Richard Dyer's Star Theory

Laura Mulveys Male Gaze Theory

Laura Mulvey has a theory on how women are represented in media, she states that the camera portrays them as sexual objects through shot types and movement. She also states that the female gaze is the same as the male gaze because women look at themselves through the eyes of men.

As a way to test this theory we watched the music videos for the current top five songs in the U.K charts, and has to make notes of whether they:

• Emphasise the curves of the female body
• Show women as objects
• Display women as a way to please men
• Would make women see it through the eyes of a man
• Are sexualised based on sexual desire from the way they look

The music video we studied were Calvin harris - Blame, Lilt Wood - Prayer, Sam Smith - I'm not the only one, Taylor Swift - Shake it off, and Iggy Azalea/Rhianna - Black Widow. At least 4 of the 5 areas were included in every one of these videos which is significant proof that Laura Mulveys theory is correct.

In recent videos such as "Black Widow", both Rita Ora and Iggy Azalea have had their curves emphasised through the use of camera angles and wardrobe, their outfits are tight body suits that leave little to the imagination, this is a great example of Mulveys theory.

Another well known video that was criticised for the way women are represented within it is "Blurred lines" by Robin Thicke. The video above is actually the cleaner version as in the original the women are almost fully naked. This video is a perfect example to support Laura's theory as women are clearly represented as a way to please men, shown as objects, and are sexualised from the way they look. They are represented this way throughout the majority of the video.

To further prove the theory we also looked at some film trailers for recent or upcoming movies which also all show the majority of these areas, if anything it was shown more in the trailers than the music videos. The trailers we looked at were for Lucy, Sex Tape, Before I Go To Sleep, The Inbetweeners 2 and Let's Be Cops. In movies there are often scenes where a women is shown in little clothing for no actual reason, this gives the idea that men would not be interested in watching a movie without a good looking woman who gets half naked included within in.

Lyric timing

0:00-0:10
(Intro music)

0:10-0:15
Angels watching over me,
With smiles upon their face,

0:15-0:20
Cause' I have made it through this far,
In an unforgiving place.

0:21-0:26
It feels sometimes this hills to steep
For a girl like me to climb,

0:26-0:32
But I must knock those thoughts right down,
I'll do it in my own time.

0:32-0:42
I don't care,
I'm halfway there,
On a road that leads me straight to who knows where?

0:42-0:52
I'll tell you what,
What I have found,
That I'm no fool,
I'm just upside down.

0:53-1:03
Ain't got no cares,
I ain't got no rules,
I think I like living upside down.

1:05-1:10
Watching people scurry by,
Rushing to and fro,

1:10-1:15
Oh this world is such a crazy place,
It's all about the go go go.

1:16-1:21
Sometimes life can taste so sweet,
When you slow it down,

1:21-1:26
You start to see the world a little differently,
When you turn it upside down.

1:26-1:36
I don't care,
I'm halfway there,
And I'm just soaking up the magic in the air.

1:37-1:47
I'll tell you what,
What I have found,
That I'm no fool,
I'm just upside down.

1:48-1:58
Ain't got no cares,
I ain't got no rules,
I think I like living upside down.

2:01-2:05
Woa, Woa, Woa
You got to slow it down,
And then you pick it up,

2:07-2:10
Come on and try a little topsy turvy back to front the right way round.

2:11-2:20
Take it slow, slow, slow (you gotta pick it up),
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah (let me see you slow it down),
Hey, yo, yo (tell me something something).

2:21-2:31
I'll tell you what,
What I have found,
That I'm no fool,
I'm just upside down.

2:31-2:41
Ain't got no cares,
I ain't got no rules,
I think I like living upside down.

2:42-2:52
I'll tell you what,
What I have found,
That I'm no fool,
I'm just upside down.

2:53-3:03
Ain't got no cares,
I ain't got no rules,
I think I like living upside down.

Lyrics Analysis- Paloma Faith - Upside Down

Overall I believe that the meaning of these song lyrics are to be carefree and different. I feel it is about a person who is judged in society for some reason but decides to not care about other peoples opinions and is happy anyway embracing who they are. It also suggests that opening your eyes and accepting those who are different is the key to being happy in life.

Angels watching over me,
With smiles upon their face,
Cause' I have made it through this far,
In an unforgiving place. 
(This is could indicate that she believes someone is up there looking out for her, whether its god or another spiritual being. It also points out that they are happy with who she is ans see she is a genuinely good person. This suggests she has had to deal with things in the past but has survived and holding her head high)

It feels sometimes this hills to steep
For a girl like me to climb,
But I must knock those thoughts right down,
I'll do it in my own time. 
(That people will assume she will give up or fail as she is not thought to succeed in life. She is determined to not give up and prove other people wrong, so she will defeat the obstacles and keep going.)

I don't care,
I'm halfway there,
On a road that leads me straight to who knows where? 
(She has stopped caring about the little things that she realises do not really matter and has already come so far and is determined to keep moving forward. Not sure where this will all lead her but is confident and optimistic anyway and will keep going until she is happy.)

I'll tell you what,
What I have found, 
That I'm no fool, 
I'm just upside down. 
Ain't got no cares,
I ain't got no rules,
I think I like living upside down. (Explaining that she use to take other peoples opinions to heart but now realises how little they mean to her. She is not a fool or weird because she's different, she is unique in her own way and is stating this with her newly found carefree attitude. She will not follow the rules that are thought to be the norm in society as she does not care and is finally learning to like being different and herself.)

Watching people scurry by,
Rushing to and fro,
Oh this world is such a crazy place,
It's all about the go go go. 
(Other people are rushing around in their day to day lives and not really seeing, they are oblivious and taking life for granted. People are never stopping to think and make logical decisions and are instead just looking for something better as oppose to just enjoying the little things.)

Sometimes life can taste so sweet,
When you slow it down,
You start to see the world a little differently,
When you turn it upside down. 
(If you stop to appreciate the little things in life it will seem a lot more worthwhile and change the way in which you see it. This may be the key to happiness, and seeing that those people and things that are not stereotypically to your expectations are actually a good thing. Being unique, different, weird or in this case "Upside Down" helps you see more clearly.)

3 Initial Ideas For My Music Video Narrative

After completing my lyrics analysis and looking into the meaning of the song, I began think of possible narratives that my music video could be based around. These are my three initial ideas:

1. My first initial idea is that the full video will consist of performance shots of the artist lip-syncing in several different locations, props such as a microphone will be used and the artist will be dressed in a modern quirky look. There will be no narrative of sorts but the performance shots will be filmed with the use of a green screen and the background will change to a series of different bright colours to help reflect the meanings of the lyrics.
2. This idea will feature lip-syncing shots of the artist and also dance performance shots with backup dancers included alongside the singer. This will reflect the upbeat theme of the song and the artist and background dancers will all be dressed in clothing of very different and contrasting styles to represent being unique and different, locations will be open outdoor environments.
3. My final idea is somewhat different and inspired by the style of my chosen song, the video will have a vintage feel that will be represented though the use of locations, props and outfits. The artist will have performance shots in a location that would represent the 20th century in some way and also the possible use of a green screen, props will include a vintage style microphone.

Song choices

I decided I wanted to use a pop/soul/jazz song with a steadier beat for my music video, as I want my final product to have an editing pace of medium speed but also be from a popular genre to give me a large variety of songs to choose from. After researching different options I had narrowed the possibilities down to the following songs:

Beyonce - Pretty Hurts

Paloma Faith - Upside Down

Foxes - Glorious

Ella Henderson - Ghost

Adele - Set Fire To The Rain

In the end "Upside Down" by Paloma Fath was my final song choice for the music video I am creating as the main part of my A2 Media coursework. I really like Paloma's style of music and from listening to the song I have a range of possible ideas for locations, costumes and different shots, so I think this was the obvious choice in my case.

Timeline of Iconic Music Video's

History of Music Videos

The Beatles- A Hard Days Night - 1964
Before music videos there were no ways that people could watch their favourite artists perform unless they has the means to see them perform live. The Beatles made several films throughout the years that were only shown in cinemas at the time, in which hey star as themselves, the films normally have a narrative and include a selection of songs throughout. This was their first film that was released in 1964 and was made in black and white due to a lower budget as they were not yet too well known.

• The introduction song is "A Hard Days Night" itself and shows The Beatles themselves being chased by a load of fans, and shows them attempting to run away. During this song we see a fast editing pace to help reflect the fact that they are running and in a rush in order to get away.
• The lyrics to the song are relevant to the narrative as it shows that they have hard a busy day and just want to get home without all the attention they are receiving.
• Examples of the shots used in this scene are a tracking shot (as they are running), a mid shot and also long shots and establishing shots.

Bob Dylan- Subterranean Homesick Blues - 1965

Bob Dylans introduction to his own documentary in 1965 is one of the first examples of a music video. The video is for his song "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and is filmed in one continuous medium longshot with no editing at all, it does however begin with a gradual zoom. The clip simply show Bob Dylan himself holding loads of paper with lyrics written to the song on them, throughout the song he is removing the top piece to reveal the next lyrics.

• The location of the video is an old run down street/alley way 
• He is dressed in a shirt, waist coast which was a casual rebellious look at the time
• There is only one other person featured in the background, a man dressed in a black coat and only half in the frame\
• In black and white even though colour television was around then, they would of had a low budget and not felt the use of colour was needed for the documentary.

Cliff Richard- Summer Holiday - 1965

This song is featured in the musical "Summer Holiday" and is in colour as musicals producers would have a larger budget than music artists.

• There a few examples of editing here such as the fade out of the video at the end and also the continuity editing of the shots, an example is when we see passerbys waving at the bus and straight afterwards have a shot of the driver waving back to them
• The decision of making the movie in colour is also because the narrative is following a group of friends going on holiday and holidays are thought to be bright, sunny and happy. This also makes the iconic red London bus more recognisable to the audience.
• Use of stereotypes such as the french people riding by on their bikes and wearing berets.
• The use of a massive sign saying "Paris" thats pointing in the direction that the bus is going helps the audience to establish the new location.
• There are other uses of sound alongside the song such as the song of bells on the bikes and the children laughing.

The Beatles - Help - 1965

In comparison to their first movie, you can clearly see the difference and how this one is such an improvement. The movie this time has improved on several levels, one is that it has been filmed in colour and also including several filming locations such as Austria and The Bahamas which were very exotic at the time since travelling abroad was fairly new.

• In this movie we get to see their individual personalities which helps an iconic image to be created for them, this is also done through their use of outfits.
• Use of close ups for a single member, and medium long shots to show the band performing together.
• The use of instruments like guitars shows that they are a band and perform their own music as well as sing.

The Beatles - Hello Goodbye - 1967
This is actually considered to be a bad example of a music video, considering technology has developed and their level of fame has further increases, you would expect there to be a noticeable improvement. Here are some examples of bad cinematography, editing ans mise-en-scene from the music video:

• Use of bad framing, the long shot cuts of their feet and one also cuts of the drummer, Ringo's, head from the shot altogether. 
• We see the stages side curtain for several seconds and this should obviously not be in the shot.
• Lack of editing, one shot does not change for a total of 16 seconds, and there are only a total of four shots in a further 36 seconds.
• Instead of the use of a new camera shot or editing, one of the singers actually moves out of the camera shot instead
• However, an interesting aspects of the video is the use of the Elvis movement in the routine, this could be seen as a way to symbolise that they are now as big as Elvis himself.

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody - 1975
This song has been one of the most biggest selling songs in all music history. It was actually the longest running number 1 for around 20 years, there are several reasons to this songs success including:

• This was the first music video to be released on video tape (VHS).
• A good use of cinematography such as the low angle used to make the musicians seem dominant, the use of zooms and pans are also good forms of this.
• There were a good use of effects such as dry ice, this helps give the illusion and feel of a real live performance.

Michael Jackson - Thriller - 1982

The music video for Thriller was made to be a short film as well as a music video, both performance and voyeurism were represented within this video. The T.V schedule was actually interrupted so the video could be premièred.

• The short movie had ground breaking effects for its time, such as when Michael transforms into a wear wolf, shows the use of a large budget.
• There are several different forms of cinematography used in this video and we see a wide range of camera angles used.
• They are 3 levels of diegesis used within the video as there are a total of 3 narratives, the 50's style horror that we initially see, then the idea that it is just a movie that they are watching, at the end we then see that the girl was dreaming both of these narratives.
• The dancing scenes within the video are very iconic to this day, as Michael was known for his dance moves.

The development of technology

The continuous development of technology has been revolutionary in the music industry.

• In 1967 the first T.V. satellite was sent up into space so certain channels could be accessed by several countries in Europe. As a way to test this a selection of countries were given a time slot of around 10 minutes to show footage of their choice, The UK used their shot to premier The Beatles new single. 
• The satellite itself did prove to be successful, the idea of making music videos as oppose to movies for artists was then developed as television reaches  a much wider audience than cinemas do.
• Globalisation was then introduced by the addition of the satellite, subtitles and lyrics were then added to the screen in different languages.
• On Boxing day there was a lot of anticipation and excitement for their latest film to be shown called "Magical Mystery Tour" However many people were left disappointed as colour televisions were fairly new so the majority still owned black and white ones, meaning the coloured filters effect used on the landscape shots for their first song were very boring to watch to those seeing it in black and white.
• In the early 80's the first channel to exclusively play music videos was made and this was known as MTV, this was due to the increase of music videos being made because they were then becoming cheaper to make.

Music Video Conventions

Conventions of a music video on MindMup

 

 

What are the typial conventions of a good music video?

• Variery of locations
• Narrative to be relevant to the lyrics
• An editing pace that fits with the song
• Different use of costumes and props
• Feature the artist themselves
• Element of performance, lip-sync or live
• Different uses of cinematography

What elements may contribute to the creation of a bad product?

• Not editing to the pace of the music
• Bad framing
• Little use of editing
• Use of only one location
• A narrative that does not link to the lyrics
• Make sure the lip-sync is correctly times
• Not leave it to the last minute

Analysing existing music videos

Coldplay- A Sky Full Of Stars

Notes and opinions: This video has not really got a narrative and instead follows the main singer of Coldplay dressed as a one man band walking down a busy shopping street. The other band members join in the scenes also wearing one man band type clothing when the chorus of the song begins and more of a beat starts. The camera angle does not change until about half way through the video, it begins with a handheld camera simply following the lead singer as he walks.

The fact that the general public/fans are included within the video works well as it helps people feel more engaged to the artists. The scene changes in places where the song has a change in tempo which is conventional, an example is when the other band members appear and it pans out to show a quote in graffiti on the building. The use of bright colours is effective as they help the message be delivered that the song is happy. It may of been more effective with a wider range of shots so more editing techniques could of been used.

Olly Murs- Dear Darlin'

Notes and opinions: The video is about the end of a relationship and has a slower editing pace because of the tone of the song. There is a good use of flashbacks throughout the video whilst showing the current version of the singer in the same room, which clearly shows the audience they are flashbacks and he is in the place in which these memories happened. 

The colouring of the scenes starts as a cool sepia to represent the mood of the lyrics but gradually get brighter throughout the video when things start working out again. An improvement that could of been made is a wider range of locations and costumes.

Wheatus-Teenage Dirtbag

Notes and opinions: The video has a very understandable narrative which shows the lead singer as a looser in his final year of high school, he falls asleep and dreams of being noticed by the girl he likes. The ordering of scenes clearly shows that this is a dream, as the first shot is of him falling asleep on the stairs and shows a blurred transition effect  to the dream, the last shot is of him waking up. The target audience for this artist is teenagers, so a story about having a crush in high school makes viewers relate to the artist.

There are several effects used such as a pull focus so either a character or the background is the main focus point, there is a use of different locations to tell the narrative. There are also many shots of performance scenes showing the singer in a school gym (still relevant to the narrative) performing on a guitar and lip syncing the lyrics.

Beyonce'- If I Were a Boy

Notes and opinions: The narrative of this music video is a very strong and deep one, the first shot is of Beyonce' and the actor playing her husband saying what are most important in a serious relationship. The story shows how the husband is the more committed and thoughtful in the relationship and the wife works as a cop and leaves quickly in the morning without eating breakfast with him. We see how a man flirts with her and she flirts back whilst the husband is ignoring advances from his female co-worker. At the end of the video we see how the roles had been reversed and the flirts scene is played again but with the husband as the cop and the wife making breakfast, this is a clever way to show and challenge stereotypes.

The video itself is all in a high quality black and white which gives it a very real life feel so the audience feel like they are living it which I think works really well. The editing pace is slow to fit the meaning of the lyrics and there are a wide selection of camera angles used such as mid shots, pans, and long shots. A way to improve the video is to possibly have some performance scenes with lip syncing, however this may take away the feel of the story and Beyonce' herself is acting it out so we still see her image.

My Favourite music video of all time-

A-ha - Take On Me

Coursework Brief

1. To create a promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three ancillary texts: ​

​

1. A website homepage for the band; ​
2. A cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package); ​
3. A magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package). 

I have chosen ancillary texts number 2 and 3 to be created alongside my music promo video.