Wednesday, 7 September 2016

The use of media language in music videos (in progress)

The sound in a music video is obviously very important. A standard song will have a melodic introduction, verses, a middle eight and an way of finishing the song. A good song will have to be interesting and may use the standard conventions of their genre, for example pop, where they follow the standards but challenge a few of the conventions to stand out. For example, "Uptown Funk" by Bruno Mars has a slightly slower tempo of 115, whereas most pop songs have a tempo of around 140. This slight alteration allowed the song to do incredibly well in the charts. Other artists can use modulations to make a song more interesting or an unusual rhythm. For example, Leonard Cohen's (later covered by Jeff Buckley) "Hallelujah" used a time signature of 6/8. This rhythm gave "Hallelujah" a strong sense of character allowing it to thrive and is still a hugely popular song today.

The mise en scene in a music video allows the meaning to be conveyed. Props such as the use of telephones in "Telephone" by Lady Gaga creates a visual link between the lyrics and props, following Goodwin's theory of media. As well as this, location can link to the lyrics, In Coast's "Ocean" the music video is set at a beach. Although the beach isn't technically the ocean, the setting does connect to the band name, "Coasts". The costume used in music videos can be used to convey an artist's style and aesthetic. For example, Ke$ha has a unique grunge aesthetic which is a common theme running through her other music videos. "Tik Tok," "We R who we R" and "Die Young". This continuing theme distinguishes her as a unique artist who can sell a brand. In "We R who we R" the video is largely dominated by women. The women are also objectified due to the provocative costume, presenting women as objects purely for male eyes. However, when asked Ke$ha stated the use of female domination on the screen and the provocative costume is used to show female empowerment. This is viable as women in the media are often portrayed as lesser than males and secondary characters so Ke$ha challenged the media's norms and empowered women and allowed them to claim back their autonomy by allowing the women do what they want and wear what they want.

Editing in a music video often matches the song's tempo. In a fast paced video such as Britney Spears' "Toxic" there is a cut on every 2 or 4 beats of the 4/4 time. This is effective as it follows a rhythmic pattern. After the first two beats there is a clap or a melodic part, giving the song a pattern where the audience can follow the video. As well as this, in Rupaul's "Sissy that Walk" the only colour used other than the black and white palette is purple. The colour purple has connotations of luxury and royalty, portraying Rupaul as a classy artist.


1 comment:

  1. This gives a good overview of a range of music videos, however, you need to zoom in on a specific music video and analyse the camerawork and editing used in that video - you'll also need to include screenshots as evidence for what you're writing.

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