MY QUICK THEORY LIST.

ROLAND BARTHES CODES AND CONVENTIONS WITHIN MUSIC VIDEOS . Roland Barthe states that: “The text is like a ball of thread , the ball is the text and we are the detanglers.

He also suggests that individuals can interpret the codes in different ways on different days depending on their feelings.

He splits the way media can present these codes into 5 strands 1.The Hermeneutic code is the voice of truth, this code avoids telling the truth or revealing the facts to create a sense of mystery. This is often used within detective programs as without this code there would be no point of this genre existing as if all the information was given to the audience on a plate then they would immediately know who the killer was.

The code is the enigma code this acts as the empirical voice, it builds up tension slowly ,leaving the audience waiting for what is going to come next. It is often used in horror movies and programs to build up the suspense and give the audience that fear factor.

The third of Roland Barthes codes is the semantic code this acts as the voice of the person, it focuses on a element in the text that suggests a particular often additional meaning through connotation and association e.g. : A red door could have the implications that there is danger on the other side.

The symbolic code is similar to the semantic code but on a larger scale and depth as it has broader sets of meaning. A example of this would be that “love is the opposite to hate”

The cultural code is the voice of science ,it looks at audiences wider cultural knowledge morality and ideology, this means that they can keep in with audience expectations of stereo types and they can communicate a character through these representations and preconceived ideas about the world we live in.

ANDREW GOODWIN'S CONVENTIONS OF

MUSIC VIDEOS…

AS A AUDIENCE WE SHOULD LOOK FOR 5 KEY ASPECTS.

The narrative and performance within the video

The star image so this is how the star is presented to us.

Technical aspects of the music video Thought beats –seeing the sound Music visualisation.

Music videos avoid the common narrative as music videos should act as advertisements for the artist. consumers make up their own meaning of a song in their minds allowing the artist to anchor a meaning through a music video.

NARRATIVE AND PERFORMANCEThe lyrics and performance of a song never are fully explanatory we tend to take key parts of the performance and summarise our own opinion on what the song means.When the artist lip sings lyrics and shows symbolic gestures it gives the music video more in-depth meaning and over all more a powerful narrative. However by the Artist also acting as the narrator and partaker gives the music video more realism.Andrew Goodwin suggests that artists should avoid common narratives as it will effect their advertising as it plays a distinct role.The music video must be expressive and distinct so it has aspects of repeatability. If the narrative and performance is interesting it makes it more watchable so that audiences wont loose interest.

STAR IMAGE Star Image:

“The way the star is portrayed in a music video is extremely important to the development of the star over along period of time it is classed as Meta narrative it gives the hole picture and story of the star as it is vital for the star to grow within the industry. It plays an important role in the process of creating a music video and cannot be dismissed.”

TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF MUSIC VIDEOS.

The Mise-en-scene is an indispensable aspect to the music video as it gives it professional gratification and a high quality music video.

The use of the camera is also of importance. As the speed that the camera is used at , the camera angles and movement ,the way the footage is then cut and, edited and also the post production process can make or break a music video

The lighting can change the mood of the music video and how we interpret it. Also can enhance certain scenes or movement that the producers would like to bring to the audiences attention.

“Thought beats occur when the transitions in music video synchronise with the audio. An example of this is a slow tempo son will have slow transitions allowing the song to come across as delicate and thoughtful. However having sharp quick transitions gives the music video a interpretational edge of recklessness and care free showing a more energetic emotion. You also have to take the structure of the song into account as you have to understand the chorus and verses. The second step is to acknowledge the lead vocalist as in comparison to the chorus it gives them a unique form of identification., this can then be linked to their star persona and give them a trade mark. The last step is to establish what story the artist is trying tell. This can establish them as a story teller, the music video can reinforce the story my adding visuals to support the lyrics.”

MUSIC VISUALISATION. There are three ways Andrew Goodwin states that visuals can sell a song to its target audience.

Illustrative: shots and images are used to show the genre and why it was used and also the meaning behind the vocals and the genre.

Disjuncture: The meaning of the song is not identified through visuals as the visuals do not relate to the lyrics in any form.

Repeatability: This is when the images are manipulated by camera angles and special effects and shown to us repeatedly, this is to ensure that the visuals are imprinted in our minds.

A music video can also promote a song in the way it interprets the lyrics. This is shown in music videos where the artist does a action that represents what the song says ,take the Casper slide for example he says “slide to the left” at the very same time he slides to the left himself.

LAURA MULVEY “The concept of the gaze is how people interpret the people presented”

If you are Feminist then you will see the gaze in three possible ways:.How men look at women.How women look at other women.How women look at themselves.

LAURA MULVEY STATES THAT WHEN WE ARE INTERPRETING A CHARACTER THROUGH THE MEDIA THAT WE HAVE TO DO SO THROUGH A HETEROSEXUAL MALES POINT OF VIEW.

Camera angles linger and emphasise the females figure. Any events that occur to the woman depend on massively on how the male chooses to react to the event itself. The woman is just their to present the male as superior and help portray his character as a hero. The woman is classified as a object , if you are a female viewer then you have to interpret the narrative secondary as to understand the narrative they have to identify with the male gaze.

THIS METHOD IS ALSO USED IN ADVERTS WHERE THEY USE THE FEMALE TO SELL THE PRODUCT BY SEXUALISING THE FEMALE BODY.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUtS5QKfpRk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeC0O9akIVU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTbG1hG2AFA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRV-2_Un-kk

“Some women however prefer and like to be looked at for example you have modelling competitions. This suggest that the gaze can be used for how women look at other woman as they can aspire to be like them ,the gaze does not have to be sexual.”

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS Marajorie Ferguson and Trevor Millum suggested that women and men had a small range of facial expressions that communicated effectively towards the audience:

Female facial expressions: male facial features:Chocolate box practical Invitational seductive Super smiler comic Romantic or sexual catalogue