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Music Video

A music video is a short film integrating a combination of video and imagery, produced for artistic purposes. Music videos use a variety of conventions making new techniques, including animation, narrative and composition sometimes including abstract expressionism. Some music videos also tend to use post modernism which applies non traditional philosophical movement away from the viewpoint of modernism. More specifically, post modernism is a tendency towards culture characterized by the objective truth and obligation through narrative and purpose. Its roles consist of language, relationship and motivations it particular challenges the use of stereotypical classifications such as the conflict between men and women and white verses black. It attempts to become problematic over the confidence of contrasting differences. Postmodernism has also influences many cultural groups such as religion, sociology, literacy, visual arts and language. Two music videos have particularly applied this theory which are “Video killed the radio star” produced in 1979 by the Buggles whereas the next music video “Take on Me” by A-HA released in 1985 these show allot of post modernism therefore creating a futuristic and abstract music video.                                                   Video Killed the radio star’s intro consists of a close up of the main singer from the group however the media imagery is shown to become dark and dull making it revolutionary including the singer becoming a graphical contrast showing allot of difference and back them the audience would felt amazed and intrigues over the use of graphical imagery compared to the present time.  Therefore the music video Take on me also used graphical imagery however in different style through the use of montage of artistic drawings to describe and relate to the storyline for the audience to have anticipation and enthusiasm over the character of the grand prix. Back then older audience members would be surprised of the controversial imagery used to detail the protagonist’s background.                                                                                                                                                                                      Video killed the radio star has also used the radio and little girl to make it more innocent and create curiosity making the radio seem alienated to the human child allowing to create a sense of a futuristic atmosphere. The camera angle of the video are only constricted to close ups, medium shots and zoom. The little girl has also shown change from youth to older making it very evolutionally and develops time showing allot of ideology over development of human species and technology enthusing the futuristic theme. With the woman pointing towards the audience, this represents a revolution of race making everyone feel encouraged about becomes reborn and relived through space and time.  However Take on Me challenges this through the classic 80’s style consisting of the protagonist becoming a stereotypical Manhattan bad boy with the black leather jacket and jeans which structures his masculinity and strength. After the race, the background is in a traditional American diner making it link to historical reference similar to video killed the radio star with different aspects. But Take on Me refers mostly to the past times showing a contrast between the two videos through their presentable themes of timelines. The woman is particularly linked to the theme as with a bird’s eye view shot looking down the comic strip shows her hobbies and stereotypical diner customer. And finally the use of the medium shot between the male’s comical hand and woman shows a relationship and the woman’s reaction over the impossibility of events. This makes the audience surprised and unsuspected over the object becoming alive which shows shock and challenges the post modernism theory.

                                                                                                                                                                                                 Video killed the radio star shows the singer wearing silver and metallic sunglasses which seem intertexual to what spacemen would wear. It also links to an astronomical and futuristic background allowing creating a scientific culture for the audience. The character has also been represented as a stereotypical scientist allowing himself to show knowledge and understanding over the woman making her represented as a new creation of life. The woman has pink highlights and light silver clothing to make her seem extraordinary and non traditional between the group of scientists creating a sense of different personalities between the groups. The use of the two shot between the man and woman show a relationship of creator and specimen making the woman represented as weak and insecure with the glass surrounding her making it very claustrophobic and shows the character’s isolation of thoughts. This also applies between the young girl and woman that the young girl is being represented as the human’s fascination over the diversity of life and space in the universe showing development of research and technology.  In contrast, Take on me, after the transition editing, shows a linear and artistic background making it create a new universe for the audience allowing building up the endless possibilities of life. But however with no aesthetic e.g. colour and graphics this has removed all development allowing it to maintain the past conceptual timeline.  The flipbook editing technique makes it more classical and reformed, linked to video killed the radio star’s use of science culture. So therefore take on me uses an artistic culture to enthesise its past timeline without the use of traditional film aesthetics e.g. colour.                                            Video killed the radio star has also shown the use of technical and robotic voices to etherising dialogue and particularly lyrics such as “You were the last one” and “And now I understand the problems you can see” shows his philosophical ideas linking to the scientist’s role and allowing a breadth of perception over scientific research. The video also shows focus in the foreground of contrast of lights and reflection of the singer’s sunglasses giving a sense of discovery and creates fascination for the audience to wonder to the audience s the music video would have been something new to them, this makes it productive and new. While the singer is singing he’s not only surrounded by his band members and the ladies but also people assume their audience. This makes us think that the time of the video was shot the audience were purposefully made to look disinterested as they’re showing the viewers what is represented as exciting and giving lots of expectation. Similarly, take on me creates that atmospheric expectation through the use of parallel worlds that during the mirror scene it shows a relationship between cartoon and human allowing it to philosopherical questions the remaining possibilities explored by humans. Also take on me applies the similar audience background by using the band members to draw attention and create new discoveries and allow the audience to become drenched over amazing ideas and the theme.                                                                                     Therefore video killed the radio star also uses the women front he back singers to represent as sexually to the audience and not shown in the back looking oppositely different. The women are dressed in short and metallic dresses consisting of silver, red and white. White represents purity and virginity whilst the red shows passion and trust and metallic links to futurism and generation. This is done initially as the stereotype for beautiful women of skinny figure and bruntnette. However take on me does apply few stereotypical conventions of gender representations, the blonde woman is represented as a figure of grace and beauty linking to becoming a sexual appeal to the male audience.  The male protagonist is also represented as a typical masculine male through the use of dark and hard clothing making him smart and strong linking to the stereotypical male characteristics most people would expect. The woman also is represented as weak and passive, through the scene transition between the diner and comic strip. As the man looks down on the girl, this shows his superiority over her allowing more control and dominance over the female gender.  And after the non diegetic window sound, this shows the relationship between the male and female to become disrupted and threatened by the corrupted bikers. As the music changes towards a dramatic and technically tempo, the women is caught linking to her passive characteristic. And after the man saves her, this also shows a classical stereotypical hero/damsel relationship motives making it very epic and cliché. However video killed the radio star does use gender representation but mostly the scientists are represented as the antagonist and the audience feels sympathy over the enclosed alienated woman.  Also video killed the radio star shows the singer not making any dramatistic movements and in fact showing not much motive. This fits in with the theme in the video, the futuristic and space theme. He’s also shown at an angle were he’s not looking directly into the camera. However when the lyric “Put the blame on the VCR” is said he looks directly into the camera. This interacts with the audience and gains their attention.  In difference, take on me using a chase sequence between the bikers and couple while using fast and linear editing making it represent the entrapment of the couple. This is also enthesised through the tempo and pitch of the soundtrack showing a continuous theme making it dramatic and creating sympathy for the couple’s fate.  The close up between the woman and the biker shows different binary opposites making the biker represent as strong and horrific towards the woman. This is also linked to the reaction shot after the camera shot creating etherise and drama over the couple’s fate while sticking to gender representations.                                                                                                                                                     To conclude, video killed the radio star shows that the same graphic is shown throughout the video, although not constantly it’s enough to relate it to the video. This graphic would have been something never done before, people would have been amazed by it as it would be something they would have never seen. This video is intertextual and based around the themes of futurism and technology. The clothing, the singer has worn, gives a sense of robotics and the voice and non diegetic singing links to the theme as well. I believe the audiences in 1979 would have been amazed in this video showing and creating an alternative futuristic timeline allowing fascination and ideal opportunities that humans will experience over the peripheral space and time of the universe. And take on me shows different contrast of two different worlds, cartoon and reality creating a relationship. The cartoon world would have the theme linked to the past allowing a transition somewhere in the 1980’s, this would allow the thrills and adventure to be shown to the audience allowing them to feel and experience the true potential back in the past. I believe this would also created fascination for the audience allowing them a possibility of questions of the past timeline and allow demonstrate the dangers e.g. Bikers and violence.                                                                            Overall both videos show allot of similar conventions and characteristics but however they show a different contrast of themes between the future and past making both create allot of philosphorical background and historical reference. Therefore both these videos would demonstrate that post modernism can show allot of initial and scientific reasons for explaining the future. But however the audience would feel very intrigued and show allot of initiative over the possibilities of the abstract movement.                                                                                                                                    

Theory Research

During our research and planning, we have decided to research on current theorists to enforcer and create improvement for our ideas and planning.

The first theorist is Henry George, this theorist heavily influenced Muse’s songs and band. Henry George was an American writer and political economist. He inspired the economic philosophy known as Georgism, which involves with the ideology and philosophical differences of land and value. He theorized the natural cycle of the industrial economies and use of land. His theories involved with eight basic economic matters are wealth that all material items and possessions are produced by labor for the satisfaction of human desires and having overall exchange value. Land where the entire material universe exclusive of people and their products. Labor is when all human exertion in the production of the wealth. Capital which links to the wealth used to produce more wealth or wealth in the course of exchange. Rent which is the part of wealth which is the return for the use of the land? Wages is involved by the part of the wealth, which is the return to labor. And finally Interest is linked to this by the division of wealth among the factors that produce it.  Land, labor and wealth are the means of wealth production therefore land yields rent, whereas labor produces wages and capital receives interest. The wealth of any society is measure in the total of rent, wages and interest. George stated that the consequences of dire economic policies were moral issues rather than economic issues. So therefore this allows him to believe that economic problems stemmed from the unavailability of land and those who gained access to it.  His theory also consisted of showing that wealth is a communist (Marxist) system with dictatorship of working class and centrally planned economy. He also stated that the consequences of economic policies were moral issues rather than economic issues posed moral questions such as “why should a man benefit merely from the act of ownership, he may render no services to the community in exchange?”

The next theorist is Tzvetan Todorov in media terms; he claimed that narrative is the coherence/organization given to a series of facts and figures of different representations. Todorov is a Franco Bulgarian philosopher who lived in France since 1963 with his wife Nancy Huston,. The human mind needs to consider narrative to make sense of things in order to connect events and make interpretations based on those connections. He also believed that everything had a beginning, middle and end sequence.  His theory clearly showed great contribution to literacy theory of defining the fantastic; the fantastic marvelous and he defined it as being any event that happens in our world that seems supernatural.  That he defined the fantastic as marvelous. Todorov also suggested that the fantastic as being any event that happens in our world that seems to be supernatural. Upon the occurrence, the event is seen as an illusion or whether it’s real and has taken place. Upon choosing whether the event is imaginary or real, Todorov said that society is marvelous and uncanny. The laws of reality are always remaining intact and also provide a rational explanation for the fantastic event. Todorov gives examples of dreams and illusions of sense and madness. The supernatural event that occurs has actually taken place and therefore the laws of reality have to be changed to explain the event. Only the reader can’t be one of the possibilities, the text is pure representational. Aside from his work in the literacy theory, Todorov also dabbled in philosophy. He focused on the ideas of human happiness and how to live in modern times. Todorov also simplified the idea of narrative theory while also allowing a more complex interpretation of film texts with his theory of equilibrium and disequilibrium. That the fictional environment starts with equilibrium (everything should be in equal balance between powers of any kind where equality of importance or effect exists among the various parts of any complex unit). It then suffers from some disruption from the disequilibrium therefore allowing the new equilibrium to be produced at the end of the narrative. There are five parts to the narrative as it progresses through such as a state of equilibrium, disruption of the event, recognition that the disorder has occurred, attempt to repair the damage of the disruption and the return or restoration of a new equilibrium. In these stages, narrative isn’t seen as a linear structure but a circular one allowing a flow of continuous source of inspiration to allow equilibrium to be built up. However the equilibrium can be attained at the end of the story isn’t identical to the initial equilibrium. Todorov also argued that the narrative involves a transformation that the characters or situations are transformed through the progress of the disruption. The disruption itself is usually takes place outside the normal social framework, outside the “normal” social events.

The other theorist by Vladimir Propp also illustrated on narrative that the theorist clearly showed different character type’s hat after the initial situation is depicted, the tale is split into 31 different functions, which are the following. Absentation- member of family leaves the security of the environment, which could be the hero or another family member for a need to become rescued.  Interdiction- this is addressed to the hero that the hero is warned not to do this particular action, violation- the interdiction is violated and its generally proved to be a bad action allowing the villain to enter. Reconnaissance- the villain attempts to try and find the children’s jewels or intended victim questions.   Delivery- the villain gathers information form the protagonist that the victim’s seeking now pays off and he/she has acquired new information. Trickery- the villain attempts to deceive the victim to take possession of the victim or victim’s belongings that the villain now presses further often using information gained in seeking to deceive the hero or victim in some way appearing in disguise. Complicity- victim takes in by deception, by helping the enemy the trickery the villain now works and the hero/victim acts in a way that helps the villain. Villainy/lack- the villain causes harm/injury to a family member by the addition of a particular object or magical possession alternatively a member of the family may be lacking something or desires something allows a sense of corruption to spread their mature bodies. Mediation- misfortune or lack is known, the hero now discovers that victimized hero is sent away, the hero now discovers the act of villainy or lack, finding their family or community devastated or caught up in  a state of anguish and woe. Beginning counter action- The seeker aggress to or decides upon counter action, the hero now decides to act that wil resolve the problem therefore this defines the moment for the hero to make the decision that sets the course of future actions and a ordinary person takes on the mantle of heroism. Departure -of the hero leaving his home.  First functioning of the donor- the hero is tested and interrogated by preparing the way he or she receives a magical agent or helper. Hero’s reaction- the hero reacts to actions of the future donor. The receipt of a magical agent- the hero acquires the use of a magical agent transferred, located and prepared. Guidance- hero is transferred, delivered or led to the whereabouts of an object of the search. Struggle- the hero and villain have conflicts with each other to resolve their differences and combat. Branding- the hero is branded. Victory- the villain is defeated in a contest or banished. Liquidation- that the initial misfortune or lack is restored, due to the search of the object being distributed or spell broken. Return- the hero returns. Purist- the hero is pursued that the pursuer tries to kill the hero. Rescue- the hero is rescued from the pursuit that the hero is saved from an attempt on his or her life. Unrecognized arrival- hero is unrecognized and arrives home in another country. Unfounded claims- the false hero is present in unfolded claims, the difficult task- difficult task is proposed to the hero due to a trial, riddles or a test of courage.  Solution- a task is resolved; recognition- the hero is recognized by a brand, mark or thing given to the person. Exposure- false hero or villain is exposed; transfiguration- hero is given a new appearance made by garments or being made handsome. And finally Punishment- the villain is punished for his crimes.  Also during a wedding- the hero marries and ascends the throne to conclude that all characters could be resolved into a 8 broad character type in the 100 tales he analyzed. Vladimir Propp examined their most basic plot components, in order to develop an analysis that reduced fairy tales to a series of actions performed by the dramatic atmosphere created by a unique sequence. Propp had also created generic functions to allow the proposing of that they encompassed all of the plot components from which the fairy tales were constructed. These share some similarities as basic plot elements and representations. So overall there are 8 types of characters, which are the villain, dispatcher, he helper, the princess or prize, her father, the donor, the hero and the false hero. These roles could sometimes be distributed among various characters as the hero kills the villain that one character could engage in acts more than one role as the father of the son can send him on a quest.

The next theorist is Levi Strauss, he is a critical theorist who theorized that myths as a type of search through which a language could be discovered. This theory attempted to explain how fascinating the true fantasy world can be, influenced by Hegel, Levi strauss believed that the human mind thinks fundamentally in these binary oppositions and their unification and that these are what make meaning possible. Furthermore, he considered the job of myth to be sleight of hand, an association of an incredible binary opposition with a reconcile=able binary opposition, creating the illusion or belief that the former had been resolved.  He saw a basic paradox in the study of myth that one hand, mythical stories are fantastic and unpredictable the content of the myth seems completely arbitrary. The myths are show lots of different cultures are similar to each other. Levi Strauss proposed that the universal laws must be governed through mythical and resolve the paradox producing similar myths in different cultures. Each myth seems unique but he proposed it’s one particular instance of a universal law of the human thought. While studying myth, Levi Strauss tries to reduce data to a type of order allowing attaining a level that becomes necessity of the apparent illusions. Levi Strauss said that myths consist of elements to oppose or contradict each other and other elements that mediate or receive oppositions. Levi Strauss argued that the relationship between the agriculture and opposition of life and death. Furthermore, the relationship between the beliefs and opposition.. In structuralism, a binary opposition is seen as a fundamental organizer of human philosophy, culture and language. In the community of philosophers and scholars, most believe that a distinction can be made rigorous and precise it isn’t really a distinction. Binary opposition is an important part of structuralism, which creates a system of language and initial thought between two theoretical opposites, which are strictly defined and set off against each other. 

The next narrative theorist is Roland Barthes, the linguist described texts into 5 codes, which are woven into any narrative. The first code is the hermeneutic code which consists of any element of story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the readers. The full truth is often avoided such as Snares: deliberately avoiding the truth, Equivocations: Partial or incomplete answers and Jammings: openly acknowledge that there is no answer to a problem. The purpose of the author in this is typically to keep the audience guessing arresting the enigma, until the final scenes when all is revealed and all loose ends are tied off and closure is achieved. The next code is the proairetic code, which builds tension, referring to any other action, or event that indicates something else is going to occur and this gets the readers guessing to what will happen next.  The hermeneutic code and proairetic codes work as a pair to develop the story’s tensions and keep the reader interested. Barthes described as dependent and the revelation of truth and the coordination of the actions represented, there is the same constraint in the gradual order of the melody and in the equally gradual order of the narrative sequence. The next code is the semantic code, which refers to connotation within the story that gives additional meaning over the basic denotative meaning of the word. It is by the use of extended meaning that can be applied to words that authors can paint rich pictures with relatively limited text and the way they do this is a common indication of their writing skills. The next code is the symbolic code, which is similar to the semantic code but however it acts at a wider level this, organizes semantic meanings into broader and deeper sets of meaning. This is typically done in the use of antithesis, where new meaning arises out of opposing and conflict ideas. And finally the cultural code refers to anything that is founded on some kind of canonical works that can’t be challenged and is assumed to truth and perspective. Typically this involves either science or fiction. Although other canons such as magical truths can be used in stories. The Gnomic code is a cultural code that refers to sayings, proverbs and other meaningful words and sentences.  Roland Barthes also claimed that from one piece of literature from another and interrogates ways of reading, like positive or negative habits the modern reader brings into one’s experience with the text itself. These terms are mostly explicitly fleshed out while proving an parallel look at the active and passive, post modern and modern, ways of interacting with a text. The tree texts are as followed the readerly text, this text makes no requirement of the reader to write or produce their own meanings. That the reader may locate meaning, Barthes writes that these sorts of texts dont disturb the surrounding culture. Another text is writerly text, a text that aspires goal of literature and criticism to make the reader no longer a consumer but a producer of the text. This text clearly creates an active rather passive way of interacting with a culture of texts. Barthes wrote that they should never be accepted in their given forms and traditions. As opposed to be by some singular system reducing plurality of entrances, opening of networks and languages. And finally the author and the scriptor, Barthes used those terms to describe different ways of thinking about the creators of texts. The author is a traditional concept of the lone genius creating a work of literature or other piece of writing by the powers of their original imagination.  Barthes says that the scriptor has no past, but is born with the text. He argued that in the absence of the idea of a representation, the active reader feels very interpretive and draw on previous conventions.

The next theory is the hypodermic needle theory, The theory suggests that the mass media could influence a large group of consumers and appropriate messages which suggest that the message is implied and the representations are injected into the people that this is dangerous due to communicating an idea because the receiver or audience is powerless to resist the impact of the message. There is no effect of he message in these models. People are often seen as passive and due to no other source of information.  The project focused on people being untouched by propaganda, interposal outlets brought more influence than the media.

The next theorist is Ferdinand de Saussure, the theorist who studies how language created meaning, the theory he concluded with consisted of two units, which are linear and arbitrary natures of signifiers. The signified and signifier together both make the sign the two basic principles are the arbitrary nature that the sign in arbitrary is the ideas of the sound of the word between the links and the ideas and sound which is a matter of societal convention. The next one is the linear nature, which represents a span, and the span is a measurable dimension allowing representations to build their command. Saussure rejects a theory of language that each corresponding of a theory assumes ideas whether its vocal or psychological in nature and finally it lets us assume the linking of the name and the thing that is the operation. The theorist also signified that he distinguished between what he called langue- the system of a language, the language as a system of forms and parole- actual speech, the speech acts that are made possible by the language. The theorist is clearly linked to structuralism, which is originated in the structural linguistics heavily influencing the humanities and social sciences. His semiotics theory clearly showed a lot of communication and symbolism allowing it to build structure and the meaning of language more specifically. Semiotics is closely linked to field of linguistics and studies of its structure and meaning of the interpretation of the language. This is branched into 3 difference branches which are semantics- relation between signs and the things to which they refer or meaning, syntactic- relations among signs in formal structures and pragmatics- relation between signs and the effects they have on the people who use them.

Another theorist is Stuart Hall who theorized of encoding and decoding to review the conception of the process of encoding and decoding. The medium takes systemic responsibility in being determined the relationship of various signs presented, ordering them for us. Media institutions create texts according to Stuart Hall’s concept of the dominant code. In the dominant cultural order there is an imposition of classifications on the social, cultural and political world. Those these classifications are organized according to dominant and preferred meanings. The audience has part of the aspect of decoding performed already on behalf of the message makers; there are 3 possible responses in a discourse to the media’s representations and values. The first position is the dominant hegemonic position, this refers to the interpretation of the message to be understood and operated in the dominant code. The position of institutions in messages is signified withing the hegemonic manner to which they are accustomed for professional representations of organizational harmony and communication. The next stage is the negotiated position, which is involved with the understanding of media producers taking those for granted allowing an acknowledgement of differences towards our society. And the final position is the globally contrary position which is when the media consumers understand the contextual and literacy inflections of a text yet decoding the message by a oppositional means, this is globally contrary position, the de-tantalization of that text enables them to rework it to their preferred meaning. This can create political conflict allowing a struggle of society and oppositional codes.

  The other theorist is Jean Baudrillard’s theory of hyper reality; Karl Marx heavily influenced him due to his Marxism and theory of socialism. This theory allowed a primary methodology of most economic analysis of communication and cultural studies. His theory also consists of convergence of signification and resembles the Saussurean system of reversed signs. It acts like anti representational messages that his theory of simulation holds the order of the basic elements of signs and terms of the signifier plus the world of boundaries. His theory also consisted of media- saturated cultures which technological consumer societies that saw them as characterized by simulation and hyper reality in which substitutions as objects. His message could be interpreted to media images of society to enter a catatonic state of multi medium simulations where they become vulnerable and insecure.

The next theorist is David Morley who theorized that different social groups have access to different to cultural capitals that the familiarity with the different types of media texts. This will effect the ability to decode textual meanings. His theory clearly linked to different educational and occupational backgrounds. Different responses were produced and research continued to show dominance, oppositional and negotiated reading texts. David Morley showed the relationship between dominant reading of a news text and the viewers’ social class. He employed 2 distinct modes known as semiotics and sociology. His main idea was to extent the individual interpretation of the programs could be revealed to diverge systematically in relation to the socio artistic groups. He also suggested that the audience were more effective particularly sub cultures and definitely share a cultural compass reading towards decoding codes in a certain number. The individual readings or the individual formation of messages will be positioned by communal cultural ideas and practices.

Another theory is uses and gratifications the model was made by two theorists Blumler and Katz who theorized that the mass media contains a huge variety of mediums allowing reaching millions of people and applying different speeches by politicians would affect no one, local events would remain local.  The media becomes overcome to distanced and builds up direct relationship including focus groups, surveys, questionnaires, clinical studies and plain hypothesizing, a number of models describing the media’s relationship with the audiences that have been drawn up.  The theory also applies that people feel better of knowing what is going on in the world around them is a mystery. By watching or reading texts this makes the news feel more that the knowledge is more secure about our security of lives.  It assumes that members of he audience aren’t passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating the media into their lives. The theory holds audiences responsible for choosing media to meet their needs. The approach suggests that people use it for their own specific needs. The theory is split into a variety of components. There are that the audience is conceived as active, in the mass communication process much initiative in linking gratification and the media choice lies with the audience member. The media is competing with other sources of satisfaction and the many goals of mass media can be derived from the data supplied by individual audience members themselves and the value of judgments about the cultural significance of mass communications should be suspended with audience authority. The audience shows a lot of expectations and need gratifications. There are different activities of the audiences such as utility- the media is used to accomplish specific tasks, intentionally- people use it the determine the use of media, selectivity- audience members use media to reflect their existing interests, imperviousness to influence- audience members construct their own meaning from media content, Diversion- Escape from routine and problems, an emotional release, personal relationships- social utility of information in conversation, substitution of media for companionship, personal identity or individual psychology-  value reinforcement or reassurance, self understanding for reality exploration and surveillance- information about factors which affect one or a group to accomplish something. The needs are split into 5 different categories which are cognitive needs- acquiring information, knowledge and understanding, affective needs- emotion, pleasure and feelings, Personal integrative needs- credibility, stability and status, social integrative needs- family and friends, tension release needs- escape and diversion.

The next theorist is Andrew Goodwin consists of thought beats by seeing through sound, narrative and performance, the star image, relation of visuals to the song and the technical aspects of the music video.  He therefore suggested that the first step is to look at the music itself to learn from the representations and conventions. Secondly, the voice of the singer. The artists voice is extremely unique and can form identification or trademarks that work well with the star image. Roland Barthes theory of the Grain of voice related to this.  He saw the singing voice as an expressive instrument and therefore able to make association of the overall representations of the song and lyrics. Thirdly, Goodwin also points out the artists’ mode of address. Songs can be seen as stories and the artist, the storyteller, making the music video show communication and tell us the story and listening. He identified that the relationship between visuals is illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics of the song. The relationship between the lyrics and visuals allow representing the music in a fascinating form allowing to be interred textual towards the different forms of media. The imagery used in the video should express the feelings of the video therefore allowing the individuals and groups to become linked with the genre. The term voyeurism can be interpreted as a pleasure of appearance. Goodwin suggested that voyeurism is often present in music videos.  Therefore the theory also suggests the demands of the record label creating representation of the artist and performance based, narrative based or concept based music videos, which allow a great variety of cultural and textual references. Goodwin suggests that the lyrics will make constant references to visuals on screen.  Visuals will reinforce what the lyrics say.  And he also referred the genre characteristics as certain traits associated with a particular music genre. The notions of play motion are focusing on the idea of gaze and the way someone is particular is seen. Notions of looking isn’t restricted to women, it may also represent men in a specific representation such as violence and masculiniarity., whereas women are represented as objects in Goodwin’s theory. The record label has a certain control over the artist they sign. It’s the ultimate up to date what the artist should be represented as.  And finally part of the genre characteristics show that the narrative allows the music to come to life like the story. Narrative can be either fragmented or linear but however most music video’s are fragmented.

Finally to conclude all these theorists and theories do show a lot of conventions of the music video allowing us to give implications of our ideas and values over the music video we are about to produce. Particularly our group is mostly inspired by the conflict and social classes from theorists such as Levi Strauss and Todorov’s disequilibrium theory allowing us to expand on conflict. 

Audience Feedback Sheet

Media Studies “Muse” Music video-Audience feedback

                                                                                                            

        

How did the narrative make you feel?

Which genre would you associate the media product with? (Rock, Brit Pop etc)

Which particular parts of the Music video did you find captivating or obscured? Why?

Do you feel that the Media          Product could be distributed with a music video institution such as MTV? Why?

Which target audience would you associate with the Music Video?

Do you feel that the lyrics were synchronous to the Media Product? Why?

Overall, do you feel that the Media Product is more traditional or abstract? Why, using examples?

Genre Research

Alternative rock is a rock music genre that originated back in the 1990s to describe the sound of rock bands inspired by punk rock, but refused to subscribe to the mainstream of genres of all time. Rock genre is a popular music that has roots to rock and roll it’s heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music. Rock music drew strongly on a number of genres such as blues and folk and influences in Jazz, classical and other musical sources. Rock is often associated with electric guitar, bass guitar and drums.  Rock is also linked with the lyrics to romantic love but also address a wide variety of themes that are frequently social or political in emphasis. Rock music has also embodies and served as the vehicle for cultural and social movements, leading to the major sub cultures of alternative rock in the UK. Rock music also became associated with political activism as well as changes in social attitudes to race, sex and drug use and often seen as expression of youth revolt against adult consumerism and conformity. The sound of rock is traditionally linked with the sound of electric guitar and emerged from modern form in the popularization of bass guitar pioneered in jazz music in the same era and produced from the drum kit. Classically, a rock band takes the form of a quartet whose members show the following a vocalist, lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist, bass guitarist, drummer and keyboard player or other instrumentalists.  Rock music is built by a foundation of simple rhythms in a 4/4-meter with a repetitive snare drum backbeat on beats two and four. Melodies are derived from older music modes such as Dorian and Mixolydian as well as major and minor modes. Rock songs are using verse chorus structure derived from the blues and folk music but have been considerable variation from this model of theories. Rock lyrics have dealt with a wide range of themes such as romantic love including sex, rebellion against the establishment, social concerns and lifestyles. Rock has a complex history which preference to rock and roll while contrasting with pop music with sharing characteristics but from being distanced by an emphasis on musicianship, live performance and focus on the serious and progressive themes as part of an ideology of authenticity that is frequently combined with an awareness of the genre’s history and development. Rock musicians combine an emphasis on skill and techniques with the romantic concept of art such as artistic expression, original and sincere. Rock is mostly linked to the forms of pop, reggae, soul music and hip-hop which is influenced but often contrasts through much of its history. Alternative rock music etherises subgenres such as indie rock- a genre which is extremely diverse with sub genres including math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sad core, riot grrrl and emo. Math rock is a rhythmical complex guitar based style of experimental rock and was very influenced by progressive rock; complex, atypical rhythmic structures, angular melodies and dissonant chords characterize it. Math rock shares underground music and some earlier bands have post rock characteristics as well. Math rock has a basic 4/4-meter while using time signatures or frequently using changed meters on various groups. This rhythmic complex groups show a lot of critics and listeners the sound is usually dominated by guitars and drums in traditional rock and because of the complexity rhythms, drummers or math rock groups have a tendency to stick out more often than in other groups is commonplace to find guitarists in math rock groups using the tapping method. Indie rock is derived from “independent” describing the small and low budget labels which is released and attitude of bands and artists involved. Distribution is involved with corporate companies and bands that attempt to retain autonomy. Influences and style of the artists are extremely diverse and interchangeable to distinguish between bands working in a variety of styles that don’t pursue or achieve commercial success.  Guitars are often played in clean tones more than in other rock songs but distortion is used depending on the group. Lyrics aren’t the main focus of math rock, the voice is treated as another sound in the mix, and Indie rock is a separate movement when Nirvana broke into the mainstream along with several other bands taking the alternative with them. Many artists are disappointed with this identity due to becoming conventional that it seems to be an inappropriate term for those who have no desire to be included in the mainstream movement.  The next sub genre associated with alternative rock is soul music has a distinguished sound, which goes back longer than the style originally found.  It combines elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul is the music that shows the experience through transmutation of gospel and rhythm into a form of funk and testifying genres. Soul roots into a gospel music genre that allows describing its style with secular lyrics. The majority has narrative and a monotone colour scheme, which is frequently, used also slow cuts and editing with no special effects. The next is reggae which is a music genre developed in Jamaica with a broader sense to types of rhythmic accents on the off beat usually played by guitar or piano known as skank. This patterns accents second and fourth beat in each bar and combines with the drums emphasis on the beat. The tempo of Reggae is usually focused on creating a unique feel and sense of phrasing in contrast to most other popular genres focusing on a slower and melodic tempo. This usually differentiates reggae from other music, although the musical styles have incorporated some of these innovations separately. Reggae has musical elements of rhythm and blues, jazz, African and Latin American music with other genres. It’s usually played in 4/4 swing times due to the symmetrical patterns, which don’t lend it to other time signatures. The concept of “call and response” can be found through out reggae music in the lyrics but also in the parts are composed and arranged for each instrument. The emphasis on the “third beat” of the bar also results in a different sense of musical phrasing with bass lines and melody lines often emphasizing while considering the notes in other genres. Particularly a snare drum is often used to achieve high itch allowing an additional timbale or high tunes snare to create this cross stick technique. The next genre to be affiliated with alternative rock is hip-hop which is a musical genre consisting of rapping, and rhythmic speeches chanting. It currently has characteristics by 4 key stylistic elements graffiti, Djing, breaking, MCing. Other elements include sampling and beat boxing. Hip-hop denotes the practice of the entire subculture. Hip hop music originated as improvisations made to existing music by DJ’s although hip hop predates the introduction of rapping into hip hop culture, the majority of the genre is accompanied by vocals. Hip-hop was influenced by disco and a backlash against it. Divisions between fans and detractors of disco music characterized hip-hop. Hip Hop has emerged as a hard basic proponent in the eventual decline in disco popularity. The next genre associated is pop, which is the abbreviation of popular music. This is an ample and imprecise category of modern music not defined by artistic audiences or prospective market. Pop music composed with deliberate intent to appeal to the opposition to music that requires education of formation to appreciate, a defining characteristic, which is complex, and aesthetics towards the primary objectives being audience enjoyment and commercial success. The term is referring to influences from most popular genres of popular music. Early pop music refers to sentimental ballad from its form gained for its use of vocal harmonies from gospel and soul music, instrumentation from jazz, country and rock music, orchestration from classical music, tempo from dance music, backing from electronic music, rhythmic elements from hip hops music and has appropriate from rap.  It usually uses technological innovation which is influenced has made pop music something of an international monoculture but most religions and countries have their own form of pop music, something producing local visions of wider trends. Most theorists associate the genre as an aim of appealing to a general audience, rather than to a specific sub culture or ideology, an emphasis on craftsmanship rather than formal artistic qualities, an emphasis on recording, production and technology over live performance, a tendency to reflect existing trends rather than progressive developments and pop music is intended to encourage dancing or uses dances beats and rhythms The main part of pop is the songs, which builds the general rhythmic element a mainstream style and a traditional structure. Common verses include a thirty two-bar form and a harmonic verse. The beat tends to be simple and the lyrics focus on certain simple themes often love and romantic relationships although there are notable exceptions. Harmony in pop music is often including barbershop harmony and blues scale influenced harmony. There are also other tendencies such as he language of rock and soul.  Another sub genre is grunge, which is characterized by guitar sounds that use high distortion level and feedback effects. It fuses the elements of hardcore punk and heavy metal, although some bands performed with more emphasis on each other. The genre shares sound and lyrical concerns in order to involve slower tempos, dissonant harmonies and complex instrumentation referring to heavy metal. Some individuals associate it with the development of grunge addressing themes such as social alienation, apathy, confinement and desire for freedom.  A number of factors influence the focus on the subject that many grudge magicians display a great disengagement of society and discomfort of social prejudices.   The next sub genre is gothic rock, which is a hybrid genre of post punk, and alternative rock that grew from the strong connections for English punk rock. It gave a rise to a broader subculture that includes clubs, fashion and publications that grew in popularity. Gothic rock synthesises post punk and constructs sorrowful and epic atmospheres that standardised musical fixtures of the genre include high-pitched baselines that use the melodic role with hypnotically or tribal rhythm.  Many gothic rock themes deal with dark themes addressed through lyrics and musical atmosphere. The poetic sensibilities of the genre lead the gothic rock genre to express themselves through romanticism, morbidity, religious symbolism, and supernatural elements. Musicians initially shape the aesthetics and musical conventions of gothic rock to influential and influence for darkness, love and relationships. The sub genre also grows strong ties between the separate movements of punk with heavy, depressing and sadistic lyrics allowing developing a broader gothic subculture. The next sub genre is Britpop, which is associated to a specific musical affiliation of dramatic aesthetics. It has employed both radio melodies and brand of perfect rock for tours of large areas. The sub genre emerged from British independent music scene and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music. Britpop groups were defined as being focused on bands rather than solo artists having drums/bass/guitar and vocals line ups, singing in British regional accents, references to places and cultures in lyrics and imagery and fashion consciousness. Britpop bands relies on lyrics and relevant to British young people of their own generation. The imagery associated with Britpop is with British and the working lass. The emphasis on British culture made it difficult for the genre to achieve success in the US. This movements is being represented by Blur, Oasis, Suede and Pulp was the British equivalent of the grunge explosion, the artists propelled alternative rock to the top of the charts in their home country. Specific movements and genres such as British invasion, Glam rock and punk rock influenced Britpop. The Britpop phenomenon culminated in a rivalry between the two chief groups.  And the final sub genre is new wave. Britpop also New Wave is a subgenre of rock music that emerges from punk rock. As a genre, it incorporates much original punk rock sound and ethos such as short emphasis on short songs; it is characterized by great complexity in both music and lyrics. Characteristics of new wave music aside from its punk influences including the usage of synthesizers and electronic productions, the importance of styling of arts and diversity. New Wave is often to use to describe music, which is electronic and pop at heart. The genre started to fade out and became a fixture to MTV and the popularity of several new wave music videos became a commercial success, it was criticised by some of the specific style and music. The term fell out of favour in the United Kingdom during the early stages. New wave causes groups and the mainstream of pop and rock groups to sound more alike and show connections and relationships with each other.  Many bands have influenced the alternative rock genre such as U2, the Feelies, Husker Du, Sonic Youth and the Cure. Alternative rock owes its stylistic origins largely to punk rock and was heavily influenced by reggae and jazz. Alternative rock artists and bands don’t generate spectacular album sales and aren’t in major record labels. Characteristically, alternative music can be identified by the emphasis on the guitar which uses the power chords, riffs and uses creative distortion also complex electronic beats and bass drums are heavily used. The lyrics used in alternative rock records and CDs are rooted in a general discontent with stance against commercialism and he mainstream as well as recurring themes such as drugs, depression, rebellion, ethic, independence, artistic authenticity and other social, economic and environmental concerns. The influence for alternative rock music continues to evolve and diverse on focusing more conventional indie sounds. Despite it’s early roots in anti commercialism and independence, alternative rock music will never have enjoyed the mainstream success. The alternative rock genre serves under as a umbrella term for underground music that has emerged in the wave of punk rock. Throughout history, the genre has been largely defined by its rejection of commercialism of mainstream culture, although this could be contested ever since some of the artists have achieved mainstream success. British alternative rock was distinguished from US on by more being a pop oriented focus and a lyrical emphasis on specifically British concerns. The music industry was enticed by alternative rock’s commercial possibilities and labels.  Another associated genre is dream pop that dream pop begins fusing post punk and ethereal experiments with pop melodies into dream, sensual atmospheres. The essence of the music is a focus on textures and moods rather than on prospective rock riffs. Shoegazing influenced the genre with key bands such as Lush and Ride and levitation, these build up atmospheric qualities of dream pop but added intensity of post punk bands creating a variety of textures of moods. It often acts as a creative anti rock catalyst for textual based musical styles such as trip hop, slow core and post rock. The next rock is noise rock that mixes atonal noise or feedback with melodic instrumentation and production elements found in pop music.  Noise pop has been described as the halfway point combining elements of pop and distorted guitars and drones. Velvet underground was influenced with feedback and distortion on their early albums. Space rock is the next sub genre, which is characterised by slow, lengthy instrumental passages dominated by electric organs, synthesizers, guitars and science fiction.  This drew earlier influences to create more ambient but still melodic forms of pop music. This referred to the ideas and sounds of both waves of the genre’s founders. It’s closely associated with progressive rock movements in the same era. And the final sub genre associated with alternative rock is sad core, which is identified as describing examples in bleak lyrics, downbeat melodies and slower tempos to become unspecific and often being dismissed as a label in the bands they would describe. 

MTV Research

MTV was first established New York City on August 1, 1981. The original purpose is to publish music videos guided by on air hosts such as VJs. MTV has used on impact on the music industry and popular culture. The concept of MTV was popularized sue to the idea of a dedicated video based outlet for music was introduced for both artists and fans. MTV’s moral influence on young people includes issues related to censorship and social activism has been a subject of debate for years. MTV focus more on non music programming has been contested relentlessly since 1990’s demonstrates the channel’s previous impact on popular culture. MTV plays music videos 24 hours a day, 7 days a week guided by video jockeys and several spinoff channels. Videos can be played on demand at their website as well.  MTV’s format after top 40 radios was hired to host the network’s programming and to introduce videos being played. Many VJS involved became celebrities in their own right. A large number of rock bands and performers of the 1980s were made popular by MTV such acts range from new generations of hard rock and heavy metal bands such as culture club and prince. Besides music videos, MTV expand programmes to centrepiece its programming. MTV present a variety of non music related television shows aimed primarily at 12 to 18 year old demographic. MTV video music awards show is used to develop into a music industry showcase marketed as a more relevant youth targeted antipode to other award shows. MTV’s award show with similar success also creates it success across Europe.  MTV is widely considered as the first television network to develop its brand with an unified vocabulary, Voice and visual identity. MTV’s logo from the large M to the graffiti style superimposed and quickly became instantly recognizable in popular culture.  This therefore created change for the evolution to MTV’s iconic image and branding of the network. MTV have spread its popular culture for 30 years become an iconic channel to become the centre of the ongoing debate over the cultural and moral influence of music and television on young people and society. The channel also found itself criticism by various groups about programmes, social issues, political correctness, sensitivity and moral influence on young people. Beyond MTV it has distributed to many additional properties beyond the channel to other sister channels in the US, from the satellite television to HD channels such as Palladian and MTV Hits/Jams.  MTV have also created a website in order to experiment and create a new voice of recognition. The service has brought additional content towards society and new divisions of the company.  MTV.com expands the channel’s broadcasts by showing content to its viewers and service supported by commercials. This promoted advertising and announces digitalisation such as cell phone, ipad, computers and other digital devices.

  MTV’s target audience consists of young adults of 12-24 year olds including the website. MTV is a highly rated network in most other demos.  Therefore the median target audience says around 21 to increase potential. The network mostly focuses on youth with new shows, good ratings and endless potential deals. MTV offers advertising packages to MTV2, allowing credit and availability, which targets slightly more male and also contains its promotional deals with comedy central, VH1 and UPN. However MTV faces challenges with media buyers upfront. Its current line-up is heavily on female targeted programmes while trying to balance male and female viewers. The network is constantly burning through programmes through and uneasy sense making MTV feel responsible for their own actions and obligations towards society. And finally MTV have a long social, political and environmental activism in young people. The target audience of MTV is more into the popular music channel that specifically plays videos form the genres indie and rock allowing us to link to our alternative rock music video. The music channel; is with attitude fro indie, rock and alternative music enthusiasts. An interactive music channel playing diverse and cutting edge music, MTV is where the viewers show their interests in interactive music this creates their own hour of videos through the web/ It’s really created and by individuals therefore the target audience is 16-24 male.  MTV have a variety of regional affiliations globally, however MTV faces a big challenge by choosing advertisement that mirror the sentiment shared by youths across the 64 countries, yet still retain their national identities and cultural values and the challenge to adopt services that would give a positive perception to local mainstream.  Demographics is also involved with MTV that it reaches 64 countries with six affiliate broadcasting arrangements across the world. This represents all youth cultures and young professionals who are cognizant of the lifestyle forms. It links to the different styles of the programming in each local unit. The market associated with MTV can be segmented geographically in this sense, where every local programming is customized based on the socio-economic culture of the geographical unit. Also the socio-cultural that MTV adjusts its advertisements to its affiliate units accordingly. The pressing social issues that need to be addressed to significantly influence the advertisements and the language is also a vehicle for local customization. With the MTV units, the target audience would be local population with age rating 18-34. Furthermore, it has a target audience as well as in different sectors of the society through parents, elders and politicians.  These sectors influence how programs are relayed through them this relates to the fact that these people are direct constant companions of the target audience. MTV caters to the upper part of youth cultures in terms of financial market industries. It wants to establish connections between people in the upper class with trendy and up to date music videos as well as being informational.  MTV has been in a position of being the world’s influential musical and lifestyle iconic music channel for the youth. It has also delved into informed, aware and concerned vehicle for change in the youth channels. Levi Strauss is one of the world’s most recognized leading distributor in the industry. It would definitely want to advertise globally on MTV for the primary reason that MTV connects to the upper class of the market. Levi Strauss is actually emphasizing a brand to connect cultures to create a community full of potential.  MTV’s marketing is mainly based on the products and services that basically MTV offers the youth and professional a whole lifestyle and information to be rolled into one. It features music videos, fashion trends, concert tours and promotions. Moreover, it promises value adding services through news broadcasting and tackling local issues.  The price of the amount customers have to pay is actually continual patronage of the program. The high viewers ratings will bring them into line with the market’s perception of MTV’s increasing value, hence increasing their “price” from business conglomerates. MTV does well that they make their service and name available to target consumers through music awards and campus tours also musical interests.  MTV always has many activities and programs that persuade target customers to patron them this promotes singers and bands allowing them to deliver value to the customers such as incorporating social issues in their programmes.  MTV exercises “creative control” over these different levels such as channels being irrespective of the language to the similar familiar frantic appearance and fell of MTV. This then helps MTV to do “gene transfer” of the company’s culture and operating principals. MTV networks have reached a iconic symbol for globalization which adopts the right to have international strategies and controls at the right time to regain its lost popularity, especially in non-English speaking countries such as Asia and Europe. Therefore each country has it’s own unique and favourite music scenes and songs. People would love to hear these more than adapting to foreign music therefore MTV clearly failed to understand this core principle as a result, MTV suffered and started to decline. Soon there were many local copy stations in Europe that catered to individual countries music scenes.  MTV has built a strong base across countries through it’s localization policies and the emergence of digital television and internet provided by opportunities to extend their research to international audiences. MTV has come up with more illnternet and mobile services in order to receive and come up with more youthful innovations that target the current issues related to youth cultures that link with MTV.  MTV’s visibility as a promotional tool for the record industry, the channel was accused of devaluing the importance of music, replacing quality with a visual aesthetic shunning equally popular but less image centric or single based acts. Various groups and individuals since have criticized MTV for similar reasons that insisting that the channel has a responsibility as “music television’ to play more music videos and upload better standards for music videos that they choose to feature in rotation.