soon as the audience see the motif or the logo they instantly recognise who that logo/motif belongs to. For example the Red Hot Chilli Pepper's use their logo on their albums and include in their music videos.

Paradox

Dyer suggests that there are two paradoxes and that the star is both ‘ordinary’ and ‘extraordinary’. He states the star needs to be like us to be able to relate to the audience but also offer something that we do not have in order to deem them special enough to be stars.

How does this theory imply to my chosen music video?

 My chosen music video follows some of the conventions of this theory, such as the band being superior and desirable to us as the audience. When watching the video we can see that the camera angles are always from a low angle so that we are looking up at the band performing the song, however we only see the band performing through certain parts of the song. The music video  starts off with the narrative then it jumps in-between the narrative and the performance. N/P/N/P/N/P/N/P/N/P/N/P/N being the sequence of the music video. The logo of green day appears on the drum set behind Billie J. Armstrong (main singer) which we can see in every camera shot of Billie singing. This is so that the audience instantly know that they are Greenday. Greenday has the expectation of the audience to act rebellious however the normal behaviour we have associated with Greenday is jusrt an act which is connoted with their genre of music.

The history of music video's

The start of music video's 

In the 50's music video's didn't exist for any of the songs produced around that time. However there were some artists that made short films in which they sang and performed their songs. Elvis is a prime example for this, Elvis was known worldwide therefore he produced short films in which he sang his songs but he never ever performed live outside of America. People would go to the cinema to watch these 'short films' to see Elvis sing, this method was a good idea to help promote Elvis as a brand. The reason for promoting Elvis as a 'brand' was to produce entertainment through the use of media for the audience to consume, therefore most celebrities and stars are seen as brand as they don't fall into the categories of their consuming/ target audience.

****Insert picture of Elvis*****

The next band to promote short films in which they performed their songs were The Beatles in the 60's. When The Beatles decided to stop touring they made a series of promotional films for their singles.  Although the most well-known song performed by the Beatles in one of these short films was ' I am the Walrus', the song ' Strawberry fields forever' really caught the audience's attention as the song performance consisted of reverse, slow motion, fades, camera filters and slow mixes, and a collection of unusual, slightly imposing camera angles. 
***insert picture of the beatles and song links*******

The Beatles weren't alone in making short films to promote their singles, Cliff Richard was filmed as a pop star in featuring a film preforming his songs. Bob Dylan on the other hand filmed his music video's in one shot without any editing, jump cuts or transitions.

The next band inline to awe the audience with their camera angles and pull focus shots were ABBA with their song 'Knowing me, Knowing you' in 1974. Leasing on from them Queen released their song 'Bohemian Rhapsody, they produced the song's music video with a  film/video tape which became a promotion video on tape. Bohemian Rhapsody was unique because not only did it reach number one of top of the pops for 6 weeks but it also included the use of the latest technology to film their music video and the opera section of song.
***** b.r LINK*****

Music video's began to make short stories that became short films. Michael Jackson's Thriller; released in 1983  has since been listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the “most successful music video,” and is the first music video added to the National Film Registry. It's impact was wider than this, influencing musicians and film directors alike ever since.
****thriller link & pics****

Laura Mulvey's theory - representation

Laura Mulvey's theory is known as the 'male gaze theory', this theory is based on how women are represented in the media industry in films, music videos  and advertisements.The male gaze occurs when the audience is put into the perspective of a heterosexual man. A scene may focus on the curves of a woman's body, putting you the viewer in the eyes of a male However it is only the Male Gaze theory if these curves are highlighted with specific conventions such as slow motion, deliberate camera movements and cut aways .The theory suggests that the male gaze denies women human identity, relegating them to the status of objects to be admired for physical appearance this ‘masculines’ the audience.The theory suggests woman can more often than not only watch a film from a secondary perspective and only view themselves from a mans perspective

Often a female character has no real importance herself, it is how she makes the male feel or act that is the importance.The female only exist in relation to the male Laura Mulvey's theory is broken down into 3 categories;

• How Men look at Women 
• How Women look at other Women
• How Women look at themselves

How Men look at Women 



Many people say that the media has an influence on us, as the mass audience. However the media only shows  us what we want to see whether it be for sports programmes or for loved up, romantic movie scenes. Laura Mulvey says that by looking at music video's, we see women through the male perspective or supposedly how women should be seen by men. Mulvey states that from seeing women from the male perspective that women are viewed as objects and their purpose is to gratify the male audience. Mulvey says that because women are objectified in music videos and such like, men see women in this light in reality as well. We can see that Laura Mulvey's theory is implied in music video's such as Rihanna's 'Rude Boy' video and the Scouting for girls  music video for 'She's so lovely'. The lyrics to both of these songs suggest the woman as being there for sex and  it references women as being an objectified prize for satisfying the male gender. Rihanna's 'Rude Boy' video demonstrate Mulvey's explanation on how men view women as sex objects, if you look at the cinematography used in the music video. We see close up's of certain parts of Rihanna's body parts, such as her breasts, her lips and her hips. From the camera angles used in the music video's, you could imply that the perception of Rihanna is from the male gaze/ male view.  From the media given the insight to men that it is okay for them to see women as objects for their satisfaction, men then see it as okay to use it on women on everyday life/reality.

How Women look at other Women 

Like men, women watch these women on music videos and understand that they are viewed as an object. This leads women to make judgments on each other based on how other women dress, what they wear, body shape and the way they act. The dominant representation of women in the media gives women in reality a comparison for them to create an ideal identity of themselves. The media represents women as slim bodied women with curves and long luscious silky hair with flawless skin that has been airbrushed in photos. In some of these photo's we see of celebrities or models, we could say that the women pose half naked or wearing provocative clothing because they want to be desired by the male target audience. This gives us as the audience they idea that all women want to be looked at and desired like all women in the music or film industry. Women in this day and age can now look at the way women in the media represent themselves and include some of the ways that the women look in the media to the way women look in reality. Therefore women change their identity to match the identities that celebrities only want us to see.

Rihanna Selfie                                                                              Woman taking a selfie; trying to look                                                                                                          like Rihanna            

How Women look at themselves 

Charlize Theron                                                                    Self-conscious woman

From the representation of women, we see that the media symbolise woman as not only objects but these beautiful/ 'fit' creatures that are there to be desired by men. The women used in media texts such as music video's are shown as 'fit, toned and tanned and ready' as the quote from Katy Perry's song California girls. From the media using women that look like this they create a stereotype of expectation of what women should be/ act and look like, this itself can raise self confidence issues in women in the audience. For example women look at actresses or models such as Megan Fox, Jennifer Laurence, Charlize Theron or Kiera  Knightley. Mulvey  states that from the use of these women that woman in reality begin to see themselves in a negative light because they do not fill the expectation/stereotypes of women in the media texts that we consume as an audience. However the representations of women that the media give us of these women aren't always the real deal. For example in many pictures of models and celebrities, they are photoshoped and edited so that the model/person in the image looks  more appealing and flawless to their target audience. The identity presented to the audience isn't the true personality of the celebrity therefore the audience is being a presented with a fake identity of their favourite celebrity. Therefore this implies that celebrities give the audience a fake impersonation of themselves and with their photos and images edited means that they aren't any different to every day people. Never the less, this still creates a negative on women because they feel as though they can't fulfil the stereotypes or expectations of women in music videos or in films where the women are seen as 'beautiful'. Over all the conclusion given is that woman strive to be perfect, if they are celebrities or not even though the 'perfect image' they strive for doesn't exist.



How does this theory imply to my chosen music video?

My music video doesn't follow the conventions  of  Laura Mulvey's theory. The music video consists of a couple going through the difficulty of money issues such as struggling to find money to pay for rent and such like. The guy in the music video then decides to join the army and be on the front line in order to be able to provide for both of them financially, the video has jump cuts from the guy fighting in the war to the girl waiting for him to return home. In away you could imply that the girl belongs to the guy therefore she waits for him, like an object waiting to be used again. The girl used in the video is very beautiful therefore there is the connotation of beautiful girls being used in media texts. However listening to the lyrics of the song 'Wake me up when September ends' by Greenday actually dennotate the death of the Bille Joe Armstrong's (the main singer) Dad.

The actress from 'Wake me up when September ends'

Brief

To produce a promotion package for the release of an album to include a music promo video.

The music video I have chosen to analyse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjOMgrfwK7o

Transition brief

To remake a short music video clip from a existing music video