Group Task - Discussion (Choices)

Summary by Dawid Tomczuk

Uses and Gratification

Uses and Gratification Theory Definition

Uses and Gratification Theory is an approach to understanding why and how people actively seek out specific media to satisfy specific needs. Uses and Gratification theory is an audience-focused approach to understanding mass communication. Diverging from other media effect theories that question "what does media do to people?", Uses and Gratification Theory focuses on "what do people do with the media?". As a result the audience actively take part in the media they consume, serving a purpose for them.

Elements of Uses and Gratification Theory

The theory is split into the following sections:

• Diversion - Escape from everyday problems and routine.
• Personal Relationships - Using the media for emotional and other interaction, e.g substituting soap operas for family guy.
• Personal Identity - Finding yourself reflected in texts, learning behaviour and values from text.
• Surveillance - Information which could be useful for living eg. reports, financial news, holiday bargains.

Which theory would I want to apply to my music video?

Within the list of the theories that fit under the Uses and Gratification theory, I believe the most vital sections are Diversion and Personal Identity. I would like to implement these two sections of the Uses and Gratifications Theory as I believe they will allow me to construct my music video in a manner that would allow my audience to enjoy the content which I will produce. The implementation of Personal Identity would be mainly carried out by the inclusion of representations, mise-en-scene as well as the narrative theory which will be mainly focused around my chosen target audience allowing them to relate to what is portrayed within the music video. As a result of this, the end audience will feel that the music video is tailored for them. Due to this the video will interest the audience, making them focused on the product which as a result would implement the Diversion theory as the audience will take on what the video represents and forget about what is happening around them during the 4 minutes of the video.

Representation - Music Videos

The purpose behind this task was for me to recognise the various representations which are portrayed in todays music videos. To do this task successfully I will carefully visually analyse each music videos, recognise the representations and back them up using a variety of theories and screenshots.

FETTY WAP - 679

At the very beginning of the video we can already see a scene which shows the main artist surrounded by two women. This immediately show us the male dominance over the women. This scene then moves over to a medium close up which shows the artist interacting  with both of them. The way they talk and look at each other signifies that the women are a passive object of the males desire which links to 'The Male Gaze' theory by Laura Mulvey.

The scene then carries on to a tracking shot of a lighter skinned women amongst a group of darker skinned women. The fact that the women is of a lighter skin makes her stand out and attract the audience. The camera is focused on her which shows us that she is the main target of the shot. This interlinks with the 'Colour codes' theory by Bell Hooks. This theory states that 'Lighter skinned women are considered more desirable and fit better into the western ideology of beauty'. In this scene a shot-reverse-shot was used in order to show the artist being interested in the women therefore this reinforced the idea of the women being more desirable. Moreover the lighter skinned women's clothing is less exposing in comparison to other females in the music video which also shows us that she is more important as she respects her female characteristics.

The scene above can be considered as a really stereotypical view of hip hop music videos, especially music videos from black artists. The shot above presents three main parts of the stereotype: money, jewelry and girls. The fact that the women in the shot are wearing lingerie and are exposing their female characteristics makes them reinforce the 'Men Look Women Appear' theory by John Berger which  states that 'Black women are objectified and sexualised in hip-hop reflecting the colonialist view of black women which are sexually disposable'. "The Male Gaze" theory by Laura Mulvey could reinforce the sexual image of black women due to the fact that the audience is forced to view them from a heterosexual males point of view.   

The screenshot above shows us the young audience with alcohol, snapback hats and wearing non casual clothing which could refer to the stereotypical view which is generated by the media. From this screenshot we could conclude that the young generation is enjoying their time which links with the theory of "Fun and Trouble" by Dick Hebdige. On the other hand we could portray this scene as "Trouble" do to the clothing such as hoodies which are mainly associated with crime which is reinforced by the majority of people being of a darker race due to the mediated view. 

This is one the the very last shots in the music video which I believe is a very accurate representation of the young people which is associated with hip hop genre. As we can see in the close up the person is "throwing" gang signs at us which has a very negative connotation of violence and trouble. Additionally the person has silver teeth which also adds onto the stereotypical image of jewelry, money, girls and alcohol shown mainly in hip hop music videos. The representation of young people in this music video is negative as it shows the mediated view which we normally expect from todays youth.

DRAKE - HOLD ON, WE'RE GOING HOME

The first shot of this music video by Drake portrays a very controversial image which does not fit into the mediated view. The counterstereotype is seen in the black individual which wears formal clothing and is propsing a toast. This is a rare view as the media mainly associate and show black individuals for criminal offences and riots, therefore this image goes against the "Blur race and class" theory by Stuart Hall. Additionally the first shot of this music video portrays a very friendly, calm atmosphere which to me signifies that the equilibrium is set which is reinforced by Todorov's Narrative Theory.

In order to introduce the female which in this music video seems to be Drake's lover, the music video portrays the female with a smooth tilt showing of her female characteristics. The female is wearing minimal clothing in the form of a lingerie which as a result makes her the focus of male desire. As a result of this scene is reinforced by the "Men look women appear" theory by John Berger which states that females are solely for the objectification of men. The female portrayed in this shot is of a lighter skin colour meaning that she suits the Western Ideology and is more desirable by the male audience, which interlinks with the "Colour Codes" theory by Bell Hooks. On the other hand she is still objectified which goes against the lighter skin colour as mainly darker skinned women are objectified in music videos. 

The above screenshots present the villains in the music video. On the left we can see the man who completes the kidnapping which is black. As a result this image of black people goes with the stereotype which is conveyed by the media, showing black people in a negative view. The main villain who sets the kidnapping is white which can be seen on the right screenshot. By the white villain being of a higher status and having control over the black it could represent the connection with slavery. Additionally by him being white it goes against the stereotype as the media does not portray white men as the ones who are to commit crime. Due to the kidnapping the equilibrium in the video is destroyed. 

After the equilibrium being destroyed it is time for the main character who in this instance is Drake to try and restore the equilibrium, following Todorov's Narrative Theory. In this music video the attempt of repairing the equilibrium can be seen by them using weaponry in the form of guns in order to attack the base of the villains. The gun visible in the screenshot above is a phallic symbol which underlines the hero's (Drakes) masculinity. This goes against the stereotype as the guns are used by a mixed raced individual with a good intention in order to solve the problem, not to cause trouble.  

This is the last scene of the music video which we can see portrays the equilibrium being restored as the lovers are back together. This creates a circle from the equilibrium, to it being destroyed and back again meaning that Todorov's Narrative Theory suits this music video very well.

Zeitgeist - Task

In todays lesson I had a look at the Lady Leshurr Queen's Speech 4. Our task was to pick out the current social trends or events which she mentiones in her lyrics. Throughout the song I have picked out a variety of references which I will explain below.

Zeitgeist Definition : Zeitgeist is a way of portraying the current social trends, events or tragedies in the media via a visual image or mentioning it in the lyrics. A good example of the zeitgeist is the representation of villains as terrorist due to the 9/11 attacks.

The reference which I have found in the text are as below:

SNAPCHAT:

Snapchat is a controversial mobile communication app which not only allows friends to send each other images and videos, but share their content with the whole country or city. At the very beginning of Lady Leshurr's Queens Speech she mentiones " I hold it down like a snapchat" which she refers to pressing the screen in order to record a video. Snapchat has become very trendy amongst young individuals especially by them taking "selfies" (which I will explain later). The snapchat application additionally allows each individual to create their own personal "story" which they can share with all of their added friends. Throughout the last months Snapchat has become a big thing which allowed it to collaborate with major events such as football matches and carnivals from around the world allowing the users to share their experience as well as promote the app itself. I personally use snapchat and believe that it is a great way to communicate.

SELFIE

In relation to snapchat, a very popular action is to take a "selfie". Selfie is the act of taking a picture of yourself or with friends by using the front camera of your phone. In fact the act of taking a selfie has become so popular that a "selfie stick" has been invented (seen above on the left). This allows the person taking the picture to place his phone in a holder on a metal stick and take the selfie from a further distance. By this the person taking the selfie can get a better angle or even fit a large group of individuals which he would not be able to do within the stretch of his hand. Additionally the "selfie" invention took it so far that a famous DJ duo named The Chainsmokers have come up with a club song named "#selfie". The music video consists of fan selfies which were sent to the duo in order to come up with the music video. The pictures sent in included famous individuals such as Snoop Dog or even David Hasselhoff (see below).

INSTAGRAM:

In today society Instagram is just below Facebook and Snapchat at the very top of the social media table. Instagram allows a person to build up their own profile which they can fill with media content such as video and images same as snapchat however instagram permanently keeps the content which can only be deleted by the users request. In Lady Leshurr's Queens Speech she mentiones "Upload a pic, double tap that". In the app you have the ability to like peoples pictures which you can either do by clicking a icon or double tapping the image which causes a heart symbol to show up,  which we can see that she refers to by the use of special effects in her music video. Instagram is very famous amongst celebrities as by the use of Instagram they keep their audience updated on what they are doing, what they are wearing and the current trends that they are setting.


"BANTER"

The trending phrase which is "banter" is defined as a playful or friendly exchange of teasing remarks. Banter is a very common word mainly used by young people within the society which is often used in order to describe a funny situation. The lyrics in Lady Leshurr's music video says "It's just banter" which directly refers to the young audience. By her saying its just banter she could refer to her music being constructed just for fun.






RAMADAN / RELIGION

In her music Lady Leshurr portrays a strong link to religion especially ramadan by the use of special effects as we can see on the screenshot. Ramadan is a islamic event where muslims fast for a certain period of time. She has intentionally used the special effect in order to create emphasis on "ramadan" which grabs the viewers attention. By this reference we could conclude that she is referring to the current Syrian Civil War and with the people running away into Europe as she additionally mentiones "Jesus" by which we associate most of the European countries due to the fact that they are mainly Christian countries.

BRUCE JENNER / TRANSGENDER

On the left we can see a very clever use of special effects which overlaid Bruce Jenners face over Lady Leshur's. This current affair has made it all around the world in no time. It has currently been trending and intrigued a large variety of media outlets.




BIG MOUTH GYAL / KYLIE JENNER CHALLENGE

Nowadays people come up with a wide range of challenges which are completed and submitted online in order to gain fame or for charity purposes. However the "Kylie Jenner Challenge" was the one who caught the eye of the media. This is because people intentionally sucked onto cups or any round objects for a long period of time in order for their lips to become swollen just like Kylie Jenner's lips. In the Queen's Speech 4, Lady Leshurr refers to this challenge by saying " Big mouth gyal, where your lips gone?". By Lady Leshurr saying this she can insists that she is joking about it and that she thinks it is a stupid act.


FETTY WAP

Willie Maxwell known as Fetty Wap by his stage name is a American Rapper who has gained a lot of fame by just releasing his first track in 2014. His first song "Trap Queen" has gained a 2nd place in Billboard Hot 100 in 2015. He came out of nowhere and the audience immediately loved his songs and his style therefore now he is considered as one of the most famous rappers/singers.