Work for Monday 17th June...

Hi Year 12,

Sorry for my absence today. I've seen the work you've done over the weekend on your blogs- you're all stars!

In today's lesson, I was going to talk through Andrew Goodwin's theory of music video with you, but here's the sheet copy + pasted:

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Theories of Music Video

Andrew Goodwin: ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’ (Routledge 1992)

Goodwin wrote that:

1.   Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage in rock video, dance routine in pop etc).

2.   There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals.

3.   There is a relationship between music and visuals.

4.   The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist, and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style).

5.   There is frequent reference to the notion of ‘looking’ (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

6.   There is often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).

Key terms:

Motif: a repeated theme or pattern- costume, colours, dance moves etc.

Voyeurism: the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviours, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions usually considered to be of a private nature.

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(I'll give you copies on Thursday and check you're happy with it all)

In today's lesson, I'd like you to conduct a very detailed analysis of a music video of your choice for any genre. Use the guide framework below- some of it is using Goodwin's theory for you to analyse and prove/disprove. You'll also need to look at media language- the prompts aren't exhaustive, you can add extra angles to your analysis too! 

This analysis should be added to your wonderful blogs :-) 

Prompts worksheet:

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Prompts for analysing music videos

·         Which video are you analysing, who is it by and, if you know, who directed it?

·         What genre does the music belong to and what broad characteristics of that genre does the video have?

GOODWIN’S THEORY OF MUSIC VIDEOS:

What is the relationship between lyrics and visuals?

·         Find the song lyrics.

·         Work through the song and identify ways in which the lyrics are illustrated or amplified or even contradicted by the visuals.

·         Pick out some specific examples to back up your argument.

What is the relationship between music and visuals?

·         Does the video cut to the beat?

·         Are solo instrumental bits illustrated by the video?

·         Does the video change pace with the music?

·         Give examples to support your points.

Are there close-ups of the artist and star image motifs?

·         How is the record company looking to sell this track?

·         What image of the artist/band is being offered?

·         How does this video relate to previous videos by the artist?

·         Are there motifs which have been used previously? Or does this video represent a change of image? Is there a ‘message’ is being communicated in this video?

Is there reference to the notion of looking?

·         Do you get the sense that the artist is on sexual display or that other people in the video are used in this way?

·         Does the camerawork, costume, dance or something else imply sexualised display?

·         Are there references to 'looking' such as screens within screens or binoculars, cameras etc?

·         Give examples and consider why these features have been chosen

Are there intertextual references?

·         Do these relate to other music videos, to aspects of the star's image or to completely separate texts such as programmes or films?

·         How are they used?

Is the music video perfomance-based, narrative-based or concept-based

·         How much of each?

MEDIA LANGUAGE ANALYSIS OBSERVATIONS:

- MISE-EN-SCENE: what do you notice about the design decisions made and their effect on the video: costume, hair, make-up, casting, lighting, set and location, props, choreography/body language, framing and positioning etc…

- CAMERAWORK: noticeable camerawork and effect? Shot types, shot distances and movement?

- EDITING: noticeable editing for effect? Including effects added in post-production

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Good luck! 

Miss B