Analysis of a Music Video using Key Terminolgy

The Music video Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F) by Katy Perry utilises, Flashbacks, Dream sequences and Different POVs in order to fully convey the complications of teenage relationships. The Music video has a clip before and after the actual music video in order to provide insight/context to the video's narrative/story. The narrative itself is told in a retrospective manner, similar to an Episodic narrative, as the main character 'Kathy' re-lives the events of the previous night.

Katy’s character is the stereotypical geek who goes through an amazing makeover allowing her to gain the attention of her ‘Jock super-crush’, thus following elements of an American teen-romance, this establishes the Disequilibrium. The 'Geeky' boy is in love with Katy and at the end of the narrative, as is the typical cliché; he turns out to be the better option for her hence the restoration of a new equilibrium, in the ending clip, much similar to the first.

The Dream sequences are told from his POV with the costumes emphasising their positions for comedic effect, whereas the rest of the video is told from Katy’s perspective.  The memorable and well-known American teen party-next-door atmosphere is satisfied in the form of Rebecca Black who takes on the role of the ‘popular girl’ who using Propp’s Character theory serves as the Donor, Helper and the Dispatcher. However in reference to Goffman's character theory she would be named more appropriately as a 'Deuteragonist' (secondary character).

The constant Media references within the video work as forms of Intertextuality; Black’s song 'Friday' has been named one of the worst songs and the term T.G.I.F is a world-renowned phrase/abbreviation for 'Thank God Its Friday'. The Music Video will serve as a means to raise awareness of both artists, as well as boost the sales of their music individually.

Reorganisation/Re-naming of Posts

Alot of changes have been made to my blog recently, so if you're wondering what's going on then I think this should explain it :) I have managed to categorise each post by the labels so if you want to find something its there on the right-handside>>>
Next I have changed the names of some of my posts because I have added more things which no longer make the title relevant. That's about it but if there are any problems concerning where posts are let me know and I'll let you know :)

Analysis of my AS Coursework...

Digital Technology

"A branch of knowledge which deals with and leads to the possible use of any electronic devices that can be used to undertake tasks such as recording a film, editing film, taking photos or playing music"
In application to my AS Media Coursework Digital technology for me, was the use of various cameras and software which allowed me to complete my coursework. To begin with, I used a SLR Camera with studio lighting to increase the quality of my images. These were then edited on Adobe Photoshop. Next I used an Autocue and Greenscreen in the production of my Planning Documentary this was edited and produced in Adobe Premier and Aftereffects. I also burned my coursework onto a DVD with the help of Adobe Encore.

Research and planning

 This is the stage used to gather information on your chosen topic of research. The planning stage is used to help you organise thoughts and ideas into a manageable format thus allowing you to utilise them in a sensible and effective manner.

My research and planning stage for my coursework is quite detailed and this helped me to keep ahead of the ‘curfews’ I had set myself. I followed the styles and genre of articles favoured by music magazines I wished to emanate. For example I looked especially at the American music magazine Billboard. Billboard I found was the most long lasting and most successful music magazine in America (over 100 years old). It covered all genres of music and this was what I wanted my magazine to be like. The more research I did the more I could apply to my coursework to make it look life-like and professional.

Skills Development:

The improvement or increase of one’s personal skills or achievements.In my AS Coursework I made a huge jump in my skills development as my skills at GCSE were still very basic. At the beginning of our AS project we made our preliminary tasks and in this my basic skills are clearly displayed. My final coursework conveys how my technical abilities improved e.g I can now produce and edit a video using premier and after effects.

Creativity

Creativity is a mental process involving the discovery of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the existing ideas or concepts, fuelled by the process of either conscious or unconscious insight. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity

For my preliminary task I displayed creative ability through my front cover. I took a photograph of myself reflected in a mirror. I had a feeling that the photographic results would in fact be quite good, as Frank Capra once said ‘A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.’  This befitted the main article as it fit in with the context of the article as well as the main protagonist.

This definition is true of my creative process in creating my AS Media Coursework as I used my own ideas as well as existing ideas to help me form the basis of my magazine. For example I may have thought of the colour scheme, model and the props and costumes I used in my magazine but I would have been influenced by unconsciously through my knowledge of semiotics. I also used my conscious insight to use ideas from other magazines and their articles which were similar to the magazine I wished to emanate.

Intertextuality

In a text, implied references to or implied influences from another text. This concept allows a reader to make links between genres, and to see how themes, plot, etc. may develop or change in relation or in light of that other text. http://people.virginia.edu/~jrw3k/Front%20Pages/Critical%20Vocabulary.htm

Intertextuality has, as critic William Irwin says, “Come to have almost as many meanings as users, from those faithful to Kristeva’s original vision to those who simply use it as a stylish way of talking about allusion and influence”. The term is relatively new and was first coined by Julia Kristeva in 1966, it was an attempt made by her to combine the study of semiotics (signs and symbols) with dialogism (study of multiple meanings in texts and words).

In my AS Coursework I used Intertextuality by referencing different artists, eras and genres of music. This was important as my coursework was made to emanate the experience of a music magazine; with magazines being perhaps one of the most popular form of Intertextuality. It references beauty products, current events, as well as social events, physical and cyber, such as facebook, myspace, music festivals and music concerts.

 

My AS Media Magazine Coursework

 Here are the images of my AS Coursework which i produced in relation to Music Magazines. I created a Front Cover, Contents page and two Double Page Spreads. All of the images were taken and edited by myself with the very much appreciated help of my teachers :)




Music Magazine Front Cover
Name of magazine: Campaign



Music Magazine Contents Page



Opening Double Page Spread (1)



Main Double Page Spread

Ideology is...

"The ideas and manner of thinking characteristic of a group, social class, or individual."

http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&q=ideology&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=rPgHTt_lFMyz8QO5mLWLAg&sqi=2&ved=0CBwQkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=a8a55e593a51cf94&biw=1072&bih=479

The ideals or thoughts of an individual, or even a whole society, are collectively known as the Ideologies it holds. These thoughts hold a great influence in the way a society functions everyday, for example within the Western society many people believe in sex before marriage and this is duly portrayed through the media in the form of Books, Magazines, Music videos, TV programmes and Film. In the Eastern society they do not follow the same Ideology therefore, the Media Industry must take this into account when creating a media product for them.

Narrative is...

Genre

A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter.
http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&q=genre&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=YCQGToiyI4LX8gO_xszLDQ&sqi=2&ved=0CBsQkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=a8a55e593a51cf94&biw=1072&bih=455

The Term Genre is a French word meaning ‘type’ and was initially used to specify a form of Art and/or Literature. Media Theorists Shepherds and Watters said that Genre provides a means of ‘recognising similarities even in the midst of great diversity’. As Media and Media technology evolves so does the scope for different Genres. This belief was backed by Ericksson in 1997 as he believed that the Evolution of media can also evolve Genre. Yates and Orlikowski came to the conclusion in 1998 that Genres are produced, reproduced and changed over time. For example 50 years ago the Genres available to the Film Industry were quite limited; Romance, Action, Horror and Musicals were the main Genres applied to movies at the time. However we now have a mixture of Genres to choose from such as Animation, RomComs and Sci-fi. Subgenres such as Zombcoms (Shaun of the dead) are still in the early stages of evolution and are expected to become genres of their own in times to come.

The same theory can be applied to music genres and fashions, where particular Genres/Styles are modified thus leading to their own classification e.g. in Music Hip-hop, Rap and R n B. Therefore it may be concluded that the evolution of a Genre is a continuously modifying process which will probably continue until the end of time or Media… whichever comes first J

Any quotes from this post were found from the website below

http://tesugen.com/archives/05/03/genre-theory-notes 

Here is a video from YouTube which explains well-known Genres using popular thoughts/stereotypes/symbols/connotations. Enjoy!

Representation is...

Representation: The description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way or as being of a certain nature
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=representation&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=HJ8BTvuALJOwhAeDzYCpAg&ved=0CBwQkQ4&biw=1045&bih=719
I found this definition on Google dictionary, and it explains representation in a nutshell. The media industry is full of examples of representations; the most common form being stereotypes. Stereotypes are a huge influence in the way the public view each other and themselves. For example the ideal male/female stereotypes can put pressure on an individual to convey themselves in a similar manner e.g. Men- tall, strong and built. Women- skinny, big lips, big eyes, long hair etc
In past and present times many representations of people have lead to controversy. Below is an image depicting black people, it makes many references to racial/derogatory comments made towards the black race. For example the lips have been grossly enlarged as this was used as an insult to their physical features. In fact the image was deemed to be so derogatory that it was banned in some parts of America.

An Audience is...

Audience: One of the key elements in the Key Concepts of Media, these are the consumers for whom the product is made for or targeted at.

The Hypodermic needle Theory, Magic Bullet and Reception Theory are all used to describe the ways in which an audience requires, uses and responds to a media product.

The Hypodermic Needle Theory: this theory suggests that the audience need and require a continued source of media and absorb whatever they are told. The metaphor of a needle is used to describe the audience as passive willingly absorb the information ‘injected’ into then by the needle (media).

The Magic Bullet: This theory revolves around the metaphor of the media using their media ‘guns’ to shoot ‘magic bullets’ containing media information directly into their heads.

Unlike the former theories the reception theory contradicts the ways an audience may react.

The Reception theory: This theory suggests that the audience is far more active than suggested in the Hypodermic needle theory and the magic bullet. Instead, a member of the audience may look at a piece of media and actively select which piece of information they choose to believe and not to believe. The audience member will interpret the media in their own individual manner based on their own intellect, culture, education and social preferences.

New Definitions......

Hyperreality: used in semiotics and postmodern philosophy Hyperreality is used to describe a hypothetical inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from fantasy. Most examples of this can be seen in modern-day films such as Tron Legacy (2010).

Fragmentation of self/identity: the deterioration of individual/original beings,ideas or things ina culture/group/civilisation leading to the general unification of their beliefs,thoughts, idolofies and interests.It may be argued that in the current day and age there is a huge fragmentation of self/identity as people all have similar thoughts and ideas and dress the sam as well. There is no such thing as originality as it is simply the recycling of old ideas with new labels.

Fragmentation of Narrative: the deterioration of original storylines/concepts for books, Movies, Songs, Music videos and TV programmes.This leads to the repetition in storylines and concepts with no new material rendering audiences incapable of utilising old media ideas.At the moment there is a worry that the media industry has run out of new ideas and thus it leaves them prone to repeating classical cliche topics. For example all Romantic narratives follow the concept of girl meets boy, guy likes girl, girl likes guy, they have a problem, they break up... and so on. Each medium tries to put their own variation on the concept to make it original. At the moment there is a huge increase in novel/comic stories being used in cinema e.g Captain America, Thor, The Harry Potter Series, The Twilight Series.



Identity

Identity is...
A number of factors that make us...us! :)

In Media the 'Identity' of a person is the result of the medias a person is exposed to throughout the duration of their lives. The Music, Fashion, TV programmes and Movies a person is exposed to allows them to develop their own ideas, thoughts and opinions which lead to the development of their own characteristic being. For example living in a Western world, the media you are exposed may lead to your sense of fashion being different to someone who lives in the Eastern world.

How to explain the meaning of MTV Style Editing?

What is MTV Style Editing?

The style of Editing used by the MTV has culminated an entirely seperate form of Editing which is specifically related to Reality TV Shows. The following screenshots briefly discuss some of the characteristics of MTV Style Editing.

MTV Style Editing is...



You can find this slideshow at the following URL-http://www.lisaray.net/Editing/Editing.html

In order to view the slides I have displayed on my blog, look at slides 15-20.

What is Postmodernism?

Postmodernism or Post-Modernism
Postmodernism has many definitions. Here is one I found online, the site URL has been listed below.

"Postmodernism is a late 20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism that represents a departure from modernism and has at its heart a general distrust of grand theories and ideologies as well as a problematical relationship with any notion of “art.” 

OR

"Any of a number of trends or movements in the arts and literature developing in the 1970s in reaction to or rejection of the dogma, principles, or practices of established modernism, especially a movement in architecture and the decorative arts running counter to the practice and influence of the International Style and encouraging the use of elements from historical vernacular styles and often playful illusion, decoration, and complexity."





 In the simplest of terms, Postmodernism was, and still is, any form of thought or idea which aims to question and criticise those ideas and thoughts which stem from Modernism.

http://www.google.com/dictionary?langpair=en%7Cen&q=postmodernism&hl=en&aq=f
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/postmodernism