TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF A MUSIC VIDEO

Katy Perry - Wide Awake

The video for this Katy Perry single is set in an outside world with different plants and greenery covering the brick walls in which Katy Perry is trapped. It seems to be a maze or a labyrinth in which she is trapped. 

This creates the negative, eery vibe which becomes continuous throughout the rest of the video. Darker shades of all colours are seen in the video with a darker shade of purple being predominant, even in Katy Perry's hair. 

This creates a kind of vampiric, gothic vibe and is enhanced by the style of clothing that Perry is wearing. There is a part in the video where Perry meets a younger version of herself. 

It could be said that Perry's character is herself after becoming famous and the little girl represents a more innocent version of herself before she was in the limelight. Similar to GaGa's videos, the message conveyed could be that of how fame can change a person. 

There are multiple close ups and a mid-shots of Katy Perry which signifies that the message of the song isn't just a general concern but something close to herself. Perhaps something that has happened, or is happening, to her. A close up implies power but also allows the audience to see the emotions being expressed. The negative video also features some negative expressions and emotions from Katy Perry like sadness and hostility. 

This shot shows Perry being stalked by paparazzi with their flashing cameras and her holding the little girls hand. The mirror has connotations of a reflection and creates a ideology of Perry seeing an overwhelming fame in herself which she is beginning to regret. It could be stated that she is warning the girl that it isn't what she wanted and that there is a chance to change it. 

This intense shot shows Perry in a wheelchair, much like the video Paparazzi by Lady Gaga, which delivers the same message of overwhelming fame. The wheelchair and the hospital gown creates a sense of illness and a weakness which Perry cannot fight. As you can see in the next screenshot, the little girl has made a difference because the once dreary, cold, grey setting has become a flowery, bright meadow, signifying change and a more positive outlook. 

The editing throughout the video is quite standard. The cuts used are regular due to the huge amount of settings, scenarios and characters in the video, having cartoon-like transitions would make the video feel too gimmicky. 

The genre of the artist is predominantly Pop however the beginning of the video appears to be more gothic and appears much like an Evanescence video. The narrative is very untraditional for the style of music because of the generic conventions of Pop songs being star-focussed performance shots and a typical, positive narrative. The majority of the subverted aspects of the video are different to the norm for this genre creating quite an unexpected effect. There are intertextual references from the film Pan's Labyrinth which are quite obvious in the setting of the video. The maze and the dark woods are much like the ones which can be seen in the film Pan's Labyrinth. 

Similar also are the little girls which can both be seen in Wide Awake and Pan's Labyrinth and the horned Minotaur-like creatures in both texts.

Propp's character theory can be applied to this video due to the characters involved. Katy Perry can be seen as the hero, journeying through the maze while her younger self is seen as the helper. There are villains like the horned beasts which try to stand in their way but eventually the hero and helper make their way to a better part of the maze where the setting begins to change. The video does connect lyrics and visuals throughout. An example of this would be the lyric "I'm wide awake, I was in the dark" which connects to the constant low key lighting and darkish filter on the video. 

Capitol Records are one of the largest, richest mainstream organisations in the world, and due to this, the budget for Katy Perry's video would have been huge. Capitol's role in the video would be to portray Perry in such a way that would maximise sales of the song and the music video. Showing her in a innocent light and perhaps a new perspective for her fans would spark interest in the audience. The video actually promotes Perry's concert documentary-style film Katy Perry: Part of Me because it was created to begin the concert. 

"The video was supposed to have its world premiere on June 19, 2012. However, the video was unexpectedly uploaded by EMI to the Czech website mixer.cz. one day earlier. Due to this, it was announced that the June 19 premiere was being scrapped and that the release was pushed up to June 18, 2012 at 7:53 p.m. ET on MTV as part of "MTV First: Katy Perry". After the premiere, an exclusive 30-minute interview with Perry will take place on MTV.com. The worldwide premiere will reach more than 600 million households around the world via MTV’s global network of more than 60 channels, as well as over 300 digital media properties in more than 150 territories."

Target audiences for Katy Perry's music videos would be her fans, also known as KatyKats and predominantly age 10 - 35 females. Male's also are a big percentage of her fan base with Perry herself having a large LGBT following, as well as heterosexual fans. Like most music videos, Perry's video was premiered on MTV for millions of people to watch for the first time. The next most common way of audiences viewing her material would be Vevo or YouTube. With nearly 300 million views, YouTube is one of the most popular ways her music video was watched. Due to the new dark nature of the Katy Perry video, which has never been seen before, the two step flow would be in great practise with the exchanging of opinions and thoughts between fans. Intertextual references also draw in a minority crowd who are interested in whether the film or videos original vibe has been damaged or complimented. 

There are some un-stereotypical representations of age within the video due to the little girl being the one to save Katy Perry as an adult. Stereotypically it should be the adult protecting the child but Wide Awake shows a different representation of age. Throughout the video women are seen as inferior because they are extremely panicky throughout the maze, encountering the monsters and the obstacles along the way. However, un-stereotypically at the end of the video when the fairytale plays out and the Prince Charming is ready to rescue the Damsel in Distress (Perry), she actually punches him, showing that she is independent and strong and doesn't require a man to help her. This also is very different to how Pop music videos display women and instead of sexual exploitations, independence and feminism views are portrayed to the audience. 

Analysing this video has helped me realise that some key conventions can be changed when it comes to a message being put out through a music video. The essence of female empowerment and fame becoming overwhelming was a strong message to portray to audiences and I appreciate how it has been done. When creating my music video this will help me because I wish to have a subtle message incorporated in my music video - like a fable. 

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF A MUSIC VIDEO

Lady Gaga - Telephone 

The video is set in a prison scenario with Lady Gaga being the star who is appearing as a 'prisoner'. These have connotations of her message of being caught up in the media and almost being a 'prisoner' to the media, without being able to do anything or go anywhere without being judged and talked about in magazines and on air. The typography is quite cartoon like, to add a twist to the video. Lady Gaga is known for breaking boundaries and attempting to mix different genres and conventions so the cartoon-like typography could be an example of this. 

An example of the cartoon-like typography.

Lady Gaga, as herself, appears as the star of the music video and due to this she can be seen in a variety of close ups. The use of a close up makes the stars face the centre of the shot and connotes her importance in the video compared to anything else. 

A screenshot of a close up of Lady GaGa.

Due to Beyonce featuring in the song, there are a lot of shots of her on her own and with Lady Gaga. The most frequent shot is a two-shot to show them together side by side. This again connotes importance of them in the video and because they are trying to portray a message. This creates an effect of unity to increase the conveyance of the songs moral.

An example of a two-shot of both stars.

The editing is very fast paced due to the fast song and accompanying fast music video. During the end of the music video there is a lot of fast cuts used, more than one a second at some points. This conveys the hectic nature of the 'getaway' which is being shown in the video and goes with the narrative of the music video. Some of the transitions are very cartoon-esque also. The scene with the poison transitions with a skull shape to bring both scenes together. 

A screenshot of the skull transition.

As is Lady Gaga, the music video genre is primarily Pop. She has been labelled as the "biggest thing in Pop since Madonna" and has even been described by Michael Jackson (The King of Pop) as "The one to watch". Telephone is a Pop music video with some sinister highlights within it to help promote the message and keep with the quirky vibe that is associated with Lady Gaga. The poison, prison and murder/ getaway are all subverted from the lyrics of the song and can only be applied to the lyrics when the deeper meaning is thought about. Most of the things that can be seen in the video are unexpected and this makes for a slightly confusing narrative. At first glance, the narrative is that Lady Gaga has been bailed out of prison by Beyonce and then has accompanied her on a trip to poison some customers at a local diner. This could be because they had unfinished business and that that Lady Gaga got caught during the first murder attempt. Todorov's theory could be applied to this video because it starts and ends with an equilibrium. This being Lady Gaga being released from prison and ending by completing what they set out to do. The video is full of shock value and crazy aesthetics but the deeper meaning of 'Monarch Programming' specifically used in the entertainment industry. 

There are no clear representations of people but some social and socio-economic issues which are hinted at in the song. Mind control, as in the prequel video "Paparazzi", is a big part of the video in the music industry and the lust for fame is sung about as in most of Lady Gaga's songs. This is the most common interpretation of the lyrics and the video but there are other interpretations due to the ambiguous nature of Gaga's music. According to Dyer, Lady Gaga, as the star, has been constructed in a very invincible manor. She appears to be able to do what she wants and not be held down even by being in prison. I think the representation here is that opinions, reports and critics can't hold her down and stop her from pursuing music. The target audience for the video would be Pop lovers and "Little Monsters" - Lady Gaga's fan base. As a contemporary Pop artist, and the most followed person on Twitter, the whole world is an audience of hers meaning there is no specific target. Demographically, the video is aimed at Middle and Lower classes however it is quite possible Higher classes would enjoy her music. As an LGBT activist, I don't think Lady Gaga herself speaks to a certain category of people but is open to everyone and everything. As a sequel to the Paparazzi music video, a large amount of audience members would have been waiting for Telephone, making it quite a spectacle when it was released. With millions of hits on YouTube and Vivo, Telephone is one of Lady Gaga's most popular music videos as it was one of her first ones which feature more footage than just the song. It is just over 9 minutes long and fans of hers have recreated the video on YouTube as homage to Gaga. The quirky attitude towards Pop music which Telephone provides with the funky and fun music video increases the chances of the two-step flow. It is very likely people would have been talking about the video due to it's insanely intense, boundary-breaking content. 

Lady GaGa is a pop music icon since her debut and she has created some of the most groundbreaking music videos to date. Studying her videos and the conventions she both incorporates and avoids gives a good example of how to create something artistic and interesting. I think that her videos hold the perfect balance of performance shots and narrative shots so I found analysing her music video for Telephone to be a great help and will act as a guide when it comes to creating my own. 

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF A MUSIC VIDEO

Jay-Z - 99 Problems

The setting for 99 Problems is Brooklyn, New York. This has connotations of a ghetto environment and displays some of these stereotypes within the video.

A shot of Brooklyn Bridge, making the setting clear.

There is a Black & White filter on the music video which highlights the contrast between the black and white people. This refers to wider social issues which are being addressed through the media text. This introduces a new depth of meaning to the lyrics, whilst being emphasised by the accompanied music video and accentuating the social problems of racism within the song. Certain iconography, like the recurring motifs within the video, portray the stereotypes being discussed in the lyrics such as gang signs, certain clothing and chains, cars and women in bikinis, being objectified for their bodies and sexuality.

A shot of the women being objectified in the video.

These are just some of the generic conventions used to promote the 'Gangster', 'Thug' life that is being represented in "99 Problems". A majority of shots that can be seen in the music video are close ups or mid-shots of Jay-Z himself. The effects of this shows Jay-Z as a important person in the video and that the lyrics are from his own perspective, almost like he is telling a story through his music. The shots of him are positioned so he can be seen through a low angle to connote his power and authority. It can also be interpreted that, because Brooklyn is in the background of some of the shots of him, he theoretically owns the borough of Brooklyn, New York.

An example of Jay-Z being seen in a close up/ low angle.

An interesting shot is one of the various shots of the dog. The vicious, barking dog in the cage has latent meaning of danger and a rough environment because of the stereotype attached to that breed of dog.

A shot of the vicious dog in the cage.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier represents a dangerous neighbourhood, giving a visual representation of some of the things to be expected in Brooklyn. This ties in to the fast paced editing because the dog is shown multiple times for a split second at a time. Like the majority of the video, the fast cuts keep with the beat and don't distract from everything happening in the video. Over-the-top transitions would distract from the serious side of the video and create a cartoon-like feel to the media text. The fast cuts also connote the fast pace of life in Brooklyn, with everything going on and the '99 Problems' of Jay-Z's life.

The narrative of the media text has non-linear sequencing to display a variety of negative clips like the funeral and an armed robbery. These clips connote a sense of despair and a dystopian-esque world which is dangerous to live in. Due to the lyrics, the video displays a number of the '99 Problems' that Jay-Z is rapping about. The video is reflective of the lyrics in parts. Towards the middle the music video shows a scene of Jay-Z being stopped by the police in which the lyrics are "Son, do you know what I'm stopping you for? Because I'm young and I'm black and my hat's real low." This is lip-synced by Jay-Z and displays some representations of ethnicity. Suggesting that he was pulled over by the police simply because he is black, Jay-Z is saying just because he looks suspicious and fits the criteria, aesthetically, of the type of person who may cause trouble, doesn't justify why he is stereotyped. "Because I'm young and I'm black" suggests that his youth and ethnicity are both things that portray as dangerous to the police, and this is wrong.

A screenshot of Jay-Z being pulled over by the police.

These stereotypes also fit the criteria of a Rap artist and sublimely fit the genre of Rap as a whole. Chains, cars and women are featured in the video and that is the generic conventions of a Rap/ Hip-Hop video, seen in videos by Lil' Wayne, 2 Chainz and Kanye West. These things are expected in the video because of the genre and stereotypes that are associated with the genre, over decades, and the progression in Street culture. Tying into the audience, certain people are drawn in by this type of video and the icon that is Jay-Z. His initial fans / followers will be a large basis of the audience figures and people who can relate to the problems and socio-economic difficulties which are visible in the video and audible in the song itself. (Uses and Gratifications Theory). Rap and Hip-Hop genres are such a milestone in the music industry that there isn't a specific demographic for the style. Prince Harry has admitted to being a huge fan of Snoop Dogg and other rappers. "I grew up listening to him" says the Prince, showing that the genre of music doesn't have a definite audience that it speaks to, contrary to popular belief. With millions of hits on YouTube and Vevo, it is very easy to access this music video, both the original and the Director's Cut. Easy access creates a larger fan base and a huge following for the video, resulting in more popularity. Due to the controversial elements in the video like the women in bikini's (which was considered controversial in the early 2000's, compared to now with artist like Miley Cyrus constantly being nearly nude) the Two Step Flow would have followed and created a larger conscious audience for the video, whether it be negative or positive.

Produced under the record labels Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella (co-founded by Jay-Z himself) this would have been a breakthrough for the then-independent record labels. Purposely promoting controversy and almost a revolution of Rap and Hip-Hop music, the role of these record labels was to try and make Jay-Z as big as possible, considering he has been labelled as one of the most "successful people of all time" and one of the "world's bestselling artists of all time". This may explain why Jay-Z seems so care free in the video, it could be suggested that he has "99 Problems"; the media, negative stereotypes etc but he still doesn't care and will continue to do what he does. Almost as a retaliation to society and how he is perceived through derogatory opinions. Album sales are some of the highest figures in the world and Jay-Z's fan base is still growing, however in the time of this video he was already an established artist and was just promoting this message and fable-like music video. TV appearances, CD's and more publicity helped grow a fan base for this song and resulted in the millions of hits it has today.

   

By analysing this video, it gives me an extensive knowledge of the conventions of music videos, and genre specific music videos. Doing textual analysis' of all different genre videos gives me a wider range of ideas which I can incorporate into my own music video and doesn't limit the potential of my ideas. I can now distinguish the differences between genres and creates a music video with the right conventions.



TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF A MUSIC VIDEO

 

Plan B - Writing's On The Wall

 

In this music video, which is set in both a club and a household, there is a contrast between the main characters home life and his job as a performer. Connotations of these settings show the juxtaposition between a slightly more boring home life to an exciting night life as a singer. This may be to get the audience to understand the narrative and appreciate the storyline.

Use of the colour yellow in the woman's attire shows that, due to being the highest in the spectrum, Plan B's wife offers hope and cheerfulness. This however, when compared with the lyrics from the male characters perspective show her as naïve.

 

The shot of the wife character at the bottom of the stairs is shown through a birds eye view angle of the camera suggesting extreme vulnerability. This displays to the audience that she is not in a superior situation and that she is being mistreated.

This close up shot connotes how lonely and vulnerable, emotionally, the wife character actually is. The importance of this shot is because it displays to the audience that the relationship isn't going to get back on track, matching with the lyrics of the song.

 

This shot clearly shows Strickland Banks cheating on his wife with the women he met in the bar. This emphasises the lyrics of the song and displays why they can't get back together, perhaps he doesn't love her anymore. The bars in front of the camera connote a sense of crime, maybe not of the law, but infidelity being a crime against his wife.

 

There is a juxtaposition between the editing speeds from both locations. The editing in the scenes where Plan B is either performing or his character Strickland Banks is at the club is much faster than the scenes in which his wife is at home cooking for him or getting ready. This shows how much fun he is having by the speed of the editing representing the fast paced life he leads when compared to the slow more depressing lifestyle of his wife. Standard cuts are used to not distract from the heavy narrative because it can be hard to follow.

 

The genre of this music video is pop/soul. The artist is known for this particular genre as he has albums with songs which are similar in style. The narrative of this particular song is about a love story between the character 'Strickland Banks' and his wife/girlfriend. The character; Strickland, is out performing a show whilst his partner is at home waiting for him to come back. Plan B's album is a running story of his character Strickland Banks. Each song is another chapter in the story, as is each video. This narrative is part of a bigger narrative about how Strickland Banks is accused of rape and is called on trial for it. Due to the genre of the artist and music, this sort of in-depth narrative is expected in the soul music genre. Just like Sam Smith, the narrative is heavy and is a very important part of the video. Todorov's theory cannot be applied to this video completely because of the structure. There is no equilibrium because the video both starts and ends within the problem of the relationship failing. The video actually reflect the lyrics of the song quite closely.

We ain't over but the writing's on the wall
We keep trying just so we can say we gave it all
We ain't over but the writing's on the wall
This time next year, we'll be no more

 

The couple are still together which is obvious by the fact that she is making him dinner because they are 'trying'. They 'aint over' but it's clear it will end and by 'this time next year' they'll be 'no more'.

 

The star is sold in a negative light due to him playing his made up character Strickland Banks. Banks is cheating on his wife which makes the audience not appreciate his character. His record label would have wanted to create a controversy and do something never been done before to get Ben Drew (Plan B) into the limelight. Coming from an independent label like Cordless Recordings it is vital to try and burst into the music scene with something new like an album which tells a whole story.

 

Audiences for Plan B would be mainly males from ages 15 - 35 by my estimation. I think this because the lyrics are too 'adult' for a younger audience and past 35 I think people wouldn't appreciate the mixture of Rap and Soul. The video is also fairly intense with symbolic nature and a strong narrative which younger audiences may not understand. One of the main ways audiences would view this video would be on YouTube. With only just over 1 million hits on YouTube it isn't as popular a video as some others. The video markets the other videos from Plan B because of the fact they tell a story when put together. The Two-Step Flow would come into place here and also the fact that people would be interested in watch them back to back for the whole story. I also think women would be interested in this video due to the Uses and Gratifications theory. Men and Women around the world may have been cheated on and because of this can relate to the video deeply. This is one of the theories proposals; people watch media to connect with the text through personal experience.

 

Representations of women in this video are shown as weak almost as a prize. Strickland Banks' wife is shown to be very vulnerable because her husband is not with her and this has pushed her to drinking alone to cope.

This implies that she cannot function without a man and doesn't know what to do apart from get drunk.

Men are also shown as 'love-rats' because of Strickland being shown to cheat on his wife while out at a party. This represents him in a negative light but also showing he is dominant because he can do what he wants.

 

 The star plays a character in the video almost like an alter ego, just like Eminem's Slim Shady. He is playing a low level celebrity singer/ performer, perhaps references to what he himself as Ben Drew used to do before he was famous.

 

Doing this textual analysis has really helped me because I have previous said I want to do a music video for a soulful or relaxed song so I can create quite a deep, symbolic narrative. The narrative in this video is very cliché but it also displays how difficult it can be to create a believable storyline. I will have to work hard to produced a credible and professional piece of work which won't look too 'cheesy'.

REAL MEDIA TEXTS - MUSIC VIDEO WHOLE VIDEO ANALYSIS

The Narrative

The story within the media text involves a feuding pair of neighbours who are disputing over the more reckless neighbour's wild antics. In backlash to this, the more civilised neighbour begins to terrorise the other which ties in with the song title "Gives You Hell". The ending shows the neighbours swapping wives and life styles for a more comedic ending.

Setting

A suburban neighbourhood to show the quieter neighbour in his environment. This also displays how out of place the noisy neighbour is in and creates a friction.

Number of Shots

131

Transitions

At the end of the clip there is a fade to black. The last image is blacked out using a circle. A lot of the transitions are standard cuts due to the fast paced editing of the video. This is because of the tempo of the Pop Rock song.

Representations Seen

There are representations of character which stand out to the audience. The more suburban couple are greatly juxtaposed with the alternative character to create contrast. 

   

The Narrative

This video is a role reversal between genders. Empowering a feminine stand against cheating within relationships. Beyoncé takes on the stereotypical natures of a man and flirts with her companions whilst the song states the things she's doing are what her boyfriend does.

Setting
Set in a city, possibly New York, most of the shots are set in the couple's apartment. There some shots in more miscellaneous settings which allow for action to display dishonest behaviour.

Number of Shots
92
There are a number of close up and medium shots of Beyoncé in the video to display her vulnerability and to highlight her importance in the video. She is the artist and also the central character in the narrative, hence her large amount of screen time.

Transitions
There are a lot of fast pace standard cuts because of the ever changing storyline. This stops melodramatic transitions from taking over the narrative of the music video.

Representations Seen
The role reversal highlights how badly treated some women are by men and Beyoncé is representing the women who are treated this way. At the end of the video the roles are reversed again and quotes like "Why you so jealous?" shows the meaning behind the song. That cheating and disloyal behaviour in relationships is wrong.

   

The Narrative
This video is similar to the first one. because of the contrast between two different characters. In this video there is a male character which both female characters are fighting over. There is the characters girlfriend who appears more conservative and the other woman who is more alternative and could be described as a 'punk'. The video consists of the punk female character fighting for the male character by playing multiple pranks on the more suburban girl. At the end of the video she wins the male character because he realises she is more fun to be around and he wants her to be his girlfriend.

Setting
The majority of the video is set outside in a theme park and on a golf course in some parts. This allows for competition between the girls when in golf tournaments etc.

Number of Shots
167
The majority of shots outside the lip-syncing performance are two shots, showing contrast between the women. Some shots display close ups of Avril Lavigne's to show her as a confident and superior character.

Transitions
There are mostly standard cuts in this video due to the song people a fast paced Pop song with a fast paced music video to match the beat. There is a lot going on so the avoiding of transitions helps with the continuum of the video.

Representations Seen
Some representations which can be seen are contrasts between styles and iconic trends of the generation seen. Punk's and 'Nerds' and are displayed and how different these two types of people are.

SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE OF MUSIC VIDEOS

For this post I have gone deeper with my knowledge of music videos and used examples from artists in the form of pictures. This gives me some ideas of the wider purpose that my own music video could hold. Realisation of world problems and messages being carried over into the audiences lives are just some of the ethical uses of music videos. There are extra entertainment purposes also for marketing things other than the original song. Product placement is an example of this kind of marketing.

KNOWLEDGE OF MUSIC VIDEOS

This mind map features some of my basic knowledge of music videos without any research. I did this because I needed to document my information so that I can reference back to the purposes of music videos when I come to create my own.

INFORMATION

Jack Jolly

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