Theories in Media - Part 2

Andrew Goodwin: Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g. stage performance in a heavy metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band). The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist and the artist may develop themes which recur across their work. There is frequently reference to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. There is often intertextual reference to other media such as films TV programmes as well as other music videos.

Steve Archer: There needs to be a strong and logical relationship between the narrative and performance in music promos. Music videos will cut between a narrative and a performance of the song by the band. A carefully choreographed dance might be part of the artist’s performance or an extra aspect of the video designed to aid visualisation and the ‘repeatability’ factor of the music video.

John Stewart: A music video has the visuals of a TV commercial, with lots of close-ups and lighting being used to focus on the star’s face. Visual references come from a range of sources, such as cinema, fashion and art photography. ‘Incorporating, raiding and reconstructing’ is essentially the core of Intertextuality, using something with which the audience may be familiar, to generate both regretful associations and new meanings. The video allows more access to the performer than a stage performance can due to the close-up shots that are used. Mise-en-scene can be used to emphasise a desired lifestyle.

Sigmund Freud: Voyeurism referring to the notion that erotic pleasure may be gained by looking at a sexual object, preferably when the object is unaware of being watched. (This can be seen in the music video Rio by Duran Duran)

Laura Mulvevy: Because filmmakers are predominantly male, the presence of women in films is often solely for the purposes of display rather than for narrative purposes. The purpose of this display is to assist a voyeuristic response in spectators, which presumes a ‘male gaze’ one that is a powerful controlling gaze at the female on display, who is effectively objectified and passive.