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.
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