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.

Narrative Theory

Todorov's Narrative Theory:

His theory is separated into 5 points which are:

1. Equilibrium (happy/balance)

2. Disruption of equilibrium (something goes wrong)

3. Recognition of this disruption

4. An attempt to repair the equilibrium is made

5. Equilibrium is restored (back to balance) OR a new equilibrium is established (life has changed)

The Katy Perry video is a very good example of Todorov's Narrative Theory. As we can see in the capture above the music video begins in a wedding ceremony which shows the first point of the Equilibrium showing a happy surrounding as the individuals are about to get married. The music video then moves onto the man having second thoughts which are represented visually by the man running away with Katy Perry chasing him. This scene moves then onto a scene which presents Katy Perry along with many other brides who are holding baseball bats which signifies the breakdown after the man running away from the church meaning that the equilibrium is disrupted. The video then moves of the equilibrium topic and shows Katy Perry performing however at the very end we see her approach her groom in a gentle manner as if she was attempting to repair the equilibrium in which she does succeed as in the next scene we come back to the church and both the bride and the groom say "Yes". 

Propp's Narrative Theory:

Propp believes that each different character plays a different narrative role such as:

- Hero - Individual(s) who's quest is to restore the equilibrium

- Villain - Individual(s) who's task is to disrupt the equilibrium

- Donor - Individual(s) who gives the hero(s) something, advice, information or an object

- Princess (Prince) - Individual(s) which need help, protecting and saving

- Helper - Individual(s) who aids the hero(s) with their set task

I have chosen the music video by Enrigue Iglesias - Hero inn order to support the Propp's Narrative. Within the music video we can see elements of the narrative theory by the inclusion of roles such as the: Hero, Villain, Donor, Princess and the Helper. The music video is based around lovers who have been approached by the villain and his companions in order to destroy the equilibrium. There were only three main characters within the video, however some of them have overlapped in order to take on more than one role. For example the hero which targets to restore the equilibrium is also the doner of a necklace to the princess that later on helps him with his task in the form of a helper. The video portrays a contrasts of sensual lovers, harsh villains and the anticipation to succeed in the task which I believe emphasises the power of the hero and the princess within this video.

Levi-Strauss : Binary Oppositions

Levi-Strauss believes that some kind of a conflict has to occur in order to allow the story to move on. He has argued that meaning in narrative is based upon binary oppositions. He observed that all narratives are organised around the conflict between such binary opposites.

- Good vs Evil

A good example of the conflict between good forces and evil forces is the movie "Transformer". The constant fights and elimination which occurs within the movie clearly portray the fight against the evil forces known as 'Decepticons'. Additionally I believe the movie fits into Propps Narrative due to the various roles which are seen within the movie such as the hero, villain, helper etc that construct an effective fight against the evil.

- Human vs Nature

- Black vs White

- Protagonist vs Antagonist

- Humanity vs Technology

- Man vs Woman

In Levi-Strauss: Binary Oppositions I have found that the music video of Beyonce - If I were a boy was a good example of the Man vs Woman opposition. This is because the video portrays a straight forward comparison between the male and the female and their roles. At first we can see that the music video blends the gender roles as we can see Beyonce in a police uniform which is mainly associated with a male job whereas her partner sits behind a desk at work. As a result of this counter type we can see the female character in a more dominant position which can interlink with the title of the music video as this could be what she thinks she would be doing if she was a man. The conflict between the man and the woman turns back to the traditional view at the end of the video, showing the stereotypical gender roles. 

- Human vs Alien

Roland Barthes : Enigma Code

This narrative theory is mainly seen in crime series. It refers to any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader. The purpose of the author in this is typically to keep the audience guessing, arresting the enigma, until the final scenes when all is revealed and all loose ends are tied off and closure is achieved.

Throughout the whole video we are being portrayed a very abstract composition of all of the band members representing a different character. The video includes elements of 'future like'  or rather 'space like' powers and locations which do not clearly portray a message to the audience therefore keeping them in anticipation to watch the whole video in order to fully understand the concept. 

Cutting to beat - Task

Above we can see a video which I have constructed. The purpose of constructing the video was to practice cutting the images to the beat of the song as this is what I have found that is used quite often in music videos. This exercise allowed me to experiment with Adobe Premier as I could use various functions such as cutting, importing files and exporting the video. I believe that this exercise was very valuable for me as it broadened my knowledge about the software which I will use for my final music video, making it far less easier to use.

Genre Research & Brainstorm

WHAT IS GENRE?

A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. Music can be divided into different genres in many different ways. The main properties of various music genres which differ them from the rest are their tempo, the instruments used as well as the implementation of the structure and the format in the form of choruses, bridges or verses. Music genre additionally be identified by its representations within the music videos. Each specific music genre tends to have certain representations which are mainly associated within the genre due to the mediated view by which the audience can identify the genre. The specific inclusion of representations within various genres as a result has allowed for stereotypes to be constructed. 

We as a audience need to define the different genres in order to broaden our knowledge on the ongoing creation of various subgenres. By being able to recognise and associate different elements of music videos or songs with a particular genre will allow us to set our interest within music and allow for expression of interests with fellow members of the public such as close friends.

Some of the main genre associations have been portrayed below:

Within the brainstorm above I have portrayed some of the key representations of hip-hop music genre. The representations mainly place the hip-hop genre in a negative light as the associations are mainly unpleasant. The music artists mainly follow aggressive and muscular representations in order to empower their high status and 'manliness'. In terms of the mise-en-scene which is mainly portrayed within hip-hop music videos the artists focus their videos on elements which underline their social status such as the inclusion of gold jewellery, money, expensive cars and well decorated villas. In addition to this, the artists mainly use women as a sexual symbol which has been mainly developed through tv, magazines within the recent years. Concluding, hip hop artists and any individuals which appear in hip hop music videos have a 'irresponsible' image pinned onto the, which is emphasised by the aggressive poses, inclusion of vandalism in the form of graffiti or by wearing baggy clothing. The negative representation of hip hop has been mainly affected by today's media, which I believe has caused the artists to fall into the 'self fulfilling prophacy', therefore they have started to believe and reflect the image they have been set by the media. As a result of this, the audience believes that this is the true representation of hip hop genre.

Todays Pop artist representation can be considered to be a complete contrast to what todays Hip Hop genre represents. The Pop Artists are mainly portrayed as innocent and feminime causing the genre to be more pleasing for the end consumer in comparison to hip hop. The feminime look of the artists has been mainly constructed by the inclusion of stylish clothing such as skinny jeans and tight tops, which can be seen within the most know boy band 'One Direction'. The boy band mainly includes matching clothing and dance routines portraying the whole group as cheerful, connotating positive messages to the audience. 

I have found that the R&B genre which can be represented by artists such as Neyo, mainly focuses around portraying the artists as confident to a point that they reflect their masculinity, however not being over the top such as Hip Hop genre where the artist hyperbolate their 'gangster' look. Within R&B the artists mainly consider wearing loose clothing with a stylish touch such as leather jackets or hats. Furthermore, females which are portrayed within R&B videos tend to wear revealing clothing which portrays their feminine characteristics to the artist and the audience. In comparison to the rest of the genres. R&B is well known for the inclusion back-up dancers where their purpose is to exaggerate the importance of the artist.

Within the last brainstorm we can see the genre associations for Rock and Alternative Rock. I have placed the two genres together due to them portraying interlinking associations as Alternative Rock is a subgenre of Rock. Both genres portray their artists as long haired, tattooed individuals who mainly acquire piercings and black clothing in the form of leather jackets and trousers. The stereotypic association of rock/alternative rock in terms of the artists behaviour is quite unusual in comparison to other genres, due to the artists mainly screaming on stage as well as their ability to break their musical equipment. These factors portray they as quite brutal and confident which has been further enhanced by the inclusion of mainly dark makeup on the artists faces.