Formation further analysis

 In this shot, their body language connotes power and independence, empowering their black female role, using their curvy figures to create a message.

 In this shot, Beyoncé makes angelic movements  to add to ideologies of her taking a goddess-like role. 

Formation - Beyoncé (2016)

Background: lead single for album Lemonade, was released the day before Beyoncé performed at the Superbowl final in Feb 2016. Music video, directed by Melina Matsoukas was released with the song at well.
The video won numerous awards -Clio award for innovation creative excellence nominated for grammy. Video set against backdrop of flooding in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and the associated racial

Analysis:
In what ways are themes of conflict encoded in this video?

• Conflict between white/black culture
• Conflict between high and low culture
• Conflict between modern/past culture
• Conflict between police and rebellion
• Mise-en-scene "stop shooting us" accompanies lyric "get eliminated" symbolises threat of death made against the black community. 

What are the functions and purposes of this music video?

• Raise awareness of world disasters, and to show that just because New Orleans is in an area mainly inhabited by a black race, that it should still matter as much as if it was in a white area.
• 
  

What groups are represented in this music video? Are these representations typical or subversive?

• Black Women - Quite subversive representations
• White high class - Typical representations of white high culture, eg. suit and tie, big ancient houses, maids, children in white dresses and bonnets.
• 1950's New Orleans fashion - subversive as these settings/costumes are set in a modern music video, which is quite postmodernist, and unpredictable.
• 
  

Anaconda - Nicki Minaj (2014)

What are the key representations in this video?

• Oversized female figure
• Black female power
• Black herritage

What choices has the producer made in representing these groups?

• Excessive/sexual dance routines
• Little clothing to show off physic 
• Mise-en-scene: jungle setting, possibly area in Africa, huts, coconuts, exotic connotations.

How is meaning encoded?

• She is implying that having a curvy figure is a positive thing, and women should be proud and to show it off.
• The Male gaze is literally presented, in scenes where Nicki Minaj dances around Drake sitting on a chair. 

Who is the target audience for this video?

Vance Joy - Riptide, Representations of Women

Starter
Define the following terms:
Objectification - When a person is represented as an object rather than a living being.
Sexualisation - When something is presented with sexual qualities.
Male Gaze - The idea that media products are made for the intent to pleasure a heterosexual male. 
Scopophilia - sexual pleasure derived chiefly from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity(they do know this happening)
Voyeurism - the practice of gaining sexual pleasure from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity (similar to scopophilia but they don't know you are watching them)
Patriarchy - a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it.

Screenshot every time a woman is represented in the video.




What does this reveal about the representation of women?

• Some shots reveal women as strong, powerfull and independent, whereas others represent them as weak and vulnerable. It creates a Binary opposition.
• It challenges gender representation.

Key Theory 9 - BELL HOOKS

Feminist Theory:

• Feminism is a struggle to end patriarchal hegemony and the domination of women.
• Feminism is not a lifestyle choice: it is a political commitment.
• Race, class and gender all determine the extent to which individuals are exploited and oppressed.

Vance Joy - Riptide
Analysis
Mise-en-scene: 
Periods of dark lighting to emphasise lyrics in the song. Costume generally gets more distorted nearer to the end of the song as tension builds. 
Some objects and costumes suggest themes of horror, eg. ouija board, knives, horrified facial expressions, objects moving by themselves (paranormal activity).
Non-linear time narrative, very postmodernist. 
Reference to 1970's fashion, style. 
Editing:
Rapid and fast paced, matching the lyrics. Variety of types of shots. The speed of the video makes it deliberately confusing/complex - breaking the rules. 
Singing motif (where the female main character sings lyrics): lack of distinction between high+low culture (postmodernist).

Introduction to Music Videos

Music Videos are actually a revolutionary concept, combing music and video (convergence)
Convergence - The 'coming together' of two previously separate media industries.

Key Term - Synergy

• Where the interconnectedness of media products leads to a result of more of some of its parts.
• Examples include merchandising tie-ins, TV shows, etc.

Benefits:

Two completely distinct and separate audiences can simultaneously be targeted.

For example, 

Music videos vs. Cinema

 - Music videos are free to the public, whereas films cost money to see.

 - Music videos are a lot shorter than films eg.(3-10mins / 1.5 hours).

 - Movies have more dialogue than music videos.

 - Music videos are more for advertising whereas cinema is more for advertisiing. 

Postmodernism

• Distrust of form, convention and established conventions
• 'Style over substance'
• Lack of distinction between 'low' and 'high' culture
• De-emphasis of temporal continuity; many different time periods referenced.
• Distrust of all encompassing metanarratives.
• Emphasises surface readings over deeper anlysis
• Celebration of consumerism, hedonism and style
• The ubiquity of 'the screen'
• The erosion of sense of self and identity

In what ways does this video construct Lady Gaga as a celebrity? How could this video be described as postmodern? Make explicit reference to visual and technical codes.

The costumes used in her video are extravagant and unique which conveys a dramatic personality of Lady Gaga as a celebrity.  

The theme of the video runs through the song lyrics, eg. 'I live for the applause'. Meaning Lady Gaga is very over the top and perhaps attention seeking. 

The video was postmodernist. Flashing lights reflect attention of the press and the public.

Binary Oppositions:

• Make things easier for audiences. 
• They can be funny for audiences eg, comedy shows that have mismatched couples.
• They make things easier for producers, more time can be spent on driving a narrative forward. 
• They make ideas more intense. A horror film is particularly scary when the evil and bloodshed constarsts with an ubeat opening
• Day and Night
• Woman and Man
• Naughty and Good
• Sweet and Savoury
• Hard and Soft
• Loud and Quiet 
• White and Black
• Hot and Cold
• Ugly and Beautiful
• Teachers and Students
• Simple and Extravagant
• Big and Small

Definition:
A media kit is a package of information, assembled by a company, to provide basic information about itself to reporters. 
The media kit is a promotional public relations tool that can serve several functions, including promoting the launch of a new company, promoting the launch of a new product or service by an existing company, giving a company a way to present itself as it would like to be seen, and/or saving time, by eliminating the need for a company's employees to repeatedly answer the same questions.


A media kit can be as simple as a page on a company's website or as complex as a package of information and product samples sent to selected members of the media. 
The media kit commonly provides:

• the company's official name
• the names, titles and biographies of its most important people
• information about the company's history and function
• photos
• any press releases the company has had written about itself.
• can also provide contact information for reporters, who seek additional information or want to interview someone at the company.

An example of a Media Kit:

Vogue Media Kit 2018

Provides a very modern design due to the magazines use of space and colour. The pure white pages look sophisticated, and the thin sans serif font is elegant. However this is also contrasted to the magazines use of retro effects and mise-en-scene on it's images. This also gives the magazine a vintage look, mirroring how fashion from different eras comes back into style, (being a fashion magazine).